This entry has been updated. See photos below
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, onstage at a press event in New York City on Wednesday, gave eager onlookers a taste of the company's new line of Kindle devices.
The first, the Kindle Touch, is priced at $99 and will feature a black-and-white e-Ink display together with a touchscreen. (See photos below)
This ereader will go on sale starting November 21 together with a $149 3G version of the Kindle Touch. Pre-orders of both devices will start on September 28.
The $149 device is described by Amazon as its "top of the line Kindle ereader," and offers the same features as the Kindle Touch, though with the added bonus of 3G capabilities. Amazon touted a new "X-Ray" feature that will be available in the Kindle Touch: "With a single tap, readers can see all the passages across a book that mention ideas, fictional characters, historical figures, places or topics that interest them, as well as more detailed descriptions from Wikipedia and Shelfari, Amazon’s community-powered encyclopedia for book lovers," Amazon wrote in a statement.
And there's more.
A $79 non-touch Kindle will also be available for pre-order starting September 28. Bezos predicts that Amazon will move "many millions of these." According to Engadget, this device features navigation buttons, weighs "under six ounces" and measures "18 percent smaller than the Kindle 3." What's the difference between the new Kindle and the old Kindle? An Amazon press release said the new Kindle is "30 percent lighter at just 5.98 ounces, 18 percent smaller, and turns pages 10 percent faster."
AllThingsD's Peter Kafka reports that all these new Kindles will feature "special offers" advertisements and purchasing an ereader without ads will cost more--add $30 to the pricetag for the base Kindle, and $40 to the Kindle Touch," Kafka tweeted after the event had concluded.
Amazon also took the wraps off its new tablet, the Kindle Fire, which will sell for $199 and run a modified version of the Google Android operating system. The device will be ready to ship on November 15.
The company then previewed its custom browser, Amazon Silk, which was designed with the Fire in mind.
Check out our live blog for photos and details from Amazon's big event. See some pictures of the new devices below.
