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Ads on the New Kindles – Unsubscribing is Easy as 1-2-3 … and $15

Ads on the New Kindles – Unsubscribing is Easy as 1-2-3 … and $15

We’ll have our first detailed hands-on reviews of the Kindle Fire HD later this week, but we did want to share some basic information about the on-Kindle ads that have created a bit of controversy. Amazon had a bit of a hiccup about this at launch, but they’ve straightened things out reasonably well.

First, the new Kindle HD units that are supposed to arrive Friday are ad-supported. Revenue from ads is clearly part of the equation that allowed Amazon to price these units below $200.

Second, it’s a snap to turn the ads off directly on your Manage Your Kindle page, and the cost of “unsubscribing” is $15, compared with $30 for previous ad-supported eInk Kindles.

Third, I hope you’ll give yourself a couple of days to work with the ad-supported Kindle Fire HD, if you’ve got one on the way, before you pull the plug on the ads. They are totally unintrusive to the reading experience, and my experience with the ad-supported eInk Kindle (which we took to calling the Kindeal) has been that the ads paid for themselves in a very short time, as I explained in this July 2011 post:


But if you do want to pull the plug on the ads, like I say, it’s a snap. Just go to your
Manage Your Kindle page, locate and select Manage Your Devices, and find the Kindle in question, as here:

MYK20

Then click on the link that says Edit next to the word Subscribed, and you’ll see this dialogue box pop up:

 

Screen Shot 2012-09-11 at 7.22.02 PM
Make your selection, and you’re done!



Links for the New Kindles

First, here’s an important tip for everyone interested in getting one of the new Kindle Fire HD units into their hands as quickly as possible: While most of the new Kindle Fire HD models will be released in November, the brand new $199 16GB Kindle Fire HD 7″ model with Dolby audio, 2 antennas, and dual-band wi-fi will be released NEXT FRIDAY, Sept 14 – here’s a link to get your order in right away http://bit.ly/FIRE-HD-SEPT14 (And by the way, this is the Kindle Fire that will be going to winners of our weekly Kindle Fire giveaway sweepstakes. We’ll be announcing not one but two winners in the next few days.)

Important Links for New Kindle Accessories, Warranties, and More

Kindle Fire Accessories

Kindle E-reader Accessories

Kindle Fire Warranties

Kindle eReader Warranties

14,000+ Titles That Are Now Eligible for Amazon’s Cool New WhisperSync for Voice Program

With New AT&T Sponsorship Deal, Amazon Announces a Price Cut for KINDEAL! “Kindle 3G with Special Offers” Reduced to $139!

New price for Kindle 3G with Special Offers is $139 – still no monthly fee or annual contract
Never pay for or hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot

Amazon announced today that AT&T has agreed to sponsor Kindle 3G with Special Offers — the 3G version of the device we like to call the KINDEAL — and that it is now available at a new price of $139. Kindle 3G with Special Offers is the same as the $189 Kindle 3G, plus money-saving special offers and sponsored screensavers.

(However, if you are in the market for a brand new Kindle 3G, don’t miss out on Kindle Nation’s latest Kindle 3G giveaway sweepstakes, co-sponsored by bestselling novelist M.J. Rose. Just click here to check out her novel THE HALO EFFECT, the first book in the Butterfield Institute series, while it is priced at just 99 cents, then click here to enter our Kindle 3G sweepstakes! This will be the fourth Kindle we’ve given away this year at Kindle Nation.)*

“Kindle 3G is more convenient – customers never have to hunt for or pay for a Wi-Fi hotspot – they simply download and read books anytime, anywhere. Kindle 3G customers read 20 percent more books, and take advantage of twice as many special offers,” said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com. “A big thank you to AT&T for helping to make the new $139 price possible.”

“Kindle 3G is by far the fastest-growing connected device on the AT&T network. We consistently hear from customers how much they enjoy the freedom of not being tied to a Wi-Fi hotspot and instead being able to download and read new books anytime, anywhere on AT&T’s fast, reliable network,” said Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We are excited to sponsor Amazon’s best Kindle – Kindle 3G with Special Offers – at the new lower price of only $139.”

