What Blackberry called, “The best thing since the first Blackberry” is now seeing yet another price redection to the price of $200 for the 16GB model. This QNX powered tablet launched without email, calender and contacts applications which made it feel as though the device was rushed. This was origionally priced at $500, but this price drop should help sales a lot, though it is now in direct competition with the Amazon Kindle Fire also priced at $200. It is not known when this will be happening, but it should be coming before the holidays arrive. Which would you choose?

Amazon's Kindle Fire

When the Kindle Fire was introduced back in September, there were some skeptical people. Many thought that Amazon reaching the $200 price point would mean the tablet experience would be much worse than on other tablets at higher price points. They mentioned the lack of cameras, Bluetooth, a microphone, and more. But it doesn’t matter. Here’s why.

When doubters mention the lack of these features, they aren’t thinking of the Kindle Fire’s target market. The Fire is for people who want to sit back and just play some games, read books, and watch movies. The new document translation feature is also really awesome. For them, cameras, Bluetooth, and microphones don’t matter to them. All they want is a way to enjoy content. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, overall, I think the Kindle Fire will be great for people that just want to have an easy way to have a ton of content at their fingertips. And that’s what they’ll get. With Amazon Prime on the device, people will be able to stream tons of content for only $79 a year. That’s all most people need. With this price point, parents will be able to give their kids tablets without breaking the bank. The Fire will be what puts tablets into the hands of people that didn’t want to drop hundreds more for a more expensive tablet. And that’s what’s exciting.

The Amazon Kindle was released four years ago in 2007, and it has hit the world by storm. Many other companies have also changed with the times and released their own eReaders, but the Kindle remains dominant, and even allows some users to borrow books from libraries. Recently, with the announcement of the expansion of the family, including the new Kindle Fire tablet, there are a lot of options to consider. Here’s a basic rundown.

The Kindle 

 The most basic Kindle is only $79 and is Wi-Fi enabled, has 6 inch E-Ink display, and downloads books at blazing fast speeds. It weighs less than six ounces, and is definitely a bang for your buck. You can also pay $109 for a version that doesn’t display sponsored screen savers and special offers.

The Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G

The Kindle Touch and it’s 3G enabled version are essentially the same as the basic Kindle except with a touch screen. It is slightly smaller and lighter, and can hold up to 3,000 books. This model allows users to store audio books and music on it, giving people the choice of listening rather than reading. The 3G no longer allows internet browsing, but lets you download books anywhere you go. It will be released on November 21st, 2011, so get your pre-orders in!

The Kindle Keyboard and Kindle Keyboard 3G

The Kindle Keyboard offers a full keyboard for navigation and page turning, while only weighing 8.5 ounces and being 1/3 of an inch thick. It can hold up to 3,500 books, and like the other Kindles, have an extremely long battery life that stretches beyond a month. The Kindle Keyboard is only $99 with the screen savers and special offers, while $139 without. The 3G enabled version is $139 with the screen savers and special offers and is $189 without. Decisions, decisions.

The Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire is Amazon’s first step into the growing tablet industry, and at only $199, this tablet’s sales will be on fire. It offers a 7 inch, multitouch display and is Wi-Fi compatible. It offers free cloud storage for everything on it, and allows users to surf the internet with Amazon Silk. Amazon Prime users will be able to stream TV shows and movies, and anyone can download from the 18 million shows, movies, books, and magazines Amazon has to offer. This baby is going to be released on November 15th, 2011.

So AT&T has decided it wants in in the sales of the Kindle. On March 6th, AT&T will be offering both the 3G and Wifi version of the Kindle. This doesn’t really changes anything about the device, but now whenever you’re in an AT&T store, you can check out this awesome little e-reader.

This week’s episode reviews and analyzes last week’s breaking news; including the Kindle 3.1 update, the HP TouchPad, the Canon T3i, and much, much more.

This was very fun to record, and we’re sad that the funniest parts had to be cut off- They were wildly off-topic.

Does anyone have any topics to discuss on the next podcast? You will be given a shoutout if your idea gets chosen.

Subscribe to The OTN Podcast RSS feed: http://www.omnitechnews.net/feed/otnpodcast/

Robert takes a look at the new Kindle 3.1 software. Check out release on omnitechnews.net:
http://www.omnitechnews.net/blog/2011/02/07/kindle-software-update-3-1-now-available-includes-real-page-numbers-and-public-notes/

If you would like to download the 3.1 update, please go here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_navbox_top_kindlelg?nodeId=200529700

Don’t expect your Kindle to automatically push the update just yet, but if you’re really desperate you can get a preview of software update 3.1 for the latest generation Kindle. The update adds a feature in which you can share your notes with others and view the notes of those you follow, and you can also view real page numbers that match the print version of the book’s page numbers. Also in this update’s a new layout for magazines and newspaper and a new “before you go” feature that allows to yo rate a book once you’ve finished and share a note on it on your social networks.

If you think you’re ready, click here to download said update.

Amazon has just announced the next generation of Kindle! Set to be released on August 27th, this new Kindle is 21% smaller, 15% lighter, and has a 20% faster E Ink refresh rate. It will come in 2 colors: the new graphite and the original white. The 3rd gen. Kindle will be available in a $139 WiFi only version and a $189 WiFi+3G version. Other improvements include better battery life, increased storage (4GB), an experimental WebKit browser, and higher display contrast. These are the main updates in the new device but there are some other minor tweaks to the hardware and software. Overall, pretty cool.

Update: It’s already available to pre-order right here: http://amzn.to/cdW4XZ

It’s been over a year since the Kindle DX was released so it was only a matter of time before a refresh. The Kindle got a price drop earlier this week and now it’s the DX’s turn to take the spotlight. The new DX will feature a new 9.7 inch display which is 50% brighter. It will also come with a graphite black finish. It will cost $379 and is available for pre-order today. The new DX will ship on July 7th.