Kindle News: Kindle DX Graphite quietly available again while Kindle Keyboard ("K3") is not shown available anywhere

...When what to my wondering eyes should appear...

...but a miniature eReader that's not so miniature, on the Kindle Family product page banner.

  Alongside the 6" readers suddenly redisplayed is the 9.7" Kindle DX Graphite E-Ink Kindle with the Pearl Screen with more contrast (resembling etched text) that was released in late 2010 and the disappearance of it lamented by those who want a larger screen for easier reading and fewer page turns, even though it was far more expensive than a 6" device and still is.

  I was alerted to these changes by the ever-watchful Nate Hoffelder and his The Digital Reader site.

At the right are my own Kindle Keyboard (KK or K3) next to my DX Graphite to show the size differences in the real world.

  If you click on it, you'll get enlarged, zoomed-in versions of the photos plus some other photos when pressing 'previous' or 'next' on the right of those pages or using the keyboard left and right arrows (sometimes).

  The image is apropos because the Kindle Keyboard, aka Kindle 3, shown has, on the other hand, quietly disappeared from availability for U.S., UK, and Int'l areas.

  I'd read a news site report that there were rumors that the Kindle Keyboard would not be continued as a new-purchase reader (with refurbished or used ones available) but didn't think more about it.
  It seems to be an unnoted discontinuance as there is no wording to encourage people to wait for any to be in stock.  They do not know if they'll become available again for new purchases.

  The larger DX, now that it's back and even showing in the 'Kindle family' banner, may fill a need for an eInk reader with audio capability and larger storage space as well as the larger display of text and a long battery life relative to LCD color tablets.

It is NOT 'touch' though - there's a physical keyboard on the Kindle DX although I'd never call it easy to type on.  I always have to watch what I'm typing when I do annotations or searches.

The Graphite model, at the time of its release received International 3G.  As with other e-Ink Kindles, the 3G is used for downloading of books, magazines and and for free 24/7 access to Wikipedia).

 Here's some info I added late last year when they were having a sale on the DX, for $299, the current pricing they are showing in red letters.

The Kindle DX Graphite

For more on what the DX Graphite model is like, here are Day 1 reports on it in the Kindle forums after it was released

  Also, here are reactions to the DXG by the tough-minded Mobileread Forum folks, a crowd which tended to favor the Sony display before the Kindle Graphite DX was released.

A 6" Kindle? Or the largish 9.7" DX?
This was a common question I was asked at the time.  I wrote a blog article, when the first Kindle DX was released, about questions you should ask yourself before deciding between a smaller, more carryable Kindle and the larger, more readable one.

  The advice would be the same for the current 6" models and the DX Graphite Kindle though, except that the current 6" Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Touch and Paperwhite have considerably darker fonts than the old Kindle 2 had.

Screen examples of older DX model (White) with fewer features, showing PDFs, landscape mode, sheet music
Here are examples of material (PDFs and sheet music) as displayed on my older Kindle DX before they improved the model with the DX Graphite which has darker fonts and higher contrast.
  These will still give you an idea.  Click "next" at upper-right of the image page to get more examples as you go.

I've no idea why the Kindle Keyboard is being phased out (if it is -- you never know, as they suddenly bring back older models, as with the DX this week), but the following may be factors in the disappearance of the Kindle Keyboard and the return of the DX Graphite keyboard.

  1. Too many models of the same size confuse prospective customers
  2. Less demand, on the whole, for 6" e-Ink displays (with the Kindle Paperwhite being such a hit with everyone I know, at least locally), leaving EInk Holdings with fewer mass orders from other makers (pure conjecture on my part), leading to more competitive pricing.
  3. Economies of scale that make it less expensive to produce the larger display now.

Nevertheless, the DX at $299 is more expensive than the 16 GB Kindle Fire HD tablet, but it offers the ability to read text outdoors and has a battery life 25 days or so longer.  I tend to ask people to look at the pricing for 32GB LCD tablets (rather than the 16GB ones) when comparing prices, because 16 GB is not enough comfortable storage space now when dealing with multimedia files.

These are different animals (eInk vs LCD tablets) but $299 ($300) is not trivial.  It'll all depend on personal needs or wants.  It's timely, as many who already own one have asked on forums how they can ever get another one if their current DX should meet its maker someday (I'm not talking Taiwan).  It's a niche device though.  Personally, I'm glad it's back though mine is still going strong, since I revolve use with a 6" Paperwhite and HD tablets.


