Amazon updates Kindle, adds $99 touchscreen version

Amazon updates Kindle, adds $99 touchscreen version
Kindle goes touchscreen with update to the ebook reader lineup.

Amazon has slashed the price of its Kindle ebook reader and introduced a touchscreen edition.

The update came alongside the launch of Amazon's first tablet, the Kindle Fire - click here for the full details.

The Kindle Touch has no keyboard, and is smaller than the current Kindle. It also has no buttons to turn pages; instead, readers tap the right part of the screen to move forward, back or to the menu.

Amazon promises the Kindle Touch will have two months of battery life and 4GB of storage.

It will feature a new system called X-Ray, which offers background about topics and terms in books, downloading relevant Wikipedia articles along with the text.

The Kindle Touch will be US$99, while the 3G version will be US$149. Preorders start today, and the devices ship 21 November. At the moment, the devices are only shipping in the US; Amazon has yet to announce an international version.

A smaller version of the Kindle, without a touchscreen, was also unveiled for $79 in the US for delivery 12 October. It also doesn't have a keyboard; Amazon didn't offer much detail on how navigation would work, but it features a "five-way controller" button.

That Kindle offers 2GB of storage and a month of battery life. It is exceptionally light at 5.98 ounces, and 18% smaller than the last version. It's Wi-Fi only.

This article originally appeared at pcpro.co.uk

Source: Copyright © PC Pro, Dennis Publishing

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