The Kindle Fire is a shockingly good product for a shockingly good price. For $200, you get a screen with a higher resolution than the iPad, with a dual-core processor and an Android OS. In other words, it’s a Nook, only $50 cheaper, and it will likely be a hacker’s delight. But for all the buzz, it’s not going to be able to tackle the iPad in any meaningful way. Here’s two reasons why.
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Amazon has sold more e-books than paperback books for short periods in the past, but today it reports that e-books outsold paperbacks during an extended period this holiday season. Amazon didn’t expect the milestone to happen until spring, but thanks to increased e-book shopping over the holidays, it got there early.

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You know what’s so boring that it makes me want to gnaw my own testicles? The line-for-line breakdown of Apple’s new App development guidelines. Brutal. So instead of torturing myself (and possibly you readers), I’ll leave that news to bigger blogs today and focus on something that’s instantly engaging: Amazon Kindle availability.

Okay, it’s really not more engaging at all, but it’s much shorter and simpler than Apple’s announcement and it lends way to a nice concise post. 

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Amazon debuted a new pair of Kindles today, and instead of taking shot directly at the iPad, it chose to focus on improving its market-leading design–at least for now.

The new Kindle moves into one-handed territory, shrinking down by nearly a quarter while maintaining the same six-inch reading area. Amazon dropped the weight down to just 8.7 ounces. The new Kindles keep the same e-ink display that true readers tend to prefer over LCDs, and Amazon claims that the new generation offers 50 percent better contrast than Kindles of old.

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E-reader prices have recently been going down faster than Paris Hilton after a couple of adult beverages, and for a limited time, you can enjoy the biggest price break yet. Woot has the Amazon Kindle for a bargain-basement price of $150. If you’ll recall, Amazon recently dropped the official price of the Kindle down to $189, so without trying too hard you’ll save about 40 bucks. $35 once you get past Woot’s standard $5 shipping costs.

Woot’s price puts the Kindle at the same price as Barnes & Noble’s cheap, Wi-Fi-only model. In other words, you’ll get the Kindle’s 3G coverage for the same price.

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Well, that was fast, wasn’t it? Earlier today, B&N dropped the price of the standard Nook down to $199, and the very same day, Amazon has done them one better: the Kindle is now $189, down from $259. So it looks like the e-reader market is officially a little more wallet-friendly. No news of a Wi-Fi-only Amazon Kindle to compete with the $149 model that B&N introduced today, but Amazon has done a nice job of offering a 3G-equipped model that much cheaper than the Nook.

I feel bad for anyone that dropped $259 on a new Nook or Kindle within the past month or so. E-reader price wars have really heated up and promise to spark some new interest in the devices. [via CrunchGear]

I’ve long thought that what the e-reader market really needs is a solid selection of cheap, easy-to-use devices that do no more than display book text, and display it well. The likes of the iPad and color touchscreen tablets and dedicated readers can keep the technologically-obsessed market covered, while cheaper devices can appeal to those that actually enjoy simply reading books. People like your mom, grandma and Uncle Walter don’t need all the bells and whistles. They’re used to paying five or ten bucks for a simple paperback book, why would they want to spend $250 or $500 for that privilege?

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The Kindle came to Target a few weeks ago, but it didn’t come to all Targets. It’s been slowly infiltrating retail locations around the country, and Target announced today that the Kindle will be go nationwide beginning this week on June 6. Target is selling the Kindle for the same lovable $259 price that it costs on Amazon and will give customers a chance to get hands on before they buy.

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Amazon CEO Jeff  Bezos was quoted at a shareholder’s meeting yesterday as stating that a color version of the Amazon Kindle is still a “long way out.” Despite making some early moves that appeared like it was going to try to compete on the iPad’s turf, Amazon looks like it will retain the Kindle’s classic, black-and-white e-ink display for the forseeable future.

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