Today the new eBook reader range from Amazon has been announced in a press conference hosted by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

First up the new Kindle Paperwhite.

As we suggested yesterday this has a backlit eInk screen with a higher resolution with 62% more pixels at 212 ppi which gives grisper clearer text andi images. The light is not like an LCD screen but is angled down towards the screen which should keep the great book ligh qualities and also help reading outside as well.

Battery life has not been compromised and the Kindle Paperwhite offers 8 weeks of reading, with the light on.

A new Time to Read featuer estimates how long you will take to finish the chapter, and to finish the book by tracking your reading speed. Shipping (in the USA) will start on 1 October and the device will retail for $119 or $179 for the 3G version.

Also launched are 2 new Kindle Fire models, a 7 inch version with twice the ram of the previous Fire, 40% faster longer battery life and a price point of $159.

The second model is the Fire HD, a device that is clearly geared to take the iPad on head to head having an 8.9 inch display and 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution. Stero Speakers with Dolby Digital plus built in and 2 wifi antennas for faster more reliable connection. Starting memory will be 16GB and there will be Bluetooth and a front facing camera. Extra device features include enhanced email capabilities, wispersync for audio and for games and X-Ray for movies (get information on the film as you watch it).

Price points start for the 7 inch Fire HD with 16 GB will cost £159 in the UK and £129 for the 7 inch Kindle Fire. Both should start shipping from 25 October in the UK.

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

In advance of an Amazon press conference on Thursday 6th September, the Kindle Fire is now showing as Sold Out on the Amazon US website (it is still not available outside of the USA) fuelling speculation that a new version is due to be announced.

Whilst speculation is rife it is likely that the new devices will include an Amazon Fire 7” and 10 “ screens, possibly with a variety of on board storage options ranging from 8GB to 32GB.

Other possibilities include an improved resolution screen from 1024 x 600 pixels to 1280 x 800, a camera, most likely a front facing to enable Skype like video calls rather than a more traditional rearward facing camera for snapping pictures.

The processor on the current fire is also slow compared with other tablets so it is likely that his will be improved and there is always the possibility that GPS will be added, with the integration of Nokia Maps, but if Amazon are going to keep the costs at a similar low price point it is hard to see how all these features will be squeezed in, at least to every device.

Other Kindle related rumours focus on the prospect of a front lit Kindle, which would mean you could read it in the dark. This device, possibility to be branded as Paperwhite, would fill a gap in the Kindle range that Barnes and Nobel have been exploiting with their Nook Simple Touch with Glow Light since earlier this year.

When will we see these devices in the UK is another question altogether, one that may or may not be answered on Thursday.

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

Whilst the Harry Potter series continues to dominate the childrens ebook download chart compiled by Overdrive, taking the top 7 positions, the Adult charts are more varied:

Top 5 Fiction

1. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett (Penguin Books Ltd)
2. First Thrills, by Lee Child (Atlantic Books Ltd)
3. A Tiny Bit Marvellous, by Dawn French (Penguin Books Ltd)
4. Brazen Virtue, by Nora Roberts (Random House Publishing Group)
5. Sacred Sins, by Nora Roberts (Random House Publishing Group)

Top 5 non fiction

1. The Fry Chronicles, by Stephen Fry (Penguin Books Ltd)
2. Life and Laughing, by Michael McIntyre (Penguin Books Ltd)
3. Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (Bloomsbury Publishing)
4. Tickling the English, by Dara O Briain (Penguin Books Ltd)
5. Why Does E=mc2?, by Brian Cox (Da Capo Press)

These lists are compiled on ebooks downloaded from libraries and the full list can be found here

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

Kindle Touch combines the best bits of the Kindle, including the lovely E Ink display and built in Wi-Fi wireless but now includes a multi touch screen for even easier page turns and in book navigation. There are 2 versions available, one which also inclides the free 3G service.

Not only does the Kindle Touch hold up to 3,000 books and offer upto 2 months battery life, you can listen to MP3 music and audio books, or use the Text-To-Speech facility, all features that are present in the Kindle Keyboard, but missing from the standard Kindle.

