Amazon's new Kindle ditches the bezel for a smaller, lighter e-reader

[AgentSmith]

Amazon has refreshed its Kindle range with a new flush front design that gets rid of the raised bezel around the screen. The basic Kindle has a 6 inch display, weighs 140 grams and is just 6.8mm thick. It costs $149.99 in the US and comes in Ube, a purple shade, and Graphite. The standard Kindle is available now, with the others on preorder

Getting rid of the bezel creates an obvious problem, because your thumb naturally rests on the screen. Amazon says it has solved this with capacitive touch technology that detects where your fingers are and adjusts sensitivity to avoid accidental page turns. Page turns are also said to be 30 percent faster across the range. If it works, it removes the biggest downside of a flat screen

There is a new Aluminium Edition of the basic Kindle with 32GB of storage in Alpine Sky and Seaglass Green. The Paperwhite costs $199.99 for 16GB or $249.99 for the 32GB Signature Edition, and Amazon says it now has the largest display in the Kindle lineup. The Kindle Colorsoft, with a colour screen, is $289.99 or $319.99 for the Signature Edition. That is a lot of choice for what is essentially the same product

The new models are coming to the UK, Germany, France and several other countries, although I have not seen confirmed UK prices yet. Kindles have changed very little in recent years, so a proper redesign is welcome. The flat front should also make them easier to keep clean

The big question is whether the palm rejection works as well as Amazon claims. Accidental page turns are the most annoying thing about touchscreen readers. Are you tempted to upgrade? And does anyone still prefer the old Kindles with physical buttons?

The new Kindle ditches the raised bezel in a push toward a smaller, lighter e-reader | TechCrunchtechcrunch.com