With that in mind, here are the top Kindle DX accessories that are currently available on Amazon:

Kindle DX Covers:

Cole Haan Hand-Stained Patent Crocodile Print Kindle DX Cover: Cole Haan cases are among the best premium Kindle accessories around. For a while, they only were made for Kindle 2.0, but now Kindle DX has got its own selection of Cole Haan covers.

Piel Frama Amazon Kindle DX: a true premium case for Kindle DX. It’s made of handcrafted Spanish leather, and it does protect your Kindle DX against scratches and minor accidents.

OCTO Vintage Leather Kindle DX Book Cover with Hinge: one stylish Kindle DX case. It looks very stylish and gives you access to all the features your Kindle has to offer. It’s durable as well.

OCTO Leather Seamless Sleeve: it’s made of Italian Embossed Leather with soft microfiber interior. It also comes with seamless technology so stitching is not visible.

Incipio Xenon Kindle DX Case with Reading Light: a fairly affordable case that protects your device and has integrated LED lights to help you read in darker areas more effectively.

Cole Haan Hand-Stained Pebble Grain Leather Cover: yet another premium stylish Kindle DX case from Cole Haan. Not as good looking as the first item on this list, but it’s still pretty good.

Tuff-Luv Leather Flip Case for DX: same as the above except it’s a flip case. You can also use it as a vertical stand.

M-Edge FlexStand for Amazon Kindle DX: if you intend to read your Kindle on your desk vertically, Flextand is the best Kindle DX stand to own.

JAVOedge Pink Croc Book Style Case: another stylish book style case for your Kindle. It gives you access to all the ports. It’s very slim too. Not as good as the Cole Haan one but way more affordable.

M-Edge Touring Kindle DX Sleeve: a very compact double zipper case for Kindle DX that keeps your Kindle DX safe against scratches and doesn’t add too much bulk.

JAVOedge Hardwood Sleeve Case: it’s made out of animal friendly material and protects your Kindle DX against knocks, scratches, and the elements.

M-Edge GO! Jacket for Kindle DX: a compact, lightweight case for Kindle that keeps your gadget safe. Easy to read on your Kindle without taking it out all the time. Comes in 8 colors.

TrendyDigital Kindle DX Leather Cover: a very stylish and flexible case for Kindle. Very slim and makes your Kindle scratch proof.

Tuff-Luv Leather case cover: one elegant case handmade in genuine leather. It’s super sleek and great for business meetings.

Octo Faux Leather Sleeve for Kindle DX: a very compact protective sleeve for Kindle DX that protects your gadget against elements and scratches.

Kindle DX leather case by Noreve: it has a rich look and feel to it. It’s designed for business professionals and those who are looking for a stylish Kindle DX case.

Kindle DX Nero Leather Elite Case: it’s durable and protects your device against scratches and bumps. It’s very light-weight as well.

Leather Book Cover Sleeve Case for DX: one of the most stylish cases around for Kindle DX. It doesn’t cost that much either.

Amazon Kindle DX Active Case: comes with a low profile design and keeps your Kindle DX safe against daily damages and accidents.

Patagonia Reader Case for Kindle DX: a rugged case for Kindle DX which is great for those who are worried about damaging their gadget on the go.

Protec Sport Sleeve Case Cover: semi-rugged case cover for Kindle DX that protects your device against bumps.

OCTO Faux Leather Slip Cover for Amazon Kindle DX: a thin yet effective Kindle case that protects your gadget against the elements while not adding too much bulk.

Senyx Synthetic Leather Opening Case: an affordable Kindle DX case that comes with compartments to help you carry your business cards and notes with you as well.

OCTO Splash Proof Kindle DX Case: a water resistant case for your Kindle that keeps your gadget safe against liquid accidents.

Executive Jacket for Kindle DX: M-Edge has some of the best Kindle case on the market. These cases are portable and get the job done. Multiple colors are available too.

Platform Jacket for Kindle DX: a nice flip cover for Kindle DX that is compatible with M-Edge’s reading light as well.

Amazon Kindle DX Leather Cover: very simple cover for DX. Similar to the one available for Kindle 2.0 but a bit larger to cover your DX.

Belkin Neoprene Sleeve Case: another simple but decent Kindle DX case.

Incipio Technologies underGROUND Case: an affordable and well-designed wool textured case for Kindle DX.

Kindle DX Reversible Carrying Sleeve: a reversible carrying sleeve for Kindle DX. It’s not as convenient as jackets but based on my experience with my Kindle 2.0 case, it will keep your DX safe.

Hard Cube Carrying Case for New Amazon Kindle DX: I have tried these cases before (for other gadgets), and they are truly made for those who expect to be rough with their Kindle. These tough cases are made to protect your gadget against bumps and bruises. They are convenient to carry too.

