Large Kindle 2.5 To Be Released This Week?
0
It seems just like yesterday (actually a couple of months) that Amazon introduced Kindle 2.0. Who would’ve thought that we’d be seeing another Kindle in a matter of weeks. But it seems the folks at NY Times are confident that we will be seeing the larger Kindle that a lot of us have been waiting for soon.
As early as this week, according to people briefed on the online retailer’s plans, Amazon will introduce a larger version of its Kindle wireless device tailored for displaying newspapers, magazines and perhaps textbooks.
This is a rumor at this point but makes a lot of sense. Just a few days ago, people were talking about how Amazon Kindle is adopted widely among the older generation. The best way to get the young folks involved with Kindle is by giving them a tool that lets them read their textbooks more conveniently (and in a more affordable fashion). Kindle 2.5 could be that device. But there are some inherent issues that Amazon needs to address if it wants to take Kindle to the next level:
- Screen: nothing can get publishers more excited about Kindle than adding a screen color. Introduction of backlit screen to new Kindle models would be a plus.
- Price: how is Amazon going to keep the price lower or equal to $350 with these larger Kindles?
- Content: Amazon needs to find a way to get more text-book publishers to the table and keep the e-book prices low as well. You can’t ask folks to pay $100 for an e-book.
- Battery: Kindle comes with a decent battery life. But can Amazon continue that with Kindle 2.5 and add more battery demanding features?
- Interactivity: Kindle is wonderful device but Amazon needs to introduce Kindle-2-Kindle feature to help Kindle owners collaborate and communicate with each other on their devices.
If Kindle 3.0 is going to be released this week, I doubt we will get many of the ab0ve-mentioned features. But there is no doubt Amazon knows where it needs to go. The question is whether Amazon can find a way to introduce more features without taking away from its top gadget.
What’s your take: what new features would you like to see on Kindle 2.5?
