Kindle Keyboard on the way out?

Since I first wrote about the holiday sellouts of the $99 Special Offers Kindle Keyboard, another changes has come over the Amazon Kindle Family photo. On any Kindle device page, you usually get a lineup of all the Kindle editions, but now there is another one missing (the DX has been missing for some time). - the Kindle Keyboard, Wi-Fi has completely disappeared. When I first started this post, there were actually a few still in stock (new and refurbished, sold by Amazon), but now those are gone, as well (although you can still get a refurbished Kindle Keyboard, Wi-Fi, includes Special Offers for $89.99, at least right now, you can). Rumors of deep discounts on the Kindle Keyboard, 3G+Wi-Fi, includes Special Offers at various Target stores are all over the Amazon forums, as well, which leads me to believe that the Keyboards are going to be quietly retired.

If you've wanted one for a family member to upgrade or as a backup for reading or web access (the 3G Kindle Keyboards have free 3G web access, while the newer Touch models are all limited to web access via WiFi only), you better act fast. If you are buying for Christmas, you technically have until tomorrow to place your order, but that presumes that they stay in stock. Apparently they have been gone from the UK store for some time, so I don't think it'll be long before we don't see them here anymore, either.

The good news is that Amazon has managed to not sell out of any of the new models of Kindles this year (although it appears a few models are only being shipped to the US right now), unlike in previous years. With them confirming on one of their Twitter feeds that they are selling a million units a week (over three million in the first three weeks of December), that's a welcome change.

• Kindle Keyboard, Wi-Fi, includes Special Offers out of stock; refurbished $89.99
• Kindle Keyboard, Wi-Fi out of stock
• Kindle Keyboard, 3G+Wi-Fi, includes Special Offers $139
• Kindle Keyboard, 3G+Wi-Fi $189; refurbished $129.99
• Kindle DX, 3G+Wi-Fi $379; refurbished $244.99
• Kindle, Wi-Fi, includes Special Offers $79
• Kindle, Wi-Fi $109
• Kindle, Touch, Wi-Fi, includes Special Offers $99 (*)
• Kindle, Touch, Wi-Fi $139 (*)
• Kindle, Touch, 3G+Wi-Fi, includes Special Offers $149 (*)
• Kindle, Touch, 3G+Wi-Fi $189 (*)
• Kindle Fire, (Wi-Fi only) $199 (*)

(*) Order now. Orders are prioritized on a first come, first served basis. U.S. only

Free Kindle Game - Puzzazz Holiday Gift

Puzzazz, maker of active content games for the Kindle, has a Holiday Gift for you today - a sampler of the different types of games that they create.

Game Description
The Puzzazz Holiday Gift is a sample collection of all-new, never before published puzzles designed to put you in the holiday spirit. This free sampler contains some of the great hand-crafted puzzles you're used to from Puzzazz.

There's a little bit of everything including Word Search, Sudoku, Wordoku puzzles. There is also a Word Search for kids by Helene Hovanec, and a special Puzzle Mystery by Emily Dietrich. It won't take long for you to immerse yourself in the puzzles.

Whether you're an expert puzzler or looking for an introduction into a variety of great puzzle experiences, the Puzzazz Holiday Gift is our holiday gift to you!

Free Books (Kindle) - The Horse Charmer [AU]

The Horse Charmer, the first title in the Phantom Stallion: Wild Horse Island children's series by Terri Farley, is free for Australian customers in the Kindle store.

Book Description
Darby Carter loves horses, even though she's never actually ridden one. Darby's grandfather is an expert rider—in fact, he owns a horse ranch in Hawaii. So when he agrees to take her in—along with the beautiful mustang Darby saved on the range in Nevada—she knows she can't refuse, even if she is a little terrified!

But Darby's filly arrives in bad shape, and Darby's grandfather wonders if the wild horse will ever trust a human again. Can Darby take the reins and save her horse—or has she lost the mustang forever?

