Slimmer (than iPad) Kindle Due this Summer, Touch/Color in Development

From the NY Times Bits Blog's Nick Bilton:

Amazon could release a new slimmer Kindle in August, Bloomberg News reports, citing “two people familiar with its plans.”

Bloomberg reports that the new Kindle would be thinner than existing models and although the next model would still offer a black and white screen, it would have a sharper and more responsive display.

The Kindle 2 is 0.36 inches thick. The Apple iPad, a rival device, is half an inch thick.

Although Bloomberg said the next Kindle “won’t include a touch screen or color,” a person I’ve spoken with who is familiar with Amazon’s plans but is not authorized to speak publicly said Lab 126, the division of Amazon responsible for the Kindle, is hard at work on multi-touch prototypes for a next-generation e-reader....