Amazon's Kindle 2 gets a $60 price cut, now at $299
By Darren Murph 
posted Jul 8th 2009 1:47PM
posted Jul 8th 2009 1:47PM
[Thanks, Michael]
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First DX, now this- I am definitely going to rush to buy Kindle 3. Thanks a lot Amazon.
Electronics get cheaper as time goes by... if you haven't noticed or are surprised by this price cut.
I think its a great deal because the thing has free 3G connectivity all the time, and I believe that there is also a wap browser on it? free internetz anywhere? hmmm, maybe, depends if it does have the browser.
But it should, since on the website it says you can read blogs.
It does have a "browser", but it's not very functional because of the 2+ second screen refresh.
Don't get ultra hyped about the browser. It really does suck. That's coming from someone who'd much rather use my iPhone to browse than the Kindle.
Still $200 too high!
+1
For what reason?
Another $100 reduction please!
aka: I need to wait for atleast an year before I can get my hands on one of these. :(
$150 will be insta buy
Though a few of the other posters seem defensive when we say it, I agree that the price point is still way too high.
Hey people, its great that some of you think whatever the price of an item is must be perfect because the manufacturer says so, but other people buy what they can afford and avoid being raked over the coals sometimes. That would be the larger part of the market share they are missing out on.
do want.
I really would like a little more screen realestate with the same overall size. (smaller boarders ardound the screen). Give me that and $199 price point and I would be all over it.
I purchased a Kindle 2 less than six months ago. Where's my refund?
Hey don't complain, it's not as bad as what happened to the iP(hail)one early adopters.
Same here. Any chance of a price-adjustment?
Why do you dumbasses think you need a price adjustment?
If you buy early you will always get a higher price. If you get over having the latest then when if first comes out, you can get a better deal.
That's life.
I bought one when it first came out also. I'm not asking for a refund because that's how it works. Go ahead and wait until the price of everything drops and then you won't buy anything. Did you really think the price would NEVER drop?
kjb434 - I in fact got it a week ago. That's why I ask.
@Pete:
Amazon has a 30 day return policy. Send them an email asking for a price adjustment. If they refuse, return the Kindle, and then buy a new one at the adjusted price. You'll just pay shipping back on the old one.
I just contacted Amazon about a refund for $60 on the Kindle that I purchase 27 days ago and they've already responded saying I should get the refund in 2-3 days.
I got mine two weeks ago. @Stormbarrier did you call or just email customerservice with the order number?
I just sent an email to Amazon about my order but wondering if it will be more productive to call.
My library card is still holding up, so no Kindle for me (yet).
I would bet the price cut has more to do with the patent they received last week to put ads into books on electronic readers.
Weee ! - you gotta love the money machine.... NOT.
I would love to have a Kindle, but I really don't want advertising in my books.
-ensuring a healthy mix of the rich and the ignorant.
I still don't get it - unless you are constantly on the road traveling, this is a complete waste of money. As previous poster stated, library cards are free and you can check out and read all the books you want - for free! Why the heck would anyone pay $299 for this device, then pay another $6 - $10 per book for something they are going to read only once. Kudos to Amazon for suckering so many people into this overpriced, overvalued gadgetry.
ZOMG!!!! THEY CUT THE PRICE!!!111!!!12!2!3!862351735!!!!!
Where are all the Kindle users with their panties twisted in a massive knot over this like the iPhone idiots last year?
Here.
I love my Kindle 2. I got it in March and my panties are still smooth and comfortable.
Got mine in March for $360 and have been perfectly happy with it. If I had to do it all over again, I still would have bought it in March. Prices on just about all personal electronics fall every 6 months. They have been doing that for the last 3 decades and will continue to long into the future. If you have a hard time seeing something you bought a few months ago on sale for less, then you've picked the wrong hobby.
Whats with the Speech-Thing? Is this free again or still under ristrictions?
Unless the publishers have come to their senses in the meantime, it's restricted. But in the end: It's a speech synthesizer - does it really matter? It sounds horrible anyway...
I will happily never buy a kindle and continue to read e-books on my iphone.
Happily go blind and enjoy the tension headaches
Now maybe some more people will buy a Kindle to join the 14 that already have one.
Let me know when the Kindle drops to around $200 and I'll seriously start considering one. You can buy gaming consoles for what they want for this thing ffs.
Funny, I dont remember Bezos seeking Xbox's market share.
I hear most netbooks fall into the price-range Amazon's asking for the Kindle too.
But there is still no netbook that can match the Kindle's battery life or daylight viewability.
Still too expensive. $200 is the most I'd consider paying. If it were $100 I'd be buying it now.
I'd buy one if it were free too.
now the Kindle DX looks even more expensive. Hopefully its price will come down soon also.
I'm still waiting for the version of Kindle supported by Amazon.co.jp. Once that comes out I'll be more than happy to pay a couple benjamins instead of paying $100 for shipping every time I want some books shipped from overseas.
Still no kindle 2 for the UK :(
eReader on iPhone/Palm/Blackberry FTW!
I sometimes read books on my WM phone. However the small size of the screen and poor contrast in daylight means its no substitute for a modern dedicated ebook reader like the Kindle.
still $100 too expensive for what you get.
If you actually owned the books you buy from Amazon I might actually consider this device, but as it is you are really just renting them and at $9.99 that is way too high of a price.
Got a sony reader 6 months ago, still cheaper.
Who buys Kindle books from Amazon? Not me anymore. I get them from Gutenberg.org and read them on my Kindle.
I just use my ipod touch, easy enough to read, and cheaper when all is said and done.
Are you using the Touch to read a 300 page novel?
I've read many full length books on my ipod touch, quite comfortably i might add.
