If the Amazon Kindle Fire wasn’t enough, today at Amazon’s press event the company also unveiled a new e-Ink device called the Kindle Touch. As you might have guessed, this device has a touchscreen, enabling you to interact with content on the screen thanks to an IR touch system similar to Barnes & Noble’s Nook eReader. This device will be just $99 for the WiFi version, and $149 for the version with free 3G access in 100 countries.
The device also comes with a new feature called X-Ray, which when tapped pulls up relevant information about the things that are occurring on the page. The Kindle Touch will look up this information via Wikipedia and other sources, and will be apparently downloaded with each page for instant access. It also will have an “extra-long” battery life, most likely due to the low-power e-Ink display. The Kindle Touch will be shipping out on November 21 with pre-orders starting today.
Also announced at this PR event is the new $79 Kindle, which is a generation newer than the current Kindle 3. It is claimed to be less than six ounces (170 grams) and 18% smaller than the existing Kindle; it will have no keyboard or touchscreen. This new Kindle will be shipping out today, and will surely cause some disruption to the already cheap eReader market.
Update: It appears as though the low prices for these devices is because Amazon is including ads on them, according to AllThingsD. For those that want the Kindle Touch without ads, expect to pay $40 more ($139 for WiFi, $189 for 3G); the regular Kindle without ads will cost an extra $30 (total price $109).