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Kindle Reader - Wireless Reading Device - Portable Ebook Reader

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Kindle Reader - Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, free 3g, white)
 
Manufacturer: Amazon.com
Customer Rating:
 
List Price: $189.00
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Product Description
At 10.2 ounces, Kindle reader is lighter than a typical paperback and as thin as most magazines. Barely a third of an inch in profile, you'll find Kindle fits perfectly in your hands. Kindle is as easy to hold and use as a book. We designed it with long-form reading in mind. When reading for long periods of time, people naturally shift positions and often like to read with one hand. Kindle's page-turning buttons are located on both sides, allowing you to read and turn pages comfortably with one hand from any position. The page-turn buttons now flex inward to prevent any accidental page turns when picking up or handling Kindle. Latest Kindle has a new easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words. Kindle is completely wireless reading device and ready to use right out of the box--no setup, no cables, no computer required. With Kindle's 25% longer battery life, you can read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly. Whispernet utilizes Amazon's optimized technology plus Sprint's national high-speed (3G) data network to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, and download content on the go. Your books and periodicals are delivered via Whispernet in less than 60 seconds. And unlike WiFi, you never have to hunt for a hotspot.

Product Details
  • Slim and Lightweight: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines. 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

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Customer Reviews
263 Kindle 2 Reviews - Why Read Another?
 
Review Date: February 27, 2009
Reviewer: Doug Near Seattle,
As I type this message there are 263 Kindle 2 reviews on Amazon's web site. Why bother with another? I'm not one inclined to writing reviews but I do examine them carefully before I make a significant purchase, here on Amazon.com and on other seller web sites. So on the chance that I might say something that helps a potential buyer make up their mind, particularly someone who has not owned the first Kindle, this is my small effort to give back to the process.

First of all, I loved Kindle 1 although I noted several shortcomings due primarily to the design of the hardware. I'm glad to learn that every shortcoming(except one) has been fixed beyond my expectations. When I received my Kindle 2 yesterday, I eagerly removed it from the shipping container, plugged it in and began to download my library. As I did I marveled at the new Kindle's fresh, sleek design. It is a beauty!

The main issue I had with Kindle 1 was the navigation button design and placement. My original thought was that I wanted to use my Kindle 1 without a cover but I quickly learned that doing so wasn't practical. I like to read holding the Kindle with one hand and it just didn't work well because I kept bumping the next, previous and back buttons. So I began to use the cover it came with so I could hold the Kindle by the cover, only to learn that this cover did not keep the device securely in place very well. So I bought an m-edge cover, which is bulkier and the front does not fold back easily. I was stuck reading using two hands and I didn't like that at all.

Kindle 2 solves all these problems. I'm not going to bother with a cover at all now. I love the way it feels in my hand without a cover. It is easy to navigate without any risk of accidentally changing the page I'm on. I will probably buy a Belkin sleeve to protect it when I take it out but that's all. Now my reading experience is complete! [Note added 3/5/09: instead of buying a Belkin sleeve, I did made my own protector. See the discussin thread and photos here: [...]

The Kindle 2's redesigned features are fantastic. The display is better and the 5-way button is a major improvement. I do a lot of highlighting and this design fix is huge. Looking up words is much easier and many times faster. One improved feature I haven't notice any comment on is the progress bar at the bottom of each book page. Now it shows the total number of locations and the percent already read. This is so much better than the old way of determining how far I'm into a book. Thank you, design team!

The fact that Kindle 2 has no SD card capability and the battery is not user-serviceable is not an issue with me. Even with a few hundred books in my library, it will be a long time before the 2 gig memory starts to be a limiting factor and when it does (if it does) I'll just archive what I've already read. Amazon's design team has made it simple to pull archived books back to the Kindle 2 without having to go to a computer.

The only item on my wish list that was not addressed in Kindle 2 is the lack of an improved file storage system. It would have been nice to have that but it doesn't take away from my enjoyment. [Note added 3/5/09: Bufo Calvo came up with an inovative method of catagorizing books on Kindle that works great so this item is no longer on my wish list. [...]

Page turns are significantly faster and the page reloads are less intrusive to the reading experience. On/off buttons are repositioned to be easily accessible. The home page is easier to navigate. There are other improvements that many others have already noted so I'm going to stop here without repeating everything that's been said already. But the biggest thing about Kindle (both 1 and 2) is the Amazon store and how simple it is to browse and buy books from. I'm so impressed with the way they have seamlessly brought the store together with the reading device via Whispernet to make the digital reading experience such a wonderful thing to enjoy.
The Dinosaur & the Kindle
 
Review Date: May 6, 2009
Reviewer: Susan Tunis, San Francisco, CA
I am not a gadget girl. I am not an early adopter. I am a dinosaur. I am in love with books. I like the feel of them, the smell of them, and I am a passionate supporter of independent booksellers. I am the last person in the world who would buy a Kindle. However, Amazon likes me. They gave me a Kindle 2 as a reward for services rendered. Well, who would turn that down?

