The e-reader price war has experienced yet another shockwave with the introduction of two new versions of the popular Amazon Kindle e-reader.
Amazon announced that one version will be available for $139 the lowest price so far for an e-reading device.
Amazon is gearing up for the end of the year holiday shopping season and preparing for heavy competition in the consumer electronics arena from Apple, Sony and Barnes & Noble.
The $139 “Kindle Wi-Fi” will not make use the usual cell phone network, but rather connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi.
Both of the new models are smaller and feature higher contrast screens with sharper text.
Amazon expects to break the psychological price barrier by offering the reader for $10 less than its competitor’s models. When Kindle first launched in 2007, it had a price tag of $399. The Kindle DX still sells for $379, but has a wider, 9.7 inch reading screen.
Both models have access to the Kindle store, which now includes over 630,000 titles.
Amazon is taking orders now for delivery on the release date of August 27th.
Photo Courtesy: Amazon
