Review: A first look at our Kindle 2
March 1 2009
My dad was kind enough to buy my family a Kindle for the holidays last year....only Amazon had run out of Kindles and put us on a waitlist. The ETA was March, 2009. Somewhere in between, Amazon announced and begun shipping the new Kindle 2, so this is what they shipped us. It arrived earlier this week and we picked it up yesterday.
As we did not own the first generation Kindle, nor have I ever used one, I can't do a comparative review to the previous generation, or the Sony equivalent, or anything else. Thus my review is the same wide-eyed wonder one would expect from someone who worked in a retail bookstore for five years and has boxes and crates full of books....in other words, wow.
The Kindle 2 is extremely well-thought out. While it can connect to a computer for stuff, and obviously needs a way to charge, it is otherwise entirely self-contained. They even put small speakers in for both "background music" playing of MP3s as well as an "experimental" text-to-speech feature (there's a headphone jack, too). The device has built-in 3G wireless support, for what Amazon calls "WhisperNet" -- used to download your books/magazines/newspapers, documents you send to the device, and even for a rudimentary web browser. It is configured and linked to your Amazon account (much like an iPhone and iTunes), so you get "one click" purchases, downloads, and recommendations.
My dad showed me his Kindle, and the display area of the 2nd generation device is, for whatever reason, slightly smaller. Again, I can't make comparative statements, but I find the screen to be a reasonable reading size (especially after squinting at the text of several generations of mobile phones and iPods). The Kindle 2 is pretty lightweight and super-thin...it will slide easily and unobtrusively into my laptop bag when traveling.
The screen display uses ink rather than LCD, and as such, the power consumption is very low. There's also the eerie feature that the Kindle puts an image on-screen when it goes to sleep (10 minutes of idle time)...a famous author or other literary sketch. My instinct from years of computing usage is that that image must be churning battery, but they insist that it isn't. The expected time between charges is about three days, and it charges off the same microUSB as my Blackberry Bold (so, hopefully, I don't have to start carrying yet another charger with me when traveling) a MicroUSB port. Of course, that same microUSB can be used to transfer files between the device and the computer, if needed.
My dad explained the other main difference between Kindle 1 and Kindle 2 is the use of a joystick-like navigation control (Amazon calls it a "5-way") on the new version, where the first Kindle used a scroll wheel. The 5-way is easy to work with, but it works slightly different than the tutorial claims. For example, the Kindle has a built-in dictionary, and you simply need to highlight a word to look it up. The instructions say to "use the 5-way to move the cursor" -- except that if you move the 5-way left or right, it moves to the previous or next chapter of what you are reading. So the initial movement must be up/down (like the scroll wheel) and then you have 5-way control.
I think my biggest surprise is that the device does not require some kind of subscription in order to use the 3G network for downloads etc. I guess Amazon is covering the cost of bandwidth in the price of books/newspapers/magazines that you purchase, and they do charge a "small fee" if you e-mail in a document to download to your device. I would have expected there to be some kind of tollbooth somewhere, but maybe they realize that is untenable in a market that is used to paying one time for a license to read a physical book, period.
My only other complaint is apparently a "feature" of using ink to display...the screen flashes each time you turn the "page". I find it a little distracting on initial use, but am pretty sure I'll get used to it. There is no back light on the device, so you need a light source to read it (just like a book/magazine)...I'm sure this keeps power consumption low. The itty-bitty book light rides again...
All in all, this is a pretty cool device and one I will look forward to using on long flights, on the deck in the summer, or watching my wife use to read herself to sleep. Recommended and definitely a sense of where the future is going.
Post a Comment
- 2
Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 3/1/2009 12:38:10 PM
You're correct, the Bold is a mini-B and the Kindle 2 is a micro-B. Maybe it's time for an iGo or some other octopus when traveling.
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John Head http://www.johndavidhead.com | 3/1/2009 2:04:00 PM
you will get used to the flash - it was jarring to both of us on the Kindle 1 and I didn't even notice it on the 2 now.
you can turn off the wireless and get a lot more battery life than they claim. we charged it once a week tops with the kindle1 - sometimes going 2 weeks.
As for the igo - go with the callpod. theyh will have a kindle2 connector very shortly and they are a chicago company. love their devices and the customer service is spot on.
I am looking forward to buying technical books on the kindle2. no more lugging computer bibles around.
