SEATTLE, Wa. – Amazon.com Inc. on Wednesday plans to unveil a new version of its Kindle e-book reader with a larger screen and other features designed to appeal to periodical and academic textbook publishers, according to people familiar with the matter.
Beginning in the fall, some students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland will be given large-screen Kindles with textbooks for chemistry, computer science, and a freshman seminar already installed, Lev Gonick, the school’s chief information officer, told The Wall Street Journal. The university plans to compare the experiences of the students who are issued the devices and those who use traditional textbooks, said Gonick.
Amazon has worked out a deal with several textbook publishers to make their materials available for the device, Gonick said. The new device will also feature a more fully functional Web browser, he said. The current version of the Kindle, which debuted in February, contains a Web browser that is classified as “experimental.”
In total, six universities are involved in the project, according to people briefed on the matter. They are Case Western, Pace University, Princeton University, Reed College, Darden School at the University of Virginia, and Arizona State University.
An Amazon spokesman declined comment. On Monday morning, the Seattle company sent out invitations to a press event to be held Wednesday at Pace University in New York City.
New York Times Co. publisher Arthur Sulzberger will also share the stage with Amazon’s chief executive Jeffrey Bezos at the Wednesday event, according to a person familiar with the matter. A New York Times spokesperson declined comment.
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