The possible date for the next upgrade of Amazon’s massively successful Kindle e-book reader has been the subject of a great deal of speculation. November 2007 saw the release of the original Amazon Kindle reader and this was updated one year and 3 months later in February 2009 when Amazon released the Kindle 2. Where a similar gap to be maintained between the Kindle 2 and the next update, the Kindle to being a little over a year old now would be due for replacement in the very near future.
Since the launch of the Kindle 2, many new readers from various different manufacturers have hit the market and end user choice has increased dramatically. Over and above dedicated e-book readers such as the Nook from Barnes and Noble and Sony’s Daily Edition, the new iPad from Apple is also viewed by many as a potential threat to the Kindle as it has the capability to read e-books. In summary, bearing in mind both its age and the increased level of competition from other new readers, many of which have additional functionality and features, the Kindle 2 looks ready for an upgrade fairly soon.
Which prompts the question – what features might Amazon decide to incorporate in an upgraded version? Amazon will doubtless have a few surprises up their sleeve – but their latest business acquisition could give a clue to at least one new feature that we can expect to see in future versions of the Kindle.
Amazon has purchased a small start-up company by the name of Touchco, a company specialising in touch sensitive displays. The technology is somewhat different to that used in other touch screen displays on the market today. It uses a force sensitive resistance technology – which unlike the more common capacitive based technology, can be completely transparent. It may be used with E ink displays and colour displays. It is also, according to the New York Times, cheaper than the capacitive type of touch screen display found in devices such as the iPod and the iPad.
Touchco where a spin off from New York University’s Media Research Lab. They are believed to have no more than half a dozen employees. These will now be absorbed into Amazon’s Kindle laboratory. The technology, although well advanced, were still in a research phase at the time of the Amazon takeover. It was not being actively used in any commercially available product.
The Touchco technology could be used to produce Kindles with both color screens and touch sensitive controls. The possibility of a more versatile Kindle, with a variety of different uses – not unlike Apple’s iPad – very definitely exists. Of course, this may not happen with the next release of the Kindle – it could be some way off in the future. Nevertheless, Amazon’s purchase seems to be a clear declaration of intent regarding the future direction of their Kindle reader technology.
Take a look at the Amazon Kindle e-book reader – and cast your eye over the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you protect and customise your reader.