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Update: Amazon Kindle Graphite – 6-inch – latest – Is it better than before?

Note: I have compiled quite an extensive review for you with helpful images. However, if you do not have enough time to go through all of that, then you can simply click here for a short, sweet and still enough informative review.

Kindle DX Wireless reading device is going to release on July 7, 2010. That is the first thing, eBook reader fans want to know about.

Let us start with features, but let me warn you before you read further. These are all the features that Kindle DX has to offer. They might be common in your current Kindle or Kindle 2.

Improved Contrast Screen from E-Ink

E Ink has done a great job in providing all Kindles a great display that feels and reads great even under direct sunlight. But we have even better display in Kindle DX, E Ink have managed to increase the contrast of Kindle DX without letting it consume extra power.

In fact, Kindle DX can be considered as an eBook reader with the least power consumption among other eBook readers currently in market.

Kindle DX has 50% more contrast ratio and that is why, images and text looks even brighter, clearer and without a doubt, crispier.

Images are sharper than before and for people who had some sort of difficulty while reading from previous Kindle version; this comes as a nice eye-treat.

At this time, Kindle DX still supports 16 shades of gray that is very nice but E Ink is improving the display technology for additional support. There is always room for some improvements, isn’t there?

Brilliant Large Display

It is getting better and better, isn’t it? Now Amazon can also boast and advertise its digital reader to have a large display.

Kindle DX offers 9.7″ diagonal display. You know what that means! We will get more material available to reader simultaneously and that would save us from scrolling up and down too much.

If you are reading a story that is particularly created with pictures then you might want to scroll as less as possible. You can always Zoom-out to fit a significantly large image but that is not what you would really want.

Picture stories look best when every picture is at its 100% zoom level. No more and no less. This 9.7″ display of Kindle DX assures that we will enjoy picture stories more than ever.

Apart from picture stories, a large display also helps us to work easily. Many of my friends use their Kindle version to perform research, compile and submit online data.

A large display helps them (and would certainly help you) to read and take reference quickly. However, they used to do it with a 6″ display (other kindle versions). How would they feel now? I asked from my friend Ajit about the same question and he said, ‘It’d we awesome. No more scrolling down Wikipedia articles for my researches.’

I know that he will still have to scroll a lot because taking reference from Wikipedia is a hell lot of work. They are informative as well as lengthy. Nevertheless, you get my point. Large Display means better reading experience.

Different Build

As you can see from the image (that is why I did not scale it down), new kindle DX is seems to be focussed for right-hand users (that is not exactly an official explanation) because all the buttons to navigate within a page, zoom-in and zoom-out, are on the right-hand side.

So left-hand users might feel a little difficulty to adjust their movements if they have (and I bet they have) become habitual with their previous Kindle versions.

In addition, the keyboard now has less number of rows. There are now only 4 rows and the number row (in previous Kindles) has been merged in the top most row, i.e. from 1 to 0 within qwertyuiop, respectively.

There is ‘Home’, ‘Previous Page’, ‘Next Page’, ‘Menu’ and ‘Back’ buttons with a 5-way navigation joystick. However, all of them are at the right-hand side. Therefore, if we consider the large size of DX, we will find it a bit difficult to navigate with one hand and things can get a little bit (just a little bit) ugly when you rotate your Kindle DX and find the ‘Prev Page’ and ‘Next Page’ buttons at the top of the screen.

Nevertheless, it will not bother once you get used to it. Then again, you will not be able to read an eBook without reaching out across the screen to flip the page. Well, it does not bother me. Firstly, I am a right-hand user and secondly, I get used to these things pretty quick. Many of you will also (we have no choice anyway). However, here is something that I would like to say.

Left hand users would probably curse Amazon for that. But hang on, there is no need to curse anyone! Kindle DX has so much to offer with some amazing new features, can you not adjust your hands a bit? You know, scientist always say, you should try different movements of your body to enhance your brain’s alertness. May be that is what came in Amazon’s mind. It is just a playful thought that came out of nowhere.

Slim and Sexy

Kindle DX is the slimmest digital reader with respect to display size. It is just over 1/3 of an inch and only 0.02″ greater than other Kindle versions. However, it is totally justified when you consider the new build and the screen size.

I think that we will not even notice it because 0.02 inch is just 0.05 cm. So, have you got extra sensitive handling that ’0.05 cm’ would trouble you? Good for me, I am just a normal person and I would not feel that difference. Moreover, it is great for people who like to read Kindle on a morning walk or particularly in one hand.

Free 3G Wireless

You are definitely familiar with the ease to getting books downloaded on Kindle in just 60 seconds or less. Free 3G wireless is like a networking treat for all of us.

Moreover, the best part is, we do not need a computer around us to transfer books or anything like that. I download several documents on my Kindle 2 for a later read when I am free or when I feel like reading them.

I usually work with PDF documents. Create them online with Acrobat and upload them to share with my mates or submit them where I want them to be.

No monthly payment, no annual contracts and no worries of getting disconnect. This is just great isn’t it?

Native PDF Support is one my favourite thing

Well, I did mention that I work with PDF documents a lot and a Native PDF support is just what I was looking for. This is something that came quite a while after Kindle 2 was released. I am sure that it has become better than it was in Kindle 2.