So with the reliability and extensive library available from the Kindle platform, how does the first touch screen e-reader from Amazon perform compared to the other Kindle models?

Turning the page is the first difference you will notice. There are no buttons but tap the main part of the screen and the Kindle Touch moves on a page; touch to the left and you go back a page, whilst touching the top part of the screen brings up the menu. This design means it is easy to turn the page whilst holding the Kindle Touch with just one hand, either left or right. The dictionary is easier to access too, as touching and holding a word will bring up a definition.

The Kindle X-Ray is ne to the Kindle Touch and lets you get deeper into the book you are reading by analysing the characters and scenes in a book and shows all the pasages where these occur as well as providing links to sites such as Wikipedia to expand on a topic.

Need to search deeper? The Kindle Touch has a built in touch keyboard for searching the book or newspaper you are reading, for a word in a dictionary or searching the Kindle store.

The Kindle experience goes deeper than the volume you are currently reading. Create collections to order your library, read on a variety of devices with the current page automatically syncronised (whilst the Kindle Touch has a gread screen for reading, sometimes you may want to continue reading on your PC, laptop, ipad or iPhone or Android device all of which have free applications available), and change the language on the device to one of English (U.S. and U.K.), German, French, Spanish, Italian, or Brazilian Portuguese.

• Size: 172 mm x 120 mm x 10.1 mm
• Screen: 6″ diagonal electronic paper display, with 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level grey scale
• Weight: 213 grams
• Memory: 4GB internal (3,000 books)
• Battery Life: A single charge lasts for up to two months with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time.
• Download Books with the micro USB cable or Wi-Fi without a computer. The 3G version also has built in 3G for downloading books and browsing the Kindle store.
• Audio: MP3 and Audiobook playback, including Text-To-Speech with built in speaker and headphone port

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

Which Amazon Kindle should you get? Now that there is a choice of features on the various Kindle models, including size, with or without keyboard, 3G, how do you decide which Amazon Kindle is right for you?

The Kindle is a great ebook reader, but the different models will be more suited to different people. Here are the general statistics that can help give you the information to decide which Amazon Kindle is the one for you. Note also that some versions have been discontinued and there are other models available in different parts of the world. This list shows the current models to select which Amazon Kindle from those available in the UK:

Manufacturer	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon
Style	Kindle Keyboard 3G	Kindle	Kindle Touch
Size	190 mm x 123 mm x 8.5 mm	166 mm x 114 mm x 8.7 mm	172 mm x 120 mm x 10.1 mm
Weight	247 grams	170 grams	213 grams
Screen	6″ E Ink Pearl	6″ E Ink Pearl	6″ E Ink Screen
Storage Capacity	Up to 3,500 Books or 4 GB memory	Up to 1,400 books or 2GB internal memory	4 GB, 3,000 books
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, 3G, micro USB	Wi-Fi and micro USB	USB, WiFi, 3G version available
Battery Life	A single charge lasts for up to two months with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 10 days.	A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. With wireless always on it lasts for up to three weeks	2 months
Audio	3.5 mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers.	No audio playback	Speakers or headphone socket

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

The Kindle comes in a variety of flavours. The cheapest, simplest device is known just as the Kindle and augments the more sophisticated devices in the range. Just because it lacks some of the bells and whistles of the other devices, does not mean that the Kindle is not a very good eBook reader, because it is.

Before we cover what you don’t get, lets look at what you do.

There is the same large 6″ screen size with the super easy to read eInk screen. The Kindle is now 170 grams lighter, 30% less than the other models in the range and the body is 18% smaller so it is even easier to fit in your pocket.

There is built-in Wi-Fi which allows easy downloading of books without the need to connect the Kindle to a PC and the Amazon whispernet technology will synchronise your reading position and library, storing all your eBooks safely in the cloud. There is also an improved interface which gives 10% faster page turns making the reading experience even more absorbing. The 8 adjustable font sizes and 3 styles means you can customise your Kindle to make reading comfortable to your needs.

