It’s an enormous week in Kindle land. Along with refreshes to the bottom Kindle, Paperwhite, and Scribe, the corporate is introducing one thing many people by no means anticipated in a faithful e-reader: coloration.
Earlier this yr, Amazon’s chief e-reader competitor, Kobo, launched the $220 Libra Colour, which leverages coloration e-ink. The expertise has so far obtained blended evaluations. The new Kindle Colorsoft, then again, takes an entire totally different method.
Rather than counting on the e ink expertise that powers the Kobo, Amazon opted to construct the complete stack in home. The firm tells TechCrunch that coloration has been one of the crucial requested options for its e-readers, however the firm needed to strike a stability earlier than adopting it. A lot of components come into play right here, together with battery life, distinction ratio and picture ghosting.
Color is created via 5 filters utilized to the show itself, mixed with the entrance mild. It’s a change from the usual kind of backlighting we see in tablets, which is each successful to battery and may affect sleep patterns when studying instantly earlier than mattress.
As with monochrome e ink, the expertise successfully creates a picture that continues to be static till the web page is refreshed. Amazon says the objective was to create colours which can be mushy on the eyes, akin to print. Battery life does take successful right here, however that’s countered to some extent by the brand new oxide again pane, together with a bigger battery than the one discovered on the Paperwhite. The oxide tech — additionally discovered on the brand new Paperwhite — helps improve web page flip pace.
When not using coloration for issues like comics and web page highlights, the web page retains the identical monochromatic design discovered on different Kindles.
As with the brand new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, the Kindle Colorsoft is waterproof, whereas that includes wi-fi charging. According to Amazon, it is best to stand up to eight weeks on a cost, which continues to be handily beat by the Paperwhite’s said three-months.
The coloration Kindle doesn’t come low-cost. The machine begins at $280, a $90 premium over the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition and a full $170 greater than the brand new base-level Kindle. That stated, it’s nonetheless $120 cheaper than the brand new Kindle Scribe, which I suppose places issues into perspective.
The new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is accessible for pre-order beginning Wednesday. It will begin delivery on October 30.
