Kindle Touch Reader

The Kindle Touch release date will be 21st November. But you can pre-order yours now. There are four versions available (the range keeps on growing), offering something for everyone and a great new low price point starting at $99!

All look pretty much the same. All are smaller, lighter, faster and generally better than their predecessor. All have lost the old keypad in favor of infra-red touch screen. This means you get touch-screen navigation without having to add another layer into the display itself.

All will be released on 21st Nov, and all are available to pre-order now. The range includes:

• A $99 wi-fi model with sponsored ads and discounts
• A $139 wi-fi model without the ads
• A $149 wi-fi + 3G model with sponsored ads and discounts
• A $189 wi-fi + 3G model without the ads

Pretty good eh? And if that wasn't enough there are another 2 readers as well. Not touch-screen but equally good looking without their previous keypads at starting at only $79. And, there is even more; the Kindle tablet has been developed at last offering a "kind of" color Kindle in tablet form and starting at only $199!

Amazon are still keeping all future Kindle Reader plans firmly to their chest. But with the dedicated eBook reader market exploding, and a wealth of new devices hitting the shelves we just know they will have to come up with something pretty exciting for their next generation, or Kindle 4.  A Kindle Touch could definitely be a winner.

The proliferation of touch-screen gadgets for all manner of personal electronics has seen people really getting a "feel" for touch. In fact new users of traditional eBook readers such as the Kindle 3 and Nook might well start touching their screens automatically. So used to touchscreen navigation are we that not to touch seems slightly odd for many.

To keep pace with the ever changing personal electronics market Amazon must continue to deliver just what people really want. For 2010 that was wireless ebook readers full of features, and dependant on e-ink displays to keep the whole reading experience natural and easy. For the future though, things are going to have to change.

Of course the most obvious purchase for those that really need to have a touch-screen display currently are tablet pcs. And, with more and more manufacturers keen to join Apple's success with their iPad these are becoming a popular choice.

But part of the beauty of eReaders is their lower price, and expertise in doing one thing brilliantly. A tablet is generally more expensive and not much use for reading the latest holiday best-selling novel on the beach.

Keeping a realistic price for any touch-screen electronic book reader will be critical in getting any new Kindle off the ground. But, with technology getting cheaper a mid-range Kindle Touch that is more than the current traditional 6" models, but significantly less than the large DX might fit in with customer demand. If they could bring their wi-fi only reader down to the magical $99 mark, then a $259 touchscreen model would be perfectly acceptable.

Already here are some great touch-screen ebook readers. The latest Sony Readers are showing that touch can work brilliantly with e-ink. So for monochrome displays there is now a viable touch screen to use.

Of course their prices are a little more than equivalent, non-touch products and without the wireless connectivity that is so loved by fans of the Nook and Amazon Kindle readers.

Of course the Nook has had touch-screen navigation since the beginning. But this odd panel at the foot of the display really doesn't feel as natural as if they could make the whole display work the same. They have of course managed it with the new NookColor. But really this is merging into tablet territory as it no longer uses e-ink, and is instead a back-lit screen. Great in the evening but again not so hot on the beach.

However the fact that the latest crop of big name readers are including Touchscreens of course beggars the question, when will the Kindle follow suit?

It isn't just that consumers love touch screens and find navigating in a "hands on" style simple, that calls for a Touchy Kindle.  The key is that smaller, lighter and faster are all things that will make the next generation eBook Reader from Amazon even better.  

To attain a larger screen size and reduce the overall size and weight of the Reader means ditching the keypad at the foot of the display.  Make it touchscreen and it is simply not required freeing up all that extra space.  A Kindle Touch you see is an absolute necessity for future eBook consumers.  Just compare the sizes of the devices and their screen size between the current Kindle and the latest Sony to see exactly why I believe this is so important.