Kindle 1 vs Kindle 2, the divide

Hellmark · 08-17-2009, 09:08 PM

In my time here, I've noticed some of the kindle owners, hate one gen, while love the other. I tend to see more of the haters being Gen 1 owners. Anyone care to enlighten me as to why?

daffy4u · 08-17-2009, 09:23 PM

I have an love both my K1 and K2. The general consensus of K1 owners is that K2 lost some important functionality... mainly no SD card ability and no user replaceable battery. Also, for those with hand issues, the longer buttons on K1 are much easier to use.

desertgrandma · 08-17-2009, 11:02 PM

What daffy said.

emellaich · 08-17-2009, 11:08 PM

Just out of curiosity, how reliable was the SD card on the K1? I know that with the Netronix units and the Hanlin units many of the problems were due to bad SD cards and bad SD card readers withing the devices.

Could it be that Amazon removed the cards, at least in part, to reduce service calls?

desertgrandma · 08-17-2009, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emellaich

Just out of curiosity, how reliable was the SD card on the K1? I know that with the Netronix units and the Hanlin units many of the problems were due to bad SD cards and bad SD card readers withing the devices.

Could it be that Amazon removed the cards, at least in part, to reduce service calls?

Lets see.....i have a 2gb Sandisk card with over 360 books on it.

No problems whatsoever. I have removed it, (making sure the unit is turned off like the instructions say) and replaced it many times.

I believe the reason Amazon took that aspect off is control.

With the card slot, you have unlimited book download potential, and if you choose to "liberate" your books, you can plug those same books on another K1 without having it tied to your account, or any other device.

With the K2, you have an approximate 1500 book download limit, and no way to read those books anywhere else.

daffy4u · 08-18-2009, 12:15 AM

I use an 8GB SDHC card I purchased from Crucial with no problems. I've read about people using 16GB cards. Of the issues people have complained about re: Kindle, I don't recall any problems with SD card usage.

rcuadro · 08-18-2009, 03:17 PM

I dont really think one is better than the other. Sure, the K2 is newer but in all reality they are both great. I have the K2 and my sis has the K1. I personally like the wedge shape of the K1 and I think that makes it more comfortable to hold though I prefer the buttons on the K2. The SD card is not an issue with me since I dont feel the need to carry 38846593762090274503873498269762345 books with me at all times and as for the battery, by the time that I need a new battery on my K2 odds are that I would have moved to a newer and better ereader.

pboss · 08-18-2009, 05:19 PM

Good info. I was in the belief that the K2 is a definite improvement over K1 in every aspect. Whatever.

dmaul1114 · 08-18-2009, 05:42 PM

I haven't seen hate, some just didn't feel it was worth upgrading.

Personally, I bought a used K1 when the K2 came out as the new features didn't seem very important to me, and I was able to get one in mint condition for $200 which was the absolute most I was willing to pay for an e-reader.

Sure the K2 is sexier and better designed, turns pages a bit faster etc., but that wasn't worth the $159 premium (at the time) over my used K1 so it was an easy choice for me. And I preferred having an SD card slot to more on board storage, and prefer having a user replaceable battery to some small degree.

But I hardly hate the K2. If I could have scored one for $200 I would have definitely went with that one for the improved screen, design, button placements etc.

desertgrandma · 08-18-2009, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcuadro

The SD card is not an issue with me since I dont feel the need to carry 38846593762090274503873498269762345 books with me at all times

Neither do I........but if my K1 stops working, the books can easily be transferred to another K1, or any other device which accepts an sd card.

fugazied · 08-18-2009, 09:54 PM

I am a Kindle 2 lover, I don't accept the missing SD card slot criticism because there is no way I could stack enough books on my Kindle and read them all. It's relatively easy to switch books and really I only read 3 at once.

dmaul1114 · 08-18-2009, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Neither do I........but if my K1 stops working, the books can easily be transferred to another K1, or any other device which accepts an sd card.

Yep, it's just nice for purposes of backing up and being able to get the books on another K1 (or another device for non-DRM books) without having to redownload and/or hook up to a computer etc.

It's not a deal breaker for a device to have an SD card for me since I seldom re-read anything anyway, but it is a nice bonus to have at any rate.

demoric · 08-19-2009, 07:51 PM

I have a K2, and recommend that any Kindle owner make a personal archive. I would like to have seen a user replaceable battery but it's just like my 30gb ipod I bought new a couple of years ago. Amazon has already stated that they would replace the batteries for a nominal charge, but odds are there'll be a site like ipodjuice.com (great product btw).

Anyways, I'm happy with my K2 it's a great product and I like the looks better than the K1.

KlondikeGeoff · 08-20-2009, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by demoric

...Amazon has already stated that they would replace the batteries for a nominal charge...

Yeah, but. The "nominal" charge is, i think, $36. Plus, you have to ship the K2 back to Amazon, wait for them to replace the battery, then wait for it to be shipped back. I'll bet that is 2-3 weeks, and I certainly don't want to be without my Kindle for that long. It would drive me nuts.

Anyway, I have nothing agains the K2, but like almost all K1 ownes, we don't see anythig significant enough to make us sell the old one and buy a new. Same for the DX. Both are fine devices, and in all the discussions I've read of this subject, have detected no hate. Just polite disagreement similar to what happens when people compare their cars.

