As far as marketing goes, the spotlights all pointed to the Kindle Fire, but the Kindle Touch falls in a category of users who would value the Touch's simple features like, the multi-touch interface and E-ink screen. The Touch is for buyers wanting the functionality of a dependable, easy to use device with a huge ebook selection and acceptable internet connection, but don't need the Kindle Fire's flaming features.
Kindle Touch Features
The standard Touch is wireless and has the beneficial basic 6" E-Ink, non-glaring display so reading in the full sun is no problem. The user-interface may be the simplest and easiest to use of any Kindle, all by the touch of your finger. Amazon improved the multi-touch display which added an enormous user-friendly benefit over the original Kindle, by adding to their extensive ebook library and web browsing functionality right in at end of your fingertips.
Amazon's special offer for the Touch has brought the price down to an amazing $99. With nearly double the storage space of the most basic Kindle model (Kindle 3) and its simple multi-touch display, the Touch is a bargain at that price.
Kindle Touch 3G
If you are a user who is always on the road, the Touch 3G contains the same amazing features with the benefit of internet access and ebook downloads from anywhere with a 3G connection. No monthly charges for 3G, just the added cost upfront when purchasing the Kindle Touch 3G at a price of $149.
Probably not cost effective for the extra $50 unless you plan on using the internet access a lot, either way the Touch 3G is still the cheapest 3G e-reader on the market. The Kindle Touch 3G and Kindle Keyboard 3G are the only two 3G e-readers available. Other manufacturers (such as Barnes and Noble) discontinued their 3G devices due to the extra costs.
Kindle Touch vs Kindle Fire
No Kindle review would be complete without a comparison to the Kindle Fire. Amazon's new color Kindle has drawn so much attention from the gadget world that it's hard not to see it as the last word in e-readers. With that said, the Kindle Fire has actually moved into a category of "Table" like the iPad and Nook.
Real readers are usually unconcerned with the colors, they want words and for that the Touch is best for e-reading. As another addition, not only is the Kindle Touch perfect for ebooks and music, but it also boosts features like simple site internet browsing, email, social networking and Wikipedia, while keeping the E-ink screen feature for reading where as the Kindle Fire has an LCD screen. If you enjoy reading printed content and can do without the colorful ads, and only need limited internet access, Kindle Touch contains the best features money can buy.
The Final Conclusion
In short, the Kindle Touch provides a great combination of functionality and simplicity. The benefits of the easy-to-use touchscreen display, the option of 3G, and the device's classic look and feel make it a great mid-range e-reader for the casual user.