Page turn buttons are situated on both sides of the Kindle and at the bottom is a 5 way controller, and home, menu, back and keyboard buttons.

Kindle does not have a keyboard, which is largely how it is smaller and lighter, however there is a built-in virtual keyboard that means you can still annotate your books and search the Amazon Store. There is also a built-in Oxford Dictionary of English so you can look up words as you read or search Wikipedia. The experimental browser found on the other Kindle models also remains.

A fully charged battery should last for a month, reducing to up to 3 weeks with the wireless on, and the 2GB memory will store about 1,400 eBooks. Although you can download books without a PC, you will need one to charge your Kindle as there is no power adapter supplied – they are available separately.

One other omission is the lack of speakers, so there is no MP3 player, text to speech capability or audio book playback. If these are not important and you are looking for a great way to read your books on an electronic format this Kindle is a great addition to the range.

• Size: 166 mm x 114 mm x 8.7 mm
• Screen: 6? diagonal electronic paper display, with 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level grey scale
• Weight: 170 grams
• Memory: 2GB internal (1,400 books)
• Battery Life: A single charge lasts for up to one month with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. With wireless always on it lasts for up to 3 weeks.
• Download Books with the micro USB cable or WiFi without a computer.
• Audio: None

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

The Elonex 500EB is the smaller and cheaper of the two colour eReaders in the Elonex range, with a 5” TFT backlit screen.

Packed with the features you would expect from any eReader the main differences are of course colour and the laptop style TFT screen, rather than the gray scale eInk screens on other eReaders like the Kindle. The housing has a pleasing rubber feeling back and buttons are conveniently located at the bottom of the device, under the screen, or to one side if you prefer a widescreen reading format and the size of the device makes it easy to hold and portable to carry around.

The ability to bring colour to an eReader enhances the display atheistic and the way books are presented and the backlight feature means that you can read in darker situations without the need to have direct illumination, as you do with eInk eReaders. However, as with prolonged laptop or computer use, you may find additional lighting is required to reduce eye strain.

Another advantage of the TFT screen is the ability to display colour photos, and AVI video or movie clips in high definition 720p resolution. With true 16:9 widescreen reproduction the Elonex 500EB allows films to be viewed straight from an SD card making the device more than just a portable eReader. There is also a MP3 player giving the Elonex 500EB the ability to play audio books and music, either through the built-in speaker or through headphones via the 3.5 mm audio connector; there are even a set of headphones included.

Without an SD card, there is 4GB of built-in memory, enough to hold about 3000 eBooks; the SD card slot allows this to be expanded to 16GB.

The Elonex 500EB supports most popular eBook formats including ePub and PDF with reflow, as well as DRM copyrighted eBooks available from most booksellers. Books need to be downloaded to a computer and transferred via the mini USB connector but once synchronised you can change the font size to one that suits your reading style and eyesight. There are 5 sizes to choose from as well as 6 font colours and 6 background colours allowing you to totally customise your reading environment. As an example, for those who benefit from a high contrast screen it is possible to show white text on a black background.

Perhaps the biggest drawback of the Elonex 500EB is the battery life. Reported to be 20 hours, or 6 hours reading this means you will be recharging your eReader more often than an eInk style device (a backlit TFT screen draws more power than the latest eInk Pearl screens) and watching films reduces this time even further. Whilst this may be more of an issue for those using their eReader on long commutes or when away from a charger for extended periods, if this is unlikely to be a problem and you prefer a colour backlit screen the Elonex 500EB offers a low cost entry to the eReader market.

