Posted on 08/26/2010 6:47:26 PM PDT by Feline_AIDS
New Kindles start shipping to customers today--two days ahead of previously announced release date SEATTLE, Aug 25, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- (NASDAQ: AMZN)--Amazon.com today announced that more new generation Kindles were ordered in the first four weeks of availability than in the same timeframe following any other Kindle launch, making the new Kindles the fastest-selling ever. In addition, in the four weeks since the introduction of the new Kindle and Kindle 3G, customers ordered more Kindles on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk combined than any other product, continuing Kindle's over two-year run as the bestselling product across all the products sold on Amazon.com. The new Kindles started shipping to customers today--two days earlier than previously announced.
"Kindle is the best-selling product on Amazon.com for two years running and our new generation Kindles are continuing that momentum," said Steven Kessel, senior vice president, Amazon Kindle. "Readers are excited about all that the new Kindle has to offer--50 percent better contrast, 20 percent faster page turns, 15 percent lighter, up to one month of battery life--and a new price of only $139."
The all-new Kindle has an electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, 15 percent lighter weight at just 8.5 ounces, 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life with wireless off, double the storage to 3,500 books, no glare even in bright sunlight and built-in Wi-Fi--all for only $139. The all-new Kindle 3G with all of these new features plus the convenience of free 3G wireless is only $189.
Early comments from product reviewers on the new Kindle include:
"This e-book reader's lighter weight and complete overhaul make the third-generation Kindle the best reader from Amazon yet... After spending some quality time curled up with the new Kindle, I have to say it's the first e-reader in months that's left me wanting to read more. Its solid build quality, along with its improved design, integrated store, and cross-platform transportability (books are usable on any Kindle reader app, including iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and PC) all add up to a winner that shoots to the head of the pack." - PC World
"Despite some predictions that the iPad and other Web-oriented tablets would start the Kindle doom clock ticking, its continued popularity bodes well for the future of single-purpose long-form reading devices. The new third-generation Kindle only makes that future brighter. All its basic virtues--instant downloading from an abundantly stocked store, light weight, ability to read in sunlight--are still there, with significant improvements in text readability, physical design, and battery life." - Wired
"...given its new low price along with its massive library of ebooks and dead-simple book buying, the Kindle keeps its crown as our Editors' Choice. Simply put, it's the best dedicated ebook reader you can buy." - PC Magazine
"Amazon's newest Kindle (simply called "Kindle," though it's sometimes referred to as the "Kindle 3") is the best ebook-reading device on the market." - Fast Company
Also in the four weeks since their introduction:
Kindle and Kindle 3G are the most gifted and most wished for products on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk combined. Customers in 125 countries on six continents from Austria to Zimbabwe have already placed orders for the new generation Kindles. Some of the most remote shipments will be sent as far away as Mongolia and the Northern Mariana Islands. Customers are already ordering books to read on their new Kindles. The most popular are the books in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, "Star Island" by Carl Hiaasen and "The Rembrandt Affair" by Daniel Silva. Kindle offers the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read. The U.S. Kindle Store now has more than 670,000 books, including New Releases and 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 550,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 73 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read on Kindle devices. More than 235,000 books have been added to the Kindle Store in just the last seven months, including New York Times Best Sellers "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and "The Passage."
Kindle lets you Buy Once, Read Everywhere--on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based devices. Amazon's Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.
Customers can discover full details and order the new Kindle and Kindle 3G at www.amazon.com/kindle3G and www.amazon.com/kindleWi-Fi.
For high-resolution images of the new generation Kindle, visit www.amazon.com/pr/kindle/images.
Whoa, that picture is giant. Didn’t mean to do that.
Can it read ePUBs? I didn’t find them mentioned in the news release.
I have the latest DX version and I love it.
Test your new Kindle with this: http://tinyurl.com/2b5s94v
Maybe Amazon can finally turn a profit. They never have. I love Amazon though and I’m glad for that company.
“Cue” I would think it should be spelled.
A Kindle would, in principle, be able to flag errata in the text. And why couldn’t it double as a generic web browser, with a suitable internet connection. Shoot, the Kindle will probably be hacked to run Ubuntu before long.
What I do is sit out in the surf in my trusty Coleman (max weight 300 lbs) lawn chair with my paperback copy of "Winds of War" by Herman Wouk or maybe my paperback copy of "Poland" by James Michener and get into some serious historical fiction while sipping my margaritas out of an emptied out bottle of Gatorade (so the beach cops don't bust my *ss).
Maybe Kindles are good for the young urban professional getting a limo ride into the city to meet his stockbroker, but for an old beach bum like me, nothing beats paper. And if a rogue wave was to knock me into the water, I wouldn't have to worry about ruining a $139 electronic device but only a $7.99 paperback that I can pick up the next time I'm near a Barnes & Noble.
It’s amazing what can be bought cheap from Amazon. I guess that’s easy if they are subsidizing everything.
I loved my Kindle until I got the iPad.
Now I can listen to Audible books, read Kindle books, eReader books, Stanza books, carry my complicated knitting charts along with me via GoodReader, listen to all my favorite talk shows, keep up with my beloved FreeRepublic, and check into what my grandsons are up to on FaceBook - all on my iPad.
And I just got the cheapest one!
Why not tuck the Kindle into a ziploc bag?
It’s not for me, but they finally got the price point in an area where it makes sense.
I tuck my kindle into a zip lock bag to read in the hot tub, my favorite reading spot.
P.S.
I gave my Kindle to my sis, who was disappointed in the Sony reader, but not until I got my iPad.
Mine is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.
I just finished doing extensive research on Kindle vs. Nook. Wifey is getting the Nook for our Anniversary and I'm getting the Kindle.
Using free software called Calibre, I'll be able to convert all my various file formats to Mobi or Kindle. Including ePUB.
No epubs for the kindle. That’s why I got a Nook from B&N. I can get books from anywhere and put them on it, including from my library.
Question;
Kindle has a web browser of sorts to go with the WIFI. Can sites such as FR be browsed? Or is it just Amazon.com that can be accessed?
The Sony reader is actually pretty good. It takes the widest selection of formats, which is why I got it.
But it’s software for the computer is an abomination to all that is good and right in the world.
So I looked for some freeware e-book reader software and found ‘Calibre’. That mated to the Sony is one heck of a great combination.
A deal-breaker IMO. I'm quite happy with my Sony 505, but the Nook looks good. I can't see buying a reader that reads only a proprietary format and not the industry standard, but to each their own.
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