The Kindle 2 debuted three weeks ago. (Yes, it was only three weeks ago!)

In the unveiling, Jeff Bezos noted that the Kindle 2 is, amazingly, 25% thinner than the iPhone 3G (that’s the newer, thinner iPhone).

These photos show the relative thickness. Here’s my Kindle 2 and my iPhone 3G. That Kindle 2 is pretty slim indeed!

Comments

Excerpts from her review:

“It’s REALLY thin. When I ordered it, I was concerned it would be too thin to be comfortable for my smaller, arthritic hands, but it’s not. It’s perfect. It doesn’t feel flimsy, it’s nice and solid. It’s also beautiful. I would have no problems carrying this around without a cover (except a case for protection). As a matter of fact, it fit quite nicely in the outer pocket (without the cover) in my Vera Bradley Lindsay Bag…”

“It’s much more difficult to accidentally press the pages, but not difficult at all to turn them intentionally. My fingers automatically go the right way. As a previous KK owner, the home back and menu buttons will take some getting used to though. There’s nothing wrong with them, I just need to get used to the placement.  Big improvement…”

“5-way: Ok this little thing is cool. When I’m on my home page and push it to the left, I can delete the book. We got that feature in the 1.2 update. No biggie…BUT, if I go to the RIGHT, I can see the whole title of the book and the cover. You’ve got all the info right there. Before, I used to download a bunch of stuff, and then I’d forget what the books were about. It was a pain to head into the Kindle Store and search for the book I needed info about.  Now, in just a matter of a few clicks, it links me directly to the book page on the Kindle store so I can read the book description.  LOVE this feature, very useful.  (I do miss my silver bar, but DON’T miss the wheel.)”

Luv has a host of other first impressions, which you can read in our Review Board.

Comments

Dozens of our members received their new Kindles today, and we’re being treated to a stream of pictures and first impressions.

We have also opened up a new board in our forums, for user reviews. We invite you to post your reviews of Kindle (first generation or second generation), as well as your reviews of Kindle accessories. You can see that new board here.

Mine should be waiting for me when I get home from a business trip on Friday. I can’t wait. This is torture!

Comments

What’s more, we’re finding that even Kindles ordered this week are shipping immediately!

Our member Brassman ordered his Kindle  today through this KindleBoards link, and his is set to arrive on Thursday. Wow!

Amazon confirmed this today through this press release.

We expect to start collecting photos and user reviews of Kindle 2 over the next few days.

Are you in on this joy? Order your Kindle 2 here!

Comments

This makes a substantial difference in the quality of displayed images! KindleBoards member artsandhistoryfan posted an eye-opening analysis of the difference. Using images from the Wonder of Light photography site, she shows the quality difference between a 4-shades image (top image below), and a 16-shades image (bottom image).

A picture speaks a thousand words! While these are not Kindle screenshots, they give an idea of the improvements to be had from moving 4 up to 16 shades of grey.

You can also compare the above images with an 8-shades-of-grey images (comparable to that of a Sony PRS-700), at the thread.

Comments

The original Kindle has a user-removable battery, which Kindle owners can remove to reboot the device. With Kindle 2, some are concerned about losing that ability, as well as the prospect of dealing with failing batteries.

Quoted in a Computerworld article, Amazon’s Kindle unit director Charlie Tritschler indicated that the nonremovable battery takes up significantly less space, and that helped Amazon achieve the Kindle 2’s thinner size. Battery removal is no longer needed for rebooting, as the Kindle 2 can be rebooted by holding the power switch for 14 seconds.

Tritschler also noted that the Kindle 2’s new battery management chip enables the device to last for four days when in wireless mode, or two weeks when wireless is turned off.

The Kindle 2 warranty covers replacement of the battery for one year. After that, it can be replaced in the Amazon factory for $59.

Does this alleviate any battery concerns you may have with Kindle 2? Join our discussion here.

Comments

Later in the day, KindleBoards member artsandhistoryfan helpfully summarized several tidbits from this day of announcements, that may have been overlooked in the flurry:

• Kindle’s WhisperNet is now available in all 50 states, and in many more rural areas. (See updated coverage map.)
• You can now search within a book, or optionally within your entire library. This was a frequently asked-for feature with Kindle 1.
• Here’s a video of the first ten minutes of the Kindle 2 announcement.
• You can see a demo of the new text-to-speech feature. The speech is stilted and robotic, but the words are pronounced clearly and accurately by a choice of female or male voice.
• The Kindle 2 has two holes in its right edge, enabling it to snap into 3rd-party cases.

Thanks, artsandhistoryfan!

Don’t forget, if you’re a Kindle 1 owner, you can order a Kindle 2 by midnight Pacific time, tonight, to get a priority placement on your order.

Comments

• 37% are planning to or already have ordered Kindle 2
• Of those, about half intend to keep their first-generation Kindle even after they get Kindle 2
• 55% do not intend to replace their first-generation Kindle
• 8% are undecided

The 37% figure is a pretty impressive conversion rate. It also shows the wisdom of Amazon in catering to its early adopters, by giving Kindle 1 owners the first chance to order and receive Kindle 2.

If you’re a Kindle 1 owner, you can order a Kindle 2 by midnight February 10 to get a priority placement on your order. I did, as did about half of our mods, and apparently a whole bunch of our forum members as well.

Comments and Voting

• a poll of Kindle owners planning to upgrade,
• a survey of the Kindle 2 manual,
• a reaction thread from KindleBoards member sjc,
• our live event thread from the press conference,
• discussion of Amazon’s page of Kindle 2 accessories,
• and, of course, the mandatory “I’m waiting for my Kindle 2″ therapy thread.

(Seen the Kindle 2 yet? Order yours? Here’s the link to Amazon’s Kindle 2 page.)

Comments

Here are the notable new features of Amazon’s Kindle 2:

• Slim new body: At 0.36 inches thick, it’s notably thinner than even an iPhone 3G. Wow! And it weighs only 10.2 ounces.
• Improved display: The improved display now provides 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images.
• 5-way controller: Enables precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words.
• Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life. A single charge lasts up to 4 days with wireless on; up to two weeks with wireless off.
• More Storage: 2GB of internal memory holds over 1,500 books.
• Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns.
• Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you. Page automatically turn as content is read. You can adjust reading speed, and choose from male/female voices.

For more reactions from the community, take your pick from these threads!

Comments