Cheapest Kindle to date, the Kindle 4, now available for $79

It’s a Kindle/Amazon themed day today and one of the highlights is that Amazon will release the cheapest Kindle e-reader to date, simply named Kindle, which will sell for just $79, which is 20 bucks less than any previous reader the company sold until now. In the UK, the unit will go for 89 pounds, as stuff is always more expensive in Europe to start with.

Still, you have to know that the $79 includes “special offers”, which are basically pop ups and screen savers with commercials from Amazon’s partners, but they are deactivated when you’re reading. The ad free version will cost $109, which is still a decent price for a brand new Kindle. As for the e-reader itself, Amazon worked hard to make the device slimmer and lighter, while preserving the 6 inch screen. The reader is about 6 ounces heavy and 0.35 inches thin, while the internal storage can host up to 1.400 books at once.

Besides the new E Ink screen, which offers improved readability outdoors and feels even more like real paper, Amazon also changed the appearance of the device. There’s no keyboard anymore, just a home button and directional buttons on each side. This means you won’t be able to write using the device, just reading and buying e-books. This is not such a big deal anyway, as the Kindle is not a tablet or smart phone and thumbing away with that cramped keyboard doesn’t serve the main purpose of an e-reader.

The battery is said to run on a single charge for about a month, but this is with WiFi off. If you’re going to use the module to buy books or whatever, you’ll have to settle for a couple of weeks of autonomy, which is still more than decent. As for books, you have access to Kindle’s extensive online library, which features about 800.000 titles which are 10 bucks or less, as well as thousands of titles that are free because they’re now public domain.

The Kindle is thinner and lighter than previous versions

Also, if you happen to loose your Kindle, you’ll be happy to know that you benefit from cloud services, that back up your entire library online and you’ll able to download it at anytime. If you already made up your mind and don’t need the extra features of the Kindle Touch- touch input, more storage, better battery, text to speech and optional 3G, you can buy the simpler Kindle for 79 bucks and get it delivered in the next few days.

Tags: Amazon Kindle

Last updated: March 27, 2012 | Published: September 28th, 2011 | See the comments or add yours!