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Amazon delivers a waterproof Kindle

by on12 October 2017


You can drop it in the bath, we guess

Amazon has announced a new version of its popular e-reader which now has an IPX8 waterproof rating.

The new Kindle Oasis — the same name as last year’s premium Kindle — has jumped up in size, moving from a 6-inch screen to a 7-inch screen. It also has an aluminium back which makes it look a bit more solid than the plastic Kindle which we have known and loved for years.

The new Oasis relies entirely on its built-in battery. It has a similar physical design, with one thicker side that tapers down on the other side, for one-handed reading. The resolution of the e-paper display is the same at 300 ppi, but it has a couple of extra LED lights now for a brighter, more even-looking display. There are physical page-turn buttons, plus the touchscreen page-turn option.

However the big news is the waterproofing which punters have been wanting for nearly a decade. After all reading in the bath is something everyone does, even if they deny it. Apparently though Amazon is not saying how waterproof the Kindle actually is, as it does have an open USB port for charging. Amazon is recommending that people stand the Kindle upright after it’s been submerged.

The new Oasis has a built-in Audible app. It still doesn’t have any speakers but you can stream an audio book over Bluetooth to a set of headphones or a speaker.

The Oasis, which starts at $250 for an 8GB model. That’s double the base storage of previous Kindles, which Amazon says is to accommodate the storage of audio books. It also connects over both Wi-Fi and 4G LTE.

 

Last modified on 12 October 2017
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