Back in November, 2007, Amazon shocked the world with the release of the Kindle eReader. Nobody else had produced an eReader like the Amazon Kindle. It was lightweight, had a great screen for viewing eBooks even in bright light conditions. It also had an extremely long battery life.
However, since 2007, dozens of manufacturers have come on board with eReaders much more capable than the Kindle. Amazon did respond with the Kindle DX and the Kindle 2, but even those are falling short when it comes to more feature-packed eReaders such as the iPad and Barnes & Noble Nook. Even Borders has released its own eReader, the Kobo, which is over $100 cheaper than the Kindle.
Barnes & Noble came on strong with the release of the Nook. It has every feature that the Kindle does, plus it also boasts a full color control panel at the bottom which the Kindle is clearly lacking. It also includes Wi-Fi, allows one hour of free ebook reading in their stores, and even allows you to lend ebooks to other Nook users. All features that all models of the Kindle do not have. The biggest slap in the face to Amazon came with the price. $259 with free shipping - the exact same price as the Amazon Kindle. So unless you are endebted to Amazon for some reason, why would you even consider the Kindle when you can get the Nook for the same price?The Apple iPad clearly blows away the Kindle in terms of functionality. Again, the Apple iPad has every feature that the Kindle does, plus much, much more. The iPad includes a full color screen, has the ability to stream video and audio, can download applications built for the iPhone and is really more like a tablet sized computer than an eReader. The only real downside to the iPad is the price. The iPad is almost double the cost of the Kindle. But, if you are looking for the most feature packed eReader on the market today, the iPad is clearly the choice for you.
Borders recently jumped onto the scene with the Kobo eReader. Borders is going for the low-end eReader market as it is priced well below the Kindle at only $150. Although, the Kobo does not have WiFi or even 3G capability, it does have bluetooth and USB connectivity. Is it worth an extra $100 to have 3G or WiFi? They are betting that most potential customers will say no. And if that is true, then Amazon is in trouble. With the Nook coming in at the same price with more features, and the Kobo coming in at $100 less with slightly less features, it doesn't leave much of a market for the Amazon Kindle.
If Amazon wants to keep a piece of the eReader market, they better come out with a Kindle 3, and do it very soon! The competition has come on really strong, and it most certainly isn't going to let up as the market keeps growing. With Apple coming on board, this means some stiff competition in the eReader market. So, Amazon, get with it! Time for a Kindle 3, and it better be sooner rather than later!
Matan Josefsberg is a professional writer and a book lover who discovered ereaders about a year ago using the Amazon Kindle and since then decided to review the entire range of electronic book readers available on the market. He is the owner of http://www.best-ereaders.com
By Matan Josefsberg
