When Amazon was first announced, it promised to revolutionise the digital world with a $99 Kindle eReader.
That’s about the time when the company had its worst week ever, with e-readers dropping off the market and its stock plunging by more than 60%.
But after months of delays, Amazon’s biggest competitor, Microsoft, has finally launched its latest version of the Kindle.
In a rare public display of optimism, the company has promised that the new device will be available for just £49 in the UK and €69 in the rest of Europe by the end of the year.
For the first time, however, we can confirm that the Kindle eReaders version of Windows 8.1 is not the version you want.
The software has been released on Amazon’s own servers, and the Kindle reader does not seem to work on Windows 8, even after Microsoft patched the software to make it work with Windows 8 8.2.
But it’s not quite as bad as we expected, at least.
The latest version does have some improvements.
For instance, you no longer need to download the Kindle Reader app to access its features.
Also, the Kindle now has a new lock screen option that lets you see the contents of your e-books on it.
Amazon is also offering a “Best of the Web” feature that lets users find out what’s new on the web and which sites have the best deals on the latest books, magazines and music.
This is Amazon’s second attempt to improve Kindle performance, after it launched a version of Android for the Kindle that was only available on the Kindle Paperwhite in 2012.
It also unveiled the new Kindle Prime, which is a cheaper version of its current version.
The device costs £159, and will launch on May 30.
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