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Drew,
To me, they are both great and it is going to come down to perceived value, or what is important to you. I just passed my K2 down to my wife and am using the K3 now with no complaints other than waiting for aftermarket covers to hit the street in force. Here are my thoughts on the things that are important to me.
Function - They are very similar. Page turns are noticeably faster on the K3. To my tired eyes, the readability, specifically contrast is better on the K3.
Without a case, I am finding the page turn buttons just a bit small for comfort, and one handed reading not quite as comfortable, but I am getting in a groove with it and will probably not notice in another week.
The D-Pad is just a bit small for me, and I find myself trying to use a thumb nail to acurately navigate with it. I think that for some, like those using the Verse Jump bible mentioned in other threads, the lack of number keys might be an issue. I am OK with or without them.
Verdict on function - Slight edge to K3 if reading performance is most important. Slight edge to K2 if mechanical function and ergonomics are more important.
Design quality - the jury is out on this, but I have some concerns. There is a fine ballance between cost and quality, while you are fighting to keep a few pennies margin and crush the competition, creating a new standard. Apple Ipod is the perfect analogy for me. Here are my early thoughts.
The K3 is very light, and some of this may come at the expense of structural integrity. The plastic wall-thickness appears to have been thinned down and cored out significantly. It just "feels" cheaper. In consumer goods discussions, plastic frequently gets a bad rap. Plastic can cost 40 cents per pound for reprocessed polypropylene, or more than 50 dollars a pound for high end compounds using PEEK, etc. Additionally, if you take out half of the mass, you just cut your material cost in half. One must be very careful...
I just saw a thread with someone mentioning creaking, etc. I have also noticed creaks and pops when it is squeezed a bit too hard. I will not clip my Mighty Bright directly to it.
On the other side, the K2 reminds me of Ipod construction. I perceive it to be quality plastic materials, and conservative part design. Mine gets bumped around alot. Another good analogy is business vs. consumer grade notebooks. My business notebook is a Dell Latitude 4300. Very solid. I am typing this on my personal notebook, a Dell M1330. Great horsepower, but much more cheap feeling and parts are coming loose and creaking quite a bit.
I don't know what is up with the keys on the K3, but it feels like some kind of surface painted on an elastomer. I think it will rub off and others are saying that it may be already.
On design quality and construction - my perception is that the edge will go to K2. Time will tell. The K3 feels disposable to me. Protect it.
Bells and whistles - With the firmware upgrades to the K2, they function much the same, but this combined wifi and 3G is really a nice combo. I know that others have had a problem, but with the K3 connected to my home network, it is just sipping battery juice. I give an edge to K3 on this measure.
Those are my quick, morning coffee thoughts. If you want to dip a toe in the water, the wi-fi only version is so inexpensive, that you can pick it up and see which you like better, passing one down to a family member or someone who doesn't have money for one. I know that inexpensive is a relative thing, so it is up to you.
Jim
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