Staples will begin selling Amazon's Kindle later this fall. Jevin Eagle, executive v-p of merchandising and marketing for Staples, said the company "is not just bringing this incredible product to our 1,550-plus U.S. stores, but we are offering customers a chance to discover first-hand Amazon's revolutionary reading device. As part of our efforts to offer customers a wide range of top technology products and services at amazing values, the new Kindle is a natural fit." Staples will carry three Kindle models as well as a full line of accessories.
---
Borders will now have a $99 e-reader after announcing price cuts on
the Borders-compatible Aluratek Libre ($99.99, down from $119) as well as the Kobo eReader
($129, $20 off). CNET
reported that Borders is also "hoping to up the ante in the features
department with the upcoming Velocity Cruz tablets. The Android-powered
$199 and $299 models offer direct access to the Borders store via
built-in Wi-Fi, as well as color LCD touch-screens and additional media
features."
Mike Edwards, president and CEO of Borders, told the Wall Street Journal that "it's too early to tell what level of market penetration Borders has, given the newness of the business, but he said the price cuts don't 'have anything to do with pricing in the marketplace.' Borders knows achieving its market-share goal is 'entirely contingent on selling devices,' Edwards said, and it wanted to make sure it had an offering priced below $100 to attract customers."
---
EcoGeek.org's report card on the Kindle's environmental impact gave the e-reader straight A's: "The Kindle device itself, of course, has a carbon footprint caused by manufacturing and shipping all of its parts around. And it does use electricity (though, really, a very small amount compared with devices like laptops or even some cell phones.) But while I still love real books for a lot of reasons, I've got to give it to the Kindle. Authors are getting paid more, consumers are paying less, and (according to a study from the Cleantech Group) as long as the devices replace the purchase of more than 22.5 NEW (not used) books in the lifetime of the device, it will be a positive force for the environment."
