Amazon prepping Kindle update with improved UI, parental controls
Amazon's entry-level Kindle, priced at $79, is getting a major refresh with a new software upgrade in the works.
Most of the software upgrade focuses on improving the overall reading experience on the 6-inch e-book reader, with a particular focus on families.
First off, Amazon is beefing up the parental controls with the power to restrict access to the Experimental Web Browser, Archived Items, and the Kindle Store.
But on the reading side, Amazon developers have also added more support for children's books with pop-up text and reading comic books panel-by-panel. Books that support these features will be available in the Kindle store over the next few weeks.
Other enhancements include an improved, crisper reading font with a higher contrast for a more "paper-like" reading experience. Amazon is also promising better image and table viewing on supported titles.
The upgrade is free, and it will be available to Kindle users in the next few weeks. The software update will be delivered automatically to Kindles over Wi-Fi, but there are more detailed instructions for downloading and transferring it via USB on Amazon's website.
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