Amazon Kindle DX availability dated

2 June 2009 0:56 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Amazon in the US has dated the launch for its larger screened Amazon Kindle.

The ebook that is aimed at readers who want a bigger screen will be available for shipping from 10 June in time for the summer holidays.

With a 9.7-inch electronic paper display, a new built-in PDF reader, auto-rotate capability, and 3.3GB storage for up to 3500 books, Amazon has upped the price tag for the new model by $100 to a paperback expensive $489.

As far as saving the newspaper industry goes, the New York Times and the Washington Post will be launching pilots with Kindle DX this summer - and - along with the Boston Globe, will offer the Kindle DX at a reduced price to readers who live in areas where home delivery is not available and who sign up for a "long-term" subscription to the Kindle edition of the newspapers.

Textbook-wise, textbook publishers Cengage Learning, Pearson, and Wiley, that together represent over 60% of the US higher education textbook market, will begin offering textbooks through the Kindle Store beginning this summer, while five big American unis have signed up to offer students Kindle DXes.

However the internet retailer is still keeping quiet on a UK launch at this time.