Amazon drops price of Kindle 2 by 16% to $299

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds, Hot Deals

Amazon has dropped the price of the Kindle 2 e-book reader, as it is now available for $299. That equates to a price cut of $60 off of it’s original $359 price tag that it’s been selling at since it debuted five months ago.With Amazon’s entry level Kindle now being priced under $300, expect to see higher adoption rate, which is obviously Amazons goal with this move.

You can purchase a Kindle 2 for $299, effective immediately.

Read More | Amazon Kindle via Engadget

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Amazon Kindle DX gallery

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Handhelds

Wanna get a getter look at the newly announced Kindle DX? We just put together a gallery of nine images that show off the device from the front, back, side, and even a couple of angles in between. As cool as it looks, it still costs $489, so, you know, there’s that. Still, if you are cool with that, you can pre-order a Kindle DX now.

Read More | Kindle DX gallery

Gallery: Amazon Kindle DX gallery

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Amazon announces Kindle DX: $489, 9.7-inch screen

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Handhelds

This morning, Amazon announced the Kindle DX, which will now sell alongside the Kindle 2. What’s so DX-y about the new device? Well for starters, the new Kindle DX features a 9.7-inch screen that sports the ability to rotate to landscape display, as well as a built-in PDF reader (the Kindle 2 requires conversion), and much more storage space at 3.3GB. That means that this Kindle can hold a good 3,500 books, compared to the Kindle 2’s 1,500. And truly, everything is bigger with the Kindle DX, including the price. The Kindle DX will launch this summer at $489, a full $130 more than a Kindle 2, which is already a pricey device in its own right, at $359.

If you do live in an area where you can’t get at-home delivery of the New York Times, Boston Globe, or Washington Post, then you can get a Kindle DX at a subsidized price—but only people who meet that rule are eligible. Kind of silly if you ask us. You can pre-order the Kindle DX now.

Read More | Kindle DX page

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Amazon gives in: Text-to-Speech now decided by book publisher

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video

The text-to-speech feature of the Kindle 2 in one of the main features that Amazon was touting when they debuted their latest e-book reader. However, Roy Blount, Jr., president of the Author’s Guild, made it immediately known that the Guild objects to the feature that he believes undermines the market for professional e-book. While this is overly cautious, since the Kindle sounds nothing like a real human being, Amazon has decided to step up (or back down?) and allow book publishers and authors the right to allow their works to be compatible with the text-to-speech feature or not. We are hoping that most will see that it’s harmless, and just allows folks to enjoy their work in a different way, albeit on the same device. You can read Amazon’s full statement after the jump.

You can pick up the Kindle 2 at Amazon, be sure to check out our Kindle 2 review.

Click to continue reading Amazon gives in: Text-to-Speech now decided by book publisher

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Amazon Kindle 2 review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews

We’ve spent a few days with the Amazon Kindle 2, which has been the talk of the gadget world this week. We know some of you are wondering if you should pick one up, so we are here to give you our thoughts on the latest iteration of Amazon’s e-book reader. If you’re like us, you already know that the Kindle 2 is available for purchase now, and you likely have one in your hands - but for the rest of you, join us for our full review of the Kindle 2 (and if you missed it, check out our Kindle 2 gallery.)

Okay, so while we were working on the review, we sent a couple of questions out to some of our Twitter peeps asking what they thought of the device, and Lisa from EllisLab hit us back with so much info, that we are using her feedback to break this down for you. Sometimes you need the point of view of a “real world” user anyway, as opposed to one of us gadget fiends. So what we will do is give some of our thoughts on the Kindle 2, and then bring in Lisa’s thoughts as well.

The Kindle 2 was announced on February 9th, and just started shipping on February 24th. The announcement came with the promise of a 25% improvement in battery life, 20% faster page turns, a better screen that supports up to 16 shades of gray (as opposed to 4 shades with the original,) and a much thinner design.

Click to continue reading Amazon Kindle 2 review

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Amazon Kindle 2 unboxing gallery

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Galleries, Handhelds, Miscellaneous

It’s a happy day here at Gear Live HQ, what with the arrival of both the Amazon Kindle 2 and Resident Evil 5, thanks to UPS. We figured we’d tear right in to the Kindle 2 upon arrival so that we could bring you another unboxing gallery full of e-book reader goodness, and we think we succeeded. We’ve got 30 images of the Kindle 2 available for you to check out in our Kindle 2 unboxing gallery, showing off all aspects of the device, the packaging, and the included USB cable and charging add-on (which, we think, is pretty neat.) Go ahead and check out all the images yourself, and give your thoughts. Also, any questions on the device itself that we can answer for you?

You can purchase an Amazon Kindle 2 now.

Read More | Kindle 2 unboxing gallery via Amazon Kindle 2

Gallery: Amazon Kindle 2 unboxing gallery

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Our Amazon Kindle 2 is here…

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds

Oh, happy day, our Kindle 2 has arrived. We are opening it up now and snapping images for your enjoyment. Be sure to keep at eye on Unboxing! Back to work…

UPDATE: We’ve put up our entire Kindle 2 unboxing gallery - check it out!

Read More | Amazon Kindle 2

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Daily Show: Jeff Bezos on the Kindle 2

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds, Videos

We are fans of The Daily Show for reasons like this - only Jon Stewart can get this type of reaction from powerful mogul like Jeff Bezos. Watch as Bezos comes on The Daily Show to let the world know about the Kindle 2, while Jon makes fun of just about every aspect of the product, from the price, to the notion of e-paper. Great stuff.

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Authors Guild Concerned With Kindle 2 Read-to-Me

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech

Amazon has run some opposition with its Kindle 2‘s text-to-speech function. The Authors Guild claims that Read-to-Me may violate authors’ rights. Executive director Paul Aiken said, “They don’t have the right to read a book out loud. That’s an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law.”

The Guild is worried that audio book sales will be compromised by the feature, but we all know that hearing an electronic voice isn’t even close to that of the author or other human reader. We don’t think they really have to worry at this point, do you?

You can pick up a Kindle 2 at Amazon now.

Read More | Real Tech News

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M-Edge Kindle 2 Executive Jacket

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech

File this under “that was quick.” M-Edge has released an Executive Jacket for the Amazon Kindle 2. The padded case has a mounting system to keep your new toy from dirt and bumps, and includes pockets for business cards or notes. Access to ports is available even when closed. Shown here with the e-Luminator (sold separately,) the 100% leather cover is available for $44.99. M-Edge has covers for other e-books as well including the Kindle 1, the eFlybook, Sony’s PRS-505 and the iRex ILiad.

Read More | M-Edge

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