The Kindle Kindles Another Spark

Amazon continues to find ways to bring down the price of their Kindle e-Reader...and the latest wrinkle is really interesting. (DISCLOSURE: if you buy a Kindle - or anything else - from Amazon through my links, I get a small commission.) Amazon has cut another $25 from the Kindle's price by offering a version which features sponsored screen savers and/or ads at the bottom of the Kindle's home page only.

As I understand it, the reader won't be deluged with ads while trying to read - the ads are limited to the screensavers (which pop up when the device is turned off) and ads on the home page, where the user chooses what he or she is reading. According to Amazon, there are ways for the reader to try to customize those ads, so that only ones that might be of interest to that individual appear. Initial sponsors include Buick, Olay, Chase and Visa.

What do you get in exchange? A version of the Kindle that sells for $114. So you can choose the Kindle Kindle Wi-Fi only for $139, or the more connectable Kindle 3G for $189 - or, if you're willing to read the ads (and live with wi-fi only), the newest version for $114. (There's also the larger Kindle DX, but that's a different class of e-reader.)

Amazon clearly is trying to make the Kindle accessible to almost everyone. Not too surprising, since I presume Amazon is also making money by selling the books for the Kindle. But in a world that seems to be welcoming the e-book, this newest version may indeed have a market.

(Cross-posted at LB's Rambles and Classic Mysteries)