K2: Just as Good as the Original

[Tomek]

Kindle2 will be my first eInk ebook reader.

For the longest time I've been considering iRex DR1000S mainly for its larger screen size. However their recent price increase which brings that device close to $1000 if you get the cover, the short battery life (~10h), poor support for mobi pocket ebooks (no highlighting/annotating), I decided to look elsewhere.

Although I'd still prefer a larger screen size, Kindle2 has all the other features I wanted: sharp screen (as opposed to the new Sony reader), 16 shades of gray, dictionary lookup, highlighting, annotating, long battery life, largest selection of ebooks on Amazon with removable DRM for the most part, an OK style, and of course wispernet is a nice bonus.

I'll probably still get a large format eInk reader but they're just not there yet. Maybe in a year or two when there is some competition and prices go down...

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Ervserver

There are lots of issues with the original Kindle than many are aware of, it was in dire need of design change especially in the battery area. The Kindle II has a special chip to remedy those problems, hopefully. From a support standpoint Amazon readily looks forward to the original Kindle fading away.

In the very beginning, there were issues with the battery. They quickly fixed that, and I haven't heard anymore about it, except for Amazon's inablility to keep them in stock for those who wanted back-ups, knowing their Kindles were coming up on being a year old.

Even on the Amazon Kindle discussion forums, people weren't upset that their batteries had died, they were upset because they couldn't get backups.

What issues needed fixing?

The large buttons on either side that people keep harping about? It amazes me that in this day and age supposedly intelligent people can't figure out how to hold a simple device without 'accidentally' turning buttons.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You have mentioned this serveral times and I'm pretty sure it is a non-issue. You don't have to move you thumb "past" the home button. Your thumb will naturally rest on or below the Next Page button when you hold it. You are not taking into account that you will hold it lower on the side due to the keyboard adding to the devices dimensions.

After you get one and hold it and use it... then let me know.

BOb

Based on how I hold my 505, it's held where it's held due to the more weight on the bottom which I expect the K2 to have more weight on the bottom. And in that case, the natural place for the thumb would be where the home button is.

[CCDMan]

Although I have not laid hands on the K2 yet, I do have the K1 and I would agree on all points. I plan to keep my K1 and give the K2 I have ordered to my wife. Truly the only major thing as far as I am concerned is the page button issue which is clearly an improvement. The other stuff may be a bit good or a bit bad but is not all that critical.

Until they are able to add things like backlights, color screens, touch screens, etc, the use experience will be much the same as the original. For what I use it for, none of those are needed, so it is pretty much OK as is.

Once you do add those things, I, for one, would rather have something with more power, closer to a tablet PC or the oversized iPod touch that has been speculated about. But then it is not really a reader anymore.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by MonaLS

I don't like that the buttons depress inward. I can't imagine reading in bed and holding it so that I can depress the buttons inward. It just sounds awkward.

I think you are making more of this than it is. You "press" on the button to activate it. The small difference is that the button is hinged on the out side of the device rather than the inside as with the Kindle 1. This will make accidental button presses less likely when picking it up by the edges. It shouldn't be awkward at all.

BOb

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Even on the Amazon Kindle discussion forums, people weren't upset that their batteries had died, they were upset because they couldn't get backups.

There must have been a bad run of batteries or maybe something wrong with the charging circuits in the original K1 rev. A lithium ion battery like what comes with the K1 should have a 3 year service life before you really start seeing degradation.

I've had my Kindle now for 10 months and the batter holds the charge just as long now as it did when it was new. I usually charge it when it is about 1/3-1/4 full on the meter (estimate since the meter has no graduations on it).

BOb

[boydcarts]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I suspect that you would never need to replace the one on the K2.

Unfortunately, all batteries deteriorate over time, so at some point users will have to replace the battery. The "use life" of the battery will depend on things like drain and charge frequency as most batteries are rated for a finite range of charge cycles. I learned this when I got a G4 photo iPod. I had to replace the battery after about 18 months, but since I used my iPod several hours a day every day for those 18 months, I didn't consider the lifespan to be a defect, just the result of my heavy use. The same thing will happen with the Kindle (and my Sony prs 505).
That being said, I don't think the "sealed" battery is a deal breaker. The removeal of the SD slot, however, is unfortunate, though for me probably still not a deal breaker.

[Ervserver]

It could be argued Amazon looks at the Kindle II as a throw away device, designed to last perhaps 2 years or so, battery dies, people buy a Kindle III or IV.
A laptop lifespan is surprisingly short and expensive to repair, it often makes sense to just purchase a new one rather than repair. Not just because of hardware failure but also due to the fragility of portable devices.

[amgoforth]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

Thanks for the review!
I can most surely imagine the removal of an SD card drive would be terrible!
Though the larger battery may actually be very beneficial for those who use the Kindle on wireless and intensively!

Also pitty from the USB cable!
There are a lot of gadgets and tools I have using the mini USB plug,like my cellphones, DAP (Aka mp3 player), and digital camera; as well as the Sony reader.

No SD card drive is the decisive factor for me. I will not be buying one.

[amgoforth]

Originally Posted by Tomek

Kindle2 will be my first eInk ebook reader.

For the longest time I've been considering iRex DR1000S mainly for its larger screen size. However their recent price increase which brings that device close to $1000 if you get the cover, the short battery life (~10h), poor support for mobi pocket ebooks (no highlighting/annotating), I decided to look elsewhere.

Although I'd still prefer a larger screen size, Kindle2 has all the other features I wanted: sharp screen (as opposed to the new Sony reader), 16 shades of gray, dictionary lookup, highlighting, annotating, long battery life, largest selection of ebooks on Amazon with removable DRM for the most part, an OK style, and of course wispernet is a nice bonus.

I'll probably still get a large format eInk reader but they're just not there yet. Maybe in a year or two when there is some competition and prices go down...

The Digital Reader is the best bet if you plan on reading PDFs. I have, as of the new Firmware, been able to read Internet Archive BW PDFs easily on it.

[MsAstoria]

Originally Posted by NavyDad6

It is a matter of economics. You would have to continue to support two separate manufacturing lines. With the profit margins so low on these devices that is an impossibility without raising the price.

Amazon is making the bulk of its revenue on downloaded content and subscriptions, not the E-reader itself.

Well, I find that a little hard to swallow as I am sure they make a decent profit on the thousands of units they have sold. However, I do agree that they probably make a larger overall profit on the e-books they sell. And having to buy a cover separately raised the purchase price back up to the original price of K1 back in the day. Seems that Kindle folks are none too pleased!

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by MsAstoria

Seems that Kindle folks are none too pleased!

Except for the ones who, last Friday were saying "no reason for me to buy one; I like my Kindle 1 and not much has changed" ..... and by releases time on Tuesday had said "Ooooo .... I want one!" (me). I have a 2G card in my Kindle 1, about 80% full .... and that is TOO MANY BOOKS. I have 71 index pages with 12 books per page. I can't imagine having and using MORE space. [Unless I wanted music or audiobooks, which I personally don't]. So the Kindle 2 will give me a chance to remove the "I ought to read this cuz its a classic" books that I was never going to find time for anyway. Like War and Peace and such

2G (minus the space the system software takes up) seems like a fine amount to me. I can certainly carry more books on a thumb drive, and swap them in if I really DO finish all of the first batch.

P.S. I read that the screen speed is why they can now *have* a cursor on the screen (with the itty bitty joystick). It is fast enough to re-draw that. It wasn't previously fast enough, which is why they did the separate side bar.

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Except for the ones who, last Friday were saying "no reason for me to buy one; I like my Kindle 1 and not much has changed" ..... and by releases time on Tuesday had said "Ooooo .... I want one!" (me).

Heh. I have held out so far. I see no reason for me to buy one, I like my Kindle 1, and not much has changed. But I am rather weak when it comes to holding out on new gadgets, so we'll see where I stand in a month or so.

[dahlrunner]

This is my first post, so be kind. I'm a long-time reader, but don't get into the fray too much.

I agree with most of what what said, but have two questions about the Kindle 2 (I'm a Kindle 1 owner). I've used the Kindle 1 for both pleasure and work (technical) books. In both cases, some of the books will have maps or diagrams. I have been frustrated by the lack of resolution in the pictures. One example is the maps from Jeff Shaara's The Steel Wave (great book, BTW).

Regarding the technical books, I work in programming and have a few books that I like to search quickly for a topic or keyword and have found this to be a little slow (much slower than having a physical book and looking at the index).

So the two questions:
* How much better is the resolution on the graphics? Any zoom capabilities?
* How much faster are the page renderings subjectively? A lot? Does it seem like searching and going back and forth between pages quickly will still be a somewhat onerous process?

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by dahlrunner

* How much better is the resolution on the graphics? Any zoom capabilities?
* How much faster are the page renderings subjectively? A lot? Does it seem like searching and going back and forth between pages quickly will still be a somewhat onerous process?

I assume the Kindle 2 zoom wil be the same as the brand new Kindle 1 zoom, see Kindle now Zooms AZW Images. Color images should look better, with 16 grey scales. However, the basic problem is that some ebooks have tiny images. This is sometimes worse for MOBI ebooks than other types (because MOBI used to be read a lot on small screens), but often it is just bad editing. Since the Kindle doubles the size of small images the problem is worse than it initially appears.

If the cpu is faster (which it probably is) then searching may be faster on the K2. Dictionary look up is much improved, because you can select an individual word and the definition appears at the bottom of the screen. I am a bit skeptical that full page updates will be faster, but there are going to be plenty of owners of both a K1 and a K2 soon. Then we will see for sure.