Here's the shocker... I LOVE it! I can't even believe how much I love my Kindle. A friend of mine wrote a detailed critique of the first Kindle, and I have to say that the new design is a vast improvement. Aside from being slimmer and sleeker, there are plenty of places to hold the device comfortably without activating any functions. The screen is easy to read off of, and I honestly believe that I can read faster on a Kindle than I do with a traditional book. I'm not sure why. Faster page turns? What I can tell you is that it's exceedingly comfortable and easy to read off the Kindle anywhere, but especially when you have limited space--like on public transportation. You can easily hold the Kindle and turn pages with a single hand.

The Kindle has several features that could best be described as... cool. My eyesight is fine, but I can choose the font size that suits me best. Likewise, I love the text-to-speech feature. A big frustration in my life is that I can't work on my embroidery (I'm a dinosaur, remember?) and read at the same time. Now, I can have the Kindle read to me while I stitch. Yes, it's sort of tinny and mechanical, but it's still a really nice option to use occasionally. In addition to reading published books, I read a lot of unpublished manuscripts. It's not uncommon to see me schlepping around 600 pages of loosely bound paper. The other day I had the amazing experience of forwarding an email with a manuscript attached to my dedicated Kindle address. Within seconds, the entire MS was in my Kindle, formatted and ready to go. Amazing! I can even make notes on the MS in the machine.

However, possibly the best thing about the Kindle is the fact that I can get internet access for free, almost anywhere. I use it to check my email all the time now. I wouldn't want to write a novel on the keyboard, but it's sufficient for brief communications. Now when I go away for the weekend, I can leave my laptop at home! It also works fine for basic internet surfing.

One last thing I was unaware of is how much free or nominally-priced content there is for the Kindle. I've got plenty to read, and I haven't purchased one $9.99 book yet. My first Kindle "purchases" were all free public domain titles. Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle--how can you do better than that? I also read the Kindle Daily Post in the Kindle store religiously. You never know when you'll be offered free content like a back-listed Lee Child novel or some contemporary fantasy. Other authors such as Boyd Morrison and J.A. Konrath are offering novels at prices ranging from $1 to $2 dollars, as a way to find new readers. One more favorite is the free Amazon Daily blog, which is like a fun, timely magazine with short articles that update constantly. The perfect entertainment for brief snatches of time.

No, I never would have bought a Kindle. And "real" books will still be a big part of my life, but I will never be without a Kindle again. This dinosaur is evolving.
Soul of the e-reader; Kindle 2 gets closer to delivering the promise.
 
Review Date: February 24, 2009
Reviewer: Joshua G. Feldman, New York
I'm a great believer in the e-book concept; having been reading e-books since the Apple Newton (and down through various Palms, Sony Reader PRS505, and Kindle 1). The dream has always been a portable electronic device that could hold a ton of reading material, automate subscriptions and facilitate quick easy downloads, and be as portable, as easy on the eyes, and as intuitive as a book. The Kindle 1 was the first really practical device to get close to that dream. The combination of the reflective e-ink screen, effortless Whispernet wireless cellular connection to Amazon (and the Internet - without requiring hooking up to a computer, ever), and Amazon's tremendous ability to rope in a critical mass of book and periodical content made the promise of the e-reader real for the first time. But the Kindle 1 had some rough edges that got in the way of effortlessly reading. Things like the buttons that made it easy to accidentally turn pages; the separate cursor on the side that could only select lines and was sometimes hard to see; the occasionally awkward menus; the case which practically forced you to remove it to use it and sometimes pulled the battery door off. With the Kindle 2, Amazon has addressed all these issues and more. Each of the differences looks superficially subtle, but they collectively combine to make the Kindle 2 feel polished and comparatively effortless to use. It comes closer than any other device yet made to getting out the way and leaving the reader alone with the text, like a book.

