Touchdown! The Amazon Kindle Touch is coming to the UK next month -- but there's still no sign of the hotly-tipped Amazon Kindle Fire tablet.
The Kindle Touch ebook reader and its 3G counterpart, the Touch 3G, go on sale on 27 April. They include new features such as X-Ray, which adds bonus bits and bobs to your ebooks, like Wikipedia entries explaining stuff mentioned in the story. They're also arriving at a perfect moment, as Harry Potter can now cast a spell on your Kindle in ebook form for the first time.
The Kindle Touch ditched the keyboard at the end of last year, and made its way outside the US in February, arriving in Togo, Suriname, Aruba and Belarus before Britain. Cheers, Amazon.
Amazon has a long history of making us wait for new Kindle kit: the original Kindle never even made it across the pond, and the international version of the Kindle 2 actually had to be imported from America, rather than being sold directly this country -- clocking us with associated import costs and duties.
It was a full two and a half years before the Kindle 3G arrived on British shop shelves -- and we face a potentially similar frustrating wait for the Kindle Fire, Amazon's 7-inch Android tablet. I'm keen to see the Kindle Fire ablaze in our green and pleasant land, not just because it's a nifty tablet, but also because it's an interesting take on Android. The Fire boasts a custom version of the Google-powered operating system that goes deeper than the jack-of-all-trades skin slapped on by most manufacturers, instead tailoring the tablet specifically for its task: browsing, buying and watching media.
As interesting as that singular approach to Android sounds, it may be what's holding up the Fire, as complex cross-border movie, music and TV licensing deals delay an international release.
Press play on our video below to see the Kindle Fire in action:
The Kindle Touch costs £110 and the Kindle Touch 3G costs £170, with no 3G costs once you've bought it. Place an order at Amazon now and you'll receive your new Kindle on 27 April.
Will you order a Kindle Touch or are you waiting for the Kindle Fire? Touch me up in the comments or light a fire on our Facebook page.
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Comments 5
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pablouk1 28 March, 2012 11:29
Assume it will still cost £ 30.00 more than its US counterpart.
Alex Simkin 28 March, 2012 15:34
Why now, Amazon?!?! I've recently bought a Kindle Keyboard, and now that seems really out of date!!
billfred 28 March, 2012 15:37
I'm full of meh, I'll be keeping my Kindle 4th gen.
anonymous 28 March, 2012 20:05
Just to inform you all that Amazon Kindle Touch doesn't support screen rotation. If you are gonna read PDFs, it is too difficult to read them comfortably. The old models of kindles had this feature but, unfortunately, this newer one lacks it. Amazon must explicitly inform this fact as it is not mentioned even in device specifications. Thousands of customers suffered it and Amazon's forum itself is full of the complaints regarding this issue. Interestingly the hackers came with a solution to jailbreak the device to address the issue BUT THAT VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY.
chrisp666 31 March, 2012 17:36
I can't really see the point. It's for reading books. The original models do this very well - why do you need a touchscreen? I want a Kindle Fire and will not be upgrading my original Kindle until the Fire is available in the UK. For the purpose it was built, the Kindle is superb, clear text and long battery life.