The web is full of rumours of a possible colour screen version of the Kindle ereader as a result of a leak to a Chinese Newspaper.

Note added later:

As you will see from the link that Nate of the Digital Reader, has posted in the comments section below, it would seem that this is an unfounded rumour…  Not unusual in the world of electronic gadgets.

So I am glad I posed the title to this post in the form of a question….   As Nate so succinctly puts it…………..  Nope.

Now read on…. and enjoy the rumour for what it is worth.   remains a nice idea I feel, even if untrue.

According to a report in the Chinese paper, the Economic Daily News, e-Ink, the company who make the majority of the screens on our various ereaders, including their newest colour screen the Triton screen, have received a large order from Amazon to supply their 6 inch version of the Triton screen, with – it is claimed – a follow up order for up to 3 million units a month thereafter.

So far Amazon themselves have said nothing about this rumour, but it seems a logical step for Amazon to take I feel.

Dedicated ereader:

This would be a dedicated ereader apparently, not simply a smaller screened version of their tablet, the Fire, and would fill the gap in the ereader world for those who want to read magazines, text books and children’s books on their ereaders, all media that need colour to be pleasurable to read.

This screen is also a touch screen, so it fits neatly into Amazon’s collection of devices on which to read ebooks, and in fact fills that one gap that so far they have not yet attacked.

The point of using this screen technology, rather than as with the majority of Tablets, an LCD screen, is that it offers all the advantages of the current generation of monochrome ereader screens, long battery life, ease of reading in bright light, easy on the eyes if you read a lot.  Against these advantages, is the fact that the colours are nothing like as vibrant as those on an LCD screen, nor is the screen refresh rate fast enough to watch videos with.  So this is truly a dedicated ereader, not merely a Tablet with slightly different screen technology.

Kindles are always cheap:

The nice thing from our point of view as consumers is that Amazon, who patently see ereaders and tablets as devices to get people to buy content from their online store will be that it is sure to be priced at a very reasonable level.  The word on the street is that it will probably sell for less than $150.

Also, knowing the way Amazon go about marketing their devices, I wouldn’t be surprised if they produce several models, as with their monochrome Kindles.   So I expect to see an entrance level model, with ads and probably only WiFi for around the $100 mark, or even less, and then one or more other models, with WiFi and 3G connectivity for the higher price.

But we will have to wait and see what happens here.   It is being said that this latest version of the Kindle will appear on the market around March of this year, which I personally feel is unlikely, but will probably appear some time in the next four or five months, certainly in time for the summer holidays in the USA, as that would be a time that would work well for the introduction of such a new model.

Hanvon and others already using it:

As you may know, this wont be the first ereader to use this screen technology, the latest Hanvon, and the Ectaco already use this screen, but it will probably be the first ereader in the West to make use of this screen, and certainly if this rumour is true, it will be a marvelous boost for E-Ink, who have been losing money seriously over the last year as Tablets have taken over from ereaders in such a big way.

Link to details of the Triton screen:  http://www.eink.com/sell_sheets/eink_brochure.pdf

Share with us:

Would a 6 inch colour screened ereader appeal to you?  Or would you rather simply buy the Fire instead?