Large-screen Kindle DX arrives this summer, $489

Wed May 6, 2009 11:41AM EDT

See Comments (98)

Confirming one of the worst-kept tech secrets in recent memory, Amazon today formally announced that it would be launching a large-screen Kindle this summer to further enhance its position in the surprisingly popular ebook reader market.

The new Kindle, called the Kindle DX, looks a lot like the smaller Kindle 2 which was released earlier this year, but it features a larger screen, measuring 9.7 inches diagonally, and a larger price: $489 instead of $359 for the 6-inch model. Another new feature includes the ability to automatically rotate between portrait and landscape mode based on how you hold the device, much like the iPhone.

Interestingly, despite the bigger screen, the new Kindle is only 0.02 inches thicker than the Kindle 2. The Kindle DX also has a little over twice the storage space as the Kindle 2 and includes a native PDF reader, so books need not be converted to a special Kindle format, which invariably causes the loss of a lot of formatting, a big problem for material that includes tables, charts, and other illustrations.

Many observers this week have discussed how a large-screen Kindle would improve the reading experience for users of newspapers and magazines, while some have posited that Amazon is hoping to use the Kindle DX to horn its way into the textbook market.

Turns out both sides are right. The combination of bigger screen and the native PDF reader means that both types of users will have a much better experience with the Kindle DX, as periodical content can now be displayed closer to the way it was intended. As well, Amazon will be cutting subscription prices on popular newspapers for users of the device.

Also, Amazon is positioning the Kindle DX as a way to lighten textbook loads for students and is partnering with several universities this fall where the device will be rolled out across the student body. This seems a little on the experimental side for now -- the lack of easy highlighting/note-taking remains a criticism of the device for use in an academic setting -- but I'll be interested to see how successful it is there. Historically speaking, college kids may well be the readiest market for the sea change of switching from dead tree books to digital ones.

More coverage of Amazon's announcement is available from the New York Times.

Comments on Large-screen Kindle DX arrives this summer, $489

Post a Comment

Join in the discussion. Here you'll see the comments in the order they were posted.

  • 86 Posted by epress101 on Thu May 7, 2009 3:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    I just bought a Laptop for not much more than this.

  • 88 Posted by l.baker417 on Thu May 7, 2009 8:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    Kindles are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm getting one soon.

  • 89 Posted by kebridgeman on Fri May 8, 2009 9:22AM EDT Report Abuse

    I think this is freaking excellent!! If the bookstore sells Amazon.com gift cards that can be bought with financial aid....that would be HUGE! E-textbooks are so much cheaper this would be fabulous. The price may be high but the value of being able to literally easily carry your textbooks everywhere so that you can study at anytime plus the value of not carrying heavy books outweighs the cost. I would love to see this make its way down to high schools and middle schools.

  • 90 Posted by jlohnes1@sbcglobal.net on Fri May 8, 2009 9:35AM EDT Report Abuse

    Whether it's price pointed at $300 or $500, Kindle2 or DX is about $200 to $300 to high. Take a lesson from Gilette, Amazon. The idea is to sell razor blades, not the razor itself. When the Kindle comes down to $199 and offers color, now you're talking. Until then; fergetabouit.....

  • 91 Posted by lds_01956 on Fri May 8, 2009 4:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    Unfortunately, the new Kindle is of NO USE to the visually impaired student who could use it the most. Braille books are extremely heavy and take many more volumes for the same book in print. By making just a few adjustments, Amazon could make this device accessible to the blind, who have great hardships getting college textbooks either in Braille or on tape. But aside from doing it for the "greater good of mankind," the company could tap into a growing market that will increase even more with the influx of injured soldiers and an aging population at risk of losing their sight.

  • 92 Posted by pawith on Fri May 8, 2009 4:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    I wonder if Kindles are coffee-proof? If I spill my morning coffee on by newspaper it will not short circuit.

  • 93 Posted by ephguys on Fri May 8, 2009 5:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    I am not sure why people think that the Kindle will save a ton of money on Text books. The costs to make these books is not in the physical printing but in the information that is contained within the books. These have to be updated (especially science books on a collegiate level) on a very regular basis....it is not like reprinting "Crime and Punishment"..... Has anyone seen the expected cost of a Physics Textbook yet?

  • 94 Posted by jorgensonkathleen on Sat May 9, 2009 12:42AM EDT Report Abuse

    I would like to have a Kindle, but I purchase my books used whenever I can find them. I wonder if Kindle would let me purchase at the used price. Another plus I would find is I would like to travel with a camper and the Kindle would be great. The weight and bulk of fitting books in a camper would be elimated.

  • 96 Posted by burnlo76 on Mon Jun 1, 2009 9:58AM EDT Report Abuse

    I can remember a product similar to the kindle,this was years ahead of Amazon Kindle,it was made for kids! You pay for new stories to be loaded into it. The product was made like a book. Does anyone recall what I'm talking about. I used to see the commercials on t.v, it even read out loud! The kids could follow the story,it lite up in the dark for night reading and it offered colorful images. I can't remember the name,my point is how did Amazon Kindle corner this market in the first place when this invention or gadget has already been done.

  • 98 Posted by cl_bea on Thu Jun 4, 2009 8:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    It is very expensive and we will have to pay forever (New Battery once a while, then we will pay to fill that gadget with a book or else) another gadget to be on the market for two years then a new system came out! But it could be nice to get a screen to unrolled like a curtain then closed in a stick feed with a tiny USB Key style.

More Posts: First Prev … 4 5 6 Next Last

Post a Comment

Sign In to Post a Comment

My Tech

Please enable your browser's cookies to activate the My Tech column.

Also on Yahoo! Tech

Computers Home Office Wi-Fi & Networking Phones & PDAs Cameras & Camcorders TV & Home Theater Portable Audio
 

Site Map | Tour | Subscribe to Yahoo! Tech

Question and Answer content at Yahoo! Tech is written by Yahoo! users at Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any Yahoo! Answers content. For more information, read the Full Disclaimer.

Opinions expressed by the Advisors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! receives no compensation from any manufacturer or distributor nor does it compensate any Advisor for the coverage of any product or service in any Advisor's content.