The Amazon Kindle has a high-resolution electronic display designed to look like real paper.

Online retailer Amazon has this week unveiled its brand new Amazon Kindle, a portable reader that wirelessly downloads publications. 

The sleek white device can download books, blogs, magazines and newspapers to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display designed to look like real paper – even in bright sunlight.

Over 90,000 books are currently available through Amazon’s official Kindle Store, 101 of which are listed amongst the current New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases lists.

According to Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO, the company has been working on the new device for over three years. He said: “Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands – to get out of the way – so you can enjoy your reading.”

“We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Kindle is wireless, so whether you’re lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed – you do your shopping directly from the device.”

The ebook may be a new launch for Amazon, however it follows in the footsteps of the Sony Reader which has been on sale since September 2006, with a second generation device also released in October this year.

Technology reviewers have been quick to compare the devices, however the majority have concluded that it is too soon to draw a comparison as the Kindle is so new to the market.

The Amazon Kindle is priced at $399 (£193) and is available for purchase now at http://amazon.com/kindle.

By Natasha Piscitelli