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Amazon

Is The Ad-Supported Kindle Really That Bad?

By Dianna Dilworth on May 9, 2011 11:26 AM

Amazon started shipping its new ad-supported Kindle a couple of weeks ago and the first round of owners are beginning to experience if it is worth saving $25 on the device in exchange for viewing a couple of ads. The consensus: it’s not that bad.

CNET blogger David Carnoy wrote: “I’ve been playing around with the $114 Kindle with Special Offers for a few days and much to my own personal horror, the ads didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I thought they sort of livened up the home screen a bit, which is sort of blah to look at anyway. (It’s just a list of titles and not a fancy virtual bookshelf or anything.) I know that sounds blasphemous and maybe I’ve just become anesthetized by all the crass commercialism we’re constantly bombarded with, but the half-inch strip of an ad at the bottom of the home page just didn’t faze me.”

ZDNET blogger Joel Evans shared his experience in a blog post: “Thankfully, the advertising doesn’t get in the way of the experience, too much, and in some cases I’ve actually welcomed it. For example, you can read a book that you downloaded without having to see any advertising, but when you go into the menu, you see a small advertisement on the bottom of the page. You are also treated to ads when you put the Kindle in standby, and you can jump to all available ads and ‘special offers’ by accessing a new page thru the menu system.”

Have you tried the ad supported Kindle? What do you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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