Early run of Amazon's Kindle DX reader reportedly sold out

According to several news reports circulating the blogosphere today, the first batch of Amazon's newest digital reader, the Kindle DX, sold out three days after it began shipping last week. The next run will be available starting on Wednesday. If accurate, the reports would indicate that interest is high in next-generation ebook readers – good news for Amazon, and even better news for publishers.

The DX, which is priced at $489, has a 9.7-inch screen – significantly wider than the original Kindle. Like Apple’s iPhone, the device is equipped with motion-sensing technology: tip the DX on its side, and you get a horizontal display, making it easier for users to read PDFs and newspapers. The DX also has an expanded hard drive, which can hold upward of 3,000 texts. (For an inside look at the DX, check out this disassembly walk-through from the folks at Rapid Repair.)

Writing on Channel Web's blog, Chad Berndtson called the sold out run of the Kindle DX a good sign. Still, he warned that the device, and its manufacturers, could face a "battle":

From Google's still-unclear e-book publishing plans to rival devices by the likes of Plastic Logic, Sony and other manufacturers, Amazon has its work cut out for it if it wants to stay atop the e-reading heap. And that's to say nothing of the many e-book and e-reading applications out there – including Amazon's own Kindle application for Apple iPhones – and other e-publishing services like Scribd.