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Amazon unveils trio of Kindle e-ink readers

Amazon unveils the Kindle Touch for $99. A 3G version will retail for $149, while a cheaper no-touch version will sell for $79.

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Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
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Roger Cheng
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Amazon unveils three e-readers and its first tablet.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveils three e-readers and its first tablet, the Kindle Fire. Sarah Tew/CNET
Amazon today showed off three new versions of its Kindle e-ink digital book reader.

The company unveiled the Kindle Touch for $99. It also showed off a 3G version, which will sell for $149. A cheaper and smaller non-touch-control Kindle will sell for $79, and will be supported with ads.

Related links
• Kindle Fire leads Amazon onslaught (roundup; includes all links below)
• Amazon unveils Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire tablet
• Amazon Kindle Fire: 7-inch tablet, dual-core processor, $199
• Amazon Kindle Touch 3G vs. Kindle Touch vs. Kindle (2011)
• Kindle Fire vs. Nook Color spec breakdown
• Will the Kindle Fire threaten to burn the iPad?

The lower price points represent an aggressive push by Amazon to further its lead in the e-reader market as other entrants such as Barnes & Noble's Nook pose a growing threat.

The least expensive Kindle was previously $114. The lowest priced Nook, meanwhile, is $139, while the Nook Color, which has a touch screen and runs on a basic version of Android, sells for $249.

The new Kindle readers are lighter and smaller. The Kindle Touch is thinner, smaller, and lighter than previous models. It features no physical controls, allowing the user to use their hand to navigate through a digital book. Amazon highlighted the "X-Ray" feature, which allows readers to tap a book and see important passages, characters, ideas, places, and topics of interest to them.

Amazon's 2011 Kindle, Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G (hands-on photos)

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The $79 Kindle is 30 percent lighter at 5.98 ounces, 18 percent smaller, and turns pages 10 percent faster than the previous model. The smaller size is due to the removal of the keyboard, instead relying on physical buttons on the bottom portion of the device.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos touted the new price points, saying Amazon is "making premium products at non-premium prices." It was a comment he echoed multiple times.

Later at the event, Amazon showed off the Kindle Fire tablet for $199.

Updated at 10:15 a.m. PT: to include additional details.