However, there are still two features missing that I am sure you will also miss as much as I do. They are adding annotations and read-to-me features.

I will still not be able to add notes to my PDF documents for a later review or something I would like to remember. I feel the same for lack of read-to-me feature.

However, you know, there is always a positive aspect. We can convert PDF to kindle format so that it can reflow and then we can take advantage of both features.

Still, they should launch a software update soon so that we do not have to convert our PDF documents. You know, it is always faster to be able to do things right away, rather than following another step to do the same thing.

Now Kindle DX comes with two more font sizes and now it is even easier to read text because both of the font sizes are meant to increase the text. Therefore, this is a good thing for old fellows with weak eyesight.

Larger disk space in Kindle DX

Now we will be able to hold up to 3,500 eBooks in spite of 1,500 eBooks in previous Kindle versions. 1500 eBooks are still fine for me because I read books and transfer them to my computer if I don’t to read them for a long time (and I mean really long time) and I keep only those eBooks which are worth reading and are interesting and I tend to read them more often than others.

However, tell you what! Jake (my online friend) is a major bookworm (in a good way of course) and he likes to chew down every single page of the book that he readsJ. No that is not the thing I wanted to tell you! He reads so many books on his kindle 2 (already had thousands) that he looks like some kind of book monster. No offense friends, for those who love to read books are considered pretty calm and informative with respective to others.

Now, if we want to read so many books and like Jake, if we want to read continuously then the battery life must be very nice and dependable. Kindle has always been dependable for this sort of thing. I can read for 1 week on a single recharge (the time is getting shorter with the battery getting weaker, but it’s still a lot because I can find a charging outlet within seven days) with Wi-Fi turned on and when I don’t feel like using Wi-Fi (when I am not downloading any eBook or anything), I turn it off and that saves a lot of battery.

You must do that too, if you are hiking or travelling somewhere and network coverage happens to be an issue. An eBook reader, like Kindle DX can save you from many boring thoughts and trust me, it is the best time-killer.

Multiple Device Support

Whispersync technology of Kindle is amazing. It lets you connect your Kindle to PC, iPhone, Mac, iPad, Android phone, Blackberry and other Kindle devices (like you want to share it with your buddies or something like that).

It can even synchronize your already half-read eBooks and then, you can continue reading it from where you left it. You can transfer the books on your Mac or PC (Windows based) and any of those compatible devices mentioned above) and then resume your reading again. Reading on even larger display is fun but it wears me out pretty soon.

Auto-Rotating Screen is just what we needed

Sure enough! Previous kindle versions used to have manual rotation and it required some extra clicks and flicks to read in landscape mode and then back to portrait mode.

No more of that now, Kindle DX now supports auto-rotating screen, something that I used to miss from the very start. Reading maps, graphs, wide table and some WebPages is always easier in landscape mode rather than portrait.

Now we just have to rotate the device and we can work our way on all those things that I have mentioned above.

I know that you are also one of those Kindle fans, who used to miss this feature as well. Now wipe off your tears of joy and let us rotate our Kindle DX (just an imagination worth imagining) together.

Read-to-Me feature is a Relief

It certainly is a relief, isn’t it? My old man can hear quite clearly but has trouble reading those little texts that we brag are clear and bright. Hey, what are you thinking now? Am I out of my mind to give such a beautiful device to my grandfather?! At least he is much better than my friend’s son, who scratched his Kindle 2 with a fork when he gave it to him to read a chapter on ‘Green Revolution’. L

Anyways, we are getting a little off track here. So read-to-me is simply great for people who cannot read clearly or do not want to read.

As you know, kindle has 3.5 mm audio jack. I plug-in my Sony XD 200 and turn this read-to-me thing on and while I am walking down the streets, this wonderful poem from Oscar Wilde is blessing my ears and mind.

Well, it is always up to you how you use your Kindle. However, I am very much excited to get my hands on Kindle DX, I want to see if there are any more improvements in the speech engine or not?

The current speech engine is nice, but everything can be made better if there is a space left and this is the best thing about technology, there is always a space left to fill and features to improve.

For those who want to know some technical details of Kindle DX (although, you might be familiar with many of them):

Display: 9.7″ diagonal E Ink® electronic paper display, 1200 x 824 pixel resolution at 150 ppi, 16-level gray scale, new 10:1 contrast ratio.

Size (in inches): 10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″.

Weight: 18.9 ounces.

System requirements: None, because it does not require a computer.

Storage: 4 GB internal (approximately 3.3 GB available for user content).

Battery Life: Read on a single charge for up to 1 week with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low-coverage areas or in EDGE/GPRS-only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.

Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 4.5 hours via the included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.

Connectivity: HSDPA modem (3G) with a fallback to EDGE/GPRS; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide wireless coverage via AT&T’s 3G high-speed data network in the U.S. and partner networks outside of the U.S.

USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-USB connector) for connection to the Kindle DX power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.

Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, built-in stereo speakers.

Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

Included Accessories: U.S. power adapter (supports 100V-240V), USB 2.0 cable, rechargeable battery.

Warranty and Service: 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the Kindle License Agreement and Terms of Use.

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