Just weeks after announcing that ebooks outsold hardcovers on Amazon.com, the company has unveiled their new version of the Kindle.
The device will now come in two colors — white and graphite — and prices start at just $139 for the wireless-only version. (The WiFi and 3G version is still $189). This is a dramatic price cut for a device that cost $259 just a few months ago.
The new Kindle ships August 27.
Other changes: a smaller size (with the same 6-inch reading area), lighter weight of 8.5 oz, better contrast and an astounding one-month battery life. No word on whether the lag time between “pages,” my one major issue with the Kindle 2, has been improved, however.*
Critics might ask why the web browser is still described as “experimental” or why they’re not interested in accommodating or developing multimedia e-books, but I think Bezos is right to focus on building the best reading device he can instead of trying to compete with devices like the iPad.
Perhaps I need to forget about the iPod Touch I’d been saving for and get a Kindle of my own? Then again, the advances in e-readers are coming so hot and fast that it might be worth my while to hold out for $99 or less.
Anyone tempted to finally take the plunge and buy the new Kindle?
*ETA: Publisher’s Lunch mentions “20 percent faster page turns” but I haven’t seen this noted elsewhere.
Get the Sony eReader PRS600! No laggy page turns AND it’s a touch screen! And has killer battery life. Ok, it’s not $139, but it also lets you read things purchased from more than one store… totally worth it! No regrets here!
I just got my Kindle in May, missed the drastic price cut and now this? I’m not sure I like this newer version. It looks more Nookish to me.
I also wanted to note that my Kindle 2.0 does not lag at all. It’s so fast that sometimes I hit the button twice thinking the page didn’t turn at all.
Interesting. On our office Kindle 2.0, the long refresh time is noticeable, though it’s not horrible. And after a few dozen turns, you incorporate it into your reading rhythm and it becomes slightly less noticeable, but it’s still there. A couple of times I have hit the button twice because the page was taking that long to turn.
Nothing can replace a good old fashioned book made of paper in my opinion. I have no interest in electronic books at all. And, no, I’m not “old” and “set in my ways”. Ha! Ha!
I belong to two book clubs and in one I’m the only Kindless member. Not tempted. I love the flip of the page, the thrill of finding that book at The Strand or any other book store. Yeah, those books stuff my luggage, so I pack accordingly.
I’m anti-Kindle. You can’t read the library’s e-books on them, and I’m a librarian. If I do get an e-reader, it’ll be a Sony so I can download library books.
We are considering buying the wi-fi only Kindle for our 10-year-old boys. They read a lot! Does the kindle have books for 5th and 6th graders?
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