The first thing that grabs you about the Kindle 2 is how elegantly thin it is. The Kindle 2 is THIN. It positively disappears in your briefcase. The second thing is the buttons. They are smaller, but well placed and critically pivot from the edge inwards towards the screen. This means that when you handle the Kindle 2 by the edges, the pages don't change even if you grab by the buttons. Yet changing pages is effortless when you do - the buttons are right between your thumbs and the slightest pressure on their faces is enough to activate them. The problem with the case was addressed by using a post-in-slot locking arrangement reminiscent of recent Palm organizers. The fact that you must buy the case now is disappointing but the silver lining is that you can opt to individualize your Kindle. The issue with the battery door opening is thus solved, but Amazon went further, eliminating the door altogether and wrapping the back with sleek stainless steel. It is tactile and elegant, but doing away with the door means doing away with the SD memory card slot that the Kindle 1 had, as well as the ability to change batteries. This is, undoubtedly, the most controversial aspect of Kindle 2. Frankly, I never used either the card slot or changed the battery on my Kindle 1 but I liked that they were there and I miss them on the Kindle 2, even though, I have to admit, I don't actually need them. In practice it's no hardship to live within a 2GB (1.4 GB available) limit, especially if you are willing to trust Amazon to archive items you are done reading. The screen is incrementally improved. 16 shades of gray is WAY better than 4. They say it's faster, but only a tiny bit. I notice the snappiness of Kindle 2's performance, but it's certainly not a dramatic difference. The e-ink screen's text quality is basically unchanged from Kindle 1. 40% white is pretty good, but the Kindle 2's screen looks just like the one on Kindle 1. Where the improved e-ink screen really shines is dynamic update - which is fast enough to allow a live cursor within the text area. This does away with the scroll wheel and side cursor of Kindle 1. In Kindle 2 this has been replaced with a 5 way joystick (4 directions plus click down to select). The joystick does plenty more than just allow you to actually select a word to get a definition on. It lets you quickly navigate periodicals - moving to the next article with just a click right or left, or up to the section or article list with a flick up or down. Losing the side cursor gives Kindle 2 a cleaner look - but it's the greatly improved navigation that's the real benefit. This ease of navigation is one of the most compelling new features of Kindle 2 for me. As for the text to speech feature, it is probably invaluable to some - but not me. I like Stephen Hawking a lot but don't want that voice to read me a book. Talk to me later and maybe I'll have changed my mind.

All in all, Kindle 2 feels like Amazon is getting to the soul of the e-reader. Most of the annoying things about Kindle 1 are gone, but almost all the strengths remain, or are accentuated. The trouble is, the differences are subtle. At first glance, Kindle 2's enhancements look very incremental; almost trivial. Clearly the future will hold color, and better contrast than 40% - but these enhancements are in E-ink's court, not Amazon's. I have other items on my wish list for the future - like being able to fold out a larger screen to better display bigger books. I'd like the content manager to allow me to create folders so I can organize my growing collection of titles. I really really want Kindle to be able to read PDF files natively (you still have to e-mail in your PDFs for conversion with Kindle 2). These thing will come, I'm sure, in time. Meanwhile, the Kindle 2 is currently the best e-reader on the planet. In terms of in-the-hand usability it blows Kindle 1 away.

Some of my colleagues and I at work have been talking lately about the implications of the Kindle on the future of the book. Kindle eradicates page numbers, loses the physical form, forces all books into a common size and shape, and homogenizes the typeface. Clearly something is lost compared with a printed book. Yet, what is gained is undeniable and as impending as the weather. The ability to carry whole libraries (like the iPod did for music), and the ability to get the daily paper, magazine, or a new book automatically - practically instantly - at a savings - is literally a dream come true. There's little doubt that Kindle has utterly transformed the book distribution model. The big divide seems to be Amazon's .azw, Kindle's file format, and .pdf, Adobe's Acrobat format which has become almost universal. PDF's universality has the feeling of almost being open source (which it is not) because the there's no copy protection or copyright features built into it. While .pdf-only format readers are around, and tons of .pdf titles are available, they tend to be composed disproportionately of public domain, technical libraries, and other arcana. That's because mainstream publishers don't want to sign on to a format that doesn't protect them. Amazon's .azw format does, and thus Kindle has that awesome selection of content. In the modern economics of increasing returns, early critical leads in technology tend to become dominant trends. Kindle's .awz format seems to be on the verge of having an unsurmountable lock on the e-book market as a result. When it comes to the actual book titles (and periodicals) you'd like to read, Amazon's Kindle has no competition. For me, the dream of a workable e-book is realized.
Kindling a Revolution
 
Review Date: February 25, 2009
Reviewer: Jonathan Appleseed,
When the first Kindle was announced my Christmas list was immediately complete. It was populated with one request: Amazon Gift Certificates. My excitement was difficult to measure and probably difficult for people to tolerate. A device that carried 250 books? With an "onboard" dictionary? That's all I needed to know. What surprised me, though, was that none of my family or friends knew what I was talking about. "What's a Kindle?" they would ask, to which I would squint my eyes and reply, "Huh?"

How so many people could be unaware of what was to me a revolution - many of whom were avid readers - was puzzling. Even after receiving the Kindle (finally - after months of waiting) people who saw me with it would ask, "What is that?" When my answer, "It's Amazon's Kindle!" succeeded only in deepening the creases in their foreheads I was dumbfounded. This is the Kindle! Hello?

Apparently Amazon's website, one of the most heavily trafficked web sites on the internet, wasn't enough marketing. The Kindle wasn't close to being a household name, even a year after its release. And people to whom I showed the Kindle often weren't that impressed.

That has all changed with the release of the Kindle 2. Big change in the so-called impression department.

The Kindle 2 arrived about an hour before I left for a class and I took it with me intending to explore the Kindle 2 during the break. I arrived at class early and with the extra time started familiarizing myself with the new device.

I didn't have it out for more than ten seconds before someone asked, "Is that the new Kindle?" Another, "Is that the one that talks?" All seven classmates were keenly interested in this second generation Kindle, and all had heard of it - the Kindle 2, that is, not just the Kindle. They all knew that a second had been unveiled, and at least one wasn't aware of the first until they became aware of the second. Class started, and I had to put the new Kindle away.

