Photos, details leaked on expected Kindle

In advance of Wednesday's Amazon press conference, details are emerging on what's likely to be a new, larger Kindle. Here's a roundup of the latest rumors and leaks.

by David Carnoy

May 5, 2009 4:56 AM PDT Follow @DavidCarnoy

A blurry photo of what appears to be a dry run of tomorrow's presentation.

(Credit: Engadget)

Here's the latest on Amazon's new, larger Kindle, which is expected to be announced Wednesday morning at Pace University in Manhattan, according to numerous sources.

Thanks to an apparently surreptitious cameraphone photographer, Engadget has posted some blurry photos of what looks to be the dry run of tomorrow's presentation. They're not all that exciting--the new Kindle just looks like a jumbo Kindle 2.
This Kindle may be called the Kindle DX, according to Engadget's anonymous source.
The same source says it has a 9.7-inch screen (compared to the 6-inch screen on the Kindle 2).
Allegedly, the device has a more robust built-in PDF reader and "the ability to add annotations in addition to notes and highlights."
The Wall Street Journal has an article on the textbook angle of the new Kindle.
Rumor has it that The New York Times will be lowering its Kindle subscription rate from $13.99 to $9.99. That would be a good move if true.
The Wall Street Journal says the new Kindle will have a more functional browser.
It's also reporting that select students at select universities will receive the new, larger Kindles with pre-installed textbooks for chemistry, computer science and a freshman seminar. Pace, Case Western, Princeton, Reed, Arizona State, and Darden School at the University of Virginia will initially lead the lineup for the college Kindle program.
There's no word on price or whether this will be a touch-screen model.