College textbooks ring up a cool $10 billion per year in sales, and Amazon no doubt would love to get a piece of that action. But while the college and university crowd may be more receptive to the idea of an e-reader (and have the disposable cash to buy one in the first place), it's still not a slam dunk.

A Greener Campus

One way in which Amazon is trying to make the Kindle DX more compelling to students and institutions is by pitching the device's environmental aspects. Six colleges and universities -- including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' alma mater, Princeton -- have signed up to participate in a pilot program to test the Kindle DX on campus. Students at each school will be able to sign up for one of three courses and receive a Kindle for testing electronic textbooks. The other participants include Pace University, Case Western Reserve University, Reed College, Arizona State University, and the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

According to the The Daily Princetonian, Princeton's student newspaper, the university printed more than 10 million pages from so-called cluster printers. The hope is that Kindle-equipped students won't need to print out articles or chapters, but instead download them and read them electronically. Even a small decrease in printing would result in a substantial savings for the school.

Both Amazon and the universities suggest that over time, the Kindle will reduce the number of outdated textbooks that wind up in landfills.

The Real Competition: Used Books

While some students clearly appreciate the idea of a greener education and reducing the backbreaking weight of their textbooks, there is skepticism about whether the Kindle DX will actually save students money.

As CNET college intern Sharon Vaknin pointed out in a recent column, students are used to saving money on their textbooks by buying used copies, which are generally cheaper than e-book versions. Moreover, used textbooks can be resold at the end of a semester.

Most e-textbooks, by contrast, are based on a semester-long subscription, with an option to pay an additional sum at the end of the semester to download a permanent copy of the textbook. Vaknin also argued that the cost of the device and its relatively limited functionality don't mesh well with a low-cost, hectic student lifestyle.

"While the Kindle does offer many of the same features as an e-textbook," Vaknin said, "it does not fit into a consolidated lifestyle, so it's unlikely that a student would purchase a Kindle if their laptop can be utilized as an e-textbook reader. Sorry, Amazon, many of us students don't have the space or money for your latest and greatest device."