Well, the processor in this model is faster, so the screen refreshes about 20 percent quicker between page turns. All and all, the thing just feels zippier, but it's important to note that while you'd think that a monochrome system would be lightning fast at this point, the Kindle 2 still exhibits some slight lag.
One gripe that Amazon has clearly addressed is the issue with the page-advance button. On the original Kindle, that button was extra long and easy to depress, which meant it was very easy to accidentally turn pages. On the Kindle 2, the page-turn buttons are smaller, and in playing with the device we noticed that it took a bit more effort to actually click the button and advance a page. That's the bad news. The good news is Amazon says the battery now delivers about 25 percent more battery life, which should give you a few days of reading with the wireless on and two weeks with it turned off.
We found the battery life to be quite good, and confirm that if you keep the wireless access to a minimum, you won't have to recharge for close to two weeks. If you're a user of the original Kindle, you'll notice a few other design changes. And there are two tiny speaker ports on the back of the Kindle 2 that give you external audio.
Because the speakers don't sound great, you probably wouldn't want to listen to music this way, but they do just fine with Text-to-Speech, a new "experimental" feature that allows you to have text read to you. While there's still a pronounced robotic element to it--you can switch between male and female digitized voices--it sounded better than we expected.
In short, don't expect to get a true audiobook experience along the lines of what Audible offers and yes, the Kindle 2, like the original, does support audiobook downloads from Amazon's Audible subsidiary , but it's usable. Alas, after some authors protested that the inclusion of this feature might eat into audiobook sales, the text-to-speech feature has gone from a universal feature to one that's available on a title-by-title basis ; each Kindle title's listing on Amazon should now note whether it's speech-enabled or not.
In other changes, Amazon has gone with a new charging system. The power adapter is actually one of the more impressive parts of the package: it's small, not much bigger than a standard plug, and the microUSB cable detaches from it so you can also charge the Kindle by connecting it to a USB port on your Mac or Windows PC.
Storage and file compatibility Amazon has upped the amount of onboard memory to 2GB from MB , so you can store up to 1, books or assorted newspaper and blog subscriptions, as well as JPEG images. But unfortunately, taking a cue from Apple, it left out an expansion slot for additional memory.
Using that same microUSB port, you can transfer files to the spare memory on your Kindle 2 it shows up as a standard USB storage drive when connected to a computer. Like the earlier model, this one can play back MP3 and AAC files as well as Audible audio book files , but 2GB is pretty skimpy when you start getting into multiple albums with high bit rates--so think in terms of storing only your favorite songs or albums and not your entire music library.
You can drag and drop the music files into the "music" folder when connecting the Kindle to your computer via USB. But the audio support is a convenience, not a fully developed feature. Too bad--perhaps a future Kindle model will offer an easier way to support podcast subscriptions as well. Instead, you'll need to e-mail those files to your special Kindle e-mail address for conversion to Kindle-friendly formats. This is a pain, particularly because you also get charged 10 cents for every document, PDF file, or image you send to the device.
Here's what Amazon has to say about the whole thing, which strikes us as weird:. Kindle makes it easy to take your personal documents with you, eliminating the need to print. Each Kindle has a unique and customizable e-mail address. You can set your unique e-mail address on your Manage Your Kindle page. This allows you and your approved contacts to e-mail Word, PDF documents, and pictures wirelessly to your Kindle for a small per document fee--currently only 10 cents per document.
You can e-mail your PDFs wirelessly to your Kindle. The interface The original Kindle had a little rolling wheel to assist with navigation. The Kindle 2 moves to a five-way rocker button that's more straightforward and helps solve some--but not all--of the quirky navigational issues the device has. Amazon has made some nice tweaks to the interface and has made it easier to access the embedded dictionary to look up words, but it's far from a total revamp.
You're still left with moments when you're not sure whether you should go forward or backward, or which button you should hit to get to where you want to go. In other words, it's not entirely intuitive. Kindle newbies will have to play around with the device for a day or two to really get the hang of it that's pretty good, all things considered.
In many ways, these types of devices lend themselves to touch-screen interfaces that way, you can go to a virtual keyboard and shrink the device and Sony went that route with its PRS, PRS, and PRS readers. Unfortunately, in going to a touch screen, Sony managed to lose some contrast and has run into some snags with glare issues. So, until the engineers improve the e-ink touch-screen technology, Amazon has made the right choice with its nontouch display, though some CNET readers are waiting for color, especially when it comes to Web surfing.
While we're comparing the Kindle 2 to the Sony Readers, we should mention that though the Amazon product has a big advantage with its built-in wireless connection, the Sony does have a couple of advantages. With the Kindle, a PDF seems to get broken into pages, so you often can't see the document as a whole--just in pieces. All that said, if you're really looking a more PDF-friendly device, you should probably consider a larger e-reader, such as Amazon's pricier Kindle DX , which has native PDF support and a 9.
The DX has slightly superior features to the Kindle 2, but we prefer this model's smaller form factor. Another warning: as we mentioned in the intro, the Kindle 2 doesn't ship with a protective carrying case.
The case that was included with the original Kindle was mediocre at best, but it's too bad Amazon has chosen to ship the Kindle 2 completely naked.
While we haven't experienced any problems with the case for our review unit, some owners have complained that the new case can cause your Kindle to crack where the case clips on to the Kindle's spine.
If you don't like the official Kindle case, there are plenty of third-party options as well. Conclusion We'll end by saying what we expect a lot of other reviewers will say: the Kindle 2 is clearly better than the original Kindle, particularly if you're willing to forgive the sealed battery and lack of a memory-expansion option.
And while it's not without its shortcomings and quirks, the Kindle 2 is a sexier device now, and the overall experience of reading, buying, and even listening to electronic books has taken a nice step forward. We'd also like to see e-books and subscriptions to Kindle newspapers, magazines, and blogs cost less. Eventually, of course, natural market forces read: supply and demand and the size of the Kindle's overall user base will dictate where prices go--both for the hardware and the software.
But for now, the price of admission to Amazon's electronic book world is what it is, and when you combine the new design and built-in wireless connection with enhanced syncing features for multiple Kindles, and the impressive integration with Amazon's online Kindle Store, the Kindle 2 is still the best e-book reader out there--for people who live in the U.
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