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Officially announced on February 9th 2009, the Amazon Kindle 2 is the second generation Amazon Kindle e-book reader. Featuring the ability for users to download and read digital media over the cellphone tower based Amazon Whispernet, users are not tied down to using a PC or hunting for wireless networks. The service is free to use and allows users to some free media, as well as the ability to subscribe to newspapers ($5.99 - 14.99/month), magazines ($1.25 - 3.49/month) or blogs ($0.99 - 1.99/month), or to purchase full books (most New York Times bestsellers are offered for $9.99). Available for pre-order immediately for shipment later this month, the device costs $359. Updates below.
MSRP $259.00
Release date February, 2009
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Pros & Cons18
Reviews7
Details
Buy It
Competitors9
Related3
Gallery4
Pros & Cons
3 positive
2 mixed
1 negative
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How is the ProSCORE calculated?
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The ProSCORE is calculated based on the ratio of Pros & Cons about this product as voted by
approved reviewers from the ProductWiki community.
ProSCORE = 100 x (Pro votes) / [(Pro votes) + (Con votes)]
Numbers used for this ProSCORE:
Pro votes = 31
Con votes = 22
Total votes = 53
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Details
In October 2009, Amazon slashed the price of the US version of the Kindle 2 to just $259. It also released the device in over 100 other countries for a price of $279.
Features
Identical to an image of the device leaked in October, the Kindle 2 features many improvements over its predecessor at the exact same cost:
- 2GB of internal storage (700x that of the original)
- improved battery life of up to two weeks on a single charge (25% more than the original
- 16 displayable shades of gray (4x the original)
- 20% faster page turning
- new text-to-speech feature - 3 speeds in a male or female voice
- 8″ x 5.3″ x 0.36″, weighs about 10 ounces - "25% thinner than the iPhone"
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Competitors
Amazon Kindle 2 is ranked 2nd among it's competitors.
See the
top picks in
e-book Readers »
MSRP $299.00
Released October, 2007
Pros
- Simple and sleek design
- USB mass storage mode works with all operating systems
- Excellent text reproduction
Cons
- PDF rendering is very poor for larger pages - text is rendered very small
- Software still inneficient for large collection
- Can't control music while reading
Amazon Kindle 2
0%
vs.
Sony Reader PRS-505
100%
MSRP $199.00
Released September, 2009
Pros
- affordable price
- 512MB of internal storage
- SD card slot for easy to use expandable storage
Cons
- no wireless connectivity
- difficult to match the Kindle 2 at $259
- bland and cheap looking
Amazon Kindle 2
vs.
Endless Ideas BeBook Mini
MSRP $259.00
Released October, 2009
Pros
- Android operating system
- multitouch colour control panel
- pdf and epub format support
Cons
- no open app development
- WiFi will only work at Barnes & Noble (for now)
- price will prevent it from gaining major mainstream traction
Amazon Kindle 2
vs.
Barnes & Noble Nook
MSRP $300.00
Released August, 2009
Pros
- Accepts Sony Memory Stick Pro DUO and SDHC cards, adding up to 16GB of memory
- Touchscreen
- support for multiple popular formats (PDF, Doc)
Cons
- limited internal memory compared to competitors
- poor screen clarity / contrast
- comes without a
cover
Amazon Kindle 2
vs.
Sony Touch Edition PRS-600
MSRP $400.00
Released August, 2009
Pros
- 5 font sizes, landscape mode and new dual-page mode
- Large 7" screen with e-paper technology(doesn't require power to display image, just to change it)
- Internal 512MB memory with 380MB accessible
Cons
- Can only connect to Sony bookstore. No browser
- No Audio Support
- Will be a while before specializing
sites and services become available since
wifi is still fairly new on e-Readers
Amazon Kindle 2
vs.
Sony Daily Edition PRS-2121
MSRP $399.99
Released November, 2008
The Sony PRS-700 is a E-Book reader at the upper end of the market. For the price, it delivers not only a sleek, well designed frame, but also notable usability improvements over it's predecessors by including a touch screen, and built in lighting. While these features make interacting with the PRS-700 much easier, it moves...
Amazon Kindle 2
vs.
