Kindle 2 Announcement on Amazon Front Page

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by drgnbear

I am not sure what all of the fuss is about. I am a power reader reading 2 books or more a week. I have never needed my SD card slot... ever. You can always re-download books you own so why would you want to store 1500 books on the device??? And folders would be nice but it's hardly a deal breaker. Sony didn't have folders for the 500 and I dealt with that. In fact once they did come out with them I hardly used them to do more than organize by author.

If I wanted to have music or audiobooks on it, I would be a bit peeved. I usually listen to stuff on my phone so I added 8GB card for just that purpose. It fills up fast. I usually like something more portable since I listen often when I'm walking. I have my phone with me anyway so it makes sense. I only have books on my Kindle and am nowhere near filling the 2GB card I have in there.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by drgnbear

I am not sure what all of the fuss is about. I am a power reader reading 2 books or more a week. I have never needed my SD card slot... ever. You can always re-download books you own so why would you want to store 1500 books on the device???

And folders would be nice but it's hardly a deal breaker. Sony didn't have folders for the 500 and I dealt with that. In fact once they did come out with them I hardly used them to do more than organize by author.

Because they took the choice away. Everyones needs/wants are different. What works for you is fine....but maybe some want a different way.

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Because they took the choice away. Everyones needs/wants are different. What works for you is fine....but maybe some want a different way.

Absolutely. What I may want or need is not what others might.

I might not want my complete library with me at all times. Others might, validly.

I don't listen to audiobooks or music on my Kindle...others do, and the 2GB limit with no SD option will impact their usage (as Alisa notes).

I just upgraded my firmware manually, which required an SD card. Will that no longer be possible?

As you say, why take choices away?

[Gideon]

Originally Posted by akwant

I’m disappointed at the fact that Amazon still ignores ePub.
Ah, they don’t want me to buy books form them, I guess.
Oh, well.

I'm all for a universal golden standard, but quite frankly it's not here yet. And it won't be until the DRM issue is resolved, anyway. Man... I'm so tired of hearing about lack of ePub. That's like everytime a new iPod comes out and people start complaining about its lack of support of Ogg Vorbis.

There's no pressing interest for Amazon to implement ePub. None. 99.99% of people on the planet probably don't even know what it is. They control the books, and books they are not selling and are provided by the public domain can EASILY be provided using the mobi format.

Now if they open the bookstore to other devices, then it becomes pressing. And they are primarily in the book business, not the gadget business... them opening up to more ebook formats impedes their book selling.

None of this is to say that it wouldn't be nice if they would. But the market just doesn't really mandate it yet. The great eBook experiment continues.

[Daithi]

PROS:
It is thinner
16 gray scales
Pages turn 20% faster (not a big deal)
Longer battery life (my K1 already lasts about a week)
Reads text in a computer voice (doubt I'd use it)

CONS
No SD card support (I have a big library so this is a big issue with me)
Non replaceable battery? (at least K2 manual doesn't show how)
No rubberized back (I like the rubberized back)
No nice leather cover (even though I had to add velcro to my K1)

Recommendations for Kindle 3.0 (what K2 should have been)
Support Folders (I have a big library and I want my whole library on my device)
Support ePub
Support PDF (natively)
Support international customers (even if they don't have Whispernet)
You made it thinner -- now eliminate as much whitespace from around the screen as possible
Bigger screen (I want something like the Plastic Logic or iRex DR1000 but offered by Amazon (I like the Amazon content))
Ultimately I'd like 2 devices -- one with a big screen that can display an 8.5x11 page and one with a small screen that I can fit in my pocket for reading novels.

[Strether]

Originally Posted by bwaldron

I just upgraded my firmware manually, which required an SD card. Will that no longer be possible?

As you say, why take choices away?

If it was the Kindle firmware that you just upgraded, it didn't need an SD card. You could copy it directly into the Kindle itself.

Jim

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by bwaldron

Of course, if (purely hypothetically, of course) much of one's library were to consist of de-DRM'd books legally purchased elsewhere, one might be a bit hesitant to place them on an Amazon server.

One wouldn't be me. I would have no qualms about it what so ever.

BOb

[Gideon]

I've got 13 pages of content on my Kindle right now, and I'm not even using the SD Card (though I have one, without folder support I don't want much more on the device.)

But I keep everything backed up on my computer as well. Much more content there, but once it is in .mobi format hardly anything is all that big. I very much doubt I'd ever use 2 gigs of space.

But it is an issue... not one for me.. but.. potentially problematic. I'm MUCH more concerned about the lack of folders.

As to the speaking business.... the Amazon forums had a question about that feature ALL THE TIME. I don't care for it, but it looks like a lot of average users did.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by Gideon

I'm all for a universal golden standard, but quite frankly it's not here yet. And it won't be until the DRM issue is resolved, anyway. Man... I'm so tired of hearing about lack of ePub. That's like everytime a new iPod comes out and people start complaining about its lack of support of Ogg Vorbis.

There's no pressing interest for Amazon to implement ePub. None. 99.99% of people on the planet probably don't even know what it is. They control the books, and books they are not selling and are provided by the public domain can EASILY be provided using the mobi format.

Now if they open the bookstore to other devices, then it becomes pressing. And they are primarily in the book business, not the gadget business... them opening up to more ebook formats impedes their book selling.

None of this is to say that it wouldn't be nice if they would. But the market just doesn't really mandate it yet. The great eBook experiment continues.

I must agree. I think native PDF support would bring them more new customers even though it's an inferior format. Us geeky types might be swayed by ePub and Ogg Vorbis but most people would ask, "Ogg what?" Most of them call every audio file an mp3 regardless of what it is and want PDF because that's what a lot of work documents and manuals come in. One of the most common criticisms I see of the Kindle on gadget blogs is "No PDF support? WTF. EPIC FAIL." It's tied neck and neck with the backlight complaints and the "why should I buy one of these things when I can buy a netbook for the same price" questions. These are the resistances they meet with most new customers, not the lack of ePub.

[Ervserver]

The text to speech thing seems bizarre to me...its a dated technology that hasn't improved much, to add this to a shiny new Kindle is just weird. Now if they had some improved technology for that purpose then this would be really something

I think they eliminated the card slot because it ate the battery life on the Kindle

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by Gideon

As to the speaking business.... the Amazon forums had a question about that feature ALL THE TIME. I don't care for it, but it looks like a lot of average users did.

I can see it coming in handy for a few groups of people:

1. People with limited eyesight and conditions like macular degeneration. Probably not as useful if you're totally blind since you still have to navigate the menu but there are a lot of visually impaired folks that can see some.

2. People with language reading difficulties who would benefit from reading and seeing at the same time.

3. People learning the language for the same reason as #2.

4. People who just want to be read to from time to time when they're tired or have their hands busy, are working out, etc. They don't want to buy both the audio book and the ebook and figure out where they left off in each.

I'd kinda like #4 but it would really depend on how good the speech was. Part of what I like with audio books is the way a really good reader conveys the book. It's the human touch.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Gideon

I'm so tired of hearing about lack of ePub. That's like everytime a new iPod comes out and people start complaining about its lack of support of Ogg Vorbis.

I agree with that. The problem is DRM. Once that nut is cracked mobi is ubiquitous enough to convert to pretty much any format. Just as if you COULD by ePub (DRM FREE) it could easily be converted to mobi to be read on the Kindle.

On the other side of the coin, if an iPod came out without MP3 support there would be quite an uproar. Even though AAC is actually superior format.

BOb

[desertgrandma]

Heres the thing on text to speech.

When you read, don't you read with intonations, and assign 'pictures' and mannerisms to the characters in the books?

Audio books read by talented people can duplicate this.

How is an automated voice, male or female, going to do this? I have this picture of the female voice on Star Trek (the original) reading a book.

Not really enhancing the experience.

Would love to actually hear these 'voices' reading a book.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Would love to actually hear these 'voices' reading a book.

Me, too. Hopefully some nice K2 owner will post an audio clip of it for us.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

How is an automated voice, male or female, going to do this? I have this picture of the female voice on Star Trek (the original) reading a book.

I agree... with this. But I could see using it when eyes are tired and I just want to "read" some news. As you say, I doubt I would use it for long term listening of fiction works.

Also, I bet it butchers older stuff like Treasure Island or Sherlock Holmes stories.

BOb