An all-new Kindle Paperwhite for 2013 has been given a release date by the Amazon.com company. The new eReader will feature improved technical specifications, some interesting updated features, and a price point similar to that of the predecessor. The company unveiled the newest device on Tuesday, the same day that Apple brought word of an upcoming press event.
The USA Today site reported on Sept. 3 that this will be the sixth generation of the Kindle eReader, and will cost $119 for the version with ads or $139 for the version without. That's an identical price to the original Paperwhites released last year. The new Paperwhite touts a brighter "read-in-the-dark" light than the original, and a zippier processor built into it. That allows for quicker turning of pages or opening books faster than once before, according to Amazon. Battery life will be equivalent to the original Paperwhites as well, with the new eReader weighing just over 7 ounces.
Some of the new software features built into the new Paperwhite will be a Vocabulary Builder, Kindle FreeTime and Goodreads integration. The vocabulary feature collects all the stored words a reader looks up while reading various books and then presents them in different formats to help the reader learn the words as well as meanings. There's even a flash card style component to allow readers to quiz themselves on words.
The Goodreads site is a social networking website that lets readers share the books they are currently reading or want to read, as well as their ratings on them. The Kindle will offer integration of this reading community into the new Paperwhite. Additionally, the Kindle FreeTime parental control options will be coming to the Paperwhite in the future, allowing parents to monitor or limit their child's usage of the device.
The other big revelation that Amazon brought forth is something new called MatchBook. The feature, scheduled to arrive next month, will allow anyone who has purchased a book from Amazon to buy the digital equivalent for $2.99 or less. Once the service first launches there will be about 10,000 hardcover books that are part of the program already, from the Harper-Collins and Amazon publishing companies. Some of the included titles will be from authors John Irving, Michael Crichton and Jodi Picoult.
The new Kindle Paperwhite is listed on Amazon for pre-order, with a release date of Sept. 30 for the brand new eReader. There has been no announcement by the company yet as to any updated versions of the Kindle Fire HD tablets or any other new devices.
