New Amazon Kindle Lineup Announced

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Rudy

¡Que siga la fiesta!
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I've long said that there was sort of an emotional barrier to having products priced over $100; the new Kindle lineup cures that with the standard $79 Kindle and $99 Kindle Touch, which has a touch screen. Also available is the Kindle Fire for $199, which is a full-color and feature-rich tablet based on the same portable size as the Kindle.

Orders and preorders are being taken now. :D

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I'm eyeballing the $79 version. At that price point it is almost an impulse buy! I do like the idea of the tablet, but I'm actually eyeballing a used Nook Color, rooting it, and installing the full Android OS on it, which will give me a similar-sized tablet for a lower cost entry point.

I will say, though, that a Kindle is in my future. The Fire might be nice as a complete entertainment device, but the Kindle is not backlit like the tablets are. The whole idea behind Kindle was to recreate the experience of reading from ink on a page, which greatly reduces eyestrain and improves reading comfort. It is also easier to read, especially for those of us who have aging eyes. :whistle:
 
I'm actually considering the NOOK, but the Kindle Fire looks good, too. I still hate the idea of not reading printed ink on paper. Just like I miss the needle in the groove (and, no, that's NOT sarcasm).
 
If you like that "paper" feel, you would probably like the Kindle Touch instead. The tablet is backlit. The Kindle uses some kind of special LCD (?) type of system that they call "digital ink" which more closely resembles paper. The screen is a matte finish like paper, and the screen background and "ink" react to light like the paper does. In fact, if you want to read the Kindle at night, you need a book light. And outdoors, the screen does not wash out like a backlit tablet does. They have managed to recreate the "ink on paper" experience on a screen.

Have you tried a Kindle yet? Some of the office supply stores sell them. They really thought it out when they designed it--you can easily navigate one within moments of picking one up. Flipping pages is very intuitive.

I have to admit the Fire tablet is a cool idea--the advantage of the Kindle reader with added functionality (and the ability to play Angry Birds :D ), in a Kindle-like size. The price point is right also--the original Kindle cost that much IIRC.

I agree somewhat about missing the paper feel of books, the "random access" aspect of flipping through pages, etc., but having moved my entire household on average once per year since 2008, the less I have to tote around, the better. And although I'm on a break from classes right now, it is all going to pick up again, and not having to lug expensive textbooks around to class would be a huge benefit. Thing is, many books I want are still not on the Kindle and likely never will be. Or, it would cost a small fortune to replace the books I already own.
 
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