This morning Amazon accidentally leaked information about its new Kindle Paperwhite. This resulted in a flurry of media coverage. A few hours later, Amazon officially announced the device on its homepage with a letter from Jeff Bezos (see below). I own the original Kindle Paperwhite and think it’s a wonderful device, so I’m looking forward to checking out the new model. Once I do, I’ll let you know whether or not it’s worth upgrading.

Dear Customers,

We believe in the power and importance of reading. We are passionate about books. Books convey knowledge, spread ideas, and can transport you into alternate lives and worlds. It’s why we’re working so hard to help people read more and get more out of reading.

Today we’re excited to announce another milestone in our journey—the all-new Kindle Paperwhite.

The new Paperwhite is our best ever, with a new higher contrast display, the next generation of our built-in light, a powerful new processor, and the latest touchscreen technology.

We’ve also added new reading features like Page Flip—skim books page-by-page, or skip through chapters without losing your place. We’ve integrated Goodreads—the world’s largest community of book lovers—so you can connect with like-minded readers, share recommendations and decide what to read next, straight from your book. Our new Vocabulary Builder automatically compiles words you look up in the dictionary into easy-to-use flashcards. And for parents, Kindle FreeTime offers a simple, engaging new way to encourage and reward kids’ reading.

Kindle is the best-selling e-reader in the world for six years running. No one is investing on behalf of readers or pushing the boundaries of hardware, software, and content for readers like the Kindle team. We continue to invest not only in new hardware like the new Kindle Paperwhite, but also in new features and benefits that make Kindle a superior service: Kindle MatchBook, Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, over 400,000 books that are exclusive to the Kindle Store, Kindle Singles, Kindle Worlds, and many more.

We hope you enjoy the new Kindle Paperwhite. Happy reading,