Amazon plans to launch new versions of its Kindle ereader this summer with front lighting, it has been claimed.
Amazon hopes to have the new Kindle ereader on sale in July, Reuters reports, citing a source with "direct knowledge of the matter".
The new Kindle will have a monochrome E Ink display, like existing models, but will add a front light for reading in the dark. Kindle users who want to read in poor light or in the dark currently have to buy an external light.
The new Kindle will have a touchscreen and will come in 3G and WiFi versions, the report says. The addition of a light will reduce the battery life of the Kindle, which currently lasts for up to two months.
Reuters said its source also claims that Amazon will update its Kindle Fire tablet in the autumn, increasing the size of the display to 8.9 inches.
The Kindle Fire, which is not currently available in Britain, launched late last year. Initial sales were high, with reports suggesting close to five million sold in the final quarter of 2011, but demand seems to have dropped off significantly.