  For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date      Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular The Kindle Daily Deal What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. USEFUL for your Kindle Keyboard (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

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Kindle News: Kindle DX Graphite $299 on the product page ($80 less)

Amazon has quietly changed the price on the DX Graphite from $379 to $299 - at least for today.

The DXG is back in the 'Kindle Family' header (where I haven't seen it since September 5, although it has been in the comparison table on product pages).

  Commenter QZA reported seeing the lower pricing at the "Caribbean Amazon" and I checked the U.S. page, and sure enough, it's $299 with no wording on the drop from $379, although it's no surprise they'd ultimately reduce the price now that LCD tablets of similar size (~10") are more economical than they were two years ago when the DX Graphite was released.

  I don't see it in Amazon's Gold Box or Lightning deals today, so it's probably more than short-term, but I have nothing to go on.

Kindle DX has 3G access but not WiFi
Kindle DX includes Free 3G wireless that works globally, like the Kindle Keyboard.  It does not have WiFi.  Here's Amazon's wording on the product page [emphases mine] :

' Wireless Access to Wikipedia
Kindle DX also includes free built-in access to the world's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia--Wikipedia.org. With Kindle DX in hand, looking up people, places, events and more has never been easier. It gives whole new meaning to the phrase walking encyclopedia.

Search
Kindle DX's keyboard makes it easy to search within a book, across your library, in the Kindle Store, or even the Web.  To use the Search feature, simply type in a word or phrase you're looking for, and Kindle finds every instance in your book or across your Kindle library. Looking for the first reference of a character in your book? Simply type in the name and search.  You can extend your search to the Kindle Store to find related titles you may be interested in.  Explore even further by searching Wikipedia and the Web.  Web access is not currently available for some customers outside the U.S.  Check your country '

Bear in mind that the web access is ULTRA slow on e-Ink and can tax anyone's patience, but it is useful when you have a need for it to quickly check mobile versions of email webpages or to do lookups that are primarily text-based.

 Amazon UK has a page on the countries in which the 3G can be used when UK (or US) residents are traveling there.  I just updated it as it's now 59 countries rather than 61, with Russia and the Ukraine not included in that table now.

The Kindle DX Graphite
If you click on the image at the top of today's blog, you'll get the larger image.  Then if you click on "Next" while there -- at the top-right while viewing, there's a zoomed in version of that photo so that you can see the font display better.

For more on the DX Graphite model, here are Day 1 reports on it in the Kindle forums after it was released

  Also, here are reactions to the DXG by the tough-minded Mobileread Forum folks, a crowd which tended to favor the Sony display before the Kindle Graphite DX was released.

A 6" Kindle? Or the largish 9.7" DX?
This was a common question I was asked at the time.  I wrote a blog article, when the first Kindle DX was released, about questions you should ask yourself before deciding between a smaller, more carryable Kindle and the larger, more readable one.

  The advice would be the same for the current 6" models and the DX Graphite Kindle though, except that the current 6" Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Touch and Paperwhite have considerably darker fonts than the old Kindle 2 had.

Screen examples of older DX model (White) showing PDFs, landscape mode, sheet music
Here are examples of material (PDFs and sheet music) as displayed on my older Kindle DX before they improved the model with the DX Graphite which has darker fonts and higher contrast.
  These will still give you an idea.  Click "next" at upper-right of the image page to get more examples as you go.

I use the Kindle Fire more, but for many PDFs, I reach for the DX Graphite, as it's easier on the eyes for more sustained reading.  The words look etched on the screen and fewer page turns are needed, but it's also heavier.  I've used it only in the house but brought the DX with me on a 3-week trip to Egypt where I wanted to be able to check the many diagrams I'd saved from web articles.

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Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button


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(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
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Kindle News: More pics of 'new Kindle Fire' sent to Verve along with images of 'new eInk' model. Kindle Fire 2 to have mapping services via Nokia Oyji - UPDATE3

The Verge gets more "new Kindle Fire" pictures from the source also sending images said to be of a new "Kindle paperwhite" model complete with a welcome note from Jeff Bezos.

Here's one from the e-Ink model image batch that The Verve received.