Kindle 3G includes all the same features that helped make the third-generation Kindle the #1 bestselling e-reader in the world:

  • Free 3G wireless, no annual contracts, no monthly fees
  • Global 3G coverage means books in under 60 seconds in over 100 countries and territories
  • Paper-like Pearl electronic ink display, no glare even in bright sunlight
  • Lightweight body for hours of comfortable reading with one hand
  • Kindle Store with over 950,000 books – largest selection of the most popular books
  • Seamless integration with free “Buy Once, Read Everywhere” Kindle apps for iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Android, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Windows Phone

Here’s a link to Amazon’s complete press release this morning.

*No purchase is necessary to enter any Kindle Nation sweepstakes.

Amazon Reduces Kindle 3G Price $25 to $164 with New KINDLE 3G+WI-FI WITH SPECIAL OFFERS

“KINDEAL 3G” – Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi with Special Offers – $164

It’s not the Kindle Tablet, but there’s a new member of the Kindle family this evening!

You can now buy a 3G+Wi-Fi 6″ Kindle for just $164. It’s what we call the KINDEAL, and what Amazon calls the Kindle with Special Offers.

I’ve owned the $114 Wi-Fi KINDEAL  for several weeks and it has already paid for itself with special deals for things that I would have purchased even without the deals. The $114 Wi-Fi KINDEAL is already the #1 bestselling product at Amazon, but don’t be surprised if it gives way soon to this new $164 3G + Wi-Fi KINDEAL.

For the record, the sponsored screen savers on the KINDEAL are no more bothersome than the old literary portrait screensavers had become, and otherwise I never see an ad unless I choose to see an ad. When Amazon offers me books, music, and other products at prices significantly less than I was prepared to pay, I choose to see those ads, just as I tend to grab the supermarket circular when I walk into the supermarket.

You can order the new “KINDEAL 3G” – Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi with Special Offers – $164 now for immediate shipment and have it, depending on when you read this and where you live, on Thursday or Friday.

Here’s Amazon’s press release:

Introducing the Lowest Price 3G E-Reader – Kindle 3G with Special Offers for Only $164

Same features as latest-generation Kindle 3G – free 3G wireless, Pearl E Ink display, up to two months of battery life and more – plus sponsored screensavers and money-saving special offers

SEATTLE, May 24, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — (NASDAQ:AMZN)–Last month, Amazon.com introduced Kindle with Special Offers, a new member of the Kindle family that gives customers access to money-saving special offers. Just five weeks later, Kindle with Special Offers became the bestselling member of the Kindle family in the U.S. Today, Amazon announced that it is now making special offers available for Kindle 3G. Kindle 3G with Special Offers is available starting today for only $164 and ships immediately. At just $164, Kindle 3G with Special Offers is the lowest price of any 3G e-reader, and includes the latest Pearl electronic ink display. Learn more about the entire Kindle family, including the $114 Kindle with Special Offers and the new $164 Kindle 3G with Special Offers, at www.amazon.com/kindle3G.

“Kindle is the bestselling e-reader in the world. It’s been just six weeks since we introduced the new $114 Kindle with Special Offers, and already customers have made it the bestselling member of the Kindle family,” said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle. “In response to customer requests, we’re now making these money-saving special offers available for Kindle 3G. You will get all the features readers love about Kindle 3G – free 3G wireless, global wireless access, Pearl electronic ink display that’s easy to read even in bright sunlight, access to over 950,000 ‘Buy Once, Read Everywhere’ Kindle books – all for just $164 – the lowest price for any 3G e-reader.”

Special offers that will be available in the coming weeks include:

 

  • $10 for a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card – customers loved this offer, so we’re making it available again in time for Father’s Day
  • Save up to $500 off Amazon’s already low prices on HDTVs with a unique 20% discount on 200 HDTVs from brands including Sony, Panasonic, LG, and VIZIO
  • $1 for a Kindle book, choose from thousands of books including Water for Elephants and the Hunger Games trilogy
  • Spend $10 on Kindle books and get a free $10 Amazon.com Gift Card

Kindle 3G with Special Offers includes all the same features that helped make the third-generation Kindle the #1 bestselling product in the history of Amazon.com:

 

  • Free 3G wireless , no annual contracts, no monthly fees
  • Global 3G coverage means books in under 60 seconds in over 100 countries and territories
  • Paper-like Pearl electronic ink display, no glare even in bright sunlight
  • Lightweight 8.7 ounce body for hours of comfortable reading with one hand
  • Up to two months of battery life with wireless off eliminates battery anxiety
  • Kindle Store with over 950,000 books – largest selection of the most popular books
  • Seamless integration with free “Buy Once, Read Everywhere” Kindle apps for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Windows Phone

Kindle 3G with Special Offers is available for immediate shipment to customers in the U.S. at www.amazon.com/kindle3G.

Learn more about the new Kindle 3G with Special Offers at www.amazon.com/aboutkindlespecialoffers. Advertisers and agencies interested in learning more about Kindle sponsorship opportunities can contact kindle-sponsorships@amazon.com.

Update on the New KINDEAL: So Far At Least, Kindle Deals Are Like a License to Print Money!

I mentioned in a post on Friday that in the first 24 hours with my new Kindeal, I was up $35.

Forty-eight hours later, the tally is up to $45, because today I responded to my Kindeal’s offer of a $20 Amazon.com gift card for $10.

Here’s the only tally that counts on these Kindle deals, in my view:

  • Cost of a Kindle Wi-Fi at Time of My Kindeal Purchase: $139
  • Direct Savings with Kindeal, as of May 11, 2011: $45.00
  • Number of Times a Kindeal Ad Has Interrupted My Reading: 0

Note to Amazon: I have no plans to buy a Buick or hundreds of dollars worth of Olay products, but keep those deals coming where I get what is essentially currency for half price and I’m your guy! At this rate, the Kindeal may save me $139 and pay for itself before it is one month old!

But that doesn’t mean that the Kindeal is the best deal currently on the table for a new Kindle. It’s strictly up to you, and here are the contenders including special “Mother’s Day” Gft Card deals:

Amazon’s Share Price Soars, and So Does the Kindeal!

It’s been quite a week for Amazon and the Kindle.

On Tuesday the company announced its quarterly earnings, which the pundits said “disappointed the market,” because, despite record-setting top-line sales and growth not seen since the dot-com boom, the company chose to invest heavily in innovations and fulfillment infrastructure aimed at generating even greater sales in the future.

How did the market disappointment play out? For about 15 minutes — roughly the attention span of most day traders — Amazon shares fell sharply in Tuesday’s after-hours trading. The AMZN share price then proceeded to regain nearly all of the initial loss, and when the market opened Wednesday morning the stock soared to close at a new all-time high of $196.63, up nearly 15% since the launch of the Amazon Cloud Drive on March 28 and about 150% since the launch of the Kindle in November 2007.

Speaking of the Kindle, as we tend to do here, something else that made this a big week for Amazon is that the company outdelivered this week on its initial promise to ship the new $114 KINDEAL (as we like calling the Kindle with Special Offers) by May 3. Amazon started shipping the KinDeal yesterday, and mine arrived here in Arlington today.

I like it, and I can say that, so far at least, the “deals” and “sponsored screensavers” are unintrusive and have absolutely no effect on the Kindle reading experience as I have been enjoying it for over three years now. In terms of the reading experience, there is no difference.

I have seen four deals so far, mainly because I have made a point of searching them out. I have seen three separate sponsored screen savers, and they are certainly as easy on the eyes as John Steinbeck. I have not purchased a Buick or an Olay product, but I did click to have one of the two VISA offers emailed to me. As a result I will receive a $10 Amazon promotional credit will be applied my Amazon account after I make a VISA card my default 1-click payment method and purchase one of 48 qualifying, and generally appealing, Kindle books associated with the offer. Only one of the 48 books, when I checked, was priced above $9.99, and over half were priced below $8.