Sony PRS-700
MSRP $1,010.00
Released April, 2009
Pros
- touchscreen functionality
- full colour (260,000 colors vs. 12 shades of gray)
- WiFi
Cons
- quite expensive
- availability is questionable
- slow 1.8 second screen refresh (common to all e-paper devices)
Amazon Kindle 2
vs.
Fujitsu FLEPia
MSRP --
Released October, 2009
Pros
- will be available in places competitors like the Kindle 2 are not
- 3G
- touchscreen functionality
Cons
- button interface isn't as intuitive or appealing as the one found on the Kindle/Kindle 2
- 3G service will cost a lot more than Amazon's Whispernet
- no qwerty keyboard
Amazon Kindle 2
vs.
Endless Ideas BeBook 2
MSRP $349.99
Released August, 2008
Pros
- Wide range of formats
- Handles audio files as well, good for audiobooks
- e-Ink technology is proven and works
Cons
- refresh rate a little slow (between page turns) I turn a real page quicker!
- no control over horiz/vert view (sony does) only swaps occsasionally on third zoom (sony has 3 zooms on each)
- text reproduction on certain fonts unreadable (sony's is much better)
Amazon Kindle 2
vs.
BeBook
Reviews
October 19, 2009
approved
reviewer
love it
Pros
- thinner than the previous generation model
- easy to read ePaper display
- exact same price as the last generation model
- improved battery life (25%) - up to two weeks of use on a single charge
- encourages reading and learning in the age of new media
- pages turn 20% faster
- 16-level gray scale - 4x more shades
- no need for a PC, WiFi or subscription service for fresh downloads
- 2GB of internal storage (700x that of the original) - over 1,500 books
- now a lot more attractive at $259
- no longer US only (now available in over 100 counties)
Cons
- no PDF support
- no external storage (Amazon removed the original Kindle's SD card reader)
- still too expensive for mass adoption
- no removable battery (the original Kindle had this)
- no WiFi
- no Internet browser
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February 9, 2009
approved
reviewer
Pros
- thinner than the previous generation model
- easy to read ePaper display
- improved battery life (25%) - up to two weeks of use on a single charge
- pages turn 20% faster
- 16-level gray scale - 4x more shades
- 2GB of internal storage (700x that of the original) - over 1,500 books
Cons
- no PDF support
- still too expensive for mass adoption
- no WiFi
- not available outside of the USA
- no Internet browser
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
October 29, 2009
approved
reviewer
love it
have it
Pros
- thinner than the previous generation model
- easy to read ePaper display
- exact same price as the last generation model
- encourages reading and learning in the age of new media
- now a lot more attractive at $259
- no longer US only (now available in over 100 counties)
Cons
- no PDF support
- no external storage (Amazon removed the original Kindle's SD card reader)
- no removable battery (the original Kindle had this)
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
September 16, 2009
approved
reviewer
Pros
- easy to read ePaper display
- exact same price as the last generation model
- encourages reading and learning in the age of new media
- 2GB of internal storage (700x that of the original) - over 1,500 books
Cons
- no PDF support
- no external storage (Amazon removed the original Kindle's SD card reader)
- no removable battery (the original Kindle had this)
- no WiFi
- not available outside of the USA
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
February 9, 2009
approved
reviewer
Pros
- thinner than the previous generation model
- improved battery life (25%) - up to two weeks of use on a single charge
- no need for a PC, WiFi or subscription service for fresh downloads
- 2GB of internal storage (700x that of the original) - over 1,500 books
Cons
- not available outside of the USA
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
Saturday, 5:59 PM
approved
reviewer
Pros
Did not agree with any pros
Cons
- no external storage (Amazon removed the original Kindle's SD card reader)
- still too expensive for mass adoption
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
Pros
- thinner than the previous generation model
- easy to read ePaper display
- exact same price as the last generation model
- improved battery life (25%) - up to two weeks of use on a single charge
- encourages reading and learning in the age of new media
- pages turn 20% faster
- 16-level gray scale - 4x more shades
- no need for a PC, WiFi or subscription service for fresh downloads
Cons
- no PDF support
- still too expensive for mass adoption
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
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