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DD
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« on: February 27, 2009, 06:40:47 PM » |
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Opened my new Kindle 2 today after an unexpected delay because of my hospitalization and surgery, as some of you know. It arrived on Wednesday and I could have had my husband bring it to the hospital but I was really in no condition to enjoy it at that point and I worried about its safety in my room.
The excitement was almost unbearable when I got home. My wonderful husband had the unopened Amazon box set up next to my favorite chair.
I opened it and thought, "This thing is beautiful! Let me hear the reviewers criticize the looks of this one as they did K1!" (Although I loved my K1 too!)
Here are my immediate impressions and there may be more coming as I get to know more about the features:
A. What I love:
1. The top button slide to bring it out of Sleep
2. The alt/up arrow/number text spacing feature - this is genius
3. The Next and Previous Page button design - easy to use but not easy to accidentally push.
4. That there is no reason to get to the back because everything is at one's fingertips
5. The improved greyscale. The text is so sharp on mine and the page background is lighter than my K1, making it easier for me to read.
6. The sleek thinness. It feels so good in my hand.
7. That there is only one combo USB and power charger cord to keep track of.
8. That page turns are much smoother and almost unnoticeable.
9. The way the 5-way controller can delete books with a flick
10. The archived books folder so that all the books I have on Amazon don't appear on my Home Page
11. The total locations number being easily visible along the bottom with the progress bar.
I used to have to leave my book and push Menu button/Go to location to see this. (added 3/1/09)
12. The low sleek profile of the keyboard. (added 3/1/09)
B. What I wasn't crazy about:
1. The box - kind of cheesy but, then, I'm not going to be using the box and it certainly gave adequate shipping protection. What else is a box for?
It's like when I order flowers at a florist; I always tell them to put my $50.00 or so into the quality of the flowers and the arrangement, not into the container which most people get rid of or put in a closet in the garage. But, that's just me.
2. The 5-way is a little difficult to control directionally with the flat part of my finger or thumb. I find it is easy to accidentally push down when trying to do this.
I have to use my fingernail along the edge to move it and I don't have large hands. (added 3/1/09)
C. What I will reserve judgement on for a while:
1. The text to speech voice. I really wanted this for use in the gym on the treadmill. I think the electronic voice will work fine for that, especially because the pages turn as the voice is reading, making it easier to understand. But, I haven't used it on the treadmill yet, so I will let you know what I think about this later. The one page I tried it on had the phrase POW/MIA on it and the pronunciatiion was phonetic which was pretty comical but being able to see the words at the same time made it understandable.
D. What I don't like at all: (added 4/15/09)
1. The lighter text. It definitely is lighter than the K1 text at all font sizes but is not as noticeable on font sizes 5 and 6.
2. The sun-fading issue on some units. I have had this problem and am awaiting my second replacement to correct the problem.
Well, as you can probably tell by the relative length of my lists above, in the whole, I like the new features of the K2 but the less readable text is a big one for me. I hope Amazon can and will correct it.
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« Last Edit: April 15, 2009, 09:55:13 AM by DD »
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Member #484   "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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Gables Girl
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« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2009, 06:58:12 PM » |
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I'll agree with you on things. I tried the text to speech on a how shall I put it, racy love scenario and there was just something off putting about the flat monotone voice saying the words. I ended up getting the giggles, which killed the whole mood and the story line. So I'm guessing it will work better for technical manuals where inflection doesn't matter.
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GG |
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DD
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« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2009, 09:09:27 PM » |
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I'll agree with you on things. I tried the text to speech on a how shall I put it, racy love scenario and there was just something off putting about the flat monotone voice saying the words. I ended up getting the giggles, which killed the whole mood and the story line. So I'm guessing it will work better for technical manuals where inflection doesn't matter.
Yeah, Gables Girl, that guys voice would really kill the mood in a scene like that! LOL |
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Member #484 "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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Luvmy4brats
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« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2009, 09:12:21 PM » |
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I have to agree with you on just about everything DD (the only thing I disagree with you about is your choice of football team  ) |
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DD
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« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2009, 09:15:50 PM » |
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I have to agree with you on just about everything DD (the only thing I disagree with you about is your choice of football team ) Ha ha, luv. I can't help it, I'm Ravens through and through! Do I remember you saying you were a Steelers fan? Just proves that anyone can get along.  |
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Member #484 "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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Luvmy4brats
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« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2009, 09:18:06 PM » |
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The only time I watch the Ravens is when they play the Steelers..And I live here in Maryland!
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Gables Girl
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« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2009, 09:28:59 PM » |
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Ha ha, luv. I can't help it, I'm Ravens through and through! Do I remember you saying you were a Steelers fan? Just proves that anyone can get along. You mean the old Cleveland Browns? I remember them. |
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GG |
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rho
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« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2009, 11:15:57 PM » |
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Opened my new Kindle 2 today after an unexpected delay because of my hospitalization and surgery, as some of you know. It arrived on Wednesday and I could have had my husband bring it to the hospital but I was really in no condition to enjoy it at that point and I worried about its safety in my room.
Hope you all are enjoying your new toy as much as I am!
Glad you are home and comfy in your chair - hope the surgery took care of the problem and you will be feeling great soon- now you have some quality time with your new toy |
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rho  I've gotten over $125 in Amazon Gift Cards using this as my search engine |
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DD
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« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2009, 07:04:23 AM » |
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Yeah, Gables Girl. We got the Browns after the Baltimore Colts were stolen away from us in the middle of the night I really felt bad for Cleveland at the time because we had been through it too. I have many relatives in Cleveland and I know how painful that episode was. But if Modell was going to bring them, Baltimore fans were going to support them.
