Borders fires back at Amazon and B&N with $99 ebook reader and color options

Borders kicked off the low price ebook reader wars with the Kobo eReader launching at $149 and then Barnes & Noble and Amazon followed by dropping the price of their more capable ereaders down to $149 and $139. Well, it is time for Borders to fire a volley back and they have now dropped their Kobo eReader to $129 and their Aluratek model to $99, respectively. They also announced preorders for their color ebook readers, the Velocity Micro Cruz Reader R101 and The Cruz Tablet T103 for $199 and $299, respectively.

These two color Cruz Readers are based on the Android operating system and have 7 inch color displays. The Cruz Reader has a resistive touchscreen while The Cruz Tablet has a capacitive touchscreen display. The higher priced Cruz Tablet also has much more memory and is more focused on the media experience beyond just ebook reading. They can both be used to view pictures and browse the web too.

Borders also announced some changes to its Rewards loyalty program and you can now choose from one of two programs. The first one is a free enhanced Rewards option or the Borders Rewards Plus program which costs $20 per year. The free program includes 30% off list price of hardcover bestsellers and free shipping for online orders of $25 or more. The Rewards Plus program includes 40% off hardcover bestsellers, 20% off select hardcovers, 10% off most everything else and free shipping on all online orders. Teachers also get some additional reward offers.