Two versions, one with WiFi and the other with 3G as well

Jul 29, 2010 09:19 GMT  ·  By

The Kindle e-reader form Amazon may have gone out of stock earlier this week, but the situation seems to have been remedied in a fairly straightforward manner. Not only are the e-readers back on sale, but they have even been refined, reincarnated even, in newer and better versions. The online retailer is now selling the third iteration of its popular product, and in not one but two versions, differentiated by their connectivity capabilities.

E-readers became popular during the later parts of last year and analysts predict a fairly bright future ahead of them. Amazon was among the first to actually sell such gadgets in high numbers and the Kindle even broke monthly sales record at one point. Later on, more competing products emerged, prompting the company to refine its own offering. The third iteration of the e-reader is the latest step in Amazon's efforts to stay fresh.

There are two versions available. One communicates wirelessly via WiFi, whereas the other one also features 3G. Besides this, they are very much alike. The E-Ink display has a 50% higher contrast ratio than the previous generation, albeit the same sizes of 6 inches. Furthermore, the casing is about 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter, even though the amount of built-in storage is twice as high. Furthermore, the e-readers come with a new, WebKit-based browser, 20% faster page turns, new fonts and an enhanced PDF reader. All in all, the products promise to outdo their previous iterations in every way.

The Kindle that only has WiFi is colored graphite and is available for pre-order with a price tag of $139. As for the 3G-enabled model, it will sell for $189 and also comes in white. Actual shipments are slated to commence on August 27. The former may be found on this page, whereas the latter can be located here.