Amazon.com has launched a larger-sized Kindle device called the Kindle DX. The Kindle DX is 1/3 of an inch thick and has a 9.7" screen. The DX provides 3.3GB storage, which is enough room for 3,500 books. It uses the same Kindle digital library that the smaller Kindle uses. However, a PDF reader can also be used with the Kindle DX. It retails for $489 and will be available this summer.
One of the main reasons Amazon went with a larger-sized Kindle was so the device could be used as an alternative to textbooks. The Kindle DX launches with partnerships with major textbook publishers including Addison-Wesley, Wiley Higher Education and Longman and Prentice Hall. Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University, Princeton University, Reed College, and Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia will launch trial programs to make Kindle DX devices available to students this fall.
Newspaper publishers are also interesting in using the device for distributing their content. The New York Times Company and Washington Post Company are launching pilots with Kindle DX this summer. The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post will be offering the Kindle DX at a reduced price to readers who live in areas where home-delivery is not available and who sign up for a long-term subscription to the Kindle edition of the newspapers.
A video explaining the Kindle DX can be found here on Amazon.com's Kindle DX product listing.
