Kindle Touch out in the UK tomorrow, ahead of schedule

Amazon's Kindle Touch is out in the UK tomorrow, a week earlier than the online book-flogger had originally planned.

If you point your browser at Amazon.co.uk, both the Wi-Fi only and 3G editions of the touchscreen Kindle are available to buy now, priced at £109 and £169 respectively.

The touch versions of Amazon's popular ebook readers were expected to land next Saturday, 27 April, but happily they're ready to line British pockets earlier than scheduled.

The Touch is the first version of the Kindle to pack a touchscreen. I've been using one, and my first impressions are positive -- the touchscreen is sensitive and makes typing out text infinitely easier.

There are a few downsides though -- the screen is set further back from the bezel than the £89 basic Kindle, because the touchscreen works by your finger breaking an infrared beam.

It's a little bulkier too, meaning it feels just a little less classy. If you're used to holding the device in your hand between reading sessions (let's say, hypothetically, while you're navigating a tricky Tube interchange), you might look down to discover you've accidentally skipped forwards 50 pages.

That bit beneath the screen that looks like a speaker grille is actually a home button -- a nice design touch, if you ask me.

Despite packing touchscreen tech, this isn't Amazon's tablet. That honour belongs to the Kindle Fire, which the company is frustratingly holding back from the UK.

Will you be splashing out on Amazon's new toy? Or would you rather buy the Kobo ebook reader, which is available slightly cheaper and supports ePub files? Let me know in the comments, or over on our Facebook wall.