Amazon’s Kindle Touch: swipe to read for $185

One of the things we hear people ask is why ebook readers don’t function like an iPad or Android and why can’t you flick the screen with your fingers like on tablets? Well, a new eReader coming to Australia will allow just that.

A new version of Amazon’s famed Kindle eBook reader has reached Australia, with the touchscreen version landing locally exclusively from Dick Smith this week from $185.

The Kindle Touch does away with the small buttons found on previous versions of the Kindle eReader, instead opting for 6 inch touchscreen electronic ink (e-ink) display, allowing you to turn pages, change text sizes, and browse for more books using your fingers on the screen and nothing more.

Up to 3000 eBooks can be stored on the new Kindle with the battery lasting up to two months. WiFi is included so you can download books when you’re at home or in range of a wireless hotspot, but you can also find a 3G enabled version of the Kindle Touch ($249) with global roaming for book purchasing where ever you are on the planet.

The older Kindle with buttons and no touchscreen (above) is still available for $139.

Locally, our prices are a little off from what they are in America, where Amazon retails the Kindle Touch WiFi for roughly $150 with shipping included. However, at the moment, Dick Smith is the only local place to find the Kindle Touch, but only until April, when other retailers will be able to sell it too.

Kindle: now buttonless.