When break time came, I thought I'd have a bit of time. Nope! People stayed in the room, demanding that I,"Make it talk!" or "Show me the dictionary!"

While I understand that there's been a good deal of time for word-of-mouth to advertise the Kindle, there's something else at work here. This device has caught people's attention; it's a head turner. The design is slick, attractive, thin and, I would say, sexy! That it doesn't have the quirky, clunky, annoying buttons that filled ¾ of each side of its predecessor, buttons that caused dozens upon dozens of accidental page turns makes it that much sexier. I found that the Kindle 2 is immediately appealing to the eye and once described in the barest of terms people want one for themselves. And I mean everyone. Every single person that has seen my Kindle and heard my thirty-second advertisement of its features has expressed a desire to own one NOW. That wasn't the reaction the first Kindle had, and my thirty-second advertisement was roughly the same.

Congratulations, Amazon. You've just invented the equivalent of the iPhone for e-books.

The biggest selling point for me is still the onboard dictionary. If you're a true reader then you know the value of having a dictionary at hand and the frustration you experience if one isn't. My vocabulary is better than average but I still run into unfamiliar words (too often for my comfort!) and I'm one of those people who want to know the meaning of every single word I read. But who wants to go to the doctor's office with their favorite book AND a dictionary? Well, I did. I wanted to bring a dictionary along when I went places where I'd have to wait forever, but I rarely did. Now I don't have to. Everywhere I go I'll have the book I'm reading and a dictionary with which to lookup any words whose meaning I've either forgotten or never knew.

What I like most about the Kindle 2 is the placement of the buttons and their inversion. It's very difficult to accidentally turn a page (a far too frequent occurrence with the first generation Kindle), yet simple and effortless to purposefully turn a page. Page turning is quicker and the text and pictures are crisper. The reading experience, already an excellent one, is greatly improved. I'll miss the scroll wheel, even though it wasn't exactly the height of design innovation and was vaguely Coleco-esque, and it's replacement, the 5-way controller will take a bit of getting used to. It has the feel of the mouse button in the middle of a laptop keyboard and I never liked those. Manipulating that button reminded me of something I'd rather not think about when trying to get work done. (I'll leave that to your imagination since this is a family show.)

Another huge plus for Amazon is that plugging the Kindle into your computer via the USB port no longer drains the Kindle; instead, it charges it. They were smart and designed a USB cable and wall adapter that work together so that you don't have to keep track of two cables. It's also easy to charge the Kindle in the car if you have a battery charger with a USB port (some Bluetooth speakers come equipped with those). Though I wouldn't recommend using the Kindle while driving.

If you were hedging on the first Kindle and decided to wait, now is the time to pounce. This is the real deal. You'll love it.

If you have the first Kindle and are deciding whether to upgrade, do it now while you can still get a good price for your old Kindle on Amazon's Marketplace, craigslist, wherever. This I promise: if you don't upgrade, you will regret it every time you accidentally hit one of the obscenely large buttons and advance or retreat one, two, three, or even four pages. And the longer you go, the less you'll get for selling your old Kindle, and that, without question, will be frustrating. Another tip for selling: if you bought a cover to replace Amazon's ridiculous original cover, sell it packaged with the Kindle. You'll sell it quicker and for more money.

My only complaint is that the Amazon looked a bit too much to Apple when designing this. It's like a large iPod with a keyboard, sans the 32gb storage. (They could only get 1gb of storage into that, and Apple gets 32gb into the much, much smaller iPod Touch? Then again, I'm not an engineer so this issue may be moot.) You can't carry an extra battery - though with the extended battery life and extra charging options it's almost a non-issue - and you can't replace the battery because of the iPod-like fixed backing. They also took out the memory slot, and the SD card was a big selling point for people who liked to carry their entire library around with them. While I do understand that concern, 1500 titles is a LOT of titles.

I'm a book lover. The smell of old books is almost an aphrodisiac. The feel of a book - it's difficult to describe. Even the word itself has some magic to it. I'm old school when it comes to books, and I love this device.

You will too.
Great in so many ways!!!
 
Review Date: March 22, 2009
Reviewer: Gina-Marie Hammer, Palm Coast, Florida
There were many reasons I decided to purchase a Kindle - my hands ache when holding a book open, I get headaches from reading stuff on the computer, I wanted something I could throw in a bag and take anywhere, and it holds so many items that I don't have to carry three or four novels with me in case I'm bored or finish one. Nothing could prepare me for the actuality that is Kindle. It integrated seamlessly into my life. If I'm at the desk, it's beside me; if I'm in the bedroom, it's on the nightstand; I even take the silly thing to the john. It's so much easier than a book.

I expected it to be a little awkward at first, but it really *does* get lost in your hands. Suddenly, you look down after a couple of hours of reading, and realize you've been holding it all along and forgotten all about it. I expected to read novels and blogs on it. I never expected to be able to download all the .pdf technical manuals that I constantly have to weed through on the computer. I work effortlessly now, looking at the computer, working through a segment, picking up the Kindle, searching for what I need in the manual, even highlighting it, or putting a note in the manual about how well it works.

