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New large-format Kindle goes after the textbook market

The new, larger-screen Kindle (which is rumoured to be unveiled by Amazon tomorrow) will be better able to display charts, diagrams, and images than the current six-inch screen. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, Amazon has made deals with several textbook publishers to make their products available for the device, as well as with some universities:

Beginning this 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, said Lev Gonick, the school’s chief information officer. The university plans to compare the experiences of students who get the Kindles and those who use traditional textbooks, he said.

Five other U.S. universities are involved in the pilot project (Pace University, Princeton, Reed College, the University of Virginia, and Arizona State University). There is still no word on when the Kindle will be released in other countries.