Okay. So I like ebooks. Would be sort of silly of me not to like ebooks, considering how many of them I’ve written.

Ebooks provided me with the income I needed to quit my day job and pursue writing full time. So naturally, I’m all for devices that make ebooks accessible, comfortable to read… and affordable.

That’s one thing that the newest ebook reader is not. This is Amazon’s Kindle

I like the idea of it. It’s about the size of a paperback, making the screen easier to see. It uses the new E Ink technology that makes reading ebooks easier… that backlight deal is a pain in the butt. A decent backlight saves headaches, but a decent backlight eats up battery power like nothing else. E Ink solves the problem.

No, it’s not the prettiest device, but I don’t need pretty, as long as it’s user friendly, affordable, not bulky, and can hold a decent amount of reading material.

So far, it seems like the Kindle meets most of the criteria…but not one of the most important.

At $400, it’s pretty far from affordable. Dunno what Amazon is basing their affordable criteria on. Of course, the new Sony E Reader isn’t much better, but it is prettier. And they offer some seriously decent deals from time to time. Makes that painful price tag a little easier.

The typical reader can’t go and spend $400 on an ebook reading device. Amazon may be out to make the best profit possible, but they are losing a ton of potential sales, because unless you’re a die hard ebook reader who just can’t pass up the possibility at getting a new gadget, most customers are probably going to have my reaction.

And that is to look at the price and go…. Ouch. And thn click away from the page and not even pause long enough to drool and wish.

They drop that price in half, I’ll get one. Until that happens? Forget it.