Amazon Officially Announces The New Kindle Paperwhite: “Paperwhite” Display, Frontlighting, 8 Week Battery, And 212 PPI

There’s plenty to talk about here at Amazon’s Los Angeles press conference. The Kindle Fire 2 is obviously a hot topic of discussion, but lest you forget the product that started it all: The Kindle. As expected, new models of the E-Ink ereader have been officially announced, and one (the Kindle Paperwhite) follows in the steps of Barnes & Noble’s Nook with Glow.

The new Kindle Paperwhite features frontlighting for the very first time, allowing readers to enjoy their Twilight fan fiction in the dark, perhaps sleeping next to their partner without disturbing them. It will also come with a “Paperwhite” display, which offers more contrast and brightness.

The location of the USB port and power switch haven’t changed much from previous generations of the device, but the design language has. There is no longer a home button at the bottom, and the casing has gone from light to dark grey — nearly black.

The display has 62 percent more pixels, and it’s super sharp with excellent contrast. It’s 9.1mm thin, with a very thin bezel, and you can adjust the level (25 in total) of the display with your finger. A new feature called “Time to Read” offers a glimpse at how long it’ll take you to get to the next chapter. Biographies are available for characters in books from the Amazon store, as well as author info, bios and lists of works. The Paperwhite also boasts 8-week battery life, even with the light on.

The basic Kindle Paperwhite is $119, can be ordered today on Amazon.com and ships Oct. 1. The $179 model includes 3G for free free, and it’s available in over 100 countries worldwide.

Via: TechCrunch