Kindle 2
those who have little space but a voracious appetite for reading and
re-reading stuff, gladly I find amazon releasing Kindle 2.
Now to wait for a UK version...amazon, be my bookshelf please!
From cnet...
After rumors surfaced on the Web a few months back that a new Kindle
might be on the way, Amazon.com did its best to shoot them down, saying
a new Kindle was not coming this year. Well, Boy Genius Report has
gotten ahold of some photos
<http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/10/03/amazon-kindle-2-ebooks-its-way-to-bgr/#more-5941>
that appear to be the Kindle 2, so we're curious what Amazon has to say
now.
From the looks of the new device, Amazon has tried to address some of
the criticisms of the Kindle
<http://reviews.cnet.com/e-book-readers/amazon-kindle/4505-3508_7-32751890.html>,
most of which revolve around its somewhat homely design and a few poorly
placed buttons. The shape has been modified to make the new Kindle more
attractive, but it appears Amazon is sticking with the same off-white
color scheme--for better or worse.
Old back versus new back.
(Credit: Boy Genius Report <http://www.boygeniusreport.com/>)
The Boy Genius Report's mole or "ninja," has some comments about the new
Kindle. First, ninja says the device is basically the same size as the
older model, but is thinner and has "a slightly heavier feel, and it
feels much sturdier." The source indicates the new model uses the same
cellular EV-DO network for downloads (it's Sprint's network in the
current model) and a metal back is visible in some of the pictures. I
particularly appreciated the look of the new leather carrying pouch for
the device since I don't like the existing Kindle's protective case.
There are more photos here
<http://www.boygeniusreport.com/gallery/devices/amazon-kindle-2/>.
Boy Genius Report also notes:
As far as buttons go, on the right side, the bottoms from top to
bottom are: Home, Next Page, Menu, a joystick, and Undo. On the left
side, there's Previous, Page, and Next Page. We're told the buttons
are significantly smaller to avoid accidental page turning. The
joystick takes the place of the scroll wheel and it "takes a little
getting used to." As far as the redesigned keyboard...it "has a good
layout, but lettering on the keys could be darker." Continuing our
tour around the unit, next to the sliding sleep button, there's the
headphone jack, and on the right side edge you've got the volume
up/down buttons. What's interesting (and you can see this in the
photos) is that the backside of the unit is mostly metal with the
speakers at the bottom pf the back. One more plus? They've finally
ditched their own charger. The Kindle 2 is able to be charged with a
miniUSB cable.
No word on when the next-generation Kindle will arrive, whether there
will be a European model, or how much it will cost. However, I have a
feeling we'll soon get an announcement from Amazon--if indeed this turns
out to be a real product that will go up against the upcoming Sony
Reader, the PRS-700 <http://reviews.cnet.com/8300-18438_7-82.html>,
which features a touch-screen display and will hit stores next month in
time for the holiday buying season.
--
tnn
