Amazon said in a press release that Kindle’s battery life now has been boosted by up to 85 percent. It will allow Kindle to last for seven days with eReader turned on, compared with just four days previously.
With wireless tuned off, the battery life remains the same, i.e. only two weeks.
"Battery power management for portable wireless devices is a complex technical area, and the battery life improvement announced today is the result of a six-month firmware improvement and testing program," says the released notes.
PDF support most important feature in eReaders
The new addition of PDF reader in Kindle will allow users to download documents in PDF format. It will also provide users with the option to transfer files via e-mail or USB to their e-mail addresses at “@kindle.com”.
By including “Convert” in the subject line of the e-mails, the PDF can be converted into the Kindle format.
These added improvements could be big boost for Amazon when targeting business users.
Amazon’s major rivals Sony or Barnes and Noble are already providing support for PDF format in their eReader devices, the Reader and Nook respectively. This new move by Amazon just few days before the start of holiday season is seen as a strategy against Sony’s Reader and Barnes and Noble’s the Nook.
Battery life in major ebook readers
B&N’s eReader Nook lasts for 10 days on battery, but for that you have to turn off Wi-Fi. If you keep it on, then you will have to charge the reader every two days of use.
On the other hand, Sony’s eReader Touch and Pocket Editions manage two weeks after charge because there’s no battery draining Wi-Fi.
Sony’s Daily Edition Reader lasts for a week with Wi-Fi and two-and-a-half week without it but then again its more expensive at $399 as compared to $259, the price of both the Nook and Kindle.
Amazon one-up in eReader war?
"We are in the early days of the e-book reader wars and companies are looking to differentiate themselves. Amazon has over a year's head start with its next generation of devices," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president at Interpret. "Maybe the best reason I can think of for buying a Kindle if you are in the market for an e-book reader is because the Kindle has got availability and everyone else doesn't yet."
Right now there might not be much competition for Amazon in the market since Sony is unable to guarantee shipments of its eReader in time for Christmas.
The Nook by B&N has already been sold out for the year, as declared by the company. This gives Amazon a good opportunity to attract as many customers as possible towards its new improved Kindle.
Upgrade in store for older version of Kindle
According to the sources, all the new Kindle devices will be shipped with both the improvements in place—improved battery life and PDF support.
There’s also good news for all those who have bought previous versions of the Kindle; they might be eligible for both the new enhancements via upgraded firmware that can be automatically downloaded to your reader when you turn on the wireless connection.
However, it’s not known yet which one of the devices will get the upgrade—the older Kindle 2 or the original one.
Source: The Money Times
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