GelaSkins Protective Skin for Kindle DX: a cool skin for Kindle DX that covers the body of your gadget and protects it against scratches. Comes in multiple colors.

Clear Semi-transparent Silicone Rubber Case: if you are looking for a functional, solid case for Kindle DX, this is an affordable case to consider.

Warranty:

Kindle DX 2 Year Warranty: I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to take any chances with my Kindle DX getting damaged just when I got it. Get your insurance policy for your Kindle DX (protects your gadget against accidental drops).

Cable & Power

Rapid Wall / AC Charger: a rapid charger/ac charger combo that lets you charge your Kindle fast. These are Kindle 2.0 chargers but compatible with Kindle DX.

Emergency AA Battery Charge Extender: extend your Kindle DX’s battery with this cool gadget.

International Wall / AC Charger: if you are planning to take your gadget to other countries, you are going to need this kit.

Gomadic Universal Charging Station: charge your Kindle and your other gadgets all in one place with this charging station.

Kindle DX Lights

M-Edge e-Luminator2 Booklight: a flexible Kindle light that makes it easier to read in darker areas.

Mighty Bright Purple XtraFlex 2 LED Book Light: a portable yet powerful book light for Kindle. Comes with a flexible neck that you can adjust as it suits you.

Kandle LED Book Light: a super portable and effective light that does not block your screen and gives you flexibility when reading your e-books.

There you have it. Expect this list to grow by a whole lot in the next few weeks!

Your turn: what’s your favorite Kindle 2.0 accessory that you want to see made for Kindle DX as well.

If you are looking to pick up a Kindle light for the road, here are 6 portable lights you should consider:

Kandle LED Book Light: a unique, super portable book light that is compatible with top e-book readers. It’s very adjustable and doesn’t put any scratches on your Kindle either. Great for travel.

M-Edge e-Luminator2 Kindle Booklight: if you happen to own one of those M-edge cases (which a lot of people do), this booklight is a convenient way to enhance your reading experience on the road.

Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light: a pretty flexible and affordable light for Kindle. You can move the neck around to find the best angle for you. You can also clip it on the top of your Kindle.

Periscope Lighted Portfolio: not only a case for your Kindle DX, but it also comes with a built-in light to make things much easier on the road.

Great Point Light Flex Neck Clip-On Reading Light: another portable light for Kindle, though I would have preferred it if this light worked with AA or AAA batteries. The neck is pretty flexible and the LEDs are pretty bright.

Flex Neck Reading Light (Soccer): flexible reading light for Kindle that can be clipped to almost anything. Has a flexible neck and is very compact. The soccer patterns are fun if you are into that sport.

What’s your favorite Kindle light?

iZel: the most innovative stand for iPhone, Kindle, and most other portable gadgets that you may have. It’s very well designed and makes it so easy to multi-task.

M-Edge FlexStand Kindle Bookstand: a super flexible stand for Kindle 2 by M-edge, which happens to manufacture some of the best cases for Kindle. It’s light-weight and portable too.

Mivizu Hard Candy Kindle 2 Case and Stand: a thin case and a Kindle stand fit all into one accessory. It’s quite portable and provides protection against scratches as well.

Tuff-Luv Napa Leather case cover: a case/stand hybrid that is not only very attractive but makes it so easy to read your Kindle on your desk. It keeps your gadget vertically stand still and is a super case as well.

M-edge Platform Jacket for Kindle 2: another decent case for Kindle that acts as a vertical stand for your Kindle as well. So you hit multiple targets with one stone.

Insight Adjustable Book & Copy Holder: a cool stand that can not only hold your Kindle but your regular books as well. It’s very affordable and solid. Supports both landscape and portrait viewing modes.

OCTO Metal Stand for Amazon Kindle 2: a very solid metal stand for Kindle 2. You can use it to charge your Kindle while you are reading your newspaper or doing other things on your Kindle.

Cyncronix Adjustable Kindle Stand: one of the most flexible Kindle stands on the market. It’s super thin (1 mm), and its angle can be adjusted easily.

The above stands are handy accessories to use your Kindle at your office or home more conveniently. They hold your Kindle still and safe, allowing you to get more reading done.

Your turn: what’s your favorite Kindle stand?

Apple has finally introduced its latest creation, the iPad, with the world. As many of us expected, Apple didn’t pull any stops with this device. The company is going after multiple markets hard and has sent a message market leaders with the iPad. Netbooks and e-book readers are going to be the among the main targets of the iPad’s assault. The device does look like a more shiny version of Kindle DX. It doesn’t take advantage of E-ink technology and is not supposed to be just an e-reader. At the same time, it can be used to consume content on the go.

