kindle2a[1] On CNet’s “Crave” gadget blog, David Carnoy points out that Amazon is still stocking “refurbished” units (possibly just leftover new units) of the 2nd-generation Kindle and Kindle DX at $159.99 and $289.99 each.

The question is, whether these units are worth the price. There is only $40 of difference between that refurbished 2nd-gen and a new 3rd-gen device, and the screen improvements are probably worth that. And the model with the better screen and wifi only is $20 cheaper.

The price difference between the older and newer $359 DX is a bit higher at $70, but again comes down to the question of just how much that new higher-contrast screen is worth. And for just a bit more than either you can get a color iPad.

I would be a bit hesitant myself about spending that much money on a refurb. If you’re going to put that much money into it already, you might as well spend a little more and get the newest version.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Personally, I’ve never had a lick of trouble with my three refurbs: an iMac, a MacBook and an iPod touch. The only difference I could see was that the packaging was plain. I imagine the same is true for Amazon Kindles.

    My real problem with Kindles is that they’re too linked to Amazon, otherwise I’d have already bought a Kindle 3. Getting documents from other sources is either impossible (due to DRM and formats) or a nuisance involving emails or hand transfers via USB for non-DRMed material. What I want is a Kindle that’s as versatile and easy to use as printing to paper.

    My iPod touch may have a tiny screen, but it can read ebooks from almost every ebook source: Apple, Amazon and B&N. Applications such as Instapaper (for reading web pages) and TaskPaper (for noting down ideas) synch automatically with their counterparts on my Macs via WiFi. And I love how a touch slips into a pocket. If I got an iPad, I’d have to carry it around in a case, fretting about theft. If I do that, I might as well carry my MacBook, get a bit more exercise, and enjoy the $500 I’ve saved.

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