E-book reader price wars are raging again. Weeks after the launch of low-priced versions of the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook, rival Borders has cut the price of its two already-cheap readers, the Kobo and Aluratek eBook Reader Pro.
The company also began taking pre-orders for two new color devices that ship on September 30: the Velocity Micro Cruz Reader, $200, and the Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet, $300.
The relatively new Kobo, with its 6-inch screen, will cost $129, effective tomorrow, down from the original $149. That higher price is what the junior Nook costs, while the new budget Kindle is $139; those are both also 6-inch devices. The Aluratek, an older 5-inch device that's in our Ratings (available to subscribers) and is still listed on Borders at $129, will now cost $99.
But the Kobo and Aluratek will still have trouble competing with the Nook and Kindle, due to their connectivity--or lack thereof. Where the cheaper Nook and Kindle both offer Wi-Fi capability (rather than the Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity of their $189 versions), both Borders devices require tethering to a computer via USB cable to get new content, a significant drawback in a portable device.
The new Cruz devices both boast 7-inch color touchscreens, albeit with differing technologies, and will weigh in at around a pound. The $300 version is very much sold as a tablet, rather than a reader.
We plan to get both Cruz devices soon and test them in our labs. We are already testing the Kobo, and plan to add it next month to our e-book reader Ratings.––Paul Reynolds.
Previous
Post a comment
Comments: