Amazon Kindle Paperwhite starts shipping in the US

ONLINE RETAILER Amazon started shipping its latest ereader, the Kindle Paperwhite in the US today.

Announced last month along with the Kindle Fire HD tablet, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is the firm's first backlit ebook reader. The touchscreen device features a display boasting 212 pixels per inch (PPI) pixel density, which Amazon claims is 65 percent more pixels than in any of its previous ereader devices.

The 9.1mm thick device also features 3G and WiFi connectivity, eight weeks of battery life and enough storage to hold up to 1,100 books.

Amazon started shipping the device today in the US, priced at $119 for the WiFi-only model and $179 for the 3G and WiFi model.

"Kindle Paperwhite is the most advanced e-reader ever created and the Kindle we always wanted to build," said Amazon Kindle VP Jay Marine. "Pre-orders have far exceeded our expectations and we're excited to start shipping Kindle Paperwhite to customers today."

There's still no word as to whether the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite will be seeing a UK release, and Amazon was unable to provide any more details. µ