  Included in their article on the e-Ink model is a page for more 'paperwhite' images

Are these for real and if so why were they sent?
What's interesting is they don't say these are from an Amazon source; yet they've now received a "large collection of additional images" of a new Fire and the 'Paperwhite.'  There's a small chance someone is having fun Photoshopping a pack to see the reaction -- one has to wonder why a source is sending all this when it could hurt any element of surprise on Sept. 6.

  One answer may be that text for the books in the images of the "paperwhite" display is in French.  Maybe it's someone in the chain outside the U.S. who's breaking a non-disclosure agreement or NDA.

Why are some display shots gray and some white?
  Another oddity is that two of the images of the e-Ink Kindle are screensavers that display the the usual medium-gray screens -- why send those too ? -- and could have been taken from the current Kindles and modified with a darkened bezel.  It's all very curious.

  My own impression of the sends is that the whiter ones look as if they were taken from elongated photos of a Nook, and this includes the home screen with the bottom-half headed "Recommended for You" which I've always considered B&N's ad-area equivalent.

Why is the latest Kindle Fire 2 image of a device with a longer form like the current Kindle Fire?
  Both the Kindle Fire and E-Ink models seem not to have changed much in form and button placement, but, wait -- wouldn't the Kindle Fire 2 be more squat at a 4:3 ratio than the original Kindle Fire? and isn't this double-image of a new Kindle Fire different in aspect ratio from the first Kindle Fire picture sent Verve?  Can't see the webcam lens on the long side of the latest image, but it could be obscured by the logo they use.

 Is this an image of a longer 7" model in portrait orientation along with one of a 10" or 8.9" model at 4:3 aspect ratio alongside it (without relative sizing?)?  What's that lighted dot at the short right side.  Note that this would be an example of an active Skype session.

Update
  (Both Kindle Fire images, if made brighter in a viewer, show artifacts above each side of the Skype image head, and the 'depth' of the inner side of the bezel is missing where the top of the head is, as if it were overlaid.  Artifacts are as if it has been terribly compressed (for what reason?) and the bottom area has some editing in the inside of the bezel meeting the Skype image also.  Now, since they used an image of a real person there, this should be interesting.
  The bezel of the Kindle Fire in portrait orientation has artifacts around text that would be overlaid.  The bezel seems to show editing strokes.  The rounded corners of each have bad artifacts too.  The whole thing is odd.  The oddly placed artifacts could just be editing (from Amazon France tester or developer) for sending and publication, or may be partially a result of The Verge's part in putting on their logo and compressing it again with another FileSave.  No idea, but the Skype image seems added to the tablet frame and is a sloppy looking jpg. [End of Update]

Update 2 - I've added a brightened and enlarged version of the new Kindle Fire double image sent to The Verve to show where the photo's artifacts exist in the photo and where they don't, to illustrate some of what I described.  I saved it at 95% which doesn't add very noticeable artifacts.  [End of Update2]

Update 3 - I'm putting into my updates for the first two The Verge stories, the following, which Chris Ziegler added about their source, at the bottom of their first story on the images after someone wrote them to say their first image was not of the new Kindle Fire that the writer had played with:

   ' Update: Though we know that this image originates with Amazon, another source adds the following:

"That picture you guys posted is not the new Kindle Fire. I know because I have held the new Kindle Fire in my hand and played with it for extensive periods of time... the bezel on the new Kindle Fire is wider. It has sloping sides like the old Motorola Xoom, so it sits nicely in the hand."

Whether the picture above is an unfinished prototype of the new model or one of several devices that will debut next week, we don't know yet, but we can confirm that it's authentic and is part of a larger set of images depicting a new Kindle device. '

 If these pictures are the real deal (still somewhat in question), those looking for small physical page-turn bars won't see them on the e-Ink device and I see no buttons at all on either device.  Any volume control would probably be a rocker-type.

 Now, if the whiter-look of the e-Ink model is due to a different kind of front-lighting done by the company they acquired some time ago, that would definitely be nice, but unless they say something more about the source, I do wonder about these images.


Kindle Fire 2 and location capabilities

Amazon is adding location capabilities to the next Kindle Fire, and as Reuter's Alistair Barr points out, this requires either a GPS chip or "WiFi triangulations."

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  For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date      Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular The Kindle Daily Deal What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle Keyboard(U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button
Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!