Amazon cuts price of large-screen Kindle

Amazon, in the latest salvo in the electronic book reader war, unveiled a new version of its large-screen Kindle on Thursday with a slashed price.

The new Kindle DX, which features a 9.7-inch (24.6-centimeter) screen, costs 379 dollars, down from 489 dollars.

Apple's cheapest iPad, the Kindle's chief rival, costs 499 dollars and features a color e-reader compared with the black-and-white Kindle, which is devoted exclusively to digital books.

The Kindle DX price cut comes just days after Amazon lowered the price of the basic Kindle, which features a six-inch (15.2-cm) screen, to 189 dollars from 259 dollars.

US bookstore giant Barnes & Noble offers a version of its e-reader, the Nook, with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity for 199 dollars and a Wi-Fi-only Nook for 149 dollars.

Amazon said the new Kindle DX offers an electronic ink display with better contrast, providing clearer text and sharper images.

"With 50 percent better contrast and darker fonts, you'll find it easier than ever to read wherever you happen to be," Kindle senior vice president Steve Kessel said in a statement.

The new Kindle DX ships on July 7.

Apple has sold more than three million iPads since the device went on sale in early April.

Amazon touts the Kindle as the top-selling item at the online retailer, but does not release sales figures.

Amazon also said Thursday that the Kindle Store now offers more than 620,000 books, including 108 of the 111 New York Times bestsellers, and over 200,000 books have been added to the US Kindle Store in the past six months.