Comments on: Get a Kindle 2 for $299. Or, better yet...

...don't. While the price drop is encouraging, the Kindle is still overpriced for what it offers. Fortunately, there are two cheaper e-book alternatives worth considering.

Kindles are not available in Canada and I decided to purchase a Sony Reader ($349 CDN). I have read over 5,000 pages on the device and I can't imagine reading an eBook on my iPhone ever again. I can't go back.

At the time, Sony offered 100 free classic books (from a list exceeding 300 titles), a $50 discount if you shipped them old textbooks, $25 credit against eBooks on their store and a further $25 credit to cover the cost of shipping the textbooks. $250 Canadian is a decent deal. I feel I received value for my money and more importantly: I'm reading again.

I also purchased "Classics", an iPhone app loaded with 20 classic books. Before I started reading on my Reader, I thought it was amazing. Now, I can't bother to even turn the application on. It's like using an abacus after you tried a calculator.

[ShadowOfHomer]

FYI: the Nokia N810 does waaaaay more than the ipod touch, and you can get a new one for $199 (probably $150 when the n900 hits shelves in a few months).

Display, battery power, external memory, video conferencing, skype, video codec support, free apps, solid wireless reception... you name it, almost everything is better on the n810. I prefer fbReader on the n810 to any ebook reader I've seen for iphone. You can even take the backlight almost completely down for nighttime reading when you don't want to bug the spouse.

[Forked_Tongue]

Agreed, I have the nokia n770 which is a pretty good tablet but there is no substitute for a keyboard. This thing does it all and there are a lot of great forums to support the device and usually plenty of open wifi to connect to or you can also use a Bluetooth phone as a modem as well.

[AListener]

It's more how much would I pay for a really readable e-reader with free 24/7 wireless and a web browser, even if slow - needing no hotspots to find and pay for.

How much would you pay for a Netbook with unlimited wireless? Right now, the cheapest is $721, for Sprint's 99c netbook with $60/month wireless for two years on contract, which means a full $1,442 plus taxes and fees.

Verizon and AT&T charge $200 for the Netbook plus $60/mo. for the less-restricted web access for a minimum of a 2-year wireless contract. That's $1,642 then.

The annotation, search, and inline-dictionary features are worth something as they work very well.

The wireless is not just for the bookstore. Amazon pre-sets web bookmarks for the usual places, CNN, BBC, Yelp, ESPN, E!, Fandago, and more persistently throughout the display of books, access to Google and Wikipedia for searching words beyond your current book and the Kindle itself...

We then add URLS of interest to us.

- Andrys
kindleworld.blogspot.com

[loose_screw]

In this economy, I seriously have to think about something before dropping $300 on it. To me, the Kindle is still more novelty than a productive tool, and it's only good for one task which I rarely have time for.

So I agree with you Rick, my iPhone meets my needs for now, and it is far from perfect, but it is practical and multi-functional for what I want to do.

[jbcahill]

It depends on how much you read. Personally, I dumped cable tv so I finally started doing all the reading I wanted to do. What I have saved in the cost of books has more than paid for the Kindle already

[peteraltschuler]

Amazon's forgetting the Gillette model -- give away the razor to sell the blades. The device should be sold at or below cost with the expectation that it will boost sales of digital books. The more Kindle 2s, the more digital book sales.

[blusky08]

Absolutely. Even as an avid reader the Kindle isn't even on my radar at $299. As a one trick pony $99 sounds about right.

[jbcahill]

The problem with that model is that Amazon doesn't make the "blades"..."blades" as in the books. Amazon is making that much money off of the ebooks. If they got all the money from the sale of an ebook I might agree with you.

[cyclonica1980]

I think most people forget the wireless service included with the device. The same service on netbooks is 60.00 a month. Keep this in mind.

[rickbroida]

It's a good point, but I honestly don't see a ton of value in it. Sure, it's nice to be able to download new books wherever and whenever, but how often is that really necessary? I'd rather have a $99 Kindle with Wi-Fi.

[Dizzle01]

I see value in the wireless service when it comes to newspaper or magazine subscriptions, which are downloaded at regular intervals. Having the New York Times in the morning when I'm out camping in the woods, or anywhere else, sounds pretty amazing.

[blusky08]

Perhaps the wireless service/download cost is already calculated into any purchase?

[adamczyk67]

My wife loves her Kindle, so I bought one for myself this week - for $359! It shipped today, the very day I read of the price reduction. Will Amazon refund the extra $60 I paid for bad timing? Or throw in some free downloads? Am anxious to see how customer-friendly they will be.

[mwall416]

I'm a member of the Kindle Boards (www.kindleboards.com), and several people there are reporting customer service refunding the extra $60 if purchased recently. Good luck!

[jbcahill]

Just send Amazon an email, if you purchased your Kindle within the last thirty days, they will issues a $60 refund.

[mwall416]

I have a Kindle 2 and love it, but also read on my iPhone's Kindle app when my Kindle isn't with me. The recent enhancement adding black background with white text makes reading on my iPhone much easier on the eyes, even when reading in bed at night. Ripped through 3 or 4 chapters the other night on my iPhone, finishing the book. Pretty great.

[kayakertim]

$100 is the maximum I would pay. I would love to own a Kindle but you are so right. The iPod touch has way more functionality.

[DHXK3G]

Based upon it's limited use, I'd pay $98 for it...good point regarding a netbook or iPod Touch! Much more useability, less money...not that Amazon has to worry about dollars slipping out of their hands. (I spend hundreds with them every year, saving on shipping via Amazon Prime.

