The Kindle 4 For $79? It's Well Worth The Price!

Since my last article on e-readers, Amazon has dropped the price of its basic Kindle(K4) to $79. That's a great price, BUT that model will display special offers(ads) in the screen saver and at the bottom of the screen when you're not reading. If you want this model without the ads,the price is $89.

Don't be put off by the "special offers". These are deals offered by Amazon and local merchants in select cities. Sometimes Amazon offers book downloads for $1. Since these offers display on your Kindle's screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen, and they don't interrupt your reading, these special offers may be a source of great bargains for you.

Touted as "The all-new Kindle-lighter, smaller,faster" , this basic model, known as the Kindle 4,or K4 has a 6" screen,and weighs less than 6 ounces. It has built in Wi-Fi so you can download books directly to your Kindle in 60 seconds. No computer is needed for downloading.

Now a word about downloading via Wi-Fi. If you already have a high speed internet connection and a wireless router at home, or you have access to a Wi-Fi hotspot, then Wi-Fi will work for you. 3G, however, enables you to download books anytime, anywhere, while on the go, without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot connection.

If 3G is the better choice for you, you may want to consider the Kindle Touch 3G, Kindle Keyboard 3G, or the Kindle DX. These models come with Wi-Fi AND 3G.

Amazon has over 800,000 books available for $9.99 or less.
Plus,Kindle books can be borrowed from participating public libraries.

This model takes about 3 hours to charge using the included USB 2.0 cable. A U.S. power adapter is sold separately for $9.99 at Amazon. A single charge can last for up to one month with wireless turned off and about 3 weeks with wireless always on. Battery life will depend on the individual's usage.

The Kindle 4 comes with 2GB of internal storage,of which 1.25GB is for storage on the device. Amazon says up to 1400 books can be stored on this Kindle. However, Amazon provides free cloud storage for all Amazon content so you don't have to worry about running out of space or losing your downloaded books.

Reading on the Kindle is easy on the eyes. Because of it's sharp, clear E-ink display, there is no glare. It's like reading from paper. You can read as well in bright sunlight as you can indoors. However, Kindles DO NOT have back-lighting so you wont be able to read in the dark. However, there are optional lights and lighted covers for that purpose.

There are eight different text sizes, and three font styles to choose from. Plus, there is a zoom feature for images and pictures.

The Kindle 4 does NOT have audio capabilities, or even a headphone jack, so if you want a Kindle for audio books,text-to-speech,or MP3 capabilities, you will have to step up to the Kindle Touch (or higher) currently selling on Amazon for $99 with special offers, or $139 without.

Kindle 4 comes with two dictionaries, The New Oxford American Dictionary, and The Oxford Dictionary of English. There is also a search feature that not only allows you to search content on your Kindle, but search other content on the Kindle Store, Google, Wikipedia, or the built-in dictionary.

You can also link your Kindle to social networks like FaceBook, or Twitter, and Kindle provides you with a dedicated email address so you can send .pdf and .txt documents to your device for viewing and annotation.

Connect your Kindle to your computer via the USB and you can also drag and drop those files from your computer to your device.

The Kindle comes ready to use right out of the box, and includes a USB 2.0 cable, a quick start guide, and a Kindle User's Guide is installed on the device.

A one year limited warranty is included, and an optional two year warranty and accident protection plan is available for $25.00.

All Kindles are shipped for free at the time of this writing.

Overall, the Kindle 4 is well worth the $79 price tag and with free shipping it's one of the best electronics gifts you can give to someone who loves to read, or for yourself.

So if all you want is a portable library in which to keep your favorite books, magazines, and other documents without all the extras,(but still laden with features) then this Kindle 4 model is for you.


Lee Edwards
The eComInfoSource

Thinking Of Getting An eBook Reader? Now Is The Time!

Ebook readers, or E-readers are wireless reading devices that enable
you to download, store, and read your favorite books, magazines, and
newspapers. This allows you to have all your favorite publications
immediately available without having to lug around the physical books.
This is great for traveling or commuting.

E-readers come in two versions, Wi-Fi and Wi-fi with 3G. If you already
have a high speed internet connection and a wireless router at home,
or you have access to a Wi-Fi hotspot, then Wi-Fi would be the way to go.
3G, however, enables you to download books anytime, anywhere, while on
the go, without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot connection.

