I didn’t buy Amazon’s first Kindle e-book reader when it premiered in late 2007 for two reasons. First, I rarely buy first-generation hardware. Why pay to be a beta tester? Second, I look at a computer screen all day. I didn’t want to look at yet another screen for night reading.

But when Amazon’s new Kindle 2 was announced, my first reason for holding out evaporated. And the Kindle’s new features eroded my resolve: It can store 1,500 books; it can go for up to two weeks without a battery recharge; it has a crisper screen.

Continue reading the Kindle 2 Review.

Back when the original Kindle was announced I hesitated about buying one because I wasn’t that impressed with the form factor. A few days later I decided I would probably enjoy the device only to then find out they were sold out for quite some time. Josh Bancroft then posted an article that further aided in my purchase justification so I bought my Kindle a few months after they were released. This time around I decided to order the Kindle 2 as soon as it was announced a couple of weeks ago and yesterday it arrived. I didn’t want to be stuck waiting for them to come back in stock again, but see they are actually still listed as In Stock on the Amazon site so either the demand is not as great as last time or the supply is better than last time. In today’s economy, I can see more people hesitating to buy such a device so believe the demand is less than the Kindle 1.

Continue reading the Kindle 2 Review.

I was one of those reviewers who thought the first Kindle was interesting but too flawed. But last week, Amazon began shipping the next-generation Kindle 2.0, and it’s a vast improvement.

It’s sleeker, a little faster, with a better screen and room for a lot more books. Its buttons have been reworked, so it’s harder to accidentally turn a page. And it has several interesting new features, including the ability to read books to you, if the publisher allows it.

But there remain other problems with the Kindle 2, from the fact that you can’t share e-books to its price. Yes, it’s improved, but there are enough issues to give potential buyers pause.

Continue reading the Kindle 2 Review.

The Kindle is the electronic book reader first brought to market by Amazon in December of 2007. It was so successful (or Amazon so dramatically underestimated demand) that it sold out during the holiday periods of both 2007 and 2008.

Now, only 14 months after its introduction, Amazon has rolled out the Kindle 2. Even before this new and very much improved version, the pundits were speculating that the Kindle could do for digital books what Apple’s iPod has done for digital music.

Before we go any further, let me confess that I was in love with the first version of the Kindle. For me, this is not merely a gadget, it is an enabling technology.

Continue reading the Kindle 2 Review.

Hate to spoil the ending, but here’s what you need to know about Kindle 2.

The second edition of Amazon’s (AMZN) best-selling electronic reader looks better, reads better and addresses the first Kindle’s (metaphorically speaking) torn pages. Still, most of the improvements are marginal enough that owners of the original Kindle ought not feel compelled to upgrade, especially at a pricey $359.

Continue reading the Kindle 2 Review.

It’s been nearly five months since we scooped Amazon’s Kindle 2 and earlier this week, after what seemed like an eternity for anxious e-book fans, Amazon finally began shipping its new reader. We unboxed it for you this past Tuesday but you know we couldn’t leave it at that — it’s full-on review time! Leading up to the Kindle 2 we’ve been through a Sony PRS-505, an Amazon Kindle 1 and an Irex Iliad so we had high hopes for Amazon’s new Jesus-reader. Is it up to snuff? Did it fall flat on its slim, sexy, 3G-connected face? Grab a cup of coffee and a snack pack, then hit the jump to find out.

To kick things off, let’s start with the guts. The Kindle 2 packs a 532 MHz ARM-11 processor, a 3.7 V 1530 mAh non-removable lithium polymer battery, a Sprint compatible EV-DO antenna and 2 GB of internal storage. The choice to abandon the external SD card slot and the removable battery of the Kindle 1 are a source of contention amongst current Kindle owners and rightfully so. Yes, the internal memory of the Kindle 2 can hold close to 1,500 books and the battery does promise longer life but people paying $360 for a reader don’t want to be limited — especially when the first generation Kindle didn’t have such limitations. You can’t carry around your whole library if your collection exceeds 2GB and the device is only useful for the life of the battery (unless you want to fork over $60 to Amazon to replace it).

Continue reading the Kindle 2 Review.