A Bigger, Pricier Kindle: Amazon Debuts Kindle DX

Amazon made the Kindle DX's debut at Pace University in New York, and everything went almost exactly according to the Kindle rumors that had been circulating the past 48 hours.

At the conference, Amazon also announced that Amazon has entered into partnerships with not only several major textbook publishers, but also three newspapers -- The New York Times, The Boston Globe (which is owned by the New York Times Co.) and The Washington Post -- which will, according to Amazon, be offering a reduced subscription price exclusively through the Kindle DX.

"Personal and professional documents look so good on the big Kindle DX display that you'll find yourself changing ink-toner cartridges less often," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com's founder and CEO in the official release statement. "Cookbooks, computer books and textbooks -- anything highly formatted -- also shine on the Kindle DX. Carry all your documents and your whole library in one slender package."

The Kindle DX is one-third-inch thick and will begin shipping this summer, Bezos said. The Kindle DX costs $489 -- about $130 more than the Kindle 2 -- and is available for preorder immediately.

Specs-wise, the Kindle DX includes an auto-rotate feature that automatically puts the Kindle's display in portrait or landscape mode or flips the device to be read in either hand. The Kindle has 3.3 GB of available memory, and can hold up to 3,500 books, which is 2,000 more than the Kindle 2.

The Kindle also features a built-in PDF reader using Adobe Reader Mobile technology.

"The integration of PDF technology allows users to simply e-mail PDF files to their Kindle e-mail address or quickly move them to the device using a USB connection," said a statement e-mailed to Channelweb.com and attributed to Adobe. "The Adobe SDK also supports PDF reflow, so that text can automatically adapt to the screen size, allowing users to consume PDF documents with an enhanced reading experience."

The newspaper agreements, according to Amazon, are pilot programs that will see the three newspapers offering subscriptions through Kindle DX for reduced prices to readers living in areas where home delivery of those newspapers is unavailable. The subscribers also have to sign up for a long-term subscription to the Kindle edition.

"At The New York Times Company, we are always seeking new ways for our millions of readers to have full and continuing access to our high-quality news and information," said Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman, The New York Times Co. and publisher of the Times, in a statement. "The wireless delivery and new value-added features of the Kindle DX will provide our large, loyal audience, no matter where they live, with an exciting new way to interact with The New York Times and The Boston Globe."

Textbook brands that will be available through the Kindle DX include Addison-Wesley, Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings, Longman & Prentice Hall (Pearson), Wadsworth, Brooks/Cole, Course Technology, Delmar, Heinle, Schirmer, South-Western (Cengage) and Wiley Higher Education. According to Amazon, those brands comprise 60 percent of the overall higher education textbook market.

Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University, Princeton University, Reed College and Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia are all on board for the textbook Kindle DX trial program, Amazon said. Amazon did not mention Pace University as being part of the pilot, even though Pace was a rumored sixth school.

"The Kindle DX holds enormous potential to influence the way students learn," said Barbara R. Snyder, president of Case Western Reserve University, in a statement. "We look forward to seeing how the device affects the participation of both students and faculty in the educational experience."

Check back with Channelweb.com today as we analyze the Kindle and check in with some of Amazon's e-reading competitors now that the Kindle DX cat is out of the bag.