I tried using my iPhone with the Kindle app for about a month before I caved and bought a Kindle. The iPhone/iPod Touch have 3 main problems that keep them from really being viable for anything more than a small amount of reading for me.
-Screen size
-Heat: after about 15 min, my phone gets pretty uncomfortable to hold
-Battery Life: I can get about 3 hours of reading out of my phone. Since I generally read for several hours at a time, that means I pretty much have to choose between reading or using my phone for the day (by comparison I go weeks, even months, without charging the Kindle).
That's not to say I don't like reading on my iPhone at all. It's fantastic for killing a few minutes reading when I forgot to bring my Kindle along. I just think that it works infinitely better as a complement to the Kindle than it does as a replacement.
$150 is my magic pricepoint.
Am I the only person who doesn't give a damn about the Kindle?
Looking at the 20 equally snarky and stupid posts above yours that are bashing the Kindle, I'd say that you are not the only one.
I think they will achieve greater results on mobile devices than a handheld Kindle. I have the K2 but frankly I prefer my iphone. If they bring the price down to $199 or below then they'll push some units.
I have just bought a Sony reader... But that was still cheaper and much nicer, with PDF support too...
Kindle supports PDFs now....
When the Kindle can display color, I will purchase one.
Right - because most books are in C*O*L*O*R.
You're not thinking about the possibilities here. Think magazines, newspapers, textbooks; these all have color images and that's what makes them captivating. If this device is going to replace paper, it damn well better be in color.
I don't think that the price of the Kindle too high. It's the price of the content that doesn't make it worth while.
I don't see the value in a digital copy of a book costing $6-10 when I could buy the same book as a paperback for $7-9, or a hardback for $15-20.
I'm afraid that they are going to toe the publishers price on the digital version, and use that to subtly raise the price of the paper versions.
(i.e Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash is $9.99 for Kindle, $10.20 for paperback, and I have an older printing that was only $7.99 [probably less in the store])
Why pay $300 when you can get an iTouch with way more functionality. At $100 or under I would probably be persuaded.
A 'Touch has a much smaller screen, a considerably shorter battery life, and far inferior contrast under bright light.
I JUST BOUGHT THIS LAST WEEK
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I still have yet to see a Kindle in the wild...
I'm waiting on MacBooks to do 3D graphics @ $500 price point before I jump in too. I can see why most of you don't like the Kindle, you don't like to read...anyone that reads a couple of books or more a month loves ereaders.
I don't know why I need a TIVO, my VHS works fine.
I don't know why I need a cell phone, my land line works fine.
I don't know why I need a LCD TV, my tube works fine.
Sheesh!!
Whatever the technology $99 is stretching it for what an eReader is worth. $300 for an device that merely displays books you'd have to pay for anyway is just...irresponsible.
No to someone who likes to read.
"$300 for an Xbox! I can play games on my iPhone.
$300 for a Canon digital camera! I can take pictures on my phone."
General purpose devices can do many things, but few of them as well as a purpose built device can.
You're living in a dream world if you think that an ereader could be $99. We'll need a few more generations of tech before the price could get down into that range. There are a lot of ereaders out there from various manufacturers and none of them are much cheaper than an Kindle.
So, I would buy this over a sub-$299 netbook, why?
You can't compare the two. They're completely different products. You might as well ask why you would buy a $200 camera over a $200 iPhone. The iPhone's going to have more features and you can take pictures in a pinch, but if what you have in mind is getting good photographs you're going to go with the camera.
It's the same thing here. A netbook is a well rounded machine, and you can find a decent selection of books in PDF format to pass the time in a pinch, but if what you're wanting to do is actually read books it's a very poor choice. The battery is going to run out quickly, you're not going to be able to see the screen well in bright light, your selection of reading material is rather limited, etc... The Kindle is made for reading. If you're looking for something to read books on it's the device for you. A netbook is a computing platform designed for an entirely different purpose.
I would only buy one to free up my iPhone for my bf to play his favorite games on when I want to read. Hmm, would that count as a b-day present for him, then, if I bought one for myself, if it meant he could play with my iPhone more often? But otherwise, my eyes are doing just fine with the Kindle app, and Amazon still gets my impulse-book-buy money.
Of course....I just ordered the refurbished 1st gen last week.......@#$%^&*
I bought my Kindle2 a week ago.... I called Amazon and they are giving $60 refunds if you bought your Kindle within the last 30 days. Kindle is kind of like TiVo... you have to start using it to fully appreciate it... and then you wonder how you lived without it. (Oh yeah, lots of big books)
"Kindle is kind of like TiVo... you have to start using it to fully appreciate it... and then you wonder how you lived without it."
So true. Bought mine on an impulse and regretted spending that $360 from the time I hit "purchase" up to the moment I had it in my hands. But from that moment on I haven't regretted it once.
I have a kindle one and love it. I read constantly and it makes my life so much easier.
Cut the price in half, then we'll talk. Until then, they're still living in a dreamworld.
The Kindle DX has been sold out since they launched a month ago and according to Bezos sales of the Kindle 2 have "exceeded [their] most optimistic expectations". I think that they're quite happy with whatever "dreamworld" they're living in.
$60 down, $100 more to go. Talk to me when it's available for $199. Even at $199 I may not be a buyer but it's close enough to start dropping hints for birthday/Christmas.
The glacial screen refresh was the only thing that kept me from buying a Kindle at the old price. The new price doesn't fix that, or come close to compensating for it, so no deal. I don't do much reading on my little iPhone screen, though. I'm holding out for an A5 or larger pad. I'll accept monochrome, but it's gotta be fast (and legible in bright sunlight). Next year, maybe.
Agree with most. For now use the $20 RepliGo reader on my bberry and it works perfectly for me. I'll start considering a Kindle when they're sub $150.