While I prefer the K1, I have talked two of my kids and several friends into getting the K2 and told them they will love it. And they do.

whitearrow · 08-20-2009, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Lets see.....i have a 2gb Sandisk card with over 360 books on it.

No problems whatsoever. I have removed it, (making sure the unit is turned off like the instructions say) and replaced it many times.

I believe the reason Amazon took that aspect off is control.

With the card slot, you have unlimited book download potential, and if you choose to "liberate" your books, you can plug those same books on another K1 without having it tied to your account, or any other device.

With the K2, you have an approximate 1500 book download limit, and no way to read those books anywhere else.

Wait... this doesn't quite compute.

If you "liberate" your books on a K2, you can easily read those books elsewhere by moving them to a computer desktop via USB and then reading them on that computer, emailing the file or moving the file to another device.

The only real difference is the relative ease of changing out an SD card (which requires turning the Kindle off) and hooking it up to a computer, which is pretty minimal, IMO.

If your Kindle 1 ever dies, any DRM'd Kindle books would need to be redownloaded anyway, because the new Kindle (1 or 2) would have a different PID. So the difference in moving the files is still the difference between swapping out an SD card or copying files via USB -- again, pretty minimal.

08-17-2009, 09:08 PM	#1
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,592 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	Kindle 1 vs Kindle 2, the divide In my time here, I've noticed some of the kindle owners, hate one gen, while love the other. I tend to see more of the haters being Gen 1 owners. Anyone care to enlighten me as to why?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Kindle couple breaks up - is there a way to divide the purchased books?	sweevo	Amazon Kindle	8	09-30-2010 11:53 AM
Transfer Kindle books from Kindle PC to Kindle 3	ppearce	Amazon Kindle	15	09-16-2010 05:11 PM
Font hacks for the Kindle 2, Kindle International and Kindle DX	edge777	Kindle Developer's Corner	17	04-30-2010 04:11 PM
$0.01 in Kindle Store: Interactive Sudoku for Kindle 2 and Kindle DX - Volume 1	Xia	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	2	11-07-2009 10:06 AM

08-17-2009, 09:23 PM	#2
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	I have an love both my K1 and K2. The general consensus of K1 owners is that K2 lost some important functionality... mainly no SD card ability and no user replaceable battery. Also, for those with hand issues, the longer buttons on K1 are much easier to use.

08-17-2009, 11:02 PM	#3
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	What daffy said.

08-17-2009, 11:08 PM	#4
emellaich Wizard Posts: 1,101 Karma: 4388403 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Palm>Ebookman>IPaq>Axim>Cybook>Kndl2>IPAD>Kndl3SO>Voyager>Oasis	Just out of curiosity, how reliable was the SD card on the K1? I know that with the Netronix units and the Hanlin units many of the problems were due to bad SD cards and bad SD card readers withing the devices. Could it be that Amazon removed the cards, at least in part, to reduce service calls?

08-18-2009, 12:15 AM	#6
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	I use an 8GB SDHC card I purchased from Crucial with no problems. I've read about people using 16GB cards. Of the issues people have complained about re: Kindle, I don't recall any problems with SD card usage.

08-18-2009, 03:17 PM	#7
rcuadro Wizard Posts: 1,686 Karma: 874275 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Device: Kindle DX	I dont really think one is better than the other. Sure, the K2 is newer but in all reality they are both great. I have the K2 and my sis has the K1. I personally like the wedge shape of the K1 and I think that makes it more comfortable to hold though I prefer the buttons on the K2. The SD card is not an issue with me since I dont feel the need to carry 38846593762090274503873498269762345 books with me at all times and as for the battery, by the time that I need a new battery on my K2 odds are that I would have moved to a newer and better ereader.

08-18-2009, 05:19 PM	#8
pboss Evangelist Posts: 408 Karma: 646 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	Good info. I was in the belief that the K2 is a definite improvement over K1 in every aspect. Whatever.

08-18-2009, 05:42 PM	#9
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	I haven't seen hate, some just didn't feel it was worth upgrading. Personally, I bought a used K1 when the K2 came out as the new features didn't seem very important to me, and I was able to get one in mint condition for $200 which was the absolute most I was willing to pay for an e-reader. Sure the K2 is sexier and better designed, turns pages a bit faster etc., but that wasn't worth the $159 premium (at the time) over my used K1 so it was an easy choice for me. And I preferred having an SD card slot to more on board storage, and prefer having a user replaceable battery to some small degree. But I hardly hate the K2. If I could have scored one for $200 I would have definitely went with that one for the improved screen, design, button placements etc.

08-18-2009, 09:54 PM	#11
fugazied Wizard Posts: 1,305 Karma: 1958 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: iPod Touch	I am a Kindle 2 lover, I don't accept the missing SD card slot criticism because there is no way I could stack enough books on my Kindle and read them all. It's relatively easy to switch books and really I only read 3 at once.

08-19-2009, 07:51 PM	#13
demoric Kindle 2 User Posts: 98 Karma: 496 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: S.E. Kansas Device: Kindle 2	I have a K2, and recommend that any Kindle owner make a personal archive. I would like to have seen a user replaceable battery but it's just like my 30gb ipod I bought new a couple of years ago. Amazon has already stated that they would replace the batteries for a nominal charge, but odds are there'll be a site like ipodjuice.com (great product btw). Anyways, I'm happy with my K2 it's a great product and I like the looks better than the K1.

Advert

Advert