Amazon's Kindle 2 gets a $60 price cut, now at $299
By Darren Murph 
posted July 8th 2009 1:47PM
posted July 8th 2009 1:47PM
[Thanks, Michael]
posted July 8th 2009 1:47PM
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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.