It's a banner week in Kindle land. In addition to tweaks on the base Kindle, Paperwhite, and Scribe, the company has announced something most of us never thought we'd see from a devoted e-reader: color.

Earlier this year, Amazon's biggest e-reader competitor, Kobo, announced the $220 Libra Colour, which uses color E Ink. The technology has received very mixed reviews so far. The new Kindle Colorsoft, however, is an entirely different story.

Unlike Kobo, though, Amazon developed the full stack itself as opposed to using E Ink technology. Color, according to the company, has been one of the most requested features for the e-readers. However, according to the company, they had to strike a balance before adopting it. Some factors come into play here. These include contrast ratio, image ghosting, and battery life.

A color filter, in the form of E Ink Kaleido, is applied directly to the display itself working in conjunction with the front light. This is a departure from the more standard form of backlighting seen on such devices like tablets, and aside from impacting battery life, it can also affect sleep patterns when reading in bed right before turning it off.

Such as monochrome E Ink, technology works to create an image that remains static, waiting for the page to refresh. The ultimate goal was to ensure that colors are as gentle on the eyes as print, Amazon officials said. Battery life does take a hit here, but that's partly checked by the new oxide back pane, and of course, a bigger battery than on the Paperwhite. The oxide tech itself does serve to make pages turn a bit more quickly, just as it does on the new Paperwhite.

Not using color for comics and other page highlights, the pages look pretty much exactly the same as their counterparts on other Kindles.

Like the new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, the Kindle Colorsoft is waterproof and has wireless charging. Amazon claims up to eight weeks on a charge, which is again still more than beaten out by the Paperwhite's quoted three months.

The color Kindle doesn't come cheap. The device begins at $280, a $90 premium over the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition and a whole $170 over the new base Kindle. Still, it is $120 cheaper than the new Kindle Scribe, which I suppose puts things into perspective.

Preorders for the new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition will begin Wednesday. Shipping will begin October 30.