Amazon Taking Pre-Orders for Premium Kindle With Charging Cover

Amazon is refreshing the Kindle again eight years after the launch of the original, in an ongoing effort to make the e-reader more efficient and lighter. The latest model, Kindle Oasis, available for pre-order ($289) with shipment April 27, comes with a leather charging cover said to deliver “months” of battery life. The Oasis measures 0.13 inch at its narrowest depth and weighs 4.6 ounces, making it 20 percent lighter than any other Kindle, said Amazon. Its dual-battery charging system provides the longest battery life of any Kindle, allowing users to read for months “without plugging in,” it said. The battery in the cover uses a custom cell architecture designed to optimize power and energy, and users can charge the device and cover simultaneously while both are snapped together and plugged in. A new hibernation mode minimizes power consumption when the Kindle is inactive, Amazon said. The leather cover -- available in black, merlot or walnut -- wakes the Oasis when it’s opened and puts the device to sleep when closed, with 12 magnets holding the two together. Sixty percent more LEDs produce what Amazon calls the brightest Kindle screen to date. The 300 pixel-per-inch 200-micron display backplane has the thinness of a sheet of aluminum foil and is covered by chemically reinforced glass, Amazon said. Other models in the Kindle line: the basic Kindle ($79), Paperwhite ($119) and Voyage ($199).