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There has been a lot of speculation as to when Amazon will release the next update of its hugely successful Kindle reader. The Kindle 2 launched in February of 2009, a year and 3 months after the release of the original Kindle in November 2007. If the gap between upgrades was to remain the same then the Kindle 2, now just over a year old, is due for replacement in the near future.

In the interim period since the launch of the Kindle 2, user choice has increased due to the fact that a large number of new readers by a variety of manufacturers have become available. Apart from other dedicated e-book readers like Sony’s Daily Edition and the Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple’s new iPad is also seen as a potential threat to the Kindle as it has, amongst its many functions, the capacity to be used to read e-books. In summary, looking at both the increased competition from new readers (many of which incorporate added features and functionality) and the age of the Kindle 2, it seems that an update may be due fairly soon.

Which prompts the question – what new features are Amazon planning to include in the new enhanced and upgraded model? Amazon will almost certainly have a few surprises up their sleeve – but this acquisition gives a clear indication of at least one new feature that we may expect to see in future editions of the Kindle.

Amazon has bought the company by the name of Touchco, whose area of expertise is touch sensitive displays. This technology is significantly different to the other types of touch screen displays that are available today.It uses interpolating force sensitive resistance technology – which, unlike traditional capacitance-based touch screen technology, may be totally transparent. It can be used with e-ink displays and colour displays. It is also, according to the New York Times, considerably cheaper than the capacitive type of touch screen used in the iPod and the iPad

Touchco are a spin off from a project at New York University’s Media Research Lab. They are thought to have a workforce numbering no more than 6 employees. Although the technology was well advanced, it was still very much a research project – at the time of Amazon’s takeover no commercial application had been developed.

The Touchco technology could conceivably be used in order to allow Kindles with colour screens and touch sensitive controls could be produced. The possibility of a more versatile Amazon Kindle, with a variety of different uses – not unlike Apple’s iPad – very definitely exists. Of course, this may not happen with the next release of the Kindle – it could be some way off in the future. Nevertheless, Amazon’s purchase seems to be a clear declaration of intent regarding the future direction of their Kindle reader technology.

It isn’t easy to decide between the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle! Both devices have their own ardent fan bases, and the best you can do is to evaluate the facts on both devices before you decide.

The price is the first aspect to consider when shopping for ebook readers. In this case the prices for both ebook readers aren’t very different. The Kindle is priced at $359 right now. The PRS700 is Sony’s Newest Model is priced at about $400, which is only about $40 more. With either model, you’re going to pay, but the Kindle is the best buy in terms of price.

Another crucial factor is the amount of content available for both readers. In this aspect, the Amazon Kindle, which has more than 190,000 books available online at the point of writing as well as an impressive collection of newspapers, blogs and magazines, is clearly the superior choice. In comparison, the Sony device has only 60,000 titles although the number is expected to increase to 100,000 by early 2009. Another weak point of the Sony device is that it does not offer the ability to download newspapers, magazines or blogs from the online store.

The next issue that may be of concern is the visual aspects of each. Which one provides a better visual experience when reading or when displaying information to others? Because both readers make use of the e-ink technology, the experience is similar to that of reading from regular paper. You feel like you are reading from the pages of a traditional book and you are less likely to suffer from eyestrain.

If you consider the looks of the devices, the Sony Reader definitely looks better. The biggest complaint against the Kindle is its ugly looks-it looks as if it was designed in the late 90s. In contrast, the Sony Reader 700 has a slick, iPod-like look that would be expected for device that debuted in 2008.

While we are on the topic of design, the Sony Reader features a touch screen display which the Kindle lacks. Unfortunately, the touch screen feature seems to detract from the quality of the Sony Reader’s display. Because the touch screen layer was superimposed on top of the e-ink screen layer, the contrast and “real book” feel are lacking on the Sony as opposed to the Kindle. In a side-by-side comparison of the two, you would probably notice better contrast and sharpness on the Kindle.

Both of these ebook readers allow you to make the font size of the book you are reading bigger. This is a really great thing if you have a hard time reading print that is too small. One slight advantage that the Sony Reader 700 has over the Amazon Kindle in terms of readability is the LED backlight for reading in low-light environments. On the surface this sounds great-no more need for a clip-on light but not so fast. Reviews of the Sony Reader have reported that the light does a poor job of lighting the screen and in some cases makes it harder to read because it affects the contrast and visibility of the text.

Since no one wants to carry around a big, bulky device, you’ll also be pleased to know that both units only weigh in at about 10 ounces. That is about the weight of some paperbacks! This makes them easy to travel with and easy to carry while reading. Still, the Sony reader is a little bit smaller than the Kindle, which can be good and bad depending on how you look at it.

One of the more important features for some users is the ease of getting the downloaded content onto your ebook reader. The Kindle blows the Sony Reader out of the water in this respect. The Sony requires you to download the file to the computer then use a USB cable to transfer files to you reader before you can acess them. The Kindle handles the task by itself thanks to the free wireless capabilities. Its as easy as connecting to the store, finding the content you would like, click a few buttons, and then enjoy your reading. The Kindle definitely outshines the Sony Reader in this category.

Storage space is something else that you really need to consider. Both readers offer plenty of storage space for the average user with the ability to store over 200 books. If you tend to buy a lot of books or need to reference many different ones you might want to consider the Sony Reader. It holds more books than the Kindle and it also supports larger external memory cards giving it far more storage capacity than the Kindle.

And finally and most importantly, it is within your great interest to take responsibility for managing the eBook formats you choose to utilize on each device. Although both tools have been designed to work with their own proprietary formats, only the Amazon reader also interfaces with the highly preferred MOBI file format. So if you have MOBI files, your choice of readers is a no-brainer.

Now, the two best ebook readers on the market have been compared. Everybody has different tastes and needs, so when you shop around, be sure to consider all the features. The Amazon Kindle has the capability to become wireless, and is one of the best readers due to the wide variety of content available for it.