Digital Home Thoughts: The Kindle Gets Bigger

At today's launch event here, Amazon unveiled the details of its Kindle DX. The rumors about the device proved true: It has a larger screen than the Kindle 2, and is aimed squarely at maximizing the newspaper and textbook market. However, that's not the only angle that Amazon head Jeff Bezos took today. By focusing on professional documents, too, Bezos positions Kindle DX as a business productivity tool, too.

I've never actually used a Kindle, but one of the cons I'd always heard was the small display size. Today, Amazon addressed that by announcing the Kindle DX, which will ship this summer. It's a bit pricey at $489, but in addition to the bigger display, the DX adds a PDF reader and, like the iPhone, automatic screen rotation when you turn the reader on its side. In terms of its use as a business productivity too, it looks like it could be a great tool for reading documents, but I think the price will be a barrier, particularly in this economy.