Gallery: Amazon releases Kindle 2.0
by Andy Smith | February 9, 2009 12:54pm PST | Image 1 of 19
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Amazon updates its Kindle 2.0 e-book (left) with a slimmer design, a 6-inch 600 x 800 display that provides 16 shades of gray versus 4 shades in Kindle 1 (right), 2GB of memory that holds more than 1,500 books, and 25 percent more battery life.
For more, Larry Dignan's live blog. You can click on any image to enlarge. Kindle 2.0 will cost $359 and is expected to be available to ship on February 24.
Photo credit: Amazon.com
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It looks better, and I like the bigger screen, but $359 is just waaay too much for this toy. I could buy 20 books (or more) at Amazon for the price. Real book readers will not spend this much to then have to spend another $10 to buy the book itself - they'll just buy the book!
You're right, it is expensive. But also keep in mind that with a Kindle you get access to thousands upon thousands of FREE books from sites like: http://manybooks.net/.
So that kinda helps the initial pain a bit.
So that kinda helps the initial pain a bit.
One can buy a netbook with an Atom processor for much less and do more with it than just read books!
The screen is the same size as Kindle 1.0, but the body is bigger and thinner.
(Looking at the front of the Kindle, the physical dimensions of the new one are wider and taller, but the screen is the same size.)
I am looking forward to the new screen's better gray scale, because the one thing that suffers on 1.0 is graphics. The limitation of 4 shades of gray makes subtle shading on graphics hard to make out, and because I download a lot of technical books with screen captures, some of them can be hard to read. Also, computer listings are sometimes hard to read when the font is small on 1.0, and I believe the new gray scale will make them easier to read.
The Kindle is a really nice little machine for people who buy a lot of books. Don't try to equate the price using the "vs. book cost" equation. There is not an easy way to measure the incredible value of taking an entire bookshelf with you. That and all of the benefits of the cellular wireless network make the kindle a very good value (IMHO).
I wish people could write third party apps for it. I was hoping 2.0 would allow that, just like iPhone allows now, so that is my one disappointment.
(Looking at the front of the Kindle, the physical dimensions of the new one are wider and taller, but the screen is the same size.)
I am looking forward to the new screen's better gray scale, because the one thing that suffers on 1.0 is graphics. The limitation of 4 shades of gray makes subtle shading on graphics hard to make out, and because I download a lot of technical books with screen captures, some of them can be hard to read. Also, computer listings are sometimes hard to read when the font is small on 1.0, and I believe the new gray scale will make them easier to read.
The Kindle is a really nice little machine for people who buy a lot of books. Don't try to equate the price using the "vs. book cost" equation. There is not an easy way to measure the incredible value of taking an entire bookshelf with you. That and all of the benefits of the cellular wireless network make the kindle a very good value (IMHO).
I wish people could write third party apps for it. I was hoping 2.0 would allow that, just like iPhone allows now, so that is my one disappointment.
Looks better than the ONE, seems a bit easier than lugging arond a book which I do. It's also a bit expensive. But I haven't read about any ability to upload my own articles/ebooks for "road reading". I lug printed copies of my 'stuff' that I'd like to add to a Kindle-like device.
With free software, you can create you own books to read on the Kindle 1. So I assume you can still do so on the Kindle 2.
I have plenty of pdf files dealing with my academic preferences. And may add more pdf files converted from Word documents. Can all of these be read on the Kindle 2.0? If so, I will buy the device, for sure. I usually get tired of reading documents in the PC screen in a short while...
Looks like this one will read PDFs and Word Files... adding quite a bit of functionality beyond books...
Blackberry + MobiPocket Reader + Project Gutenberg = Everything I need
Plus I can buy any other book I might want to read and it fits in my pocket.
Plus I can buy any other book I might want to read and it fits in my pocket.
You can change the text size. Once you get past the years you've been conditioned to seeing a novel in a certain form factor, it becomes quite easy to read. I set it up to view two or three sentences per 'page', which makes the viewing quite comfortable. It opens up where you left off and you can set bookmarks at any point.
