Kindle 2 e-book reader unveiled by Amazon (with MP3 support)
Amazon has officially unveiled the Kindle 2 – its second digital e-book reader. It’s been the subject of much speculation and leaked images in the last couple of weeks, much of which turned out to be correct. And while it’s slightly off our regular digital music beat – although it does play MP3 files – as a consumer gadget it’s certainly of interest.
So, the basics: it’s a handheld e-book reader measuring 8×5.3×0.36 inches, with a six-inch E-Ink electronic paper display, that has a 600×800 pixel resolution. It weighs 10.2 ounces and has 2GB of internal storage, and claims a single battery charge will let you read for up to four days (or two weeks if you turn off the wireless feature).
It’s got an internal EVDO (3G) modem to download e-books over US operator Sprint’s mobile network, meaning no PC is needed. There’s a new text-to-speech feature allowing you to tell the Kindle 2 to read an e-book out to you, a basic web browser, and the new ability to play MP3s and podcasts. It costs $359 in the US, although it seems those of us elsewhere in the world will have to continue to wait for Amazon to roll the device out globally.
September 1st, 2009 at 5:10 pm
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December 14th, 2009 at 3:34 am
I’m a long-time Kindle user– until now, my family and I have been using the Kindle v1 when traveling internationally, downloading books through to my Mac and transferring them to the Kindle. Recently I’ve begun using the iPhone app which of course works wirelessly, but it’s really only good for 20-minute bursts… after that, the small screen (and knowledge that there are all kinds of other apps lurking a click away) makes me want to move on.
Anyway. We just received the International Kindle yesterday, and it’s wonderful. Being able to browse for books on the Kindle instead of the computer is great, but what’s even better is that Whispernet just works: now my iPhone and Kindle stay in synch magically. As everyone already knows, the Kindle v2 is a big step forward from the first version– no more self-turning pages, etc. But finally having wireless access to a world of books– at fantastic prices, compared to the local market– plus automatic synchronization between devices is a thing of wonder. My kids and I thank you.