Since Amazon introduced the Kindle Wireless Reading Device, it's popularity soared and became Amazon's highest selling product. So much so that competitors have entered the market with their own brand of ebook reader in order to capture a piece of the electronic publishing pie. Barnes & Noble has introduced it's NOOK Wi-Fi. Followed by Sony's Daily Edition, and a host of lesser known brands.

This has led to a "price war" between the major players. It started when
Barnes & Noble cut the price of it's Nook(Wi-Fi +3G) from $259 to $199,
and offered a Wi-Fi only model for $149. Amazon followed suit and slashed
the price of Kindle (Wi-Fi +3G) to $189, and It's Wi-Fi model to $139.
Later, Sony dropped the price of each of it's three E-readers by $60.
The Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook come with free Wi-Fi and
3G so there's no set up or extra plan to pay for.

You have the wildly popular Apple I-Pad to thank for the drop in E-reader
prices. The I-Pad also allows you download and store E-Books as well as
surf the internet, watch streaming videos and many other tasks. It has a
color LCD screen as opposed to the E-Ink screens of E-readers. It also
carries a $499 price tag for it's low end model. As opposed to the much
lower prices of a dedicated E-reader. Plus you have to pay extra for
Wi-Fi and 3G.

The I-Pad weighs 25 ounces which can seem heavy after reading for an
hour or two. Compare that to 11.6 ounces for the Kindle Wi-Fi, and 12.1
ounces for the Kindle Wi-Fi +3G model. The Nook Color weighs in at 15.8
ounces, the Nook Wi-Fi weighs 11.6 ounces, and the Nook Wi-Fi+3G weighs
12.1 ounces.

The Kindle's 4GB internal memory can store as many as 3500 books. This
is an increase over the previous model's 1500 book capacity. The Nook
has a 2GB internal memory which can accomodate up to 1500 books, but
it also has a built-in expandable microSD slot for up to 16GB of extra
storage. The Nook Color has 8GB of built in memory(up to 6000 eBooks).
That can be expanded to 32GB with a microSD™ memory card slot. The iPad, with up to 64GB of memory, can hold up to 48,000 books, provided
it's not loaded with music and photos.

Both devices can be viewed in bright sunlight,thus no glare on the screen,
and they each allow you to select font styles and sizes, thereby making
reading easier on the eyes.

The Kindle and Nook do not run hot which makes for more comfortable
reading. Both boast long battery life from a single charge. With the Wi-Fi
off the Nook lasts up to 3 weeks. The Kindle lasts up to a month. Expect
shorter run times with the Wi-Fi and, or 3G features on. Even then you can
have days of run time on a single charge.

The Barnes & Noble Nook can access over two million books, magazines,
and newspapers. The Amazon Kindle has access to over 650,000 books
and periodicals. Also, books that are out of copyright, those published prior to 1923, can be downloaded for free. This includes all the classics like Moby Dick, Pride and Predjudice,etc. Those are a lot of choices, so you will never run out of reading material no matter which E-reader you choose.

The Kindle and the Nook have a dictionary, web access, and password
protection so no one else can access your device. The Kindle has a
Text-to-Speech feature which reads text out loud and hands free.
You can choose between a male or female voice and speed up, or slow
down the voice. It also reads the content menus. This would be great for
the visually impaired.

Both have .PDF capability, but the Kindle requires you to email the
document to your device then open it to read. A college student may
benefit from an E-reader in that it eliminates having to carry around heavy text books. Then, of course, the text book would have to be available for download.

Both the Kindle and the Nook allow you to organize your collection of books
by author, genre, or any way you choose. The Nook, in addition to it's 6
inch viewing screen, has a 3 inch color navigation screen which shows the
covers of the books you have downloaded. It can also be used to select and
shop for books quickly and easily . Use your finger to swipe through titles and tap open your next read.

Although the Amazon Kindle is the top selling E-reader at the moment, the
Nook has many features that has put it a close second. This new
technology is steadily evolving, and by next year new features will be
available.

A dedicated E-reader serves a specific purpose - to have your favorite
reading materials at hand for immediate access without having to
carry heavy and cumbersome physical books. It's an idea whose time has
come, and with the competitive pricing as it is, now is the time to buy.

Lee Edwards,
The EcomInfoSource

Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology

Introducing NOOK Wi-Fi! The most full-featured, low-cost eBook Reader for just $149!

Apple iPad MB292LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi)