Rumor: Another Kindle on the way?
The Irex 1000 line: add white for Kindle of the future?
(Credit: Irex)Back when the rumors of a Kindle 2 started last year, there was also some chatter about a larger form factor Kindle that would be designed partially for the educational market. Well, now that the Kindle 2 has arrived, the rumor mill is churning again with blog posts about a larger form factor Kindle 3 that has a touch screen.
The initial report comes from DigiTimes, which says sources within Prime View International (PVI), the makers of the Kindle's electrophoretic display (EPD), claim Amazon's next Kindle will launch by the end of this year and will be "larger in size and equipped with touch functions."
Such a product actually exists already; it's made by Irex, it has a 10.2-inch touch screen, and I wrote about it way back in September of last year. The Irex Digital Reader 1000S is currently available for a whopping $859.
We assume Amazon would be able to come out with a model that carries a lower, more reasonable price tag. But there are probably some serious challenges to get the price down anywhere near to where the current Kindle 2 sits--and already a lot of people think the Kindle 2 is expensive at $359.
It's worth noting that in its post, Engadget cites a Plastic Logic 8.5 x 11-inch touch-screen eBook reader as a potential partner for Amazon (see image below with Photoshopped logo). That type of device seems more in keeping with Amazon's thinner, slicker Kindle 2 design.
Personally, I think all this stuff is a long way off. End of the year maybe, but most likely 2010.
Comments?
Digitimes via Mobile Read via Engadget.
A fantasy mock-up of Plastic Logic's Kindle 3.
(Credit: Engadget)
Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. 
I do agree with you on the point that we'll most likely be seeing something like this *next year...* If they wanted to target those from the education segment, I'd imagine they'd try keeping prices down. And *if* the rumored Kindle were to be equipped with a touch screen *with* writing in mind (notes, notations, etc.), I'd doubt the technology would be cheap enough to produce without too many compromises...
I hope they eventually offer a version of it running Android. It would be nice to be able to access & read email, etc. with it.
Kindle 2 is interesting, but I am still waiting for these books to be DRM free. It's just so much easier and "thought-free" when I don't have to worry about DRM and how I use something. The higher the resolution, the better it is too. We are nowhere near true 300-dpi but that's a technical limitation at this point.
Speaking of DRM-free, Amazon does have an awesome MP3 store that is DRM-free with a large selection and often good prices. It would be nice if they had the same thing with books.
On the note about Amazon, I recently came across an interesting table that details the discounts on Amazon. Maybe someone will find it useful too. It's at http://www.uberi.com
Anyway, Amazon appears to be quite serious this time. The media coverage is helping for sure. We will probably see faster advancements in this area in the near future as competition heats up.
hmm as for the apple store, when my current laptop dies (getting close now!) I do plan to go their and check out the new models (hoping for a macbook pro!)
As a graduate student looking to get away from the computer while saving the paper, time associated with printing, and mess of papers lying around, I would absolutely LOVE a full sized reader (vs. smaller ones that can't handle academic journal content very well, even when you cut it up). The only choices are the iRex for $$$$, or sacrificing battery, weight and readability with a tablet PC, or waiting roughly a year for the Plastic Logic and potentially other more affordable devices of the iRex's size. A year is a long damn time.
The new eee tablet looks promising, but again, that would still involve sacrifices.
Anyhow, these things will be huge. It is nearly guaranteed. Arguments on price are ridiculous. Do you know how much the original iPod cost? Do you know how large the book market is compared to music? How about the difference between a stack of textbooks and a stack of CDs? These devices will be incredibly helpful. They won't replace books of course, but they will be an excellent convenient method of reading for many of us.
- by tlh2007 March 2, 2009 1:06 AM PST
- I really don't care if it's $500 or not... It would be great for the educational sector. I spend at least that much every SEMESTER on regular textbooks for college. I would definitely use one of these, especially since it would practically pay for itself after a couple semesters.
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- by batpox March 2, 2009 9:45 AM PST
- How right you are! what a huge savings for the educational sector; no more obsolete books! One 10 ounce gadget holds all your books from kindergarten through grad school! One thing the non-Kindle commentors don't understand; you really need something like e-Ink. It is not like your laptop display - you can read it in the brightest sunlight and it has very high dpi - like paper. However it is a new and still-expensive technology and they're still working on color, form factor, ruggedness, etc. So we're going to have to wait until the technology catches up a bit.
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