What Next For Amazon’s Kindle Reader?

There has been a great deal of speculation regarding the release of the next upgrade of Amazon’s hugely successful Kindle e-book reader. The original Kindle reader was released in November of 2007 and the updated Kindle 2 followed in February of 2009. If a similar gap was to be maintained, then the Kindle 2 which is now a little over a year old, would be due for replacement at some point in the 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 begs the question – what new features might Amazon decide to include in a new updated version? No doubt Amazon will have some surprises up their sleeve – but perhaps the latest business acquisition could provide a clue to at least one new feature that we may expect to find in future Kindle versions.

Amazon have bought a startup company by the name of Touchco, who specialize in touch sensitive screens. The technology is a little different to other touch screen technology currently on the market. It uses interpolating force-sensitive resistance technology – which, unlike other touch screen technology, can be completely transparent. It can be used with e-ink displays and colour displays. It is also, according to the New York Times, considerably cheaper than the capacitive type of touch screen used in 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 might be used to enable Kindles with both colour screens and touch sensitive controls to be produced. The possibility of a more versatile Kindle, able to perform a variety of different functions – in a similar manner to the Apple iPad for example – could not be ruled out. Perhaps this will not happen with the next release of the Kindle, it may yet be some way off in the future. Even so, Amazon’s acquisition appears to be a fairly strong declaration of intent concerning the future direction of the technology incorporated in the Kindle reader.

Learn all about the Amazon Kindle e-book reader – and check out the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you protect and customise your reader.