The next Kindle is going to be this thing or that depending on the blog or tech site you are reading. Some sites have even claimed sighting of the “new Kindle”.
Rumors about the next Kindle have been brewing since 2009, and we have been making some predictions about the features it may have. But what would the next Kindle be called? Here are some guesses.
Kindle Slim
Kindle is getting a slimmer body in August – that’s according to Bloomberg, and Kindle Slim is a fitting name for what may be the feature that will separate it from its predecessors. Not that the Kindle 2 is fat. In fact, with a waistline of 0.36 inches, it’s one of the slimmest eReaders on the market. Yet an even slimmer waistline would make the Kindle even lighter and easier to hold. There’s high probability then that Amazon will also roll out flexible, unbreakable screen for Kindle Slim. Will it approach the paper-like thinness of The Page?
According to Bloomberg, the new Kindle will have improved screen sharpness (12:1 contrast ratio) and responsiveness (enough to support basic animations. However, we will not be seeing a full color, touch screen, which kills some excitement right there.
Kindle Black
CrunchGear published a photo of a “black Kindle” that was provided by their tipster. The said tipster saw a Kindle that’s about the size of the Kindle DX but has no keyboard.
The CrunchGear tipster vouched it was Amazon who took pictures of the product to post on the Amazon product page. The tipster also said the “black” was not simply a skin or cover.
CrunchGear took this as a sign that Amazon is now ready with a final design and that we will be seeing the new model very soon. The picture, however, was a very grainy and shot from a distance, leaving doubts about its authenticity. It may or may not be a Kindle.
Kindle Touch
After Amazon acquired TouchCo, a New York-based touch screen startup, in February, rumors flew that Amazon is readying a Kindle Touch this year. As with other Kindle rumors, Amazon is not confirming any rumor.
According to reports, Touchco’s screen technology will be better than Apple’s as it can actually recognize multiple touch points at the same time. Because the Touchco screen technology is cheaper to produce, we can expect a pocket-friendly Kindle Touch.
Kindle Pad
In order to fight and survive Apple iPad better, Amazon needs to acquire the best technologies through partnership. In February, there were reports that Amazon signed a cross-licensing deal with Microsoft. Amazon was also said to be working with Qualcomm for a color display and Freescale for a fast yet cheap processor chip.
The Times reported that “Amazon has been looking to compete with Apple.” As such, releasing a tablet will make sense. Amazon may pick up Kindle Pad or Kindle Slate for its product name.
Kindle Lite
Amazon will introduce the Kindle Lite, a WiFi-only model to compete with the Nook Lite, in June or August. The Kindle Lite will be around $159, about $40 cheaper than the Nook Lite.
Kindle 3
Amazon has Kindle 1 and Kindle 2. Why not name the next eReader as Kindle 3 to easily remind people this is its third-generation device?
Closing thought
Amazon has shown to be least inclined to fancy names. If anything, the company will pick a simple yet easy to remember name for its next eReader as did in the past (Kindle 1, Kindle 2, Kindle DX).
Comments