- No screen glare in bright sunlight
- Read with one hand—over 30% lighter than iPad mini
- Battery lasts weeks, not hours
- Next-gen built-in light—read without eyestrain
On sale today for preorder and expected to ship at the end of the month, the new Kindle Paperwhite is the first shipping product to feature E-Ink's Pearl 2 display, which offers better contrast, along with 1GHz processor (25 percent faster than the 800MHz found in the original Paperwhite), a next-generation built-in light, and a more responsive touch-screen display that has a 19 percent tighter touch grid. It's also a hair lighter, weighing in at 7.3 ounces instead of 7.5 ounces.
The new Kindle Paperwhite's processor is 25% faster. Books open and pages turn faster for a seamless experience. Kindle Paperwhite also uses the latest in capacitive touch technology, more accurately responding to the smallest touches.
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Many of the other updates appear to be software-related, which means we may see some features made available for earlier Kindle models as well.
For instance, there’s support for in-line footnotes, and a “Kindle Page Flip” feature for scanning books by page, chapter, or by skipping to the end without losing your current place.
It comes with the same 2GB of integrated storage (1.25GB available for user content), which Amazon says allows you to store up to 1,100 e-books. A Japanese version will include 4GB of storage.
The new model will start at $119 for a WiFi-only Special Offers version (it shows ads on the home screen when the screen goes to sleep or you power the device on). You can opt out of the ads for $20 extra, and a Wi-Fi + 3G model -- which lets you access Amazon's store over a cellular network at no extra charge -- will ship on November 5 for $189.
Amazon also lists a few features that are coming soon, including integration with GoodReads, the online book community that Amazon recently acquired which lets you connect with friends, see what they’re reading, and read millions of reviews. Kindle FreeTime is also coming to the Kindle Paperwhite, rewarding kids with achievements for reading, among other things.
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