The Kindle Killer Strikes Again

Let's recap:

1. Ivette's first Kindle, murdered because she (who blames PJ) sat on it. This was a first generation Kindle.
2. Ivette's second Kindle, sort of died while in her custody. No physical signs of abuse, the thing just turned itself into a brick. I am almost sure this was a Kindle 2. 
3. Ivette's third Kindle, a Kindle 3 Wifi, dead under suspicious circumstances. It looks almost exactly like #1, but she is too willing to blame PJ for it instead of owning up to it.

So there we have it, three dead Kindles.

Here's #3:

Amazon's warranty doesn't cover accidental damage, and a new Kindle Wifi with offers is just $114. Today we have our usual weekly shopping trip with PJ so we picked one up at BJ Wholesale for $109. After sales tax it was $114.45. My "old" Kindle 3 Wifi is now hers:

She didn't like that it said "Pedro's Kindle" on the title bar, so I changed it :-)

Now, people are curious about what is different about the "sponsored" Kindles. Basically you get ads on the screen saver, and a tiny ad strip on the bottom of the home page:

Screen saver ad

Home screen ad

Notice the home screen ad strip is barely as tall as two book entries. Except for these two changes, I can't find anything else different. From the "Manage Your Kindle" screen there is an additional choice to fine tune the kinds of ads that you would like to see less or more.

As for the 3G + Wifi with offers version, I really don't see the point in spending the extra money for a feature I will never use. I only use my Kindle at home, when I am on the road I read off my phone. If I ever go on a longer trip I will simply bring the Kindle too and make sure it is loaded before I leave, no need to rely on the 3G.

Related articles

• Amazon Launches Lower-Price, Ad Supported Kindle 3G (shoppingblog.com)