Amazon Inc.'s Kindle DX electronic reading device will be piloted on five U.S. campuses this fall, when students will substitute their textbooks for the Kindle's new, larger screen that will allow users to highlight, take notes, and scour school libraries.

The Kindle DX, unveiled during a May 6 press conference at Pace University in New York, sports a 9.7-inch screen, compared to the 6-inch screen on the original Kindle. It also features a built-in QWERTY keyboard for note taking.

The handheld reader will let customers read magazines, newspapers, and textbooks complete with images and graphics. Users also can read PDF files on the Kindle DX--a selling point for faculty members whose courses regularly assign class readings on PDF files.

Officials at colleges and universities that will use the new Kindle device said they would carefully track how the Kindle DX affects learning for students accustomed to lugging heavy textbooks from building to building throughout their academic careers.

"Is this the watershed device of electronic text readers we've been waiting for?" asked Marty Ringle, chief technology officer at Reed College in Portland, Ore., which will give Kindles to students in three courses next fall. "Or is it a just another evolutionary step on the way to that revolutionary device? We'll see if it's a viable alternative to print media."

"The Kindle DX holds enormous potential to influence the way students learn," said Barbara R. Snyder, president of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, another Kindle DX pilot school. "We look forward to seeing how the device affects the participation of both students and faculty in the educational experience."

Case Western and Reed College will join Pace University, Arizona State University, and the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business as the first campuses to distribute Kindle DX to students in August when they return for the fall semester.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezo's announcement comes just three months after the Seattle-based company unveiled a slimmer version of the original Kindle, which sold for about $360 and wirelessly downloads books. The Kindle DX--which retails at $489--can store 3,500 books, 2,000 more than its predecessor. There are more than 275,000 electronic books available in Amazon's Kindle library. Readers also will be able to access international newspapers and magazines and more than 1,500 blogs.

Textbook industry experts said Kindle's book library would have to grow before educators recommended it over traditional options.

Frank Lyman, executive vice president of electronic textbook company CourseSmart, said Kindle will prove useful to college students someday, but a less expensive version would be more appealing in coming years as tuitions continue to rise on campuses of every size.

"I think there's going to be a role for devices for kindles on campus," Lyman said. "Cost is always a driver for student decision making when it comes to course material. More of them are under cost pressure than ever before … but there will be more people looking for an alternative some day."