Monday, Amazon.com Incorporated introduced its long awaited next-generation version of its electronic book reader called the Kindle, which will be priced at $359 just like the previous version and has been scheduled for release on February 24.

According to the company, the new Kindle is slimmer and will feature an exclusive release of a new book from Stephen King.

The new version of the electronic book reader is approximately one-third of an inch thick and weighs 10 ounces, while it is fitted with a screen with 16 shades of gray and is said to be capable of reading text aloud and storing 1,500 books.

As for the previous version, it only includes four shades of gray and stores a number of 200 books.

Amazon.com has also informed that the new Kindle would allow users two weeks of reading on a single charge of the battery, while it has further revealed that the book by Stephen King that would be made available exclusively on the Kindle was a novella called „Ur” and that it would incorporate the gadget into the story.

At the same time Amazon.com unveiled its new Kindle, M-Edge Accessories, which is a maker of accessories for the original Kindle, announced its collection of jackets specifically designed for the e-book reader.

M-Edge’s accessories for the new version of the Kindle include the Executive Jacket and Platform, both of which are fitted with an e-Luminator booklight, which allows Kindle users to read in poorly lit environments.