Because I always have it with me, I can read at the arena or ballpark while my kids are practicing or when I'm in the waiting room getting my car serviced, etc. And at night I don't need a light.
To add a file to the library, it couldn't be easier. Just take a text file, PDF, DOC or HTML file and drop it into the library. Then you can sync any book from your library with the Blackberry - including annotations and bookmarks. Also, you can buy books online.
I remember about 15 years ago thinking that it would be cool to have an electronic book that you could carry your library around in. What I imagined was not too different in form than the Kindle. But the way things have changed with both technology and the way we view and interact with media, the Kindle seems to be an outdated solution in search of a problem.
Because I always have it with me, I can read at the arena or ballpark while my kids are practicing or when I'm in the waiting room getting my car serviced, etc. And at night I don't need a light.
To add a file to the library, it couldn't be easier. Just take a text file, PDF, DOC or HTML file and drop it into the library. Then you can sync any book from your library with the Blackberry - including annotations and bookmarks. Also, you can buy books online.
I remember about 15 years ago thinking that it would be cool to have an electronic book that you could carry your library around in. What I imagined was not too different in form than the Kindle. But the way things have changed with both technology and the way we view and interact with media, the Kindle seems to be an outdated solution in search of a problem.
Glad to see Amazon is prooving out the form factor for Apple. Most folks predict they (Apple) will release a larger format iPod Touch (say about the size of a paperback book) and I'd be willing to bet it will be this size (sans keyboard and bulky nav elements of course). It'll be bye-bye Kindle from there because the display tech of the touch is soooo much better than this and when you add all the other iPod Touch apps, storage and capabilities we are left wondering what need the Kindle was actually fulfilling (in fact I am already left wondering that).
I am fresh from a publishing technology company and there was little to no interest in supporting this technology in any meaningful way. Its all about PDF and the more dynamic formats (e.g. HTML, Flash, et al.) than any of the e-book formats.
Don't get me wrong. I wish Amazon all the best here and I am a big beliver in this kind of research project, but c'mon... this thing seems very 1995ish and is already displaced by a wide variety of devices. Take on the iPod from this direction (add all the multimedia functionality of the iPod, capacity, touchscreen with intuative nav) and you might have something viable at this price... but as a single function device, unless its under $100, its a non-starter. Sorry.
I am fresh from a publishing technology company and there was little to no interest in supporting this technology in any meaningful way. Its all about PDF and the more dynamic formats (e.g. HTML, Flash, et al.) than any of the e-book formats.
Don't get me wrong. I wish Amazon all the best here and I am a big beliver in this kind of research project, but c'mon... this thing seems very 1995ish and is already displaced by a wide variety of devices. Take on the iPod from this direction (add all the multimedia functionality of the iPod, capacity, touchscreen with intuative nav) and you might have something viable at this price... but as a single function device, unless its under $100, its a non-starter. Sorry.
OK, I'm a geezer and only have a cell phone for when I'm on the road. But, I read a lot and could see a reader with ipod type functions. Carrying one object rather that several has an appeal. However,not at $500+.
How about PRC format from Bookeen. Can kindle read it?
but then after amortizing the thing by buying about 15 books you are saving as much as $15.00 per book
Looks hard to read. But that's compensated for by the high price, I guess...
Anybody knows if it reads only Latin script, or others too?-Cyrillic, for example?
Next version could merge audio books with printed books. I'd like to have that (kind of like subtitles for movies).
Looks like a great door prize for just about any convention, meeting or drawing. I'd buy the electronic books but not pay $350 (incl S&H) for an empty book jacket. Oh that's right, I also need to buy a case so I suspect we are up to $400.
I'll wait for the prize drawing.
I'll wait for the prize drawing.
At this rate, they might be reasonably usable by the time
they get to release of Kindle 5,000.1, and well worth a
devalued dollar.
they get to release of Kindle 5,000.1, and well worth a
devalued dollar.
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