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via allesebook

Leaks on the German and Japan versions of Amazon.com this morning reveal new details about the company’s next-generation Kindle e-reader, named the “Kindle Voyage.”

The German site allesebook says it has unearthed a schematic representation from the official user manual for the device, showing sensors in the bezel for turning pages. As reported by The Verge, the web cache for a since-removed product page on Amazon Japan says the sensors allow for page turning “by pressing lightly on the bezel.”

The device features Amazon’s front-lit Paperwhite display and is described on the cached product page as the thinnest Kindle to date, at 8 mm thin, compared with 9.1 mm for the current Kindle Paperwhite. It’s also lighter, at 186 grams (6.5 ounces) compared with 206 grams (7.3 ounces) for the existing version of the Paperwhite. It has a high-resolution 300 ppi display.

According to the cached product page, the device is slated for release on Nov. 4.

Amazon has used physical buttons in the bezel for page-turning on previous Kindle e-readers but shifted to the touch-screen approach for the Kindle Paperwhite, which tends to require the use of two hands — one to hold the device and another to tap to turn the page.

Reports also indicate a potential price increase compared with the current Kindle Paperwhite, although it’s not clear if the Kindle Voyage is a new high-end model or a replacement for the current generation.

We’ve contacted Amazon for comment on the reports.

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