Amazons Kindle ebook readers have been leaders in their field ever since their introduction. However, in 2011 Amazon has adopted an aggressive pricing policy which is making the Kindle a very attractive proposition for anyone looking to buy their first ebook reader. Starting at $79 with special offers (£89 in the UK) the Kindle is looking very affordable for most people. 
Each e-ink Kindle is available at different pricing depending on whether you want on screen special offers, which is another term for advertising. . According to Amazon, “special offers and sponsored screensavers display on Kindle when you’re not reading.” The premium to avoid advertising is $30 for the base Kindle or $40 for the Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G.
The basic Kindle is the smallest and lightest of the 3 models. Unlike the other two models it does not have touch screen and relies on side buttons for page turning. It also lacks any audio facility so cannot give either text to speech or background music. The lack of sophistication is reflected in its price.
For the additional $20 with “special offers” or $30 without the Kindle Touch offers touch screen and audio backup. It also has a new x-ray feature that allows you to view what Amazon call the “bones of the book”. How useful this will be I am not certain. The Kindle Touch like the Kindle 3G is bigger and heavier than the Kindle but against this the battery life is considerably longer and the Touch represents good value.
The Kindle Touch 3G comes in at $149 or $189 without “special offers”. The basic difference between this and the Touch model is that you get 3G wireless connection which allows you to download and gain Internet access when you are way from normal Internet or Wi Fi access. Whether this represents a good buy depends upon the amount of time you expect to be away from .civilization! The good point is that unlike most 3G connections there is no charge.
My personal choice is the Kindle Touch which has more than enough features for the price
• E Ink display with multi-touch
• Read in Sunlight – Kindle’s high contrast, E Ink touchscreen reads like real paper, with no glare.
• Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s
• Over 800,000 titles for $9.99 or less
• Long battery life
• Transfer MP3 files to Kindle Touch to play as background music while you read.
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