I will be buying a book that I had already intended to buy — probably A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole for $7.92 — so, depending on how you look at it, along with the $25 reduction in the Kindeal price compared with $139 wi-fi Kindle, I’m up either $27.08 or $35 since my Kindeal arrived four hours ago.

As I’ve said before, it’s not for everyone. But so far at least, it’s definitely for me, and for a lot of other smart people.

The way I see it, it has been a pretty good week for Kindle. And I will have a post later on about something else that Amazon has done that (a) is very smart, (b) proves that the company can walk and chew gum, figuratively speaking, at the same time, and (c) could put an extra 25 bucks in yo’ Mama’s pocketbook next week. Or, for that matter, in yours!

From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: Q&A About the New $114 “Kindeal”

 

Thanks to Kindle Nation citizen Kim for a great email with some smart questions about what to expect with the new $114 Kindle with Special Offers, prefaced by some very kind words about Kindle Nation, which of course we did not mind in the least.

 

As you may have noticed on our Facebook page, we’ve taken to using Kindle Nation citizen Roger K’s felicitous handle for the Kindle with Special Offers. We just can’t go with a four-word name, around these parts we will be calling it the Kindeal, which we personally consider positive rather than snarky or negative. But we digress, so here is Kim’s email:

 

Hey Steve and the KND team!
First let me say that you guys are awesome!  I subscribe to both your blog through my Kindle and your email newsletter… the information and deals provided are invaluable!  I recently purchased my first Kindle (ver 3, bought in Sept of 2010), and I just LOVE it!  Thanks for providing such a great service to the Kindle-sphere!!
I have a couple of questions about the new Kindle with Special Offers that is soon to be released.  While I know you may not have ALL the answers, you guys seem to have A LOT of the answers before we even ask the questions!  I tried to get information from the Amazon website, but the details about this new product are very vague.  I’m thinking of buying one of these, since I think it might “save” me money in the long run, but am still on the fence.  The answers to these questions might help me make up my mind:
1)  Will the deals offered have expiration dates?
2)  How often will new deals be offered?
3)  Since I’m assuming that this is an “experiment”, is it possible that sponsors will decide not to partner with this product and it will just become a “plain” Kindle in the future?
Thanks again in advance for any insight you can provide!
Kim
Kim, you’re right, neither we nor anyone else outside Amazon has “all the answers” on this, but Amazon’s current and past practices and partnerships conspire to make the answers to these three questions crystal clear — with the caveat that at least until the Kindeal ships on May 3, these will just be my opinions. I’ll take them at a time using your question numbers:
  1. Yes, all or nearly all the deals offered on the Kindeal will have expiration dates. I believe that Amazon will operate with the same definition of a “deal” that applies to the Amazon Deal of the Day, Groupon, LivingSocial, Woot, and the shortlived Kindle Deal of the Day program that ran for about a week as a beta before it was shut down very early this year: a deep discount for an expressly stated limited time that would usually be measured in hours and, at most, in days.
  2. At the very least, we can expect new deals to be offered every day on the Kindeal. These will always be accessed via a link at the bottom of the Home display, so that you have to choose to see them beyond a teaser line or two, although it is possible — but unlikely, I think — that deals might be introduced occasionally in the form of a sponsored screensaver as well.
  3. I think there is zero chance that the inventory of deals and sponsors will dry up so that the Kindeal would just become a cheaper Kindle. In addition to its own vast retail inventory, Amazon has as much access to retailers, manufacturers and publishers who will be drawn to this model as any company in the world, and has only strengthened that range through its active participation in Woot, LivingSocial, and its own Deal of the Day and GoldBox programs.
I’m sufficiently interested in the new Kindeal — and perhaps also that my job requires me to know how Amazon is pursuing this — that I have decided to spring for the Kindeal. If you’d like to join me at this $114 price, here’s a formal link with Amazon’s own terminology: Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6″ Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers.
Meanwhile, I’ve got to decide what to do with my old Kindle Wi-Fi. Shall I hold a giveaway? A charity auction? A Facebook Sweepstakes? Or should I give it to my personal assistant and her 8-year-old daughter, who are homeschoolers? I’ll let you know in next week’s weekly digest of Kindle Nation posts,, on April 29….