If you’ve wanted to purchase a Kindle but have been holding out for whatever reason, now could be the time.

Amazon has added a more-affordable version of the e-reader, and also slimmed down the regularly priced version to match, offering the models for $139 and $189, respectively.

The original had been price cut from $259 to $189 already, but this third-generation of the product reduces the size by 21 percent, to where it now weighs a mere 8.5 ounces.

The $139 model is WiFi only, while you get 3G plus WiFi support on the $189 version. Both can store 3,500 books, and Amazon says the latest generation turns pages at a 20 percent faster clip.

The company also says you’ll have an easier time reading pages on the third-gen editions because they’ll work better in sunlight and have darker, crisper fonts.

An enhanced PDF reader also allows for convenient dictionary lookup, highlights, notes and supports password-protected PDFs.

Arlen Schweiger - Editor of Electronic House Magazine

Arlen writes about home technology installations and product news and reviews for electronichouse.com and Electronic House magazine.