Tidap.com

The recent launch of two new ebook readers onto the market has fueled speculation that Amazon will be considering setting a Kindle 4 launch date sometime soon. At the moment, Amazon’s Kindle 3 is the dominant force in the ebook reader market, but the launch of an upgraded Nook by Barnes and Noble, followed less than two weeks later by the Story HD reader – the product of a collaboration between iRiver and Google – could see the Kindle begin to come under some serious pressure.

An e-ink technology display which incorporates touch screen controls is one of the most notable enhancements bundled with the latest Nook. This means that the QWERTY keypad is redundant and allows the Nook to be made smaller and lighter. The latest Nook is shorter than the Kindle 3 by approximately one inch, and lighter by about an ounce.

The Story HD is the product of a partnership between iRiver and Google. The big deal with the Story HD is that it’s the first ebook reader to be integrated with Google’s eBookstore. Story HD owners will be able to pick whatever books they want from Google, and then download them directly via Wi-Fi. From a technical perspective, the Story HD’s most noteworthy feature is the fact that it incorporates the first XGA e-ink display on the market. This has a resolution of 1024 x 768 – compared to the 800 x 600 of both the Kindle and the Nook.

In short, although it’s less than a year old, the Kindle 3 is starting to look ever so slightly out of date in comparison with it’s newer rivals. Amazon may well decide that the Kindle 4 should be launched sooner rather than later.