Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonist
Actually, what I said is: "$350 is not a huge amount - many spend more on a dinner with friends."
"Huge" means, according to MW, "very large or extensive." And this is what I meant, precisely. There are people of all walks of life, who have purchased a Kindle, as you can see in the forum. It is not just a millionaire's toy. And saying that it is possible to own one, if one really cares about it, is hardly pompous. Particularly, since many e-readers are below this price-point.
As to the dinner part: if you live in a large metropolitan area, you can easily spend more than $350 on two couples ("dinner with friends.") And I am not speaking of the most expensive restaurants, either. This is valid for the US, as well as for Europe, Australia and parts of Asia and Africa. I am sure some of those living in London, would have experienced this 
As to the mp3 player: Moejoe mentioned owning an iPod Touch. These go for $299, or $399 in the US Apple store, depending on the capacity. More than most 6" e-readers.
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Yeah it's really a dead horse. $350 is a lot of money to most people--more than some peoples rent or mortgage payments. And sure people can spend $350 on dinner, but MOST aren't wealthy people dining out in Manhattan.
And I'm not a cheapskate. I drink microbrew and import beer. I spend $50-100 on dinner and drinks for myself about once a month. But $350 at one time is still something I have to think about--and probably would never spend on dinner. I also only pay for myself and sometimes my girlfriend (we tend to alternate who pays). Friends can pay their own way.
But I just can't get your argumentativeness here. Whether $350 is to much to pay for an ereader (or an mp3 player or whatever) is a personal decision based on:
1. The person's budget. To some it's a lot of money, to some it's pocket change.
2. How much they read (or listen to music). If someone reads 3 books a year (or buys 1 or 2 cds a year) then the gadgets don't make sense for them. Read a ton (or listen to a ton of music) then they're probably worth the money.
So it's a function of how much disposable income someone has and how much value a particular device has to them (based on how much they'd use it).
I don't think anyone can disagree with that. And you just have to be careful when you talk about money and how much is or isn't a lot or a huge amount. It's as sensitive subject for many (especially now with the economy), and being dismisses of cost just makes you seem like a pompous rich person looking down on those worse off. Which I don't think was your intent, but it came across that way.