Amazon plans new version of Kindle

Tim Bueneman, an analyst with McAdams Wright Ragen recently stated that Amazon is planning a new student friendly version of its Kindle e-book reader. Bueneman apparently arrived at the conclusion based on meetings with Amazon management.

He quotes, "There are already several new, improved versions of the Kindle in the works. We guess the new version will have improved interface operating controls. This has been an issue with some buyers."

Amazon.com, Inc is an American electronic commerce company in Seattle, Washington. Amazon was one of the first major companies to sell goods by Internet, and was an iconic "stock in which to invest" of the late 1990s dot-com bubble. After the collapse, the public became skeptical about Amazon's business model, although it has since remained profitable.

Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader, an embedded system for reading electronic books (e-books) launched in the United States in November 2007. It uses an electronic paper display, reads the proprietary Kindle (AZW) format, and downloads content over Amazon Whispernet, which uses the Sprint EVDO network. The Kindle can be used stand alone without a computer. Whispernet is accessible through Kindle without any fee.

Amazon has high hopes for the device in the lucrative college textbook market. The book vendor is reportedly now working on at least one system redesign to accommodate the school-faring crowd.

The exact success of the Kindle varies depending who you ask although most analysts agree the device is doing well for Amazon. The company has thus far refused to release its sales figures, prompting much speculation from various sources.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the Kindle is in store for an improved user interface in the near future, as well as a new model the size of an 8.5-by-11-inch sheet of paper better for, say, adding notes, which students are known to do.

Bueneman further states that the online book seller currently has no plans to add MP3 playing functionality to the device in the refresh.