Now that Amazon’s Kindle 2 is out, it’s time to start thinking about the next version of the device. And the leaks have already begun.
The Kindle 3 could have a touchscreen, be bigger and make its debut by the end of the year, according to a report in Taiwanese newspaper DigiTimes.
Amazon rival Sony has already introduced a touchscreen reader. (All models of the Sony Reader have buttons but no QWERTY keyboard, as the Kindle does; only the top-end Sony Reader, the PRS 700, has a touchscreen.) Touchscreen devices have proven increasingly popular since the launch of the iPhone, with a host of mobile phones, desktop PCs and even laptops adopting the technology. Now it seems like the trend is migrating to e-book readers.
A touchscreen–if done right–could help mimic a more natural reading experience, enabling users to turn the page with a swipe of their fingers. An all-touchscreen e-reader might give the impression of a bigger screen to users, by eliminating the need for extraneous buttons and enabling a slimmer bezel. It could also help contribute towards a better-looking device. Without the constraints of buttons, the e-book reader could look feel more like a real book.
But there are big challenges towards getting the touchscreen right on the e-reader. I have played with the touchscreen Sony Reader, the PRS 700, and the lack of sensitivity of the touchscreen is a major problem.
Turning pages on the Sony PRS 700 requires exerting some pressure on the screen, reminiscent of pre-iPhone touchscreen phones such as the HTC Sidekick.
If it does have a touchscreen, Amazon will have to get the technology right. Sony’s decision to add new layers on top of E Ink’s screen that powers e-readers today significantly detracts from the experience, says The New York Times reviewer David Pogue in a review.
Amazon can’t afford the same mistake.
See also
Cosmo Publisher Plans an E-Reader of its Own
Amazon Kindle 2 Review
Amazon Set to ReKindle its E-Book Reader
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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