socialrosiechen: Amazon reveals $79 Kindle, ships today!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Amazon reveals $79 Kindle, ships today!

As if a $199 Kindle Fire wasn't enough, Amazon's also launching a Kindle e-reader that'll dip below triple-digits for the first time. You heard right -- a $79 Kindle (or £89 if you're unfortunate enough to be on that side of the pricing insanity). According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the company's Kindle line will "start" at the aforesaid price as of today, a marked decrease from the $114 being charged for its lowest end unit earlier in the week. If anything, that's a huge blow for Barnes & Noble, and we're surmising that a reactionary drop will be coming soon in the Nook family if it hopes to keep pace. We've also learned that this guy has ads built right in -- not a shocker given the price, but notable for those who aren't keen on buying a device that continually serves up commercials to justify the lower up-front tally. If you're looking to avoid the hassle, the non-ads variant is priced at $109.

Keep up with the unveiling at our liveblog of the Amazon event.

Update: We've added the first commercial video after the break.

Update 2: Orders are live!

Gallery: Amazon Kindle e-reader Refresh