by Michelle Lentz
I just pre-ordered my Kindle 2. I’ve been wanting an ebook reader for a while. A friend of mine recently let me borrow his older Sony eBook Reader and I was hooked. Much to my surprise, I actually preferred reading on the device than an actual book. Considering the thousands of books my husband and I have strewn across our house, this is really a big thing.
The original Kindle, while well-loved, was rather ugly in form factor. Amazon has cleaned up the appearance and made some other improvements, as per Amazon:
Thin: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines.
Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images
Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging
More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books
Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns
Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you
The Kindle holds over 1500 books thanks to upgraded storage (2 GB), and Amazon backs up all of your ebooks (purchased from them) online, so if the unthinkable happens – you’re covered. You can now use a cursor, thanks to the revamped e-Ink screen. WhisperNet has also been upgraded to 3G networking. Even with 3G, the battery life is supposedly 25% more than the original device.
The Kindle store now carries 250,000 options for your reading pleasure, and 10% of Amazon’s sales – if I understood correctly – are now from eBooks. Apparently Amazon is thinking about ways to make Kindle content available for other devices (such as your iPhone), but they haven’t said too much on the topic just yet.
So, any interest in moving to an eBook Reader?
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Contact Michelle with news, stories, events, and more. Email: michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, Twitter: @writetechnology, Friendfeed: michellel, Blogs: Write Technology, Wine-Girl.net
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{ 1 comment }
It’s funny that Amazon chose Steven King to be the “face” of their Kindle marketing campaign… his name is good for mass appeal, but he looks kind of creepy
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