Note taking is my big thing. When I'm looking at a book, I always find note-taking to be an instinct I have to avoid. I see it as a destructive process. I don't want to ruin my books. Further, who can really concentrate on what they're reading with a pen in their hand? It's two different mindsets. Yet, with Kindle, I do just that. I read a segment, I find a passage, I underline it. I have an opinion, I drop in a note. A question equals another note. When I don't understand something, the dictionary is right at the bottom of the screen to define the word or teach me how to pronounce it; or I can surf to the web and find exactly what I need.

It's so much better than surfing the web on my phone - and far more practical. For one thing, there's no charge except battery power (no pun intended!). For another, all of my research is in one place. The book, notes, websites and highlights are all together - as they should be.

I know a lot of people complain that it should have a bright screen so that you can read it at night, or that it should have color. I say - nay! The main *strength* of Kindle is that it reads *exactly* like a book. No eye strain. No having to turn away every few minutes to relax your eyes; or ending a session of reading with a headache. No "hot lap" or mousing around to find the right page. It's just like a book. You hold it, you turn the page, it's effortless, you forget it's there. Only what you're reading matters, and that's exactly how it should be.
A Modest Rebuttal to Hands-On Review Critiques
 
Review Date: March 3, 2009
Reviewer: totallychicken, Cupertino, CA
I've had my Kindle 2 for about a week now and it certainly something to behold. I did not purchase the 1st generation, although, I did get to briefly use one owned by a friend.

My Backstory: Before purchasing, I was obsessed with the reviews and predictions I found online and reading about some of the critiques such as the thick border, the lack of touchscreen, lack of battery/SD slot, lack of a back light, awkward/difficult keyboard layout, minimally faster page flipping, and the super-high price. All these issues worried me and I was on the verge of canceling my order, but I am SO glad that I had enough faith to stick with it! As a user, here's what I have to say in RESPONSE TO THOSE CRITIQUES:

THICK BORDER: I am glad that the border is thick, because when I go to pick it up, it gives me ample area to grasp it with. I don't know many people who would feel comfortable picking up electronics by their screen (potentially mashing up the pixels/e-ink wells, smudging the screen, or scratching the surface) but I would NOT feel comfortable risking that with a thinner border. For me, the border is a plus.

TOUCHSCREEN: While a touch screen would make things a lot faster, particularly in the Basic Web function, I've read that a touch screen would reduce the screen's clarity which would not be favorable in my mind. Also, if it were to be a touchscreen, the chore of having to wipe off fingerprints would not be fun.

BATTERY/SD SLOT: Meh, I don't miss them. The Kindle comes with a mini USB cable that can connect to your PC, and although I haven't used it, I think it'd be very easy to just store your unused books on your hard drive. As for the battery, Amazon's explanation was that it'd thicken the Kindle, so I'm fine with it b/c the slenderness of the K2 is such a plus. The batter lasts a LONG time, too. I bought the 2 year warranty just in case, plus, it covers accidental damage!

BACK LIGHT: So...where would you need a back light in this day and age to read? Maybe in a movie theater, but it'd be just as distracting as those incessant texters, so why be a bother? On a camping trip? Maybe if you didn't bring a flashlight or a lamp to really "rough it". Honestly, there is hardly a situation where you'll need to read in the dark. If it's before bed, just get a lamp for your nightstand.

KEYBOARD: The button layout looks odd because it's so regularly spaced in rows versus the keyboard's staggered style, but it isn't any harder to use than a cellphone's tri-letter entry or blackberry keyboard. The buttons are not hard to press at all. Every K2 button has a satisfying *click* to it so you know you pressed it. Also, the size the keyboard takes up is an issue for some, but when I'm sitting on the ground, I like to rest it upright on my lap against my legs like an easel and the keyboard tends to get obscured by my jacket/shirt puffing out in front of me. If the keyboard weren't as large as it is, I'd be obscuring my text, so I'm actually happy it is that size.

PAGE FLIP SPEED: Just like how I prefer to grasp the page a few sentences before the end of a page, I tend to press the "Next Page" button a bit sooner than I finish reading the page. The lag actually helps in that respect, and even so, the lag between pushing the button and the new page appearing is much faster than I could ever physically flip any book page without shearing it from the spine. Not a big deal at all.

PRICE: Well...for a product this good, it's hard to expect much less. Sure, it could go for mid-$100's and that WOULD make it more accessible to the mass market. However, I think all the positives of the K2 greatly make it worth the price which I'll talk about below.

My FAVORITE FEATURES of the K2:

- Inside-edge buttons - These have saved me from accidentally pressing buttons many times.

- No lame welcome screen - This is self-explanatory. The warm up time is a split second and it doesn't dilly-dally around.

- Instant book purchasing - Fast service and FREE samples that are lengthy enough for you to get a good idea of what you're buying.

