emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, also told reporters that for the first 10 years to 15 years of the program, most of industry's permits would be free. House Democratic leaders want to advance a climate change bill out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee by the end of May and are working intensively to finish details of the legislation. "We're not there yet," Doyle told reporters of the overall bill, saying that specific permit allocations for various industries were still being negotiated. The lawmaker represents a Pennsylvania district that has concerns about the impact of tougher industrial emissions on steel companies. While the exact numbers were still in flux, Doyle said, "The majority of the permits will be allocated (given away) at first." Asked what percentage would be sold to utilities, manufacturers and other firms, Doyle responded, "Not a big number initially...in the first 10 to 15 years." He said the free permits will give companies time to capitalize on technology as it improves in coming years, as well as to work out trade considerations so that U.S. jobs are not lost to foreign companies that might be allowed to pollute more (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Cynthia Osterman). * Larger reader with 9.7 inch display retails for $489 * Kindle DX includes PDF reader, 3.3 gigabytes of memory * Five universities to launch trials this fall * Amazon shares end slightly higher on Nasdaq (Adds analyst comments, updates shares) By Robert MacMillan and Alexandria Sage NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO, May 6 (Reuters) - Amazon Inc(AMZN.O) introduced a larger, souped-up Kindle electronic readeron Wednesday designed for students and newspaper readers, but a$489 price tag could make it too expensive for many consumers.
The Kindle DX, which has a 9.7 inch black-and-whitedisplay, is designed to be a more friendly vehicle fortextbooks and newspapers, which often need a larger space todisplay their content effectively. The DX has about 2.5 timesthe surface area of the normal Kindle and costs $130 more. Despite the popularity and buzz surrounding the Kindlebrand, the DX faces challenges, analysts say. It debuts at atime when consumer spending is ebbing due to the recession.
And while it has a less-cluttered layout than the averagecomputer screen and is easier on the eyes than a monitor, theDX provides little of the interactivity that people get on otherhand-held devices It does not offer color or touch-screen. Super-sizing the Kindle also appears to ignore consumers'fascination with pocket-size gadgets such as Apple Inc's(AAPL.O) iPod and iPhone. "It seems like you're fighting the impulse among consumersto go to smaller, more portable ways of acquiring media, such asan iPhone or a netbook," said Alan Mutter, a technology venturecapitalist and former newspaper editor who runs the newspaperbusiness blog Reflections of a Newsosaur. PILOT PROGRAMS The new Kindle comes as other companies including Sony Corp(6758.T) experiment with digital readers as ways to get peopleto use -- and pay for -- traditional media, even as they spendmore time online and less time on the printed page. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said The New York Times, TheWashington Post and The Boston Globe will start pilot programswith the DX this summer.
He said five universities will do pilotprograms with the reader acting as an all-in-one textbook. The DX also allows people to read personal documents, and istouted as a way for businesspeople and others to avoid having tocarry around an assortment of loose papers. Besides making highly formatted pages easier to read, the DXhas more memory, 3.3 gigabytes, which can hold up to 3,500 booksversus the normal Kindle's 1,500. But at $489, analysts questioned how many economy-consciousconsumers would open their wallets for the new gadget, whichweighs nearly 19 ounces.