Kindle Sets the Internet on Fire
I promise, the title of this post is the only pun I’ll be using 
. I’ve been waiting for this announcement from Amazon for a long time; my husband’s been shopping for a tablet and we decided to hold off until we saw what Amazon was going to bring to the table. What I didn’t expect was all the other announcements that came out today.
Arguably the most exciting announcement out of Amazon’s press event was the new $79 Kindle. The Kindle as we’ve known it is now going to be called Kindle Keyboard. The new Kindle is smaller in every way–dimensions, memory, and battery life. Instead of a keyboard it has a 5 way controller and 4 buttons, but an on screen keyboard can be accessed. I’d guess that most people don’t use their keyboard much, so it seems like a logical move. The real news is the price. The $79 version comes with “special offers”, a nicer way of saying ads, and there is a regular version for $109. The fact that you can now get a Kindle for under $99 is amazing. And when I say now, I mean it. The new Kindle was shipping today.
The other unexpected announcement was the unveiling of a Kindle Touch. It’s no surprise that Amazon had this in the works after Barnes & Noble came out with their new Nook, but I wasn’t expecting it this soon. This is great for people who need everything to be touch screen. For people like me who shudder at the thought of anything touching their Kindle screen, not so much.
And that brings us to the Kindle Fire. Some are calling it a color e-reader, others are calling it a tablet. I think both of them are accurate, depending on what you want out of a tablet. I’ve been searching for a cheap tablet that will let me get online when I’m away from home without having to lug my laptop around or deal with an itty-bitty phone. For me, the Kindle Fire is perfect. Their new browser, Amazon Silk, sounds promising and I have no need for a lot of storage on a tablet. Since it runs on a modified version of Android, the only apps that will work out of the box are from the Amazon Appstore, which severely limits your choices. However, I’ve heard that it will be able to load other apps with some tinkering and Amazon has no plans to discourage people from hacking it. There’s something to be said for it all working out of the box the way you want, but for $199 it’s a great deal. That’s cheaper than the Nook Color.
The Kindle Fire is meant to act as a portal between the consumer and Amazon and the Internet. From a business standpoint, it’s a great strategy. Apple has made a killing selling people on all of their devices looking and working the same, syncing through iTunes. I like the idea of an Amazon tablet because I already do my shopping through Amazon. All new Kindle Fires come with a free month of Amazon Prime, which gives users free streaming movies and TV shows. I’m guessing they’re going to pick up a lot of subscribers after that first month is done, especially given the recent Netflix defections. While Amazon’s library is smaller than Netflix, it is growing where Netflix is shrinking.
Is the Kindle Fire a computer replacement? No. Is it great for someone who wants the convenience of a tablet without the bells and whistles and the hefty price tag that comes with them? Absolutely. It’s not an iPad killer, I don’t think it’s even much of a competitor. These are two very different products. The Nook Color is a different story. I don’t know how Barnes & Noble is going to survive this latest blow; right now Amazon has them beat on price and selection.
My verdict? I like my Kindle Keyboard and it’s staying put. I do some editing on my Kindle so I use the keyboard quite a bit and I still think E Ink is the best way to read. That said, we do have a Kindle Fire coming in November (the Fire and Touch are available for pre-order); at the price it’s worth seeing if it will fill our tablet needs. But what do you think about these announcements? Let me know!
