Amazon Kindle Features Hint at Future Direction
Amazon released its third-generation Kindle July 28, and the device’s “experimental features,” including a Web browser, hint at its possible future directions.
Even before Amazon.com announced its third-generation Kindle July 28, speculation abounded about what new features the online retailer would add to the device, in order to better compete against the likes of Barnes & Noble’s Nook and the Apple iPad.
On the furthest edge of that speculation, some suggested that Amazon would introduce multi-touch capabilities, or even a color screen. But the unveiled Kindle demonstrates Amazon’s continued focus on the basic e-reading experience: the screen has 50 percent better contrast, the body is smaller and lighter, the storage capacity has doubled—and new bells-and-whistles have been kept to a minimum.