- E-ink and matte screen - No harsh computer-screen look to it does not fatigue my eyes at all, and the matte helps reduce glare from light bulbs and the sun.

- Search - As a book reader, I've had way too many "Now where did I read that quote again?" moments and this eliminates it from ever happening again! It's amazing!

- Wikipedia/Dictionary - Again, added reference, amazing!

- Basic Web - So...I hope that Amazon doesn't start charging for this service, because if they did, I probably wouldn't want to buy it anymore. So, obviously, this is an EXPERIMENTAL feature on the K2, so who knows if it'll last, but omg, free internet access...WIRELESS internet access...I think I've died and gone to heaven. I won't state numbers, but you iPhone and Blackberry users know what I mean with the monthly fees. Granted, the K2 doesn't do images very well, flash/complex apps/or images at all, but it can essentially do everything your basic cell phone internet can. So Amazon, if you read this, please don't start charging for the internet service, I would be very sad and I'm sure many others would be, too.

IMPROVEMENTS for next time:

1. On some of the menu screens and the home screen, it would be very nice for it to have a scrolling feature where when you keep selecting up at the top, it will bring your cursor to the bottom of the list or vice versa, back up to the top from the bottom.

2. Security features: I'm a little concerned about if my Kindle got stolen...You can de-register your Kindle, but I'd be really upset to know that someone else is using my hard-earned K2...I'm not asking for a remote detonator like in Mission Impossible, but perhaps a remote deactivation to ensure it can't be used by other users?

3. Smarter page/link scrolling in Basic Web: I realize this isn't one of the main features or the point of the Kindle, but it really takes quite a while and a bit of playing around to reach links.

4. Weight: It's a little bit (a smidgen) heavier than I would prefer, but not too much to be a burden.

5. Glitches: (?) Maybe it's just me, but when I was reading the first few times, the screen would flash and it would bring me back to the home page...I hope it was an isolated incident because hasn't happened since. Has this happened to anyone else?

Finally, the whole Text to Voice thing: It is a cool feature, but the fact that some authors won't let the Kindle read aloud should NOT deter anyone from buying a Kindle. It was a fun feature, but I won't miss it too much. I prefer to read on my own anyways...and after all, isn't encouraging reading the point of the Kindle, anyways?
review #7,082...
 
Review Date: October 27, 2009
Reviewer: Douglas H. Haden, Ridgecrest, CA United States
An update is at the end of this review.

What can I add to what's been said by the 7,081 reviewers before me? Three things: first, why I almost didn't buy a Kindle; second, some less heralded Kindle features; and third, whether or not I regularly use Kindle to read books.

I read a large number of reviews, blogs, and critical commentaries. Despite their overall more or less high evaluations, I focused on a few comments that concerned me. Chief among them were:

**I realized I'd been reading only the one-star and two-star reviews. I started reading the four- and five-star reviews. Many contained useful, often rumor dispelling information.

**"You can't share a Kindle book." Untrue. You can have up to six Kindles sharing all the books on your account. My wife and I are currently reading the same copy of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol independently using our two Kindles. Kindle even keeps track of our individual places in the book.

**I was concerned by Amazon's snatching the 1984 and other Orwell novels from customer Kindles. What I didn't know is Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos apologized, promised not to act so precipitously in the future, and returned the novels with their annotation files (this document is all over the web, search for `Bezos apology'). The apology doesn't make up for the rash act and his promise doesn't cover all future issues. But I believe Amazon will ride the rocky road of evolving e-book law and practice with the rest of us. Amazon seem to understand their and our interests in this area are much the same.

**For some reason, I thought moving my own documents to Kindle was limited and cost money. It is nearly unlimited and you can do it for free if the 10-cent Amazon fee bothers you.

**From my reading I became convinced Amazon had withdrawn text-to-speech under pressure from the Authors Guild. They haven't. They have permitted authors and publishers to restrict the feature for their publications. That lets the marketplace decide the matter. Does an author want to lose sales by eliminating text-to-speech for their book to please the Guild?

I found simply backing up Kindle files to one's computer greatly mitigates many what-if/might-be fears. Such information plus taking just a bit of salt while reading complaints (did the screen crack when it was dropped just 5"? maybe, but mine didn't) made me comfortable enough to order a Kindle.

Descriptions of some of the Kindle 2 how-to books provide good lists of Kindle's undocumented or less-advertized features: see the mobi book Kindle Shortcuts, Hidden Features, Kindle-Friendly Websites, Free eBooks & Email From Kindle: Concise User Guide for Kindle DX, Kindle 2 & 1, Kindle for iPhone & iPod Touch (Kindle Manual) and Emberson's The Kindle 2 Cookbook: How To Do Everything the Manual Doesn't Tell You.

Over the past decade and a half, I bought several e-book readers. They generally worked but I just didn't read books on them. I tried. What mattered now was, would I read books, especially novels, on the Kindle? The answer is yes.