Let’s get this straight. Apple iPad is not an e-book reader by itself, and it doesn’t intend to be. It’s a mobile tablet that can display e-books and do a lot more things. But what makes the device more impressive is its low price considering all the features that it offers. You can essentially get your hands on one of these for as much money as you’d have to pay for a Kindle DX. It won’t have global wireless for free, but it could still put pressure on Amazon.

At some point, Amazon will have pay more attention to innovation and focus less on price drops. So far we know that Amazon intends to go down with a fight. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how powerful Amazon Kindle apps will be. But Apple has Amazon beat in the know-how and platform departments at this point. The iPad may not kill Amazon Kindle, but it will most likely force another price drop by Amazon. That would buy Amazon some time before the release of its next generation Kindles. Apple has raised the bar higher for everyone. Let’s see if Amazon can respond.

But not everyone’s happy about how Apple plans to put its tablet on sale. The price is going to be more than what most people prefer to pay. Besides, it’s not going to be an E-ink based device, so your reading experience on it won’t be as rich as what you get on a Kindle or Nook. Apple tablet is going to have its fans, and large publishers will certainly take advantage of the device’s popularity to reach out to more people. But for e-book junkies, there are probably better ways to spend $1000.

Will you be picking up an Apple tablet?

Amazon may be secretive about its plans as far as its next generation Kindle is concerned, but it’s not too hard to realize that the company is in the move and getting ready for a major announcement. The company has already introduced Amazon Kindle DX Global but more importantly has given us Kindle Development Kit, something we have been waiting for a couple of years now. As I mentioned in a previous post, Amazon does tend to give us hints about its next moves, and the fact that the company has partnered with EA Mobile to bring games to Kindle means we are in for a major upgrade as far as Amazon Kindle is concerned. That may mean more powerhouse, a better software, and maybe a color screen.

It seem CNET is getting the same vibe from Amazon’s latest moves. To be frank, Amazon has played the news cycle perfectly by announcing new things one at a time. Considering that Apple is planning a huge event on January 27th, it’s not tough to assume that Amazon will have something for us by the end of February. Now it could be just a minor announcement (e.g. software update), but Amazon will find a way to keep Kindle in the news. Either way, it’d be very interesting to see if Amazon introduces a touch screen Kindle as CNET’s piece suggests:

The biggest rumor going around is that Amazon is planning to do a touch-screen Kindle that allows it to do away with the physical keyboard, replacing it with a virtual one, and shrinking the device a bit.

It’s actually not too hard to imagine Amazon making that move. Nook and Alex are two e-book readers that have introduced touch-based navigation. Apple tablet is also going to be a touch-screen device. So we shouldn’t fault Amazon for trying to follow the trends. Besides, the physical keyboard is overrated to say the least.

Kindle 3 is going to be the start of a new era for Amazon Kindle fans. So far, we have been getting minor upgrades from Amazon. The next generation Kindle is going to be much more fun to play with considering all the apps that developers will introduce for it. Let’s hope Amazon gives developers enough flexibility to develop sophisticated apps for the device.

What are your thoughts on touch-screen Amazon Kindle?

Amazon stunned a lot of people by announcing its plans to release a software development kit for Kindle. Many of us have been asking and begging Amazon to allow developers to enhance its platform via third-party apps. That is going to be possible with Kindle Development Kit. We already know that a Zagat application is in the works, but what stunned many was the announcement that EA Mobile was planning to introduce games for Kindle. Yes. The current crop of Kindles that come with a lousy, 1990-like interface. How could it be even possible? I am sure Amazon is not planning to ask EA Mobile to develop a better minesweeper. This all sounds a bit fishy, unless we are not talking about the same Kindle.

In truth, Amazon Kindle 3 is well over-due. Amazon Kindle has been upstaged by Nook and new Sony Readers in the past few weeks, and the company desperately needs some momentum to get back on the right track. The introduction of Kindle DX with Global Wireless doesn’t really count. Considering that Amazon loves releasing its devices in the early part of the year, we could technically see a February/March announcement for Kindle 3.

KDK can certainly be more of a success that most people think. But I am not sure what developers can do with the current software on Amazon Kindle. There are limits to what you can do with the current hardware/software setting. So don’t be surprised if Amazon introduced a color screen Kindle very soon. Amazon did test a color screen Kindle months ago but decided against introducing it as the price would have been too high. Color e-paper technology is out there, so Amazon has no excuse there. Now that Apple is planning a $1000 tablet, Amazon may be able to use that to justify introducing a more expensive Kindle.

At this point, I can’t see how developers can come up with “iPhone-like” applications for current Kindles on the market. The current Kindle software is nothing like iPhone OS (not that it’d have to be), and it still has ways to go if it is to handle sophisticated apps. So Amazon may be giving us a hint about the future of Kindle. Let’s hope Amazon steps up and delivers.

