Kindle 3 – Will it be launched in 2010?
By Best-eReaders, February 27, 2010
Amazon Kindle 3
Over the past year, different ereader makers have produced new eReading gadgets or showed off prototypes of their upcoming readers. With the competition getting stiffer, the only way for Amazon to keep its pole position is to bring a new Kindle with better features and functionalities. The world has been eagerly waiting for its new eReader, too. Since the release of Kindle 2, speculations about the third generation Kindle abound. What will it look like? Will it have color display? It will be released during the holiday season. It will be released before the Apple tablet hits the market. No, Amazon will wait until Apple retails the iPad. And so on goes the rumor mill.
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A Possible Release Date: February 2010?
Some analysts saw a 2009 holiday release for Kindle. Since it didn’t happen, the crystal ball of Kindle analysts now shows a February 2010 release. Here are some of the reasons behind the 2010 forecast.
• Tech companies have to produce a model each year or they become obsolete. It’s been a year since Amazon released Kindle 2 (it was released in February of 2009). Kindle owners must be very eager now to upgrade their device.
• Amazon has hinted in some of its announcements the possibility of a new device. Case in point is Amazon press release announcing they will amp up royalty to 70 percent for publishers and authors who use the Kindle Digital Text Platform. Amazon also mentioned some plans about adding new features to the Kindle and the Kindle store.
• Barnes and Nobles has released a worthy opponent: the Nook. The B&N device has delivered its punch; Amazon has to steal back the spotlight if it wants to stay on top of the game.
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February is about to end but no announcement from Amazon yet. Other possible release dates being thought of would be June 2010 (marking the anniversary of the Kindle DX) or October 2010 (marking the anniversary of Kindle International).
Possible Features of the Kindle 3
Kindle 2 is a powerful ereader. It has impressive battery life, text-to-speech capability, wireless download function, and a giant bookstore to back it up. However, competition has caught up. And in the light of innovations of rival ereaders, Kindle 2’s shortcomings become more transparent: lack of touch capability, relatively small screen, and absence of native PDF support among others. So if Amazon were to release a new ereader, what firmware and hardware upgrades will it have? Let’s take a look at some possible features of the Kindle 3.
• Touchscreen. Rival ereaders are all going for the keyboard-less device; Kindle must step up to the game. Also, Kindle showed a touchscreen technology last month. Question that remains now is: how long will it take for Amazon to build the touch function into their new device.
• Flexible and crash resistant screen. Prime View International (PVI), the company that manufactures the electronic paper display used in Kindles and other e-ink readers, is developing e-ink screens made of plastic base rather than glass. The new display technology is expected to go into production towards the end of June. When crash-resistant display becomes available, Amazon may even release a Kindle for Kids.
• Color screen. With 4 new color display technologies showcased at the CES this year, Amazon has a lot to choose from: Liquavista, Kent Display, Qualcomm, and PVI.
• Faster processor. To accommodate the Kindle Apps that Amazon is rumored to release, Kindle will need a more powerful processor. With improved processor speed, Kindle 3 will have fast refresh rate and quicker menu navigation.
• Folders system. Kindle 3 will have better library management.
• Appearance upgrade. If Kindle integrates touch technology, it might also move to virtual keyboard.
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The Bottom Line
Amazon is still mum about a possible third generation reader. But predicting what the Kindle 3 will have and when it will be released is a lot of fun. It captures the public’s imagination and it also gives Amazon the insight into what people think will be a better Amazon device.
Re: “With improved processor speed, Kindle 3 will have fast refresh rate and quicker menu navigation.”
That is simply not true. The bottleneck is the eInk technology used, not the processor.
e-Ink is the way to go with eReaders since they easy on the eyes.
I think this device really lacks internal lightning! (To read in bed and low light conditions)