amazon_kindle_1VARIOUS DESIGN changes make the Amazon Kindle 2 more appealing than the original model—but while Amazon has succeeded in enhancing its e-book reader, it has done little to advance the device to the next stage.

The $359 Kindle 2 is slimmer (0.36 inch thick), and at just 10.2 ounces, the new device weighs virtually the same as the old one. The unit’s 600-by-800-resolution screen is also the same size, measuring 6 inches—but now it gives you 16 shades of gray versus the 4 shades available on the original Kindle.

I found text to be slightly crisper on the Kindle 2, with less inklike bleed-in to the virtual page. But the diference was truly evident in images, which exhibited far greater gradations. The background of the screen has changed, too: Before, the screen appeared to have a slight texture, almost like newspaper; now the surface is completely smooth. As for a promised speed boost (pages supposedly turn 20 percent faster), I noticed no more than a subtle diference between Kindle 1 and Kindle 2 in turning pages.

Among the navigation keys is a new five-way joystick. In my brief hands-on, the joystick felt stiZ and awkwardly placed relative to where my hand was for the paging buttons. The scroll wheel moved much more smoothly.

On the plus side, the menu interface no longer relies on an awkward column on the right of the display. Now, the E-Ink screen technology’s speed is fast enough to enable the joystick to move through op tions directly on the screen, highlighting your selection as you go along.

amazon_kindle_2

The unit’s keyboard resembles the QWERTY arrangement on a cell phone. I found that the circular keys and their closer spacing on this device worked better than the rectangular keys and their angled spacing on the Kindle 1.

The device’s new text-tospeech capability, powered by technology from Nuance (makers of Dragon Naturally Speaking), offers two digital voices—Tom and Samantha—and up to 3X fast-forward reading speed. The voices are clearly computerized but tolerable.

The Kindle 2 now powers up from USB, a nice touch. Regrettably, Amazon has ditched the SD Card slot; instead, you get 2GB of onboard storage. Your books are stored on Amazon’s servers, so if you ever have to free up space on the device, you can redownload books later as needed.

amazon_kindle_4

You don’t get a case anymore; instead, the Kindle 2 has two holes on its right edge to allow the unit to snap into third-party cases. Amazon’s no-frills leather case will sell for about $30.

Amazon hasn’t changed the device’s file handling. You still have to go through the awkward conversion process of sending a ]le (such as a Word document) to yourself if you wish to view it on your Kindle.

Our Random Articles

More Links