• Size: 154 mm x 88 mm x 16 mm
• Screen: 5? diagonal (800 x 480 pixels) backlit TFT colour LCD screen with 16:9 widescreen and anti-glare treatment
• Weight: 190 grams
• Memory: 4GB on board (about 3000 eBooks), SD card expandable to 16GB
• Battery Life: A single charge lasts for 20 hours, 6 hours reading.
• Download books from your PC via the micro USB cable
• Audio: Built-in speakers, 3.5 mm audio connection, headphones supplied. MP3 player and AVI video Playback

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

Here is the list of the top eBooks for younger readers, from the Overdrive lending records for September 2011:

Top 5 Fiction

1.     Eagle Strike, by Anthony Horowitz (Walker Books Ltd)
2.     Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine (Allison & Busby)
3.     Stormbreaker, by Anthony Horowitz (Walker Books Ltd)
4.     The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury Publishing)
5.     The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan (Penguin Books Ltd)

Top 5 Nonfiction

1.     Anne Frank and Children of the Holocaust, by Carol Ann Lee (Penguin Books Ltd)
2.     The Ha Ha Bonk Book, by Janet Ahlberg (Penguin Adult)
3.     Can I See Your I. D.?, by Chris Barton (Penguin Group USA, Inc.)
4.     Believing in Narnia, by Natalie Nichols Gillespie (Thomas Nelson Inc.)
5.     Giant Book of Jokes, Riddles, and Brain Teasers, by Michael Dahl

Here is the full list including Top eBooks for Adults and top audio books borrowed in September.

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

The Wi-Fi Sony Reader PRS-T1 is the latest eReader from Sony, building on the success and popularity of the previous Touch models but now including Wi-Fi to allow easy downloading of eBooks from stores or public libraries and giving the Sony Reader a product that does not need a PC to download eBooks. It is also lighter than other models at 168 grams and includes a 3.5 mm stereo audio connection for MP3 and audio book playback.

Supporting ePub and Adobe PDF format the Wi-Fi Sony Reader PRS-T1 includes 12 dictionaries, 2 for English definitions and the rest for translation to and from various languages. Battery life is estimated as a reassuring 1 month which drops to 3 weeks when the wireless receiver is turned on.

The 6” screen is an 16-gray scale eInk Pearl with touch screen capabilities meaning you can turn the page with a swipe of the screen or make notes directly on the screen with the included stylus. Pinch to zoom in or out makes the Sony Reader PRS-T1 much more like a tablet PC and will appeal to users of those devices looking for a dedicated eReader. Other features of the touch sensitive screen include the ability to double tap a word to look it up in one of the dictionaries. Alternatively there are page turn buttons on the bottom of the Sony Reader PRS-T1, just under the screen.

There is 2GB of built-in memory which should be plenty for eBooks (about 1,200) and can be supplemented by up to 32GB through the MicroSD card slot for more memory hungry audio or music files should you want to make use of this new addition on the Wi-Fi Sony Reader.

• Size: 110 mm x 173 mm x 8.9 mm
• Screen: 6″ diagonal electronic paper touch screen display, with 600 x 800 pixel, 16-level grey scale
• Weight: 168 grams
• Memory: 2GB internal expandable with MicroSD Cards
• Battery Life: A single charge lasts for up to one month with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. With wireless always on the Wi-Fi Sony Reader PRS-T! lasts for up to 3 weeks.
• Download Books with the micro USB cable or Wi-Fi
• Audio: 3.5 mm audio jack

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers

The new Kindle; Lighter, Smaller, Cheaper. Announced today with pre-orders available for the release of the new Kindle on 12 October 2011.

This is a Kindle sans physical keyboard, which has helped reduce the size. Instead there is the familiar 5 way scroll button and 4 buttons (for back, keyboard, home and menu) along the bottom of the screen. The familiar next and previous page turn buttons are located along each side of the new Kindle. This results in a device that is 166 mm x 114 mm x 8.7 mm and 170 grams in weight.

WiFi is included but there is no option for 3G. There is a USB cable for connection to a PC and although you will not need a computer to download books, this is the only way of charging the battery, unless you purchase a mains charger, sold separately.

As well as reducing the size and weight, the new Kindle has no built-in speaker and less memory – only 2GB compared with 4GB on the current model, but this still leaves enough room for 1,400 books.

As part of the launch the Kindle range has been renamed, with the existing models now the Kindle Keyboard and Kindle Keyboard 3G and Amazon have also announced a new tablet device to rival the iPad, the Kindle Fire.

Visit What eBook Reader For all the latest on eBook Readers and eBook Offers