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The color model is uncharacteristically expensive for Kindle at $280, more than the color Kobos which are $220 for the same 7" size (which also has physical but

The color model is uncharacteristically expensive for Kindle at $280, more than the color Kobos which are $220 for the same 7" size (which also has physical buttons and stylus support) or just $150 for the smaller 6" size. Kindles are usually the cheaper option, at the expense of being less amenable to sideloading and jailbreaking than Kobos are.

thimabi 2y ago
The color model is expensive, indeed. My guess is that they will quietly offer discounts after the hype goes away.
- geodel 2y ago
  Yeah, black friday is near. I am thinking older models will be given higher discount via their deal site woot.com. And latest model on Amazon with 20-50 dollars off depending on original price.
  - qzw 2y ago
    Don’t forget you can also trade in pretty much any old kindle in any condition for another 20% off (plus a few bucks for the old device itself).
    - geodel 2y ago
      I should have known before I gave away old kindles to my younger relatives :)
- grogenaut 2y ago
  the scribe was on a nice discount for fathers day and randomly in march this year
- thaumasiotes 2y ago
  All their splash art shows comics. That makes sense, inasmuch as comics are a primary reason you'd want color in a book. But it still strikes me as a bizarre choice, since Amazon is only offering colors in their tiny form factor. They also make a larger device, and if you want color, you can't have it. Comics are unreadable on a 7" kindle's tiny screen anyway. What's up with the marketing?
  - Avamander 2y ago
    The screen tech is a bit too expensive in larger sizes for now, so it'll take a bit until you'll get a large fast color e-ink screen.
    - thaumasiotes 2y ago
      >> What's up with the marketing? Why advertise a function that you know your device can't fulfill?
al_borland 2y ago
This article really buries the lead. It talks about updating monochrome kindles, when they just released their first color Kindle (not counting the Fire). I had to look elsewhere to confirm this was indeed a brand new line of products, and others give it top billing.
- Clamchop 2y ago
  It's because Ars ran a separate article just for the color Kindle. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/10/amazons-first-color-kindle-e-reader-the-kindle-colorsoft-will-run-you-280/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/10/amazons-first-color-...
- marcellus23 2y ago
  From the second paragraph of the article: > In addition to the monochrome e-readers, Amazon introduced its first color e-reader today. The new Kindle Colorsoft, covered in more detail here, looks almost identical to the new Paperwhite and launches on October 30 for $279.99.
BlindEyeHalo 2y ago
> being less amenable to sideloading and jailbreaking than Kobos are. jailbreaking sure but what is the issue with sideloading on kindles? You can either email them which is very practical for third party services that support it (I have a digital magazine subscription that supports this for example) or just drag and drop via USB or a manager like calibre. I have never had any issues getting documents on the Kindle.
- diffeomorphism 2y ago
  TLDR: Kindles just plain do not work with DRMed library books https://www.giga.de/artikel/onleihe-mit-amazon-kindle-nutzen-geht-das/ https://www.giga.de/artikel/onleihe-mit-amazon-kindle-nutzen... So the rule of thumb is that Kindles work well with Amazon books and very badly with everything else. Vice versa for non-kindle e-readers

thimabi 2y ago

The color model is expensive, indeed. My guess is that they will quietly offer discounts after the hype goes away.

geodel 2y ago
Yeah, black friday is near. I am thinking older models will be given higher discount via their deal site woot.com. And latest model on Amazon with 20-50 dollars off depending on original price.
- qzw 2y ago
  Don’t forget you can also trade in pretty much any old kindle in any condition for another 20% off (plus a few bucks for the old device itself).
  - geodel 2y ago
    I should have known before I gave away old kindles to my younger relatives :)
grogenaut 2y ago
the scribe was on a nice discount for fathers day and randomly in march this year
thaumasiotes 2y ago
All their splash art shows comics. That makes sense, inasmuch as comics are a primary reason you'd want color in a book. But it still strikes me as a bizarre choice, since Amazon is only offering colors in their tiny form factor. They also make a larger device, and if you want color, you can't have it. Comics are unreadable on a 7" kindle's tiny screen anyway. What's up with the marketing?
- Avamander 2y ago
  The screen tech is a bit too expensive in larger sizes for now, so it'll take a bit until you'll get a large fast color e-ink screen.
  - thaumasiotes 2y ago
    >> What's up with the marketing? Why advertise a function that you know your device can't fulfill?

al_borland 2y ago

This article really buries the lead. It talks about updating monochrome kindles, when they just released their first color Kindle (not counting the Fire). I had to look elsewhere to confirm this was indeed a brand new line of products, and others give it top billing.

Clamchop 2y ago
It's because Ars ran a separate article just for the color Kindle. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/10/amazons-first-color-kindle-e-reader-the-kindle-colorsoft-will-run-you-280/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/10/amazons-first-color-...
marcellus23 2y ago
From the second paragraph of the article: > In addition to the monochrome e-readers, Amazon introduced its first color e-reader today. The new Kindle Colorsoft, covered in more detail here, looks almost identical to the new Paperwhite and launches on October 30 for $279.99.

BlindEyeHalo 2y ago

> being less amenable to sideloading and jailbreaking than Kobos are. jailbreaking sure but what is the issue with sideloading on kindles? You can either email them which is very practical for third party services that support it (I have a digital magazine subscription that supports this for example) or just drag and drop via USB or a manager like calibre. I have never had any issues getting documents on the Kindle.

diffeomorphism 2y ago
TLDR: Kindles just plain do not work with DRMed library books https://www.giga.de/artikel/onleihe-mit-amazon-kindle-nutzen-geht-das/ https://www.giga.de/artikel/onleihe-mit-amazon-kindle-nutzen... So the rule of thumb is that Kindles work well with Amazon books and very badly with everything else. Vice versa for non-kindle e-readers