I use the kindle to read novels, look up words in the internal dictionary, make notes in books (especially nonfiction books), extract text from books and documents to place in my notes and e-mails. I use it to wirelessly search Google and Wikipedia. I like the hundreds of thousands of books available from Amazon and the many hundreds of thousands of free books available. To date, I have not used Kindle to check books out of libraries and I haven't used its other than book-reading capabilities such as e-mail.

I recently bought a second Kindle for my wife.

___
Update 11/14/09:

I have had two problems of interest. My Kindle rebooted without obvious (to me) cause. It booted to a Main screen containing only the imbedded dictionary; all my content was gone. My content was available from my Archived Items but I'd loose all reading points since I last had Whispernet on. I tried a manual reboot and all my content reappeared along with my reading points, clippings, and the like. Why did Kindle reboot? Don't know. I was reading with my hand holding the upper left corner of the Kindle and my finger may have done something to the power slide switch.

Later, I discovered my Back switch worked everywhere except in returning from the dictionary to the page I was reading. Again, a reboot fixed it and the Kindle has functioned flawlessly since then (as in 100% reliable).

What I learned: With Kindle, as with so many digital devices, give it a chance to be robust, try rebooting a time or two to fix problems. At least now and then, turn on Whispernet to enable the system to backup your variable data.

Do the foregoing problems change my 5-star rating. No. I have trouble with every complex device I integrate into my life. After a while, the device seems to settle down and problems disappear.

I added the Kindle app to my iPhone. It works great.

I really like my Kindle. I'm reading much more than I had been. Maybe because the Kindle is easier to hold than a book. And... when I go to a place where I may have to wait, I just take the Kindle knowing I have several different books onboard to read.
Nook vs Kindle debate over for me!
 
Review Date: December 1, 2009
Reviewer: Constantreader23,
I spent the last month trying to decide whether I wanted to purchase a Kindle or a Nook. After significant examination of merit and shortcomings of both, I chose the Kindle. I'm sure that I couldn't go to far wrong with any decision that I made. But, I feel that I made the right decision for me. The purchase and set up was a cinch! I purchased a platform type case and really appreciate hands free reading in bed!
The big pluses of the nook were not important to me. I don't have a need to share books for two weeks. Although an Android operating system opens the door to other applications, I wanted an ebook reader, not a Blackberry or "grocery list maker",etc. The epub format for nook vs the proprietary format of the Kindle was an issue that I thought about. Kindle has a wealth of free books,including a lot of classics that are out of copyright. So, access to that material isn't a problem. However, for copyrighted material, I feel that a proprietary format(Kindle) might be more secure and appealing to publishers.
I compared a list of about 30 books that I wanted to read. About 14 were not available either as an ebook on Amazon or BN. Three were available on BN and not Amazon as an ebook. Seven were available on Amazon and not BN.The others were available on both. These were not the best sellers that I knew would be available, but rather, more obscure titles.I did see a few big price differences eg.- New York by Rutherford -9.99(Kindle version) 14.99 (BN ebook) Clinton Tapes 9.99(Kindle)28.00 (BN ebook).
Finally, I looked at the way both companies handles electronic delivery of "peeks" or "samples"on their websites. I have always found the Amazon method more fluid and less time consuming. To me, that says a lot about their ability to understand electronic dessemination for the reader. With all that in mind, I chose the Kindle -keyboard and all!- and I am really pleased with my purchase!
KINDLE 2 "ROCKS": AN eBOOK READER's ASSESSMENT.
 
Review Date: February 24, 2009
Reviewer: RBSProds, Deep in the heart of Texas
Five INNOVATIVE Stars!! My newest FAVORITE ebook reader!! I am an avid eBook reader with a large ebook library split between home computers and on-line eBook company bookshelves using four different eBook readers: the original Adobe Reader (and the new Digital Editions), Palm, and eReader systems. So Kindle 2 is revealed as an evolutionary, versatile reader that will solve the old eBook platform problems for the future (those who had ebooks that were 'fenced off' by the original Adobe reader know what I'm talking about) with other features. My first Kindle 2 purchase was "Accountable" by Tavis Smiley and the process was "one click" easy, downloading in 15 seconds (with no computer between me and the book) because my Kindle 2 already 'knew' my Amazon account. And the book reads great. Add to this the wireless delivery of magazines & newspapers and other capabilities such as speech and MP3 music and the attraction was immediate. So far I'm a happy camper. Here's what I like and dislike among its many capabilities:

Pros:
* Kindle is an "out of the box" reading-ready unit that immediately addressed me by my nickname, no log-in necessary, and could have begun downloading whatever I wanted over the 3G Whispernet within seconds as the battery was charging,
* 'Easy-on-the-eyes' reading with adjustable fonts and 16 shades of gray capability using digital ink: bright sunlight doesn't 'fade' the reading experience, it enhances it,
* it matches 'the eReader/eBook advantage' by having some 'just published' books available at midnight (12:01 PT of each Tuesday's/Thursday's new book publishing day) for immediate download, but it has MORE choices available from Amazon.com, not an intermediary online ebook company with less choices. Plus it's portable: your library is always with you,
* fast downloads with economical costs of many Kindle books that beat other eBooks, Hardcover, and Audiobooks by 1/2 to 1/3rd normal costs: e.g. my first purchase saved me at least $10.00, so the price of Kindle effectively dropped to $349.00 with one purchase, $329.00 with the next, and so on. Savings trump purchase price with Kindle's low book price advantages.
* very thin, light-weight, and attractive-looking with more data storage and faster battery charges with longer usage compared to Kindle 1,
* "Text-to-speech" with auto-page turning, allows 'transitional usage': read at home/office, then listen in the car through built-in speakers or use the headphone jack, then continue reading at home/office. (I love shopping at Wal-Mart for 2 hours with Kindle & earphones in my coat pocket listening to a Danish-accented lady reading a book in English: 2 pleasant, fast hours!! Trust me, normal audiobooks are VERY expensive-try $39 to Kindle's $10 in one case). Audiobooks, however, can be downloaded from sources such as 'Audible.com' (membership required) via computer and placed on Kindle via USB. The volume range of the two internal speakers is excellent. The male/female speaking voices are somewhat stilted in pronunciation, but passable (as I said slightly Danish-accent but the technology will advance in time) even though some words are difficult. And the listener can adjust the speed of the male/female reader's voice.
* also has wireless access to 'before the newstands' newspapers & magazines (either individually or by subscription), blogs, emailed personal documents, pictures and the web,
* It can receive and view e-mailed documents: when I e-mailed a message with 2 attachments (a JPEG and a PNG) from my computer to my Amazon-provided Kindle email address, Kindle displayed them individually on the "Home" list without the email header, just as I needed,
* 2 year extended warranty is available, but remember some credit cards automatically double the 1 year
warranty with purchase,
* Previous version Kindle: Amazon's Wireless Reading Device ebook purchases can be downloaded free to Kindle 2 & books deleted to free up space are "backed up" at Amazon.com.
* Built-in dictionary and web access to Wikipedia and other resource sites,
* "Basic Web"-browsing (nothing fancy), "Text-to-speech" (male or female voices), and "Play MP3" are "experimental" prototypes: all three work well and Amazon is collecting comments from owners on their effectiveness. My advice: they are keepers, but the music doesn't automatically loop, as continuous background music to the reader. You must manually restart the music.
* The power cord has a USB connector in series behind the power plug head: separate the two pieces of the power plug and the USB mini-plug is revealed for insertion into a computer which will display the "Kindle" folder containing its four sub-folders: "audible", "documents", "music", and "system". "Music" allows putting MP3 music directly on the Kindle. (Thanks to Leo Navoichick for the clarification). And I'm learning more of Kindle 2's capabilities every day through use since I've already bought 5 books, the LA times, and Technology Review magazine.

Cons:
* Kindle 2 is expensive to buy; memory is not expandable but larger than before, no 2-page capability; no color capability, some rare but pronounced pauses when transitioning on the Whispernet between functions.
* could benefit from a hand-held remote page-turning device, but auto page turning is available via the text-to-speech: you can turn down the volume and let Kindle turn the pages. (Thanks to Heather for the info),
* an upgrade is needed to "Background Music" to provide continuous music play, instead of a single pass through the music list. Holding the "Alt" key and hitting "space" restarts the music.
* the "now-now" answer factory has been discontinued, unfortunately.
* does not come with a protective cover, so an owner needs to get one. (Many are available separately)
* the newer, larger screen, more expensive "Kindle DX: Amazon's 9.7" Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)" may or may not suit your needs better: evaluate both.
There is little doubt that future Kindle capabilities may include optional back-lighting, a larger screen for two-page capability, and landscape & portrait aspects, but at this point in time thanks to the speedy 3G Whispernet, very diverse high-quality services, and a greatly enhanced Kindle 2 device, it blows the competition away. My Highest Recommendation. Five HUGE Stars!
(Kindle 2 reading device, combination battery charger & USB cable (without the usual big power brick), and "getting started" booklet (the full "User's Guide" is on the Kindle device under "Home".)
If you are undecided read this
 
Review Date: August 13, 2009
Reviewer: K. Crisp, Texas
I was on the fence for months before I finally decided to order my Kindle 2. I had been reading such mixed reviews about the device and about Amazon's customer service that I simply could not decide about the purchase. This review is for all of those people, like me, that cannot decide if they need a Kindle 2 for themselves. Well, struggle with the decision no more and ORDER IT! I am so happy with my Kindle 2 and I look forward to reading it every single day. All of the problems that I was worried about are not problems at all. Downloading books is easy, the screen is NOT too dark, the font size is adjustable and the Kindle customer service support is terrific. I had a problem with my Kindle 2 and I was instantly connected with the most helpful representative. I did not have to wait on hold and the problem was solved in no time. I have made the highest recommendations of the Kindle 2 to my friends and family and will continue to do so in the future. I can say with absolute confidence, if you order your own Kindle 2 you will not be disappointed!!!