Upcoming Starter Kindle to Have Built-In Bluetooth Audio Support

Amazon is taking pre-orders for the first Kindle e-reader with Bluetooth audio, a $79 model that’s thinner and lighter than the previous version with double the memory (now 4 GB), it said Wednesday. The entry-level Kindle has built-in audio support, enabling visually impaired users to use Amazon’s VoiceView screen reader on Kindle to read the content on the screen without an adaptor, it said. The feature is enabled through an “out-of-box experience specifically for visually-impaired customers” that allows them to pair their Kindle with Bluetooth headphones or a speaker, Amazon said. The Export Notes feature allows users to send notes and highlights from a book to themselves via email, which are then available as a PDF for printing or as a simple file that can be opened in a spreadsheet app, it said. Export Notes will be available as part of a free, over-the-air software update in the coming weeks, said Amazon. The Kindle will be available in black or white, with a July 7 release date.