It's been missing in action along with the Amazon Kindle Fire Android tablet, but for lovers of the Amazon e-reader, the Kindle Touch is finally set to land in the UK on April 27th. Priced in at £109 and £169 (3G model) our US friends have already been able to get their greasy mitts on the next generation Kindle, but the question is, should you be upgrading too?

As the Kindle Touch prepares to land on Amazon.co.uk in just a few weeks time, we look at the key features to consider before making your purchase.

1. New touchscreen

Both the Kinde Touch and Kindle Touch 3G are equipped with a brand new touchscreen, making reading, browsing, shopping and note-taking easier than ever. This is especially true when combined with Amazon's new EasyReach feature, which lets you turn pages with a simple tap of the page, so you can read one handed without having to worry about swiping.

2. X-Ray

With a simple tap on the touchscreen, you can explore the insides of a book and look at individual passages that mention ideas, fictional characters, places and topics of interest as well as a detailed description courtesy of Wikipedia. It makes exporing a book remarkably simple, almost like an interactive index.

3. Wi-Fi and 3G

Both new Kindle Touch models have Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can connect to hotspots both at home and on the go. The Kindle Touch 3G also has free wireless 3G access to Kindle Store so you can download books wherever you are, whenever you want, provided you can get a signal of course. This 3G access is global; there are no contracts, or monthly fees. Once you've found a book, you can already be reading it withing 60 seconds!

4. Books

The Kindle Store has over 1 million books, many of which are available for free, or at just £3.99 or less. The first chapters of Kindle books are available to download as a sample, so you can read before you buy, and with the increased capacity of the Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G, you can carry up to 3,000 books around with you so you're always spoilt for choice.

5. "Buy Once, Read Everywhere"

Once you buy a book from the Kindle Store, it's not just available on your Kindle device. These books can be read across multiple Kindles, as well as iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, PCs, Macs and Android devices too. Amazon's Whispersync technology will ensure that your bookmark is synced across all your devices, so if you get half way through a chapter on your way home, you can jump straight back in later, no matter what device you want to use.

Are you planning to buy a Amazon Kindle Touch? Let us know your thoughts below.