

The Kindle Touch and Invasive Advertising - jetheis
http://jetheis.com/blog/2012/08/23/the-kindle-touch-and-invasive-advertising/

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>I’m actually being paid $40 to install a permanent billboard in my apartment
whenever I’m not actively reading. Consider that. What if a cell phone
provider put banner ads in every text you sent, or if your car played audio
commercials from external speakers whenever it was parked.

It's nothing like either of these analogies. It shows ads on the kindle
itself, which no-one else will see unless you show it to them, and you won't
see when you're using it. If you don't want to then fine - pay the $40. I
don't think the amazon sales page is misleading - it shows that your kindle
will be displaying a full-page ad. Frankly the ones posted aren't very
different from the example.

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jetheis
I'll definitely agree that the other analogies are more severe, but I don't
think they're totally off-base. If the Kindle isn't being actively read, it
_is_ an advertisement. The text message analogy is a stretch, I'll admit, but
I don't think the car analogy is. If your car is turned off, anyone near it is
exposed to advertising, just like the Kindle.

The Kindle is a device that almost never needs to be charged and has a pretty
attractive form factor, so it's very natural to leave it laying around, just
like you would a book. Because the ads are always displayed, it is naturally
turned into a tiny billboard unless it's intentionally left face-down or
hidden.

That said, you're right; I'm being a little picky and my problems could have
been solved by just coughing up the money instead. It just doesn't seem like
quite enough fair warning is given to the uninitiated (like me) as to just how
heavy-handed the advertising is.

