Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Emerging Tech
  3. News

Amazon announces Kindle Matchbook, upgrades Kindle Paperwhite

By
Kindle Paperwhite reading achievements
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Check out our review of the upgraded Kindle Paperwhite eReader.

Announced on Amazon yesterday, the online retailer is launching a new program that allows customers to purchase the Kindle version of a book for an inexpensive price assuming the customer has purchased a physical copy of the book first. Called Kindle Matchbook, the digital Kindle versions of purchased books could be completely free or priced between $0.99 to $2.99. Somewhat similar to the movie industry’s attempt to package a digital copy of a film with a Blu-ray purchase, this is an interesting marketing tactic that allows book consumers to transition to a Kindle and replace their book collection with digital copies for a lower price.

Recommended Videos

When Kindle Matchbook launches during October 2013, the program will include over 10,000 titles with more to come in the future. Authors include within the starting batch of titles include Ray Bradbury, Michael Crichton, Neil Gaiman, Jo Nesbo, Blake Crouch, James Rollins, Jodi Picoult, Marcus Sakey, Wally Lamb, Neal Stephenson, and J.A. Jance. 

Kindle Matchbook
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Any physical book that’s already been purchased by a Amazon customer in the past 18 years will be offered for download at the discounted price assuming the book is included in the opening batch of titles. As an example, Amazon VP of Kindle Content Russ Grandinetti said “If you logged onto your CompuServe account during the Clinton administration and bought a book like Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus from Amazon, Kindle MatchBook now makes it possible for that purchase—18 years later—to be added to your Kindle library at a very low cost.”

Related

However, only new books that were purchased from Amazon will qualify for the program. New books purchased through a third party vendor or used books purchased through Amazon resellers will not qualify for Kindle Matchbook.

In addition to Kindle Matchbook, Amazon is rolling out a new version of the Kindle Paperwhite at the end of the month. Launching on September 30, the new Kindle Paperwhite will include a processor that’s 25 percent faster than the previous model, a higher contrast display, a more responsive touch panel for interacting with books and a new version of the built-in light that’s designed to reduce eye strain. Ideally, the new processor should help books launch faster and decrease page load time. 

Kindle Paperwhite reading achievements
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Regarding software, Amazon will include a higher level of parental controls in the form of Kindle FreeTime. Parents will be able to setup user accounts on the Kindle Paperwhite as well as individual reading goals for their children. Amazon is also attempting to make reading more entertaining by allowing children to earn achievement badges for reading consistently or reading lots of books. Parents will have access to data such as time spent reading, number of words looked up and total books read.

In addition, Amazon has integrated Goodreads into the Kindle Paperwhite as well as a new vocabulary builder, smart look-up tool and in-line footnotes. It’s extremely likely that these upgrades will also be included in future versions of the Kindle Fire tablets when those tablets are announced later this month. Similar to previous Kindle models, there’s a version of the Kindle Paperwhite with advertisements for $119 and a version without the special offers priced at $139.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Mike Flacy
Mike Flacy
Contributing Editor
By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…
The 11 best Father’s Day deals that you can get for Sunday
Data from a workout showing on the screen of the Apple Watch Series 8.

Father's Day is fast approaching and there's still time to buy your beloved Dad a sweet new device to show him how much you love him. That's why we've rounded up the ten best Father's Day tech deals going on right now. There's something for most budgets here, including if you're able to spend a lot on your loved one. Read on while we take you through the highlights and remember to order fast so you don't miss out on the big day.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 -- $200, was $230

While it's the Plus version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 that features in our look at the best tablets, the standard variety is still worth checking out. Saving your Dad the need to dig out their laptop or squint at a small phone screen, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 offers a large 10.5-inch LCD display and all the useful features you would expect. 128GB of storage means plenty of room for all your Dad's favorite apps as well as games too. A long-lasting battery and fast charging save him the need for a power source too often too.

Read more
The Apollo wearable is proven to help you sleep better (and it’s on sale)
Apollo wearable worn during sleep in bed.

This content was produced in partnership with Apollo Neuro.
Stress, anxiety, and insomnia are all concerning things that just about everyone struggles with at one time or another. Maybe you can sleep, fending off insomnia, but you lack quality sleep and don’t feel rested in the morning. Or, maybe when it’s time to kick back and relax, you just can’t find a way to do so. There are many solutions for these issues, some work, and others don’t, but one unlikely area of support can be found in a modern, smart wearable.

Medicine is the obvious choice, but not everyone prefers to go that route. There is an answer in modern technology or rather a modern wearable device. One such device is the Apollo wearable, which improves sleep and stress relief via touch therapy. According to Apollo Neuro, the company behind the device, which is worn on your ankle, wrist or clipped to your clothing, it sends out waves of vibrations to help your body relax and reduce feelings of stress. It's an interesting new approach to a common problem that has typically been resolved via medicine, therapy, or other more invasive and time-consuming techniques. The way it utilizes those vibrations, uniquely placed and administered, to create a sense of peace, makes us ask, can it really cure what ails us? We’ll dig a little deeper into how it achieves what it does and what methods it’s using to make you feel better.

Read more
What comes after Webb? NASA’s next-generation planet-hunting telescope
An illustration shows how NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory would measure the atmosphere of distant planets.

When it comes to building enormous, complex space telescopes, agencies like NASA have to plan far in advance. Even though the James Webb Space Telescope only launched recently, astronomers are already busy thinking about what will come after Webb — and they've got ambitious plans.

The big plan for the next decades of astronomy research is to find habitable planets, and maybe even to search for signs of life beyond Earth. That's the lofty goal of the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a space telescope currently in the planning phase that is aimed at discovering 25 Earth-like planets around sun-like stars.

Read more