Kindle 2 Pricing
Kindle 2 is priced the same as the old: $359.00. Improvements include longer battery life, better e-ink resolution (four times better than the original Kindle), capacity to hold up to 1,500 books (over seven times more than the original Kindle) and 25% better battery life (up to two weeks with wireless turned off.) The device is just over a third of an inch thick and weighs about the same as a magazine, but at eight inches high and over five inches wide it seems like it might be a little bulky to handle.
Multiple E-book Formats
Kindle 2 isn’t restricted to its proprietary, digital-rights-management-laden e-book format. You can also read .txt, unprotected Mobipocket (.mobi, .prc), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) and .html / .htm files. Utilizing any of the many file conversion utilities available, this means you can use Kindle 2 as an e-book reader and never actually use Amazon.com’s proprietary e-books if you don’t want to.
Read To Me
Kindle 2 has a new text-to-speech feature that Amazon calls “experimental.” This allows users to essentially transform an e-book into an audiobook, and according to Amazon.com allows the user begin listening right where they left off reading in a book, which sounds neat. The “experimental” tag makes me wonder about the quality of the text-to-speech voices. I’d love to hear a sample.
Built-In Dictionary; Copy / Paste
“The New Oxford American Dictionary”
Kindle 2 has clipping, bookmarking and note-taking enabled, but I’m not sure if this applies only to Kindle-format e-books or to anything on the device. Notes and clips can be transferred to a computer, which is close to the copy / paste feature iPhone / iPod Touch users have been begging for.
Music and Podcasts
Kindle 2 has another “experimental” feature — the ability to transfer MP3 files from your computer. This makes it more than an e-book reader… it’s also a music, podcast and podiobook player. This will eat up the 1.4 gigabytes of storage pretty quickly, of course. Another limitation that will hopefully be fixed in a a software update: MP3 files are only playable in the order that they are transferred. Still, this is a handy feature that brings Kindle 2 closer to being an all-media device.
Web Access
Kindle 2 has a limited, basic web browser that supports javascript but does not support flash and other multimedia. I’m intrigued by this feature. I read the Kindle 2 user manual, but I couldn’t find anything to indicate that web access is covered by the free WhisperNet wireless network or not. If it is free, then this potentially adds free access (anywhere there’s a signal) to your web-based e-mail, instant messaging and services like Twitter. If services like Google Docs work with the Kindle, add access to a word processor! That’s very compelling, and if anyone with an original Kindle or Kindle 2 can confirm this, please do so in the comments.
Is Kindle 2 Worth It?
Kindle 2 is more expensive than the iPod Touch 8 GB
We’re talking about reading devices, so screen size and readability is important. Kindle 2′s screen size measures six inches diagonally with a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels and 16 shades of gray. The Sony Reader’s screen is the same size, but with only 8 shades of gray. Both use e-ink technology for an “almost like words on paper” appearance. The iPod Touch has a full color screen, but it’s only 3.5 inches with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels.
Portability is probably Kindle 2′s biggest asset — the Sony Reader requires physical connection to a computer and the iPod Touch requires a wifi network connection to transfer content. Kindle 2′s WhisperNet is a Sprint 3G wireless network and near as I can tell, the cost for using it is built into the books, magazines and blog subscriptions you purchase for Kindle 2… and you can still transfer content directly from your computer via USB connection.
The Sony Reader has expandable storage with flash memory cards, and the iPod Touch has them both beat with 8 gigabytes of storage built in. On the other hand, Kindle 2 backs up your content to your personal account at Amazon.com. There are pros and cons there, too, of course: Amazon.com has a reputation for stability, but ultimately they have your data and that’s something that won’t sit well with everyone.
As with everything, it comes down to each user balancing what they want from the device with concessions they’re willing to make.
Need Something To Read On Your Kindle?
Several of my titles are available on the Amazon Kindle, and will work perfectly on your original Kindle or your brand new Kindle 2. Check out my books and short stories for the Amazon Kindle
Your Thoughts On The Kindle
I’d love to hear from Kindle owners, both folks who own the original and those of you who have purchased (or plan on purchasing) Kindle 2. I am convinced that e-books will play a larger and larger role in publishing, so feedback from actual e-book device users is very important to me. Please post in the comments.
Possibly related posts:
Since no one has a Kindle 2 yet, we can’t confirm or deny the usability of the web browser or if ‘internet’ access is included with Whispernet.
Naturally… but this post will still be around when Kindle 2 is in the hands of users, so hopefully we’ll get an answer then. Review copies will be in the wild even sooner, perhaps.
Since the documentation mentions free access to the Amazon.com store, Wikipedia and Google, and the Whispernet access is covered by the cost of purchased items, I think it’s safe to say that any access to any site using Kindle 2′s web browser will also be free. But time will tell!
I’ve dropped my Kindle a few times already (not on purpose of course) and it seems to be working without a hitch; so they’re durable at least
One book one reader?
I watched Bezos on Charlie rose last night and was impressed. (After watching for an hour both my wife and I thought that Bezos and Rose were saying KENDAL)
I’m now wondering about sharing a book. Can you? Can you transfer the rights to a book to some other Kindle after I’m done with it? iTunes DRM let you “share” your purchases with several computers. This model will not work for books. If I like a book I might give it to someone in my family, a co-worker, or friend. Who I’m likely to pass it on to will depend on the type of book and the interests of the reader.
It’s a good question — I don’t know if Kindle e-books are shareable, but since they’re connected to your Amazon.com account… I doubt it.
That’s a check in the “against” column, to be sure.
I have the Kindle 2 in my hands and am very pleased. One question. Above you say that the Kindle 2 web browser supports Javascript. Is this something that must be enabled, because if I access a site which requires Javascript, I get a nice message saying my browser doesn’t support it?
I don’t know about Kindle 2 and Javascript from first-hand experience (anyone want to get me a Kindle 2 so I can do more in-depth research?) Amazon.com’s own documentation on the Kindle 2 mentions Javascript functionality — best to check with the source.
Anyone else have feedback on the Kindle 2 and Javascript?
Hey,
I just got a Kindle 2. When you’re in the browser, if you press “menu” then click “enable javascript” (this will change the browser to “advanced mode” … I don’t know what that is yet).
As for free internet, as far as I can tell, that’s exactly what I’m getting.. I didn’t sign up for any monthly service yet I am able to use the browser…
That is very exciting!
I don’t have much to add to the already great reviews, except that I love this device. I am a previous Kinde owner so I am a very pleased with Kindle 2. I do, however, have some suggestions for the future version of kindle:
1) Bring back the white background please! The dark gray is much harder to read. The white background was a pleasure to read in Kinde 1.
2) I would like the ability to organize my books into folders, and password protect some material.
3) I would like a google like search against my books in my “library”.
4) A touch screen would be nicer. I would to use a stylus to write my notes in the margins.
5) I have tried to read technical manuals on kindle. While the text is great, I find the diagrams are not so clear. Any improvement in this area would be appreciated.
Other than that, this is a fantastic product! Great job Amazon!