Reasons to spend the extra money on a Kindle 2?

[Tangram]

I'm looking to get either a used K1 or a new K2. I've always been a little against buying used electronics, but Kindles seem to hold up pretty well, and generally are owned by fairly mature people. I have the money to spend to get a new K2, but I don't know that I'd rather spend it on buying the new one, or on books to put on an old one, you know? So, besides the K2 being thin and pretty, what are some good reasons to go ahead and spend the extra cash?

[Leslie]

Probably the biggest advantage of getting a new one is that you have the full year warranty in case anything goes wrong. With a used Kindle, you'd probably only get a partial warranty or it may be out of warranty completely. So if something did go wrong, you'd be stuck. There is no repair facility for Kindles at the present moment. The only way to "fix" a broken Kindle is to get a new one and during the warranty, a broken Kindle will be replaced for free.

Depending on where you live, you might get better Whispernet with the K2.

The thing I like best about my K2? The fact that can I highlight words in the dictionary that I have looked up. I use that feature all the time.

L

[Scheherazade]

Here are my top reasons for choosing a Kindle 2 over a Kindle 1.  This comes from a user who owned the Kindle 1 AFTER having owned the Kindle 2, so keep that in mind.  A lot of Kindle 1 users upgrading are saying they prefer it to the 2 because of "contrast" problems or other things they've just grown too used to, but I can say I've never had any issues with my background being too dark or text too light.  It in fact looks exactly like the Kindle 1 we have, except the screensavers and such are far prettier due to the deeper shades of grey.  So here's my list in no particular order.

PROS...
TTS - Text to Speech is really a non-issue for me so far.  It's a nice technology and a lot of people swear by it.  It's definitely usable, if not perfect, but I even have a hard time listening to professional actors read books to me.

5-Way Controller - I -love- this and it would be the biggest reason to purchase the K2 over the K1 for me.  The scroll wheel on the K1 is a bit awkward to use, though I can see getting used to it after a while.  The problem with it is that it can only scroll up and down.  This makes using things like the dictionary, highlighting, clicking links, etc. far more difficult with numerous steps involved in menu selections.  While the 5-Way isn't perfect, it's a leap and a jump ahead of the wheel for me personally.

Dictionary - This comes back to the controller for me.  To use the dictionary on the K1 you have to scroll up to the line with the word, open a menu, click look up in dictionary, wait for it to pull up a -new- page with the definition for -every- word on that single line.  Then you scroll to find the word you want and click again for the definition.  With the K2 you just use the control nub to move to the word you want and a short definition appears at the bottom of the page without having to click a thing.  If you want the full definition you just hit enter and it takes you to it.  I am not sure I'd ever use the dictionary on the K1, but on the K2 I always do.

Internet - If this is a priority for you, this again sees major upgrades just from the improved control scheme with the 5-way controller.

Look and Feel - The Kindle 1 just seems kind of flimsy to me.  The Kindle 2 is far more streamlined with better button placement and far superior menu controls.  The addition of the HOME button is niceThe more prominent home button is nice, and making it harder to accidentally turn pages (something I'm not sure I've even done on the K2) is a bonus.  I find myself using the NEXT PAGE button on the left side of my K2 more than the right, something you I just wouldn't do on the K1.  It also looks like a current gen device and feels solid.  The K1, while charming, is a bit Atari to me

Menus - As mentioned before, the menus are vastly improved.  No more using the scroll wheel just to get to the home page and having to navigate sub menus that pop up for simple things like word lookups and link clicking.  It's just much more streamlined.

Keyboard - They both kind of suck, but the Kindle 2's is slightly better in my opinion.  The keys on the K1 feel more solid while they tried to "cushion" them on the K2, but the layout on the 2 is better... minutely.  It's not made for typing, though, so this is another non-issue.  Just having the ability is nice.  Having the delete button where the enter key usually is, though?  Come on... whose idea was that?

CONS...
Price - The price is a bit higher for the K2, but also keep in mind most K1s you'll be getting are either used or only about $100 cheaper.  This also brings up warranty concerns.

Bugs - It's new so they're still working out a few bugs.  I haven't had a single problem with mine, but you can see people having sun fading issues or too grey backgrounds.  From what I have heard, though, Amazon is more than happy to help people until they get a Kindle they're happy with.

External Storage - Some find this a con, but I don't really.  The internal storage on the Kindle 2 is much larger than the 1, but there is no SD card slot.  I wouldn't use it anyway, personally, and I think it just adds bulk to the device and it's just another thing to break or lose.  Amazon will keep copies of all the books you buy even after you delete them and you can back up others to your computer.  I just don't see where I'd need over 1000 books on my Kindle before purging a few, at least temporarily.  A lot of people say they use the SD cards in order to have a file structure for their books, but this is another non-issue for me.  When I try to make things neat with separate folders I end up losing stuff.

User Replacable Battery - The Kindle 1 has a user replacable batter, the one in the Kindle 2 must be sent to Amazon to have it replaced for a fee.  Either way you're buying a new battery.  I think I prefer letting a professional install it for me over having an easily removed backplate that can be lost and that allows dirt easier access to the insides of the device.  Not to mention this added a lot of bulk that I feel wasn't necessary.

Hopefully that answers some of your questions.  I imagine I'm missing something, but I'm sure others will weigh in on both sides of the fence.  If I had to have a Kindle 1 I would love it just as much as my Kindle 2.  In fact, I do love my K1 just as much.  They're both great devices and when it comes right down to it they both do what they're supposed to do... and that's let you get lost in a world painted in text, which both do admirably.

[Betsy the Quilter]

Most things boil down to personal experience, and I won't dispute K2 to K1 comparisons because I've never seen a K2 in person, but I do need to put in my two cents worth here.

The addition of the HOME button is nice, and making it harder to accidentally turn pages (something I'm not sure I've done) is a bonus.

 

No more using the scroll wheel just to get to the home page

HOME key--The Kindle 1 has a Home key.  I've NEVER used the scroll key to go to the Home page.   Well, maybe once.  I always use the Home key.  Maybe there's a different Home key on the K2 or it means something different?

I find myself using the NEXT PAGE button on the left side of my K2 more than the right, something you just wouldn't do on the K1.

I think this is a personal preference, I use my left side K1 button more than the right side, I think.  Probably because I tend to hold it with my right hand and then I flick the new page with my left hand.

Otherwise, I leave the comparisons up to those who've used both.
 

Betsy

[Tangram]

Thanks for the replies so far, guys. I'm leaning more towards the K2 now.

[intinst]

The K2 has its advantages but placement of the previous page and next page buttons is not one to me. Maybe because I have big hands, but I find it very easy to hold the KK in my left hand and use my thumb to hit those keys.

[Scheherazade]

Admittedily I've only messed with my K1 for a week or so and prefer my K2 so probably messed with it even less due to that, didn't even see that home key down there, but I have used both!  I did say as much in my caveat before the bulk of the post.  I still like the majority of the left side not being taken up by the previous page key though, something I don't find myself using enough to take up so much real estate.

I'll have to change my stance to say the addition of a more -prominent- home key

[Betsy the Quilter]

Admittedily I've only messed with my K1 for a week or so and prefer my K2 so probably messed with it even less due to that, didn't even see that home key down there, but I have used both!  I did say as much in my caveat before the bulk of the post.  I still like the majority of the left side not being taken up by the previous page key though, something I don't find myself using enough to take up so much real estate.

I'll have to change my stance to say the addition of a more -prominent- home key

 

It's the only thing in your review I could comment on as I've never seen a K2.  One of my friends has one, though, and I asked her to bring it next time we meet.  She had a K1 first