Amazon Kindle 2 info, photos leaked

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Why drop the card reader? The only thing I can think of is that they may have been able to bring the price down substantially, but with e ink prices the way they are, I doubt they will be able to reduce the price enough to matter to most consumers.

The "alternative prototype" theory is certainly tempting.....

Dropping the SD card reader would lower the price about a buck (and that includes the controller chip).

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Why drop the card reader?

My sneaky, cynical mind whispers to me that it takes away a bit of control over how you get content on the device ....

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Nope nope nope nope. I cannot believe this is a 'real' photo. The earth has tilted on its axis, and the bottom has fallen out of my world.

I agree with you. This is a fake photoshop job if I've ever seen one. First of all, there is still a selector wheel but no LCD strip. How's that supposed to work? If this is really the new Kindle they've made a mistake. Either than or it is a very early mock up. Why would they replace the nice sleek keyboard with those ugly bubble keys? Why would they push the keyboard in and have so much wasted space around the edges.

I think someone just has too much time on their hands. I'll file this with the "early pics" of the Apple HDTV set and the Apple iPod virtual scroll wheel and the Macbook Pro with a touch LCD screen for a touch pad that displays the dock. Ug.

BOb

[Boston]

my first post (after lurking for many weeks...love all the info here!)

The current kindle may look clunky but the more I use it, the more I appreciate its design and function. I find the page keys very intuitive as I do change my hold/hands depending on whether I am on the couch, sitting at a table, etc. But given all the criticism, I could see Amazon trying to address this (which to me would be a negative). The only thing I would change is moving the switches to the front.

If this is really what is in the works (and I have my doubts), the joystick is too much a geek thing and not for the average reader (same for touch screen over keyboard imo).

I think the killer app for Amazon to woo first time buyers over Sony would be to add a front-light. If Sony had announced it before I bought my Kindle, I would've likely gone the Sony route instead. It was the one feature I was holding out for and only caved after reading that backlighting was impossible with eInk.

(But now that I'm an owner, the wireless functionality, availability of titles, reasonable ebook pricing and wireless downloading far outweigh having a light.)

[Charbax]

Amazon should make Kindle 2 have following:

1. A touch-screen for annotations like iRex Iliad and that works with the finger like the Sony PRS-700.

2. HSDPA option for the rest of the world, with and without carrier subsidy. WiFi as well.

3. Size it just slightly wider then the screen (to have next page and previous page buttons, joystick as well). Home menu, resume buttons.

4. The keyboard should just slide out from under the device, no need for the keyboard to be there all the time. If you are reading a whole book, you might never need the keyboard during that whole time. Why not just hide that keyboard behind the device. And the keyboard is crappy blackberry type thumb keyboard anyways, so no need for it to be very big.

5. USB-host or/and bluetooth and a kick-stand to put it on a table and use an external full sized foldable keyboard to type text at full speed. Such as being actually able to use it as a full power text editor. which would turn it as a perfect device for writers and students, that can thus also collaborate writing documents, articles or blog posts. It should be a whole mix of collaborative annotations, typing, editing and reading.

[huari]

rumored kindle 2:
-heavier
-bigger size but same sized screen
-no AC charger, lost user replacable battery
-lost sd card expansion

this has got to be a fake or the prototype Amazon is junking.

i love my kindle, and hope it lasts a long long time...

[David Munch]

Good lord that thing is fugly! O_O

[CommanderROR]

Well, it seems unlikely that Amazon will be selling this device as-is, especially the metal back looks very prototype to me. However, time will tell and since Amazon claims there will be no new Kindle this year we still have some time to speculate and I guess we will see more pictures, both real and fake until then.

[kacir]

Let us not hold our collective breath.

It took a very, very long time from the first leaked photos and wild rumors (do you remember the rumored 50 dollar pricetag?) to the actual units being sold.

The photos might be deliberately leaked to steal some wind from the Sony sails.

I personally do not care if the unit is ugly. The only important thing, after price, of course, is the quality of the display. Contrast, readability, response time.

[Over]

So much plastic arond the little screen. It's larger, but the screen size remains the same. That's a regression for me.

And it's ugly.

[carld]

If that's version 2.0, then I'll pass. It looks like a big step backwards to me, more like a rejected prototype, or a Photoshop prank.

[guguy]

On each photo there's a strange shadow on the bottom-left corner
of the screen... photoshop artefact?

[Nate the great]

It's a water,mark for the site that posted the pictures.

[Mycropht]

Maybe an insider could post a photo of the Kindle designer's wife? Just to see if there is a general problem with the guy's taste.
When I have seen the early photos of Kindle 1, I was sure it was a discarded prototype. Now I know better.

[JSWolf]

If this is the real Kindle 2.0, then Sony's PRS-700 has it beat hands down.