>I’m actually being paid $40 to install a permanent billboard in my apartment whenever I’m not actively reading. Consider that. What if a cell phone provider put banner ads in every text you sent, or if your car played audio commercials from external speakers whenever it was parked.

It's nothing like either of these analogies. It shows ads on the kindle itself, which no-one else will see unless you show it to them, and you won't see when you're using it. If you don't want to then fine - pay the $40. I don't think the amazon sales page is misleading - it shows that your kindle will be displaying a full-page ad. Frankly the ones posted aren't very different from the example.

I'll definitely agree that the other analogies are more severe, but I don't think they're totally off-base. If the Kindle isn't being actively read, it is an advertisement. The text message analogy is a stretch, I'll admit, but I don't think the car analogy is. If your car is turned off, anyone near it is exposed to advertising, just like the Kindle.

The Kindle is a device that almost never needs to be charged and has a pretty attractive form factor, so it's very natural to leave it laying around, just like you would a book. Because the ads are always displayed, it is naturally turned into a tiny billboard unless it's intentionally left face-down or hidden.

That said, you're right; I'm being a little picky and my problems could have been solved by just coughing up the money instead. It just doesn't seem like quite enough fair warning is given to the uninitiated (like me) as to just how heavy-handed the advertising is.