Amazon announced plans to release an upgraded Kindle Paperwhite digital e-reader featuring a higher contrast e-ink screen with improved screen lighting and a faster processor. The device can be preordered beginning September 3 (priced $119 without ads) and will ship on September 30. The new sixth generation Kindle Paperwhite also offers consumers the first integration of Goodreads, the popular e-reading and book recommendation site Amazon acquired earlier this year, into the Amazon digital reading platform.
The upgraded Kindle Paperwhite lets consumers launch Goodreads on their devices and add their Amazon purchases to their book lists, look up the reading lists of the other 20 million Goodreads members, check out member profiles, rate books and share their reading status, right on the Kindle. The new Kindle Paperwhite is also said to have a more responsive touch screen, faster page turns and a new “skim” feature that lets readers to skip ahead by pages or chapters without losing their place in the book. There’s also Kindle Free Time, a new feature that provides controls that allow parents to select books for their kids and monitor how long they read, what words they look up and award badges or awards based on reading time.
