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Amazon has updated its Kindle specs chart with new battery life numbers after the new Nook launch.(Credit:Amazon)
When Amazon first launched its latest-generation Kindle e-reader last year, it touted the fact that it could get up to a month's worth of battery life. That same figure is mentioned in a variety of print and television ads.
But after Barnes & Noble launched the new Nook yesterday and played up the Simple Touch Reader's 2 months of battery life (B&N called it the "longest battery life of any eReader"), Amazon countered by magically upping the battery life of the Kindle to two months as the company released a $164 Special Offers version of its Kindle 3G.
So, what gives? Did Amazon actually change the battery in the Kindle?
Well, no. It appears that it just took issue with how its competitor was calculating and presenting its battery life numbers.
Now the product pages for the Kindle WiFi and Kindle 3G (along with their discounted Special Offers counterparts) have been updated with new battery life numbers. "Long battery life - Up to two months," reads the promotional copy. And below that you'll find this paragraph:
A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. If you read for one hour a day, you will get battery life of up to one month. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 10 days. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, web browsing, and downloading content. In low-coverage areas or in EDGE/GPRS-only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly."
I spoke to Michael Serbinis, the CEO of Kobo, which this week announced a new $129.99 touch-screen e-ink reader, the Kobo WiFi Touch Edition. He, too was troubled by Barnes & Noble's battery life claims."We didn't calculate our numbers like they [B&N] did," Serbinis said. "If you kept the wireless off and only read for 30 minutes a day, you'd get close to two months of battery life with Kobo's new e-reader, too. But that's not a typical usage scenario."
Kobo currently lists the battery life for its soon-to-be-released Touch Edition at "up to 2 weeks." We suspect that figure may change.
Amazon didn't have any comment about the Kindle battery-life number change other than to casually slip the new figure into its press release for the Kindle 3G With Special Offers. But it clearly shows that the competition is intensifying in the dedicated e-reader space and that as these devices become more and more alike, marketing language becomes very significant, especially when it comes to selling points like battery life.
What's disturbing for consumers is that it's actually very difficult to pin down exactly what the battery life numbers are for these types of power-sipping mobile devices because usage patterns and user settings vary from user to user. Also, things like WiFi signal strength could affect battery life.
For its part, in touting that two-month number for the new Nook, Barnes & Noble offers a disclaimer that's similar to Amazon's:
"Battery life depends on device settings, individual usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific units; actual results may vary."
In other words, take all these numbers with a grain of salt. They could change at a moment's notice.
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