Thoughts on Kindle 2.0?

[mcramer]

I'm such a simple man And being in New Zealand the whole whispernet functionality is moot.

1) Looks way nicer than the Kindle 1 and would look lovely if the keyboard wasn't there.
2) In regards to the keyboard the reason I'm not a fan is that I have never been reading a book on my Sony and though "I wonder what that word means" and have never felt the need to annotate.
3) Before anyone gets up in arms about the last point - this is my view and related to the specific way that I use the reader. Fiction only and a pretty good (but not perfect) grasp on the English language.
4) Surfing, MP3's and pictures - don't care.

So all in all I think it's a nice device if your are in the US and like the immediacy and the ability to purchase over the air.

Otherwise I'm not so fussed.......

[rcuadro]

I think it looks great though it is a ton of cash considering that my 505 works just fine it is tempting though. Getting the newspaper and magazines automatically it great...

[Mare of Earth]

If you spin the image on the Kindle 2 page on Amazon.com - you get to see the mostly shiny metal back - is it just me, or is this looking rather like an iPod?

White plastic front, shiny metal back, rounded off corners and overall sleekness......

Yeah. Looks alot like an iBook to me.

[spec2]

Originally Posted by rcuadro

I think it looks great though it is a ton of cash considering that my 505 works just fine it is tempting though. Getting the newspaper and magazines automatically it great...

Yep, the newspaper and magazine delivery is what tempted me as well. But for the 2.0's price, I can't justify it. I'm sure 2.0's price will drop once initial demand wanes just as the 1.0's did. If it gets to the $299 price point I might have to reconsider. Looks like used 505s are going for about $240 on eBay so the price to "upgrade" would be under $100.

[spec2]

Originally Posted by Mare of Earth

If you spin the image on the Kindle 2 page on Amazon.com - you get to see the mostly shiny metal back - is it just me, or is this looking rather like an iPod?

White plastic front, shiny metal back, rounded off corners and overall sleekness......

Yeah. Looks alot like an iBook to me.

Yup. Back looks just like an iPhone. I don't think the iPod would be insulted though comparing it to the front of the Kindle 2. The K2 isn't that smooth looking. Amazon needs to hide the keyboard or make it on-screen like the iPhone.

[Ervserver]

Looks similar enough, maybe Apple will file a lawsuit

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by spec2

Amazon needs to hide the keyboard or make it on-screen like the iPhone.

I think that would be an incredible mistake. (So they will probably do it.)

BOb

[detacht69]

I'm with bob on this one.. smaller keys or touch screens make for more mistakes.. plus touch screen means glare.

My thoughts are this: the 505 originally peaked my interest while I was wandering around Fry's. I just thought this was a great gizmo but then was blown away by the price tag. I've only been researching a couple of days but here's what I've noticed.

The Sony is 100 times better looking than the Kindle. I originally thought Sony was the way to go considering all the positive reviews. Then I encountered the Kindle. For 60 dollars more (read 40 dollars less) you get the best of both Sonies (sonai?) and more!

The zero glare, the search, the built in, convenient dictionary, free access to wikipedia anywhere in the us, similar dimensions, same size screen, better picture quality, subscriptions...

Also, now that I notice on the Sony, the right hand page turners seem quite small

As far as formats go, I don't think that'll be an issue.



TL;DR I started off gung ho for the Sony, until I learned about the Kindle and all its features.. I probably woulda felt horrible had I learned about the Kindle AFTER I bought a Sony.

Thanks!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mcramer

2) In regards to the keyboard the reason I'm not a fan is that I have never been reading a book on my Sony and though "I wonder what that word means" and have never felt the need to annotate.

Simple example of what dictionary lookup is useful for:

In "King Solomon's Mines", the heroes of the story are travelling across the desert when they come across a herd of "quagga". Do you know what a "quagga" is? I do, because I looked it up in the dictionary of my CyBook!

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Simple example of what dictionary lookup is useful for:

In "King Solomon's Mines", the heroes of the story are travelling across the desert when they come across a herd of "quagga". Do you know what a "quagga" is? I do, because I looked it up in the dictionary of my CyBook!

I have a handy pocket dictionary in my nightstand for things like that.

[astrodad]

I'm considering a Kindle for my wife, because of the Whispernet, but I'll stick with my Reader. Besides the whispernet, there is still no compelling advantage over the Reader. It's virtually the same form factor, has the same screen as the Reader and offers very little in terms of additional functionality.

[JSWolf]

Why do we have another Kindle thread in the Sony forum? it doesn't belong here. There are more appropriate places to start a Kindle thread. Like the Kindle forum. I'm not against this thread at all.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I have a handy pocket dictionary in my nightstand for things like that.

Oh, I entirely agree that it's not a show-stopper, and in my Sony-owning days, or even if I were reading a paper book, I'd just accept from the context that it was some kind of animal and move on in the story. It's just such a shame, though, that Sony have "dropped the ball" in not providing dictionary lookup (IMHO) because it's something that an eBook reader is just so good at compared with looking up a word in a paper dictionary, even supposing that you do have one at hand.

In case you were wondering, by the way, a "quagga" is a now-extinct relative of the zebra, looking very like a donkey with stripes.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why do we have another Kindle thread in the Sony forum? it doesn't belong here. There are more appropriate places to start a Kindle thread. Like the Kindle forum. I'm not against this thread at all.

Because this is where the OP started the thread?

Frankly I don't really pay attention to much to what topic a thread is in.

This is certainly a dupe thread and could have been moved.

BOb

[Gameboy213]

Originally Posted by spec2

Yep, the newspaper and magazine delivery is what tempted me as well. But for the 2.0's price, I can't justify it. I'm sure 2.0's price will drop once initial demand wanes just as the 1.0's did. If it gets to the $299 price point I might have to reconsider. Looks like used 505s are going for about $240 on eBay so the price to "upgrade" would be under $100.

Newspapers and Magazine Delivery is a great concept. Calibre does it more than well enough for me right now on my 505 which I love... but getting real newspapers every morning delivered would be great on my device. But it is still too pricey and doesn't have all/or full articles yet anyway from what I have seen. So Calibre is doing pretty much the same thing.

If they could get more papers, and lower the feed prices a little.... that would be worth it.