Amazon selling Kindle 2 for $89 on 11/26

The deal starts Friday at 9 a.m. PT

If you’ve been sitting around, waiting patiently for the price of Amazon’s e-reader, the Kindle, to fall so low that you would have to justify not buying one, the wait is over, my friend!  Amazon announced on its Facebook page that on Black Friday, a limited number of the Kindle 2 (the previous Kindle generation) will be available on Amazon for only $89, starting at 9 a.m. PT.  Needless to say, the folks who shelled out the $359 for the Kindle 2 when it was released in February of last year are less than enthused.

It might be worthwhile to refresh our memories on what the Kindle 2 actually offers and how it differs from the latest Kindle generation.  First and foremost, it is 3G enabled only and does not support Wi-Fi, which might be a deal-breaker for some.  Secondly, while the newer version of the Kindle uses the new Pearl E-Ink for 50% better contrast, the Kindle 2 uses the old E-Ink technology (Amazon takes a passive-aggressive little jab at Barnes&Noble by adding here that it is the same technology used in the current Nook).

And while the Kindle 2 is certainly nowhere near as clunky and unwieldy as the first generation Kindle, it is not as slim and sleek as the latest version.  Additionally, while the new Kindle can store up to 3,500 e-books, the Kindle 2 only stores 1,500.  But if you want to put a more positive spin on it, you could look at the fact that while the Kindle 2 can store 1,500 books, the first Kindle could only store 200, and the battery life of the Kindle 2 is 25% longer than the original version.  So while some might consider giving the gift of outdated technology a bit of a social faux-pas, at least you’re not giving the gift of even more outdated technology.

Of course, that’s no reason not to buy one for yourself…which is why a lot of Kindle 2 owners are really ticked off.  “I am so mad that my Kindle is now 75% off the cost I paid.  Do you have a turn-in for discount system?” asked one person.

A number of other Kindle fans asked similar questions about the possibility of exchanging their old Kindles for newer versions, but Amazon has not responded to those inquiries.  It has assured Facebook fans that the Kindles that will be on sale on Friday will be new--not refurbished, and the deal will be available on the company’s Lightning Deals section of its Black Friday page.  

Image source: news.cnet.com