Courtesy Amazon.com
The new Amazon Kindle 2 is slimmer, faster, and has a crisper screen. But its high price and design changes are receiving mixed reviews.
Review round-up: Amazon Kindle 2
By Andrew Heining | 02.10.09
Amazon unveiled an update to its game-changing e-book reader Monday, and the company’s touting the usual new-product buzzwords: slimmer, sleeker, faster, better – with one notable exception: the price is staying the same. We covered the new Kindle’s press conference yesterday. Now that reviewers have had a chance to get their hands on one (even if only for a brief time after the event), here’s a look at what they’re saying.
The upgraded e-ink screen:
The new version displays more shades of grey than were previously possible, and Amazon has paired that with a set of updated fonts to make the text significantly crisper and easier to read. But it’s the speed of the display that makes everything different. Amazon claims a 20 percent improvement in page flips, but it’s clear that the operating system is very capable of redrawing only subsets of the screen – perhaps the software is smarter about that than it was previously, it’s impossible to tell. In any case, the result is that anything done on the screen is very much faster—moving the cursor, selecting text, typing, menus, you name it. It’s really hard to convey just how much more responsive the device feels. [via Ars Technica]
The new ‘read to me’ feature
Text-to-speech is a nice touch, but it’s still hard to get over that computer voice. We can see using this to hear a recipe or short news article, but we’re not convinced it’ll be enjoyable for a full novel. [via Engadget]
‘Whispersync’
With Whispersync, one Kindle can automatically sync with another; that’s not particularly earth-shattering right now unless you use two Kindles or want to transfer content from an older model, but Amazon has said that it “will also sync with a range of mobile devices in the future.” A Kindle app for the iPhone, perhaps? Now that could be quite a plot twist. [via CNET]
An iPod for books?
If one device does become the iPod of books, it’s likely to be the iPod itself. Last week, Google announced a version of its Book Search that’s compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch and gives users access to more than 1.5 million public-domain books. And another application, Lexcycle’s Stanza, has been downloaded at least 365,000 times, according to October reports.
And unlike most other mobile devices that have been populated with free content and applications from communities of developers, Kindle 2 makes a steep demand of new users: that they pay up for more. Says Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney: “It’s the gift that keeps on asking.” [via BusinessWeek]
The last word
<< Kindle 2: ‘better than a book’? | MainBefore they address the needs of some hypothetical super weakling who has the aesthetic sense of [Apple designer] Jon Ive, the cerebral voracity of Rain Man and the vision of Mr. Magoo, Amazon must address the needs of very real readers who read only a few books and magazines at a time, who like to download classic non-copyrighted lit and work-related documents for free, and who like to leaf through pages randomly. This last thing is important, though it may be insurmountable: Airport-friendly page turners don’t really require non-linear random-access reading, but everything smart from Harry Potter to Infinite Jest does, and that’s one concern that the Kindle, or any ebook reader, still does not address well. [via Gizmodo]
For now, we still see the Kindle as an expensive toy for reading enthusiasts, frequent travelers, and gadget lovers — and not yet a mainstream device. Today’s improvements will make new Kindle buyers happier than they’d be with the old one. But they alone won’t do much to dramatically drive adoption. [via Silicon Alley Insider]
It’s quicker. The text-to-speech option is terrific. If you’re in a car you can put on earphones. It is a little bit like a GPS voice – you know, the navigation in your car. But it’s got a lot of kind of nice features. Also it doesn’t slide out of the carrying case anymore. One of the things that interested me about it was, clearly the people who do this gadget listened to people when they bitched about what was wrong and they fixed most of it. [author Stephen King for USA Today]
Comments
2. terrymac | 02.10.09
I have ordered the Kindle 2 - it isn’t everything I want, but it’s close enough.
It is already possible to download non-copyright material to a Kindle via the USB connection. I intend to push the boundaries of my Kindle shortly, and I hope all e-book vendors continue to expand the capabilities of their devices.
I’m having a hard time visualizing an ipod as a book reader, with such a tiny screen.
3. Glen Harrington | 02.11.09
Voices resembling well known artists, or voiceover professionals.
i.e. Lorreta Young - the littlest angel,(Christmas story).
Peter Ustenove - were no Angels, or Peroh.
Danny Kay - me and the Colanil.
Sean Connery - Bond Series.
Angila Lansbury- Agitha Christy-Miss Marpil, Murder she wrote.
A Waxmen - Dickins tails.
4. meccano | 02.11.09
Kindle 2.0 doesn’t have removable memory, replaceable batteries or even a simple protective cover - all things the first version had. Call me crazy, but that seems like a step back. The iPod didn’t change the way we listen to music, it just made it easier. The Kindle is trying to reinvent the way we read and experience a book which seems like a tough sell. Plus has anyone seen a Kindle before or picked one up and used it before buying one? Four hundred dollars for a device that very few of us can say we need in this economy is one thing, but buying it site unseen? There is a reason that Amazon is keeping the units sold a top secret and I think its because the numbers aren’t impressive.
6. kindle 2 reading device | 02.11.09
The release of the greatly awaited kindle 2 should blow expectations out of the water. i have been informed of the new capabilities that should make this one sell out fast!
7. J.H. Hollander | 02.12.09
So what about us idiots who bought Kindle 1 only a few months ago? Amazon said we could “sell” it on their ebay site and buy a Kindle 2. No offer to exchange, reduce the price, etc. This is screw the customer!
8. RH Smith | 02.12.09
I own a Sony PRS-500 and have used it for many years and really like it. But to keep up with the times I was undecided to get the Sony PRS-700 or the Kindle 2. After reading all the reviews both pro and con I ordered a Kindle 2. I will miss not having an SD card but the Kindle2 will hold 1500 books, if I run out of space I can delete the old ones they will still be in Amazon. So that cleared up that problem. I’m looking forward to receiving the Kindle2 which will be shipped March 2nd.
9. yy | 02.14.09
this is the best review : http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/02/hands-on-with-kindle2-what-a-difference-a-screen-makes.ars
10. James Boardman | 02.15.09
I received my Kindle 1 as a Christmas present. It has become my constant companion (exceeded only by my wife). I love the ease of reading and the availability of books - many free - from many sources. I don’t really see an advantage of the Kindle 2, with it’s “read to me” function” (because I love to READ, not be read TO), or to the new 16 shade grey scale. All you need is contrast and black, it seems to me. I use SD cards as folders to catagorize my books - a feature I can’t transfer to the Kindle 2. No new folder option there. I would expect a software update for both devices to include folders. No new Kindle for me… I love my kinky Kindle 1, my decal girl skin and my Oberon leather cover. While I think the Kindle 1 “changed everything”, I don’t see that the Kindle 2 changes much!
11. Dagny | 03.12.09
Despite the price, it is well worth it. The electronic paper technology is improved, and the network is fast and always on. Plus (and it’s about time), Amazon made enough to fulfill most of the pre-orders, though I think it is still available now, though.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
8. The Ultimate Guide to Kindle 2.0: 100 Tips, Tools, and Resources | Online Degree World | 02.25.09
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1. Margarette Bull | 02.10.09
Does anyone know if there are plans to eventually improved this device so that the blind or those with limited vision can have easy access to a greater variety of books? It sounds as if the computer voice could use some adjustment. Are there other things about it that would make it difficult for someone to use who is unable to read?