We have all seen what Apple App Store has done for iPod Touch and iPhone. There are thousands of apps available in that store that enable Apple customers to enhance their gadgets and get more out of them. We hoped and prayed in 2008 for Amazon to smarten up and introduce an app store for Kindle. Amazon of course didn’t give us what we were hoping for with Kindle 2 or Kindle DX. But that’s all about to change as the prospect of Kindle going head to head with Apple tablet has forced Amazon’s hands. Amazon has started recruiting developers to build “iPhone type” apps for Kindle. It took Amazon two years, but the company may finally be getting it. Here is what Amazon had to say about it’s new Kindle Development Kit:

[Amazon] is inviting software developers to build and upload active content that will be available in the Kindle Store later this year. The new Kindle Development Kit gives developers access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation to build active content for Kindle–the #1 bestselling, most wished for, and most gifted product across all categories on Amazon.

We’ve heard from lots of developers over the past two years who are excited to build on top of Kindle. The Kindle Development Kit opens many possibilities–we look forward to being surprised by what developers invent.

It seems one of the first apps that we are going to see is a Zagat guide for Kindle. EA Mobile will also be developing games for Amazon Kindle:

As the leading worldwide publisher of mobile games, EA Mobile has had the privilege of collaborating with many dynamic and innovative companies in bringing exciting gaming experiences to new platforms. Working with Amazon, we look forward to bringing some of the world’s most popular and fun games to Kindle and their users.

Kindle Development Kit’s web-page is already up, and you can sign up for further notices via e-mail. But it won’t be long before we get to see new apps for Kindle. This is truly very exciting news. Amazon should have done this years ago. Waiting for Apple or other companies to raise the bar shouldn’t be an excuse for Amazon not trying new things. At the same time, the company is learning and Kindle is going to be better for it. Kindle has suddenly become much more fun.

What’s your take on Kindle apps? What apps would you like to see developed for Amazon Kindle?

Yesterday, I talked about how Apple may not go after Amazon Kindle right away as there were no indications that it was courting content publishers. According to numerous reports, it does seem that Apple is exploring the idea of entering the e-book business. HarperCollins Publishers has been in talk with Apple for a deal to distribute e-books on Apple tablet. So Apple could be building up its content network slowly to take a crack at the current crop of e-book readers on the market.

Apple tablet may be in a disadvantage in comparison to other e-book readers when you compare its price (expected to be in $800-$1000 range). But it can display e-b00k 2.0 content, something that can’t be currently done on a Nook or Kindle. Books that come with author interviews, sound-bites, and other dynamic content are the future. I have talked about in the past about Amazon needing to add support for video and more dynamic books (Kindle Video), and now it may have to if Apple is to get into this space.

To be fair, many are still skeptical about Apple tablet making a great e-book reader. A lot of people hate reading e-books on their computer monitors and may stay away from Apple tablet for that reason. The high price is another issue that many are already complaining about. It’s hard to make a judgement on Apple tablet until Apple announces more details on it. We also know that Kindle 3 is already in the works, so you may not even need a fancy device such as iSlate if Amazon has listened and implemented the features we have all been asking for. The next few months are going to be very interesting.

Apple seems to be finally ready to announce its long-rumored Apple tablet. In an invitation to the media, Apple invited top media outlets to “come see [its] latest creation.” That essentially indicates that we are going to finally get a glimpse of what Apple tablet is all about very soon. CES 2010 gave us many innovative e-book readers, but you can be sure that all eyes will be on Apple and its latest creation to see how the company approaches the e-book industry. Steve Jobs is known for not having anything nice to say about devices such as Kindle. Nevertheless, it’d be tough to imagine Apple taking a pass on the e-book industry.

From the look of the invitation, it seems the device could have many innovative features. You can even argue that all the blobs and colors used in the poster may stand for Apple designing a product that suits creative people. Of course, I may be reading too much into that. Apple is clearly expected to show-case all the “cool” things that its tablet is capable of, so I am sure the focus of this event won’t be on e-books. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple gives the topic a mention.

Will Apple tablet be the Kindle killer many have been talking about for months? I wouldn’t count on it just yet. I am sure the device will be shiny and many will go out of their way to get their hands on one. However, Apple is not going to make a device that is good at only one thing. Besides, e-book readers of today all come with long battery life which is something I don’t expect this device to have. Add to that the fact that we have not heard too much about Apple getting into the e-book business, and we may be a while away before Apple tablet can compete with other e-book readers in the content department. The device won’t be cheap either. Not a good sign if you are an e-book fan.

Your take: is Apple tablet the real Kindle killer?