Luv, I've lived in MD for 37 years! Raised my two brats ('er sons) there.:-)
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Member #484 "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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DD
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« Reply #9 on: February 28, 2009, 07:33:23 AM » |
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Adding to the "not so crazy about it" list - the 5-way is a little difficult to control. I can't maneuver it accurately with my thumb flat. I have to use my fingernail along the edge to move in different directions or I find myself pushing down on it instead. Not such a problem for me but for someone without long enough fingernails it could be difficult. Wonder how some of you are getting around this.
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Member #484 "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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Linda Cannon-Mott
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« Reply #10 on: February 28, 2009, 07:37:50 AM » |
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I use my index finger for the 5 way, am a nurse so no long nails. I have no problem with it but I thought it may be a problem fo rthe guys who have bigger hands. I actually like it better than the scroll wheel.
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Gables Girl
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« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2009, 07:51:26 AM » |
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Adding to the "not so crazy about it" list - the 5-way is a little difficult to control. I can't maneuver it accurately with my thumb flat. I have to use my fingernail along the edge to move in different directions or I find myself pushing down on it instead. Not such a problem for me but for someone without long enough fingernails it could be difficult. Wonder how some of you are getting around this.
I use the flat of my thumb and it works fine for me. Then again I use a trackball on my computer. |
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DD
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« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2009, 07:52:16 AM » |
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rho, thanks for the good thoughts. Feeling much better.
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Member #484 "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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Tippy
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« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2009, 09:26:34 AM » |
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Thanks for the informative post. Dede, glad you are home from the hospital and feeling better. Trust your recovery is swift. That was so sweet of your DH to put your K2 next to your chair. He is a thoughtful person. Blessings!
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DD
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« Reply #15 on: March 04, 2009, 04:28:45 AM » |
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Good review DD and it's great to see you back on the boards. Hope you are feeling better! PS - I love the statement in your signature!!  I have that on a piece of flair on facebook! Thanks, Angela. And, yes, feeling much better. Having my stitches (staples) out today. A friend sent me that statement and it really struck me. Wouldn't it be great if everyone tried to live that way every day? I'm very new to facebook. You'll have to tell me what 'a piece of flair' is.  |
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Member #484 "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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thejackylking #884
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« Reply #16 on: March 04, 2009, 04:55:17 AM » |
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A piece of flair is a button with a pithy saying on it like "take me drunk i'm home" The phrase became more popular after the movie "Office Space" came out.
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No One Can Deny Us Our Future |
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DD
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« Reply #17 on: March 04, 2009, 05:10:33 AM » |
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A piece of flair is a button with a pithy saying on it like "take me drunk i'm home" The phrase became more popular after the movie "Office Space" came out.
Thanks. I'll check that out. |
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Member #484 "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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jmiked
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« Reply #18 on: March 14, 2009, 08:41:27 PM » |
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One of the things I like about the K2 is that it immediately shows you a type size change when you select it instead of making you wait until after you've chosen one and gone back to the book.
Mike
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"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I've found it!), but 'That's funny...'"
- Isaac Asimov
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jimbellow
Status: Dr. Seuss
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Posts: 40
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« Reply #19 on: March 16, 2009, 04:57:42 PM » |
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Thanks for the detailed review, I cant wait for my new kindle 2 to arrive from amazon  |
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kyliedork
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« Reply #20 on: March 20, 2009, 03:32:27 AM » |
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yes, the text to speech sucks
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 Kindle 2 Rocks  |
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jmiked
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« Reply #21 on: March 20, 2009, 04:14:31 PM » |
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Well, the quality of the text-to-speech is much better than most that I've heard. I don't think it's fair to complain that it's not the same as some real person reading the book.
Mike
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"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I've found it!), but 'That's funny...'"
- Isaac Asimov
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Betsy the Quilter
Woman in Charge
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I'm here to help. Really.
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« Reply #22 on: March 20, 2009, 04:34:53 PM » |
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From what I've heard, the text to speech is actually pretty good, it's just not the same as someone reading an audio book, with the proper inflections--that could be quite mood killing as has been pointed out by DD. I think it's fair to point out that the experience isn't the same. Kyliedork was offering up the same critique in a bit more pithy fashion. Betsy |
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"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." -Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird
"Oh come on! Stake through the heart. A little sunlight. It's like falling off a log" -Buffy, the Vampire Slayer |
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DD
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« Reply #23 on: March 20, 2009, 05:42:28 PM » |
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From what I've heard, the text to speech is actually pretty good, it's just not the same as someone reading an audio book, with the proper inflections--that could be quite mood killing as has been pointed out by DD. I think it's fair to point out that the experience isn't the same. Kyliedork was offering up the same critique in a bit more pithy fashion. Betsy Actually, I am using the text to speech on the treadmill several times a week. I am a visual person and never liked audio books because I found it difficult to concentrate on them. But the added advantage of having the pages turn and viewing the text while the Kindle is 'reading to you' makes the text to speech feature very useful. As a retired special education teacher, I know that giving information through more than one channel (senses) makes it more likely to get through to the brain. Text to speech combined with the page turns to view the text makes good use of this fact. |
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Member #484 "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH d*mn, SHE'S UP"!" |
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kyliedork
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« Reply #24 on: March 21, 2009, 12:08:53 AM » |
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actually thats a good point DD, i never thought of the learning benefits by using two sensory channels at the same time.
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Kindle 2 Rocks |
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