Amazon introduces $139 Kindle with wi-fi as it competes with Apple’s iPad

Kindle to Go ‘Mass Market’

• Collections - this is something that was, in my opinion, long overdue. I have about 50-60 books on my Kindle and paging through the library is simplified significantly with this feature.
• Facebook & Twitter – post your highlights and notes to Twitter and/or Facebook directly from your Kindle.
• Popular Highlights – personally, I don’t like this feature. I think it brings up significant privacy issues. While Amazon insists that they don’t track personal data with this, it just serves as a reminder that Amazon has a window into your world when you use a Kindle. Also, I’m not sure I will make use of looking at other people’s highlights.
• PDF Pan and Zoom – excellent. I use PDFs on my Kindle and honestly, if you have a 6″ version, it’s been less than workable.
• Password Protection – I probably won’t use it, but definitely a plus if you live or work with snoopy people.
• More Font Sizes and Improved Clarity – I have to admit, I didn’t notice a difference with the “improved clarity.” The print on the Kindle was excellent before. Apparently, it’s even better now (although I can’t tell the difference).

It is easy to upgrade – in fact, most people need do nothing other than leave the wireless turned on, Kindle will upgrade itself automatically.  If, however, you have made use of the popular “Screen Saver Hack,” you may find that your Kindle didn’t update.  You then might be inclined to upgrade manually.  You’ll need to uninstall the screen saver hack first!  (Make sure you use the uninstall bin file included with the hack to do this.)  Once you’ve uninstalled the screen saver hack, then you can update the firmware.

This firmware upgrade adds some great features, my favorite of which are the Collections and Twitter/Facebook post.  This, coupled with the recent price drop to $189 makes it a good time to get a Kindle
if you don’t already have one.  Oh, and if you’re one of those people that thinks you’d rather have an iPad, this price drop makes it much more reasonable to own both.  Let me tell you, if you read a lot, you’ll appreciate the e-ink type screen more than a backlit tablet.

Photos of the B&N e-book reader here.

I have now had a significant amount of time to get to know my Kindle and I have to say it outperformed my expectations. As an owner of a previous generation Sony (PRS-500), it is an improvement.

There are consistently reports on the Internet of certain devices being a “Kindle Killer” and I have to say that, as an ebook reader, the Kindle is hard to top. I own an iPhone and an iPod Touch. The fact that people deride the Kindle as not being a “do-all” device leaves me scratching my head a little because there is NO WAY I would be interested in reading a book on my iPhone. And the reports of the larger screen iPhone/iPod Touch media device, I would say that I would not read a book on those either, at least not for an extended period. The back-lit screen is just not the same as paper. If you read a lot of books and want to do so electronically, an e-ink device is a must.

So then a comparison to the new Sony devices would be in order. Sony released a new reader with wireless broadband similar to the Kindle. I have to admit this was a major selling point for me and a big reason why I continue to like it more than my Sony. There are some issues with the new Sony in the wireless area that would prevent me from recommending it over the Kindle. They have marketed that the Sony agreement with Google Books opens up the doors to millions of free books for the user. That is true. However, how much public domain content do you typically read? I mean, if you mostly read books published before 1928, great; it’s a seamless plethora of content. But, the popular public domain works are out there in mobi or azw for the Kindle already as well. And if you are even remotely saavy, converting epub to mobi or azw is a snap. So for now I’ll stick with the Kindle.

And they’ve dropped the price AGAIN! This is probably a marketing effort to combat the Sony and others (Irex, etc) from gaining any ground. That’s fine by me because I think the consumer benefits from a price war.

Well, I finally did it. I bought myself a Kindle.

I’ve wanted one ever since they came out, but I hesitated early on with the 1st generation device. Due to the high price tag at launch, and the varied reviews, couple with the fact that I wasn’t sure I would even enjoy using an eBook reader, I decided to buy a refurbished Sony PRS-500. I liked the Sony and found the screen to be as easy to read as a regular book, unlike a backlit screen on a computer or other device. When the Kindle 2 came out, I thought I would upgrade but again, I could not justify the price tag.

But Wednesday, Amazon cut the price of the Kindle to $299. That’s still not cheap, but it was enough of a move to get me to buy. I bought one and got next day shipping and had the device in my hand by Thursday afternoon.

I already love it! The screen is easy to read, and it has 6 font sizes compared ot the Sony’s 3. I wasn’t crazy about the form factor originally (it looked like there was too much real estate used that wasn’t “screen.”) but I found it to be easier to hold and read like a book compared to the Sony.

I’m just getting to know the device, so I can’t do a full review, but that will come later. For now, suffice to say that if you like to read and have been contemplating an eBook reader, this is one nice device.