Amazon announced today that a new firmware update will deliver 85 percent more battery life and add a native PDF reader to its Kindle 2 ebook reader.
Kindle now has battery life of up to seven days even with wireless turned on, a significant improvement from the previous battery life of four days. Battery life with wireless turned off remains at the previous level of up to two weeks. Battery power management for portable wireless devices is a complex technical area, and the battery life improvement announced today is the result of a six month firmware improvement and testing program.
The new firmware will be delivered automatically via Amazon’s Whispernet wireless network. It will also be available on new Kindles now shipping.