Amazon’s Kindle DX has a 9.7″ e-ink display with 1200×824 pixels, 16 shades of gray, and faster page transitions. 10.4 inches long and 7.2 wide, it is 0.38 inches thick and retains the basic capabilities of the standard model: EVDO internet and the Amazon store.

New features include native PDF support and 4GB of storage, two line-items that Sony’s Reader can no longer claim as advantages over Amazon’s model. The Kindle DX also does automatic orientation adjustments when you rotate the tablet, like the iPhone and other accelerometer-equipped gadgets.

Amazon’s new Kindle DX boasts a newspaper-friendly screen that’s 2.5x bigger than the standard Kindle, but it’s also got a few tricks of its own (new features bolded):

• 9.7-inch E-Ink screen (1200 x 824 with 16 shades of grey)
• 1/3 of an inch thick (10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″)
• 4GB Storage for 3,500 books (a bump from 1,500)
• Unspecified but “long” battery life
• Native PDF support through built-in reader
• Automatic landscape/portrait text rotation
• Line length adjustments (determine the width of text on the screen)
• Navigation buttons moved to right side of screen only
• EVDO (of course) for 60-second book transfers

Available this summer, there’s no denying it—the Kindle DX looks fantastic, especially with that surprise landscape/portrait rotational sensitivity we find useful in so many smartphones. The giant screen does it for me. The price — $490 — is a challenge.

Kindle DX

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