Kindle Now Going for $299, So Are These Gadgets

Amazon accomplished a few things with its latest move to drop its Kindle 2.0 price to $299. The device is now going to get a major boost in buzz during summer time. And of course, it’s a bit more affordable for folks who are running on a tight budget. But the price drop is going to create a bit of headache for consumers as well. For starters, Kindle 2 is now an under $300 gadget and joins the likes of Apple iPhone, Garmin super GPS devices, and top netbooks in that category. If I were to pick a gadget that would compete with Kindle 2 for consumer dollars, it’d be iPhone 3Gs 32 GB. But that wouldn’t be the only gadget.  Let’s see what Kindle will be going against now that it’s under $300:

iPhone 3GS: iPhone 3GS is a mini laptop in a sense. It can record video, connect you with others, and even lets you tweet or manage your Facebook on the go. It may cost only $299 (32 GB edition), but the contract that you have to sign up for to get that price will cost you a couple of legs and a hand.

Netbooks: netbooks are probably the main challengers to Kindle. These mini laptops are not only portable but they also let you read e-books and even write HTML code. They don’t come with E-ink screens, but that could change in the future.

Other gadgets: you can read e-books on a netbook or an iPhone, but you can’t do that on a camcorder or a GPS (in most cases). But folks who are running on a tight budget may be tempted to get these gadgets over a Kindle. Comparing Kindle to a Flip camcorder is really comparing apples and oranges. Kindle does help make you smarter. I am not sure you can say the same with these other gadgets. Nevertheless, the competition for consumer dollars does involve these other gadgets as well.

iPhone has got to be the top gadget under $299. But including it in this category is not fair. Kindle 2 only costs you $299. No wireless plans or Misc fees. With iPhone, you are going to pay more than $1000 or so over 2 years (for the wireless contract). So Kindle 2.0 is still the best gadget money can buy under $300 with netbooks coming close second.

Question: in your opinion, what’s the top gadget under $300 money can buy? If you were to buy only one instead of a Kindle, what would it be?