Kindle 3 already on the way?

With the first Kindle 2s hitting doorsteps this week, is Amazon already planning a Kindle 3 launch? DigiTimes writes that Amazon plans a new version of its electronic book reader by the end of this year, saying it will be "larger in size and equipped with touch functions."

Could this be the long-rumored student version of Kindle, designed to replace textbooks?

The size -- and hefty price tag -- of college textbooks would seem to create an opening for Kindle. Before Amazon tackles the college market, though, it may want to read our recent survey of University of Washington students, many of whom were not sold on the idea of textbooks on Kindle.

One of Kindle's competitors, Plastic Logic, which is developing an electronic reader with a larger screen than the Kindle, plans to start pilots and trials in the second half of this year, with a full launch in 2010. If Amazon is really developing a Kindle 3, that could set up an interesting race to market for bigger screen e-readers.

About Eric Engleman

ERIC ENGLEMAN is senior technology staff writer for TechFlash and the Puget Sound Business Journal, covering online retail giant Amazon.com. Engleman tracks Amazon's increasingly complex business, spanning ecommerce, Kindle, cloud computing, and more. He's been covering technology and other industries for the Business Journal since 2003.

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