- 4
Curt Stone http://www.curtsisland.com | 3/1/2009 6:25:12 PM
I'm surprised that this device has no back light. Seems to me to be one of the main reasons to use this would be lying in bed with lights out. Hmmm ... guess it will be an added future feature.
- 5
Henry Ferlauto http://www.geniusinside.com | 3/1/2009 8:21:17 PM
You may be interested in watching Jeff Bezos who was interview on Charlie Rose this week.
{ Link }
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Sam | 3/1/2009 9:34:30 PM
I am a Kindle 1 owner and fully expect to be buying my wife a Kindle 2 for Mother's day. With that said, Curt, the backlight would ultimately pull down the battery life and would change the point of the device somewhat. It is supposed to be interchangable with a book or newspaper, so you can read it in the daylight, but if you want to read it at night you need a light, just like a book :). Ed, I want to encourage you to read as much as possible. I've had my kindle since July and GREATLY enjoy having it. Its a TREMENDOUS device to have when you are on the go, which should be right up your alley.
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Bill Geimer | 3/1/2009 10:40:35 PM
I thing the great value of the "ink blink" is that it gives you visual indication that the text has changed. I cannot tell you how many times I have missed noticing screen changes when I looked away for a moment, or when tired. After a while, the blink becomes just a metaphor for page turns.
Ed, you will find that the text can also be any size you need it to be.
Ink works in very low light, but if you want to read in the dark, you need a light. There are some book lights made for the Kindle. I have not seen one which draws power from the Kindle. Even LED light draws a lot of power.
- 8
mdmadph http://mdm-adph.blogspot.com | 3/2/2009 12:57:48 PM
The prepaid constant EVDO connection is the main, unsung feature of this device in my opinion.
@Curt Stone: The kindle is designed to replace books, which don't have backlights. :P (It's the way e-ink is designed. { Link } ) Plus, not having a backlight of any kind probably makes the batter in the kindle last literally 10 times longer.
- 9
Nathan T. Freeman http://nathan.lotus911.com | 3/2/2009 6:31:16 PM
@8 - "The kindle is designed to replace books, which don't have backlights"
Uhhh... so? "The automobile is designed to replace horses, which don't have headlights."
See how ridiculous that sounds?
Anyway, XKCD had a great take on the Kindle { Link }
- 10
Kerr | 3/3/2009 4:38:25 AM
E-ink's whole point is to solve two problems with conventional electronic displays:
- Huge power consumption.
- Discomfort of reading.
Power consumption is caused by constantly having to refresh and light the display. Having an emissive display is regarded as a leading cause of discomfort of reading.
While e-ink displays could be better, and will get better, they do deliver on there design goals. Backlighting is clearly at odds with this design goal.
Of course user preference and the market will determine whether or not e-ink is a viable commercial technology. If people don't like it, it will disappear, but complaining that an e-ink based product doesn't have a backlight is like complaining that your car can't fly. It just wasn't designed to do that.
- 11
Bill Brown | 3/3/2009 12:11:24 PM
According to Amazon { Link } "Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion"
I'm surprised it doesn't include PDF. I tend to carry a number of manuals as PDF on my laptop which might be handy on the Kindle.
- 12
C. Rushing http://www.healthylittleones.com | 3/3/2009 2:23:59 PM
@11 - According to the link you provided -- "PDF conversion is experimental. The experimental category represents the features we are working on to enhance the Kindle experience even further. You can email your PDFs wirelessly to your Kindle. Due to PDF’s fixed layout format, some complex PDF files might not format correctly on your Kindle."
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C. Rushing http://www.healthylittleones.com | 3/3/2009 2:30:28 PM
@11 Cont. I think your link went to the page for the older model. The Kindle 2 does specify that it supports PDF.
{ Link }
"Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion."
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Bill Brown | 3/4/2009 12:01:47 PM
@12/13 Oops. I googled for the Kindle and was led to the older device. Interesting that it only supports those other formats through conversion, although I guess it keeps the code and processing simple on the device itself, which will extend battery life.
Why do you need to email the file to Amazon from conversion? What if you want to carry proprietary or confidential data on your Kindle? You shouldn't have to email that to a third party.
Bold has a Mini-USB, Storm a Micro-USB. In this picture { Link } Mini-B and Micro-B. So I am guessing, the Kindle also has a Micro-USB.
Do you think you will take this along on your travels?