Amazon Kindle Paperwhite lights up your ebooks

Amazon has announced the Kindle Paperwhite, a new ebook reader with a screen that'll blow rivals away. The Paperwhite opened an event that's expected to also see the launch of the Amazon Kindle Fire 2.

The Kindle Paperwhite sports a capacitive front-lit screen, promising 25 per cent better contrast for more standy-outy text. The screen packs in 212 pixels per inch, a whacking great big increase over previous e-readers.

Amazon also promises 8 weeks of battery life from the Paperwhite, which is 9.1mm thick and weighs 7.5oz (213g). You can buy it with or without 3G to download new books wherever you are, without needing a data contract.

With the X-Ray feature you can delve into the book, seeing a list of characters and jumping straight to when they appear. New features include the option to see how long it'll take to finish the ebook you're perusing.

Amazon made the announcement at a big launch in the US, where the Kindle Fire has been a smash hit. Sadly, the Kindle Fire is yet to arrive here, and there's no word on UK release for the products announced today either.

The Paperwhite goes on sale on 1 October, costing our US chums £75 or £112 for the 3G model. The current Kindle gets a slightly better screen and is now cheaper too.

Is Amazon's new ebook reader Paperwhite or paperweight? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.