Amazon Launches Larger-Screen Kindle DX E-Reader

As expected, Amazon.com Wednesday released a new version of its Kindle with a bigger screen, which is intended to present newspaper and magazine content better than the current, smaller Kindle 2.

The New York Times Company and Washington Post Company are launching pilots with Kindle DX this summer, according to an Amazon.com press statement. The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Washington Post will offer the Kindle DX at a reduced price to readers who live in areas where home-delivery is not available and who sign up for a long-term subscription to the Kindle edition of the newspapers, the company said.

Amazon.com has posted a product page on its Web site.

The new Kindle DX has a 9.7-inch screen and is a larger format than the current Kindle 2, which has a 6-inch screen, the same as the original Kindle device launched in November 2007. Amazon.com launched Kindle 2 in February.

The Kindle DX costs US$489 versus $359 for the other Kindle devices, according to the site.

The earlier Kindles are formatted mainly for reading books. However, it is possible to read newspapers and magazines on the devices and Amazon.com has several deals with newspapers, including the New York Times, to provide content.

The newspaper and print-publishing industry in the U.S. has been hit particularly hard by the current global recession and many magazines and newspapers have stopped printing and gone Web-only. Some hope a device like the Kindle DX can help revive the industry.

People can begin preordering the Kindle DX now, according to the site, but it did not provide a delivery date for the product.

(More to follow.)