Kindle DX Graphite. Amazon's latest eReader with a display ideal from textbooks and newspapers.

The Kindle DX is the big brother to the Kindle 3,  carying a price tag of $379, which is significantly more than it smaller sibling. However, the Kindle DX picks up the reading experience where the Kindle leaves off.  With a display of 9.7″ the Kindle DX is designed for reading large format content, such as, text books,,pdf documents,  and newspapers.  It is also ideal for people who don’t like paging through text with smaller format eReaders. The Kindle DX also includes an auto-rotating screen, which switches from Landscape to Portrait view automatically depending on how the device is positioned by the user. The new graphite Kindle DX boasts a 50% improvement in the clarity of text compared to the previous Kindle DX, providing an even easier reading experience.

Other than the display size and the auto-rotation feature, the Kindle DX shares similar features to the Kindle 3. It has the capacity to hold up to 3,500 books. Books can be downloaded using Amazon’s whispersynch which uses 3g connectivity which arrive on the device within 60 seconds.  For the moment there is no wi-fo connectivity as can be found with the Kindle 3rd generation.

Inevitably, comparisons are being made between the Kindle DX and the Apple iPad. The iPad starting price is $499, which is in the minds of consumers, is only a little bit more than $100 than the Kindle DX. The iPad has the advantage of providing a multi-media experience with with video support, the apple operating system and the possibility to install countless applications. Despite the obvious advantages of the iPad, the Kindle DX has the distinct advantage of using an eInk display which reduces eye-strain when reading for long periods of time. Also the Kindle DX weighs half that of the iPad, which is appreciated during extended reading times.  No doubt consumers will make their choice based on whether they want a dedicated eReader which is designed specifically for this role, or a device which provides eReader functionality alongside other features.