Abstract:
While updating the Kindle product line, Amazon also launched a new accessory called Kindle Click. This is a small Bluetooth remote control priced at US$34.99. Its main function is very simple, which is to allow users to turn the pages of e-books through physical buttons without touching the Kindle screen.
Kindle Click targets a very common problem in e-book reading that has not been officially solved for a long time: users must reach out and touch the Kindle screen every time they turn a page. For normal sitting and reading, this is not a trouble, but if the user is lying in bed and reading under a quilt, or reading while exercising on a treadmill, or placing the Kindle on the small table in front of the airplane seat, it will be inconvenient to frequently reach out and touch the screen.
Kindle Click features a compact design and communicates directly with Kindle via Bluetooth. Users only need to press the buttons on the remote control to control the e-book to page forward or backward without performing any operations on the Kindle screen.
This remote control also provides brightness adjustment buttons, so in addition to turning pages, users can also adjust the screen brightness directly through the remote control. On the whole, Kindle Click does not add too many complex functions, but is designed around the purpose of "controlling the reader remotely".
In terms of compatibility, Kindle Click supports all new Kindles and is also compatible with Kindle models launched in 2024 and later. This means that users who have purchased nearly two generations of Kindles can also obtain the touch-free page turning function by purchasing this remote control without having to replace a new e-book reader.
Before the advent of Kindle Click, Kindle users usually had to choose third-party accessories if they wanted to achieve similar functions. There are already many wireless page turners on the market, some of which use a clip structure to be fixed on the Kindle, and then turn pages by physically touching the screen; there are also some products that can communicate with specific e-book readers wirelessly.
The launch of Amazon’s official Bluetooth remote control means that Kindle has finally officially entered this accessory market. Competing products include the $29.99 Kobo Remote from Rakuten Kobo and the $29.99 BOOX Tappy for BOOX e-ink devices.
From a price point of view, the Kindle Click’s price of $34.99 is slightly higher than the above-mentioned competing products. However, Amazon obviously hopes to attract users by relying on the compatibility of official accessories and deep integration with the Kindle product line. Compared with some third-party page turners that need to be clipped to the screen, the Kindle Click communicates directly through Bluetooth and does not require any physical structure to be added to the screen.
The launch of Kindle Click also coincides with Amazon's large-scale redesign of the entire Kindle product line. The new generation of Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft all adopt a flatter screen structure and further reduce the weight and thickness of the body. The screen size of the basic Kindle is still 6 inches, but the weight has been reduced to 140 grams and the thickness is only 6.8 mm.
The page turning speed of the new Kindle is also about 30% higher than that of the previous generation. Therefore, Amazon is actually improving the reading experience in two directions this time: on the one hand, it makes the e-book itself page turning faster through hardware and software optimization, and on the other hand, through Kindle Click, users do not need to touch the device at all in certain scenarios.
In addition to Kindle Click, Amazon also launched a Page-Turn Cover with physical page-turning buttons. The $79.99 protective case can be magnetically installed on the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition and Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, and uses the connection contacts on the device to provide physical page turning buttons.
Compared with the independent Kindle Click, Page-Turn Cover is closer to the traditional Kindle Oasis usage. Users do not need to carry an extra remote control and can directly turn pages through the physical buttons on the protective cover. However, it is only compatible with two high-end Signature Edition models, so its applicable range is significantly smaller than the Kindle Click.
Amazon also launched the Charging Dock for some Signature Edition models, which charges through the contacts on the bottom of the device, allowing the Kindle to be placed on the dock like a desktop device for charging.
From the perspective of overall product strategy, Amazon is not simply adding a small accessory this time, but is rethinking the way Kindle reads. Traditional e-book readers mainly rely on touch screen operation, while the new generation Kindle has begun to provide users with more "no-touch screen" operation solutions through Bluetooth remote controls, physical button protective covers, double-click page turning, etc.
Especially for users who read while lying in bed, Kindle Click can actually be used in conjunction with a stand to hold the Kindle in front of their eyes, and users only need to hold a very small remote control to turn pages. The same is true for exercise scenarios such as treadmills and exercise bikes.
However, the $34.99 Kindle Click itself is not a core upgrade of the Kindle product, but more like a new accessory ecosystem built by Amazon around the e-book reading experience. Its actual value depends largely on whether the user is often in a situation where it is "inconvenient to touch the Kindle".
In any case, this is the first time Amazon has officially launched its own Kindle Bluetooth page-turning remote control. As the Kindle product line enters a new round of hardware design cycle, Amazon has also begun to expand from simply selling e-book readers to a complete hardware ecosystem consisting of readers, protective cases, remote controls and charging bases.
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