I do think the price points were way off.

But reviews I read online often seemed to not get what it was designed to do. It was as if some reviewers were given a microwave and whined that it didn't keep things cold. It seems to me as if it was so different that many reviewers wanted to jam it into some existing category of device: it's so much bulkier than a Kindle; it has too many buttons, not like an Ipad, etc etc. Some weren't willing to take it on its own merits, which may have also been a flaw in how review copies were sent out and promoted.