[MarkPharaoh]

I would only seriously consider getting a Kindle for it's current pricing if I could get most/all my University textbooks on it for half price.

[JCeresJ]

I have to comment on your comment that reading on an iTouch, thanks to its back lit screen, allows you to avoid eye strain. If so, you are in the minority. Most people complain of eyestrain after staring at a back lit screen for any length of time. Ask anyone who has to stair at a computer for hours at a time. The newer ebook readers, such as the Kindle, are successful because of eInk which does away with back lighting. I own a Kindle, in iTouch and a netbook and there is no way that I would read for any appreciable time on either the iTouch or the netbook. In addition the iTouch suffers from its small screen. And if you need to read in the dark on a Kindle, buy a reading light, just like you would do with a book. Reading lights are cheap.

One more thing - I have never understood the argument that something is "too expensive." It may be too expensive for your particular budget, but that doesn't mean that it's too expensive for the market place. Supply and demand will determine whether something is "too expensive." A Lamborghini is too expensive for me, but it's still a great car.

[Proud_Geek]

All this e-book stuff is worthless to me, as my book consumption is 99% classic sci-fi, like stuff from Isaac Asimov, Piers Anthony, Arthur C. Clark, HG Wells, and Jack L. Chalker. So far nothing tops rummaging through my local used bookstore and picking up gems for $2 a pop.

And the only reader I need? My hands.

[nikenjeru]

www.truly-free.org has many great sci-fi classics for free - although he restricts you to ~5 downloads per 2 weeks. They're text files, so you can read them on any device you want, including the kindle. I've read around 20 books from his site alone, which I guess has saved me $40 (many books to go before I recoup the device price, but I'll get there).

And, for reasons stated elsewhere, I vastly prefer reading on the kindle to paperbacks, and I've read hundreds of paperbacks over my lifetime. To each their own, but I would encourage everyone to at least try the kindle (or another e-reader) if someone you know has one.

[ShadowOfHomer]

That only applies if you actually pay for the ebooks.

Have you seen how much these publishers are charging for eBooks? They cost more than hardcopy! I suspect this old-fashioned industry is terrified of this new technology and is quietly trying to choke it out by charging unfathomable prices. They argue that most of a book's cost is in promotion - that physical production is a negligible expense. But a negligible expense is not a negative number that drives the cost up when it's removed. How can an ebook on ebooks.com cost 65% more than the hardcopy on Amazon if the same promotional costs went into both?

I'm interested to see how publishers will (or won't) survive over the next decade. Their product is more at risk to copying - and the audience for written content - legal or illegal - is shrinking.

[jbcahill]

Good for you! Obvously you have time and enjoy rummaging thru old books and book stores. A lot of us don't.

[jcmark42]

At $299, Amazon isn't looking to sell to the masses as I think they really should be. It's hard to justify $300 on a single use item. Who really cares if you can wirelessly download a book at any given time. I'd rather sync it to my iMac and or find a WiFi spot for $200.

In my opinion, hardcore readers still prefer a physical book vs. the ebook.

[Brent_Garland]

$100 for a Kindle, I'd buy two tomorrow (one for the missus). $150-175 for a DX would have me do the same (over 40? big screens=good).

As someone who has gone from buying $1000s of books a year to now buying in the low 100s SOLELY due to having no more space for books, Kindle looks like a killer app for me, but it is still too much. After all, I'm going to continually spend to use it.

I concur too with the thoughts of many above--make Kindles cheaper, sell more books. The more devices, the greater return. iPods are the proper model--prior to getting an iPod, I bought maybe 5 CDs a year. Now my wife and I buy music all the time, spending 20-30x more a year than we did previously.

[kvpk69]

How much would I pay for kindle?
I think it should be around 49$, as we have to pay for the books.
Or let them charge 299 and let them give plenty of books.

[1812dave]

I love reading on my Touch. Being backlit makes all the difference. 4-5 hours of battery life is enough per session, so I don't agree with the Kindlers who claim longer battery life of the Kindle makes it a better device. Typically, I spend less than 1.5 hours at a stretch, reading. Not because it's difficult reading on the Touch, but because I get sleepy. :)

The Kindle: It's MONOCHROME, it's not pocketable, and it's nearly a one trick pony. I've no problem with the reading on the small touch screen-text is ultra sharp.

For me, the Kindle is a no-go. I don't care if they cut the price in 1/2--I don't want a no-lit, monochrome, oversized unit (what's with all the wasted space, anyway??)

[1812dave]

sigh.. wish I could edit a post!

Strike "the" from "I've no problem with "the" reading on the..."

"no-lit" should have been "non-lit" in the last sentence

[BoManiac]

I would and did pay $359 for the Kindle plus some extra cash for the cover. Great investment. I also have the Kindle app for the iPhone but really, that is only good for short reading periods like while waiting in a doctor's office, etc. If you l ike reading and are a tech geek, you HAVE to get a Kindle. Especially now after the price cut.

[mdhopeful]

Did anyone look up how to convert your netbook into a kindle. I would like to be able to use the Kindle's text-to-speech functionality on my netbook. Anyone know if/how that would be possible?

[Gabey8]

On Windows XP, hit the WINDOWS key simultaneously with the letter U to bring up the Utility Manager. One of the Utilities is Narrator, which will read the contents of your current window aloud.

This will work on any computer with Windows XP, not just netbooks.

[jskrenes]

How about books? I hear they're an excellent data storage/retrieval device.