Ever since it's debut in November of 2007, Amazon.com's Kindle electronic book reader has remained one of its flagship products, targeting the e-book market at entirely new demographics. The Kindle also continues to evolve, seeing its second generation in early 2009 and, in June of that same year, appearing again as the Kindle DX. So what new features does the Kindle DX bring to your virtual libraries, and does it lose anything when compared to its predecessors? Below you'll find an overview of what new features the DX offers.
by AlisonCox


Ever since it's debut in November of 2007, Amazon.com's Kindle electronic book reader has remained one of its flagship products, targeting the e-book market at entirely new demographics. The Kindle also continues to evolve, seeing its second generation in early 2009 and, in June of that same year, appearing again as the Kindle DX. So what new features does the Kindle DX bring to your virtual libraries, and does it lose anything when compared to its predecessors? Below you'll find an overview of what new features the DX offers.

The Amazon Kindle DX is lightweight and very portable. It can hold up to 3,500 e-books, magazines and newspapers in one small and easy to operate device; try carrying around that many printed books everywhere that you go.

But there are still issues, many of which aren't exactly the fault of the device. The biggest complaint that many users have is the DRM (digital rights management) that Amazon has chosen to use. DRM is widely considered an outdated practice of material protection and unfortunately limits the kinds of documents you can use on your Kindle DX.

One of the DX's new innovative features is its inclinometer, enabling it to be flipped sideways or upside-down while still retaining the correct text orientation. There have always been critics on the bandwagon that separate electronic reading devices are not as convenient as physical books. While it may seem minor, the addition of the inclinometer showcases a level of customizability for the reading experience simply not available with non-electronic books. The PDF viewing experienced has been enhanced by the new inclinometer feature. By changing orientation, it is sometimes possible to zoom in on otherwise difficult-to-view PDFs that were designed to be viewed on computer screens.

The DX also adds stereo speakers, a feature which makes the text-to-speech capabilities introduced in the Kindle 2 somewhat more accessible. Also, whereas the previous models were restricted to transferring data via Amazon's Whispernet, the DX offers a wireless fallback option for times when Whispernet connectivity is either absent or inadequate.

From a consumer electronics standpoint, the new Kindle DX is not that perfect. However, it shows incredible promise of being a favorite gadget among avid mobile book, newspaper and magazine readers, professionals and students alike. Although the initial retail price of Amazon Kindle DX somewhat restricts its market size, avid readers of all kinds and ages is likely to gravitate towards Kindle DX regardless of the price, thanks to the interest momentum set by the two successfully Kindle models.

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