Update on Refurbished Kindles - $139 Once More

This morning, the price of the refurbished Kindles had risen, with a refurbished U.S. Kindle going for the same $189 price as a brand new global Kindle and the refurbished global Kindle was only $9 less. I was kicking myself for not buying one, as was at least one reader. This afternoon, the low prices have returned and the price of the refurbished global Kindle DX has dropped an additional $30.

Here is a current list of all the refurbished prices, which appears to subject to change at any moment. First, the US versions with Sprint wireless coverage:

• Kindle (6" Display, U.S. Wireless) ($139.99)
• Kindle DX (9.7" Display, U.S. Wireless) ($349.99)

These are the latest generation, global versions and have AT&T wireless coverage:

• Kindle (6" Display, Global Wireless) ($169.99)
• Kindle DX (9.7" Display, Global Wireless) ($369.99)

Free Game Download - Tradewinds Legends

This week's free game at Sandlot Games is a repeat from January: Tradewinds Legends ($6.95 Amazon Game Downloads). It's also one that I sat down and played all the way thru (it helped that it was bad weather all weekend, but there were plenty of books I could have been reading). That still leaves variations that can be played thru as other characters and I unlocked a new one by completing it the first time.

Game Description

• Trade And Battle With Legendary Heroes.
• Choose A Character Or Create Your Own
• Hundreds Of Special Items
• 10 Amazing Ports To Visit

Get carried away in this latest installment in the acclaimed Tradewinds Series. Sail, trade and battle with legendary heroes such as Sinbad in the mythical Far East. Enter a world of danger and intrigue as you complete over 100 unique tasks. Build a flotilla of ships armed with weaponry, both man-made and magic. Sail into the sky to discover new ports and engage in aerial combat with other magical sky ships. Encounter a world of legend, play Tradewinds Legends today!

Click HERE to sign up for the free download. For step by step purchase and installation instructions, see this post, which is the original one for this game.

Price War Continues - Kobo Effectively $129!

According to this press release, Borders has lowered the effective price of it's Kobo eReader to $129.00.You still pay $149 (plus sales tax, in most cases), but you'll receive a $20 gift card for use in the store and double rewards points (which is worth a bit more, in-store, as well). The Kobo is still on back order and has a new release date of July 2, according to their not-quite-ready ebookstore (although I did receive mine, on time, and the order page still shows a June 17 release date for the pre-order).

In the meantime, if you get the Borders App for your iPhone or iPad (and presumably the iPod Touch), you can show it in the cafe and get a free coffee. Presumably you could do the same with a notebook PC and the app, but that isn't in the release. The Borders web site, in fact, has nothing of any of these offers in site, unlike Amazon (who splashed it on their front page from the effective time of their price change), so you may want to print out that press release to take to the local store.

Refurbished Kindle for $139.99!

Yesterday, after the price drop on the 6" Kindle to $189.00, the refurbished units were selling for more than the new ones. Today, Amazon has dropped the price on all the refurbished Kindles, including the Kindle DX (still $489.00 new), undercutting the prices of Barnes & Noble's least expensive model, the nook Wi-Fi ($149) and Border's   You can now pick up a like-new (and fully warrantied) Kindle (6" Display, U.S. Wireless) for $139.99. I may have to return my Kobo eReader and get one of these as my backup reader, instead (especially since it is looking like Sprint has fixed my cellular connection problems, here at home).

Here is an updated list of all the refurbished prices. First, the US versions with Sprint wireless coverage:

• Kindle (6" Display, U.S. Wireless) ($139.99)
• Kindle DX (9.7" Display, U.S. Wireless) ($349.99)

These are the latest generation, global versions and have AT&T wireless coverage:

• Kindle (6" Display, Global Wireless) ($169.99)
• Kindle DX (9.7" Display, Global Wireless) ($399.99)

Kindle now $189!

Barnes and Noble started a price war this morning, when they dropped the price of the nook 3G + Wi-Fi to $199 and announced a new, wireless only (no 3G cellular), nook Wi-Fi to be priced at $149. The response was swift, as Amazon has just announced a new $189.00 price on the Kindle with global wireless. Currently in stock (and now cheaper than a refurbished unit), I'd expect a lot of orders on them at this price.

If you recently purchased (within the last 30 days), I'd contact Kindle Customer Service to see if you can get a credit on your account, as they have done this in the past after price drops on the Kindle. That avoids having to deal with the hassle of a return and re-order.