Kindle Paperwhite Reviews: New eReader Starts Shipping

There's a new ebookreader on the market today: the Kindle Paperwhite.

Amazon began U.S. shipping of their first backlit ereader today.  The device was first announced last month with the addition of the new Kindle Fire HD.

There are already heavy demands for the highly anticipated device.

"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."

The Kindle Paperwhite will feature a new 212 pixels per inch display which is the highest pixel density of any Amazon ereader made. It also is 9.1 mm thick and offers connectivity through 3G and WiFi. The device also can handle the storage of 1,100 books and eight weeks of reading on the battery.

There's also a new feature called X-Ray which allows people to search for characters or passages easier and also brings up additional information from Shelfari, Amazon's community powered encyclopedia.

Amazon will be entering their backlit ereader five months after Barnes and Noble introduced their Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight. Barnes and Noble recently dropped the price of their device to $119 likely in response to the Kindle Paperwhite.

The reviews for the new device have been stellar.

CNN compared the Kindle Paperwhite with the Nook saying: "It has the better software features, the stellar screen, and the unstoppable ecosystem. It keeps its crown as king of the e-readers."

USA Today listed what they liked best of the device: " Built-in light lets you read in the dark or bright sun. Excellent screen. Time to Read feature and X- Ray."

However their also were a few drawbacks they found as well: " Some people may prefer buttons to touch-screen. AC adapter is accessory. More expensive than models without light."

The price for the WiFi-only device is $119 and for the 3G and WiFi capable models its $179.