Amazon Press Conference Set Amid Rumors of Bigger Screen Kindle

By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 5/4/2009 8:37:00 AM

A New York Times story today on "Big-Screen e-Readers" has people abuzz about whether Amazon might be prepping to unveil a new version of the Kindle, with a bigger screen, designed specifically for newspaper and magazine content. According to the Times, Amazon may beat companies like News Corp. to the punch in this arena — News Corp. is reportedly working on a digital newspaper reader due out by the end of the year — with a device the paper said is "tailored for displaying newspapers, magazines and perhaps textbooks."

While a rep at Amazon would not confirm whether Amazon has a new Kindle to introduce, the company has scheduled a press conference on Wednesday. That same rep would not comment on what the press conference will address. Will Amazon create mutliple Kindles for different types of content? At different price points? With different size screens and potential functionality? More to come, hopefully by Wednesday.