Amazon Kindle 2 launching February?

New smaller, friendly version inbound in the US

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27 January 2009 20:36 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Amazon could be about to announce a new version of its ebook reader, the Kindle in February according to rumours circling the Internet.

The company announcing it will be holding a press conference at the Morgan Library in New York on the 9 February has sparked the rumours.

The new Kindle is expected to sport a skinnier design with more rounded edges and a joystick for navigating around the menu system rather than a click wheel.

Amazon has said that delays bringing the Kindle to the UK have been down to the problem of licensing mobile access across Europe.

"If you need agreement with carriers in the US, there is one carrier", he said. "In Europe it is a minefield, as there are so many operators. If you buy a Kindle in the UK and want to read it on the beach on holiday, unless we have signed deals in Spain it is not going to work on the beach", said Brian McBride, the managing director of Amazon in the UK in October.

First announced in 2007, the US only device allows users to download ebooks on the go thanks to its built in internet connection.

Amazon has yet to announce plans for a release in the UK however that hasn't stopped other companies such as Sony and Illad launching ebooks for UK customers.

In related news Random House, whose bestsellers include The Book Thief and The First Apostle, has said that it plans to expand its list of ebooks available from 800 to 2500 titles by the end of the year following a surge in sales.

According to the company, it claims it sold over 1000 ebooks on Christmas Day and Boxing Day alone.

Research from the digital team at the publishers found the Sony Reader the most popular device for reading ebooks, beating laptops and mobile phones in the UK.

We will keep you posted.