Free Book (Kindle) - The Tiny Fork Diet [UK]

The Tiny Fork Diet (Main/UK), by Lord Alan Sugar, is free for UK customers in the Kindle store. This is a single chapter (#7) from The Way I See It (US/UK), but you can't get it as a sample (the sample doesn't even give you all of chapter one).

Book Description
Alan Sugar is back, and this time he's taking on the world in this entertaining, opinionated and funny new book. You'll learn what he thinks of over-priced poncy restaurants and discover his latest weight-loss regime, the Tiny Fork Diet. He explains why would-be entrepreneurs should stop moaning, reveals the secrets of his own success and explains why today's health and safety culture is stifling business, as well as being an insult to our intelligence. He also insists we should stop spouting jargon and speak plain English, tells us what's wrong with teenagers and why he respects Katie Price more than most celebrities.

Crammed full of brilliant stories, amusing rants and sound advice, The Way I See It is Lord Sugar's last word on life, the universe and everything from the nation's favourite straight-talking businessman.

Today's Deals

Play the Puzzle contest at Kobo, daily thru Christmas!

Additional formats on free books:

• Abandon Changes (Kindle US)
• The Whole Bible Story (Kindle US/nook)

Today is the last day to take advantage of these KSO deals:

• Get 30% off yoga and fitness

Forget Me Not ($1.99), by Jennifer Lowe-anker, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.

Book Description
An insightful and at times wrenching memoir of love lost and love found, set against a backdrop of the world's tallest peaks

In 1999 Jennifer Lowe's husband Alex Lowe died tragically in an avalanche on the Himalayan mountain Shishapangma, leaving her alone to raise three sons. Alex was widely considered one of the greatest modern climbers and the world mourned his loss--Tom Brokaw did a one-hour special for Dateline, and Sting narrated and composed music for a tribute film.

While Jenni and her sons faced the absence of the most important man in their lives, Alex's best friend and longtime climbing partner, Conrad Anker, was dealing with the terrible loss as well as feelings of survivor's guilt. Jenni and Conrad gradually, and unexpectedly, found solace in one another and married in 2001--Conrad is now the adoptive father of the three Lowe children.

Through letters and expedition notes from Alex, Forget Me Not spans continents and tells the story of three people whose lives intertwine to a degree they could never have imagined. Jenni's account takes readers inside a woman's heart and mind as she navigates her shattered life and survives, ultimately finding transformative love through her great loss. From the valleys of Montana to the peaks of the Himalayas, this never-before told story exposes the controversial yet ultimately redemptive power of love.

After Obsession ($1.54 / £0.99 UK), by Steven E. Wedel and Carrie Jones, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.96).

Book Description
Aimee and Alan have unusual pasts and secrets they prefer to keep hidden. Aimee's deceased mother struggled with mental illness and hallucinations, and Aimee thinks it could be hereditary. After all, she sees a shadowy river man where there isn't one. And then there was that time she and her best friend Courtney tried to conjure a spirit with a Ouija board . . .

Alan is Courtney's cousin. His family moved to Maine when Courtney's father went missing. It's not just Alan's dark good looks that make him attractive. He is also totally in touch with a kind of spiritual mysticism from his Native American heritage. And it's not long before Aimee has broken up with her boyfriend . . .

But it's not Aimee or Alan who is truly haunted - it's Courtney. In a desperate plea to find her father, Courtney invites a demonic presence into her life. Together, Aimee and Alan must exorcise the ghost, before it devours Courtney - and everything around her.

Staying at Daisy's ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Jill Mansell, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. If you've had your ereader for a while, you probably have this one already, as it was offered free this past March.

Book Description
Jill Mansell is a huge internationally bestselling author with 22 novels and over 4 million copies sold. Our first six U.S. editions have sold over 85,000 copies.

Hotel manager Daisy MacLean thinks she has people all figured out. When she meets cocky, sarcastic Dev Tyzack, it's a no brainer-stay away. But as guests come and go, Daisy realizes Dev is the one person she wants to stay.