Amazon has made a practice of cutting Kindle prices to generate more interest in the device. No matter how much discount consumers get from Amazon, many still complain about Kindle being too expensive. That’s going to be a harder case to argue if Amazon does manage to lower Kindle’s price to $150. Freescale Semiconductor, whose products power the majority of e-readers on the market, has claimed that e-reader prices could drop to below $150 with the new processors that the company has developed specifically for e-book readers.

With the ARM core running at 800 MHz, the i.MX508 provides twice the rendering performance of Freescale’s previous eReader processors, resulting in faster page turns and snappy responsiveness for consumers. The increased processing capability also gives manufacturers the additional performance to add features like advanced touch solutions and the ability to run other value-added applications.

That’s quite interesting as Amazon Kindle 3 is expected to feature touch capability and Kindle apps. So the new processor does seem to be a good step forward for Amazon.

We all want to get a discount on everything that we buy. After all, why would anyone want to spend more money than they have to? Amazon has dropped its Kindle prices by $140 in the past few years. But $259 is still a high price to pay for those who are skeptic about the platform or just don’t read books much. So it’s no wonder that many look for Kindle discounts before picking up their own from Amazon. There is nothing wrong with trying to save some money with your purchase of a Kindle. But you want to make sure you don’t fall for too good to be true offers that are out there on the market. If you have searched for Kindle discounts on Google, you have probably seen those offers.

A search for the term “Kindle” produced two sponsored search listings promising huge discounts on Kindle. If you could save 90% on your Kindle, wouldn’t you be tempted to check out these listings? But a lot of these offers are too good to be true. Nobody likes a scam, but that’s usually what you get with these astonishing offers. I admit, I was tempted to figure out what was being sold for $64.95. I was sure it can’t be a real Kindle 2. To my surprise, the site was offering a Kindle 2 in new condition for $65. But here is what I was able to find in the site’s terms and conditions:

In case you have been waiting for Amazon Kindle for Blackberry, the wait is finally over. We already had Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone, but Blackberry fans have had to wait quite some time to get their hands on Kindle app for Blackberry. Just like other Kindle apps, you don’t need a Kindle to take advantage of this application. You just need a compatible blackberry.

Kindle for Blackberry is compatible with the following devices:

• Bold 9000
• Bold 9700
• Curve 8250
• Curve 8900
• Storm 9530
• Storm 9550
• Tour 9630

The app is not perfect and will still need some improvements to let you get the most out of your e-books. But Amazon promises to add scrolling, better search, and note management capability to this app in the near future. There is a reason it’s called a Beta app. If you want Kindle for Mac, you’ll have to wait a bit more. But this is a good start.

Your wishlist: what other features would you want Amazon to add to Kindle app for Blackberry?

The iPad has generated a lot of buzz among e-book fans in the past week or so. Apple was always expected to introduce a device that could make the company competitive in multiple markets. Apple iPad does that and more. The device is expected to have monstrous sales numbers, and the fact that we all have to wait up to 60 days to get our hands on one can only build anticipation. Many e-book reader company may jump to discount the effect that the iPad will have on this industry. But let’s face it. Apple can sell its products, and it can do it well. So it’s no wonder that e-book reader manufacturers are worried. With its recent slide in shares prices, Amazon may have to up its game as well.

Many argue that the iPad is not really an e-book reader, and it doesn’t offer features important to e-b00k junkies. Some mention that the device does not take advantage of E-ink technology and does not have a long battery life in comparison to Kindle or Nook. But those arguments don’t cut it for me. For me, it all comes down to one thing: Apple iPad will be too distracting. If you don’t believe me, just imagine how your life has changed after purchasing an iPhone. That’s often the problem with devices that are capable of doing thousands of things.

I remember the very first day that Amazon announced what it had in store for us with Kindle. The device wasn’t a barn burner from the start, but it did improve significantly on what other e-book readers had to offer. While many e-book fans were excited about the device, there were people who complained about the device being too expensive. Since then, Amazon has dropped Kindle’s price significantly, making it much more affordable to more people. But one has to wonder when these price drops stop.

The emergence of Apple iPad will most likely result in yet another Kindle price drop. Of course, this time it’s Kindle DX that’s more likely to get a discount. I am sure we all want to pay less for our hardware and spend more on e-books. That’s perhaps why Amazon needs to think of new ways to bring more people on board. Amazon Kindle books are cheaper and by switching to Kindle you can save money in the long run. At the same time, there are many books that are selling for more than $9.99, often defeating the purpose of getting a Kindle. Once has to wonder whether e-books selling for $9.99 is actually a good deal for consumers in the first place. After all, you can’t sell an e-book or share it (Nook’s lend me feature doesn’t count as it’s clunky and far from perfect). Besides, current e-book readers are not exactly great in handling complex layouts, and there is still work to be done in this area.

So we didn’t get the Kindle upgrade most of us where hoping for this year. Sure. International Kindle and Kindle DX are both very decent e-readers to own but the rumors of color screen Kindles didn’t come true this year. Considering that Nook and other e-book readers are taking the game to Amazon, Amazon won’t be getting away with a minor upgrade as far as Kindle 3.0 is concerned. So expect big things from Amazon in 2010. Of course, we did expect big things this year and while we got some good things, Amazon did not completely wow us. It’s now time for our Kindle 3.0 predictions yet again. Let’s see whether Amazon steps up:

1. Product Design: Kindle 3.0 will finally get a major design upgrade. Kindle 2.0 was well designed but it still has some issues. Besides, it’s time for Amazon to refresh things up.
2. Color Screen: it’s about time. If Amazon doesn’t do it soon, someone else will.
3. Book Lending Feature: Nook already has this feature. It’s not perfect but a good start. Expect Amazon to at least make an effort to offer something similar.
4. Navigation: I am sure Amazon has been taking a look at what Nook offers when it comes to content navigation. I don’t expect Amazon to copy it completely, but Kindle has room for improvement in that department.
5. Kindle 2 Kindle: Amazon has not pursued this idea in the past. But the idea still has some merit.
6. Kindle In Physical Stores: B&N will be selling Nook in its physical stores. We have been hearing about Amazon planning physical stores. Will we finally see Amazon Kindles in stores? 2010 would be a good time to start.
7. Platform Expansion: expect Amazon to expand its reach to more platforms. Kindle is already on iPhone, and you can read your books on your PC as well. More platforms will be supported by the time Kindle 3 is released.
8. Content Distribution: I expect Amazon to work hard on adding titles to its content bank and form partnerships with content providers to bring more content to Kindle owners. Not hard to predict.
9. App Platform: I still believe this is going to be the strategy that pushes Kindle to the next level. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that there is a market for 3rd party Kindle apps. Amazon has waited a long time, and its time is running out considering that Android e-book readers may gain more traction in 2010.
10. Subscription Service: it’s about time Amazon developed a book subscription service for Kindle (e.g. read 30 books for $30 a month). Amazon may be confident about selling a lot of e-books, but that doesn’t mean it should ignore other ways to make content available to Kindle owners.