When Amazon allowed their top two competitors, Kobo and Barnes & Noble, to beat them to the eReader marketplace with a touchscreen eReading device, it was out of character for the eReading marketplace’s top dog. Amazon had always previously been first to market with any eReading technology, and many viewed this as a serious slip on Amazon’s part. However, Amazon made up for that next step by lowering the price of their non-touch screen Kindle eReader to $79, and introducing a $99 touch screen eReading device.
The Kindle Touch and $79 Kindle eReader with special offers were both announced in late September for pre-order availability, and both eReaders rank among the top-selling devices on Amazon’s retail website. The two devices are alike in more ways than they are dissimilar, but there are some key differences. Depending on the features you are looking for in an eReader, one may offer a greater attraction than the other. Let’s take a look at the similarities and differences between the Kindle Touch and the $79 Kindle with special offers.
- Buy the Kindle eReader for $79
- Buy the Kindle Touch for $99
- Buy the Kindle Fire for $199
The $79 Kindle eReader with non-touchscreen navigation is the fourth generation Kindle eReader, and is 30% lighter and 18% smaller than the Kindle 3. Navigation is handled by four physical control buttons beneath the display and a scrolling track pad. The Kindle Touch eReader is 8% lighter and 11% smaller than the Kindle 3, and is navigated entirely by multi-capacitive touch gestures. The display on both devices is 6 inches, and continues Amazon’s E-ink Pearl display technology.
The $99 Kindle Touch offers 4 GB of built-in storage and can hold up to 3,000 e-Books, while the $79 Kindle with special offers comes with 2 GB of built-in storage and the capacity to hold approximately 1,400 e-books. However, Amazon includes free and unlimited lifetime Cloud Storage for all Amazon content with both eReaders, effectively giving both devices limitless storage capabilities and access. The Amazon Kindle Touch eReader offers 60 days eReading ability on a single charge, while the non-touchscreen Kindle eReader holds a charge for only 30 days. Both of those battery measurements were obtained reading 30 minutes a day with Wi-Fi off.
Both the $99 Kindle Touch and the $79 Kindle with special offers employ an experimental, custom-made version of the Android operating system, and both devices use Wi-Fi technology. Both the $99 Kindle Touch and the $79 non-touchscreen Kindle display special money-saving offers on the home screen and screen savers, and these special offers are never displayed inside content.
- Buy the Kindle eReader for $79
- Buy the Kindle Touch for $99
- Buy the Kindle Fire for $199
