Tech gadget gifts for $299 or less

Amazon.com's Kindle e-reader is the iPod of books, and it's starting to catch on.

According to Chris Collins, senior consumer research analyst at Yankee Group, there is a great deal of consumer interest for the Kindle, giving it a chance to become one of the hottest-selling items during the holiday season.

But competition is heating up. Barnes & Noble designed its own e-reader that hit shelves in the past few months, and consumer electronics analysts say this holiday season will be a big test to see how consumers respond to the newly competitive e-reader market.

The Kindle, Sony Reader ($199) and Barnes & Noble Nook ($259) all have their unique features. The Reader sports a touch screen and can read books from multiple formats. The Nook has a color touch screen, gives users the ability to borrow books from one another, and it has a physical store that users can go to and interact with.

But the Kindle so far has led competition with its ability to instantly download more than 300,000 books from Amazon.com's immense library.

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