Amazon has just announced some nice improvements to the cheapest Kindle. The price is still crazy good at $US80 ($107), and the battery still lasts for weeks. (It also still has a middling 167 ppi display.) But it’s also thinner, lighter and now comes in black and white.
But wait there’s more. Amazon has also doubled the memory, which means you’ll be able to store far more books than you used to. There’s also new Bluetooth support so visually-impaired readers can sync the Kindle up with their headphones and enjoy their books with Stephen Fry or someone overacting the hell out of them (often at exorbitant prices). Don’t expect changes to the refresh rate of the Kindle’s e-ink page, though. That’s still bound to the display.
If you like the cut of that white Kindle’s jib but want a significantly better e-reader, than rejoice. Amazon is also making the excellent Amazon Paperwhite available in white. The Paperwhite is currently one of our favourite e-readers, but still not the best. It’s got a backlight and is nearly twice the resolution of the $US80 ($107) Kindle. However, the Paperwhite and the other e-readers in Amazon’s lineup will lack the new Bluetooth feature. That means the visually-impaired are best saving their dollars and going for the cheapest Kindle around.