The Amazon Kindle 2

On unwrapping and dismantling the packaging you’ll not alone if your first impression was that of an oversized iPhone. It’s similar in proportions and shape and just as well finished. If your familiar with the original Kindle you’ll quickly be delighted that many of the awkward angles and try hard hardware features have been ironed out well.

To be blunt, the Kindle 2 makes the Kindle look like something from the 70s. Angular edges, sticky-outy bits and bobs, and clunky controls have now been replaced by a more natural arrangement of aesthetically and experiential pleasing features. In terms of navigation, the unfamiliar LCD slider and click wheel to move through some of the menu options have been eliminated in favour of a much more usable five-way rocker control which is ideal for working your way through text. However, perhaps still not efficient for skipping around the lists in this ebook reader’s menus.

One of the biggest gripes of the first Kindle was the annoying button alignment. Most would nod there when hearing reports of accidental tapping of the page skip buttons. The placement and sensitivity of these buttons were a big oversight in the design but now smaller, stiffened buttons, in more or less the same position eliminates this issue with the Kindle 2.

The Amazon Kindle 2, in fact, has addressed nearly all of the problems experienced with the Kindle 1. A tidier layout, and smoother more rounded finish, offers an impressive presentation and effortless experience. The keyboard is thankfully more like what we’re used to rather than a try-hard ergonomic revolution. Volume is controlled easily and comfortably with a 2 way rocker on the upper right side of the device with speakers running along the bottom of the smooth aluminium back. And as mentioned already, replacing the LCD slider with a rocker too completes a decent navigation suite.

Within the device, Amazon has done away with the SD slot and instead have fitted a voluminous 2Gb of internal storage capability. Why they didn’t provide both is probably a matter of cost and need because for most of us the 2Gb is more than enough for our libraries of  books and daily newspapers.

On to the all-important screen. It’s definitely clearer than Kindle version 1. The 4 shades of grey in the original e-ink display have been boosted to a whopping 16 shades and you really notice it through the font and image clarity. Accentuating the viewing experience is the much faster refresh rate in page turns as well as text display and cursor motion.

The Kindle 2 is unbelievably thin at just 0.36 inches and rounds off the whole device as something that can only be described as beautiful. It’s easy to carry of course but some who still crave the real book experience might find that it’s moved further away in this new generation. But in summary, the kit as a whole is one awesome package. Sleek and smooth.

To be honest, not much software has been added or taken away between the ebook readers. Nothing that meaningful anyway. It’s more the greater efficiency of the software through better navigation hardware. However, what must be positively noted is the search functionality. You can now skip straight from the home page into a menu that provides you with handy options for searching. Seeking and finding content is quicker and easier. You can also type a query in the home page to find content or search through ebook / newspaper text.

Another vast improvement has been made to the dictionary function. Using the cursor, its quick and easy to make your way through documents, hovering over individual words and the definition automatically appears at the bottom of the screen immediately. Previously you had to highlight a whole line and see a definition for every word in that line. The whole interface for the user has had a noticeable upgrade with clear and defined areas such as page info at the bottom and an information bar at the top.

Some of the new functions of the Amazon Kindle 2 have caused debate and controversy.  This new ebook reader has a text to speech capability that essentially means that the reader can opt for more of an audio book experience. However, as you will notice, it’s not quite the same, as audio books tend to have a pleasant and interesting human voice whereas the Kindle 2 reads to you like an old robot, as you’d expect. It’s a nice to have for now but I wouldn’t side with the Author’s Guild in their argument around this feature infringing copyright. It’s hardly audio book quality and not many people will be using it for long periods of time.

Have you hard of Whispersync? It’s one of the new features in this ebook reader and is supposed to sync between devices so that books, articles and bookmarks are consistent across multiple ereaders. Talk on the blogs is that there are glitches so even if this promise does float your boat, keep his in mind. At the end of the day, who has more than one ebook reader that they regularly switch between? Perhaps in the future this feature will be of more use as we see more syncing demands with smart phones and the likes of the iPod Touch.

Conclusion

So in summary it’s a big thumbs up from us. Amazon has learned quickly from some of the hiccups in the first generation ebook reader to release what is now a highly sophisticated and sexy Kindle 2. Hardware evolution makes up the more significant changes that were frankly much needed when you sit the Kindle 1 and Kindle 2 side by side. In terms of doing stuff on your ebook reader it’s much of a muchness but the way you get there is more efficient and provides the user with an all round better experience. It’s not cheap. At $359 it’s one of the most expensive out there and the add-ons will come at a similar price premium. It’s up to you and your level of usage to justify paying that kind of money.

For us gadget addicts, it’ll be more attractive but definitely not for everyone. Saying that though, a round of applause to Amazon for adding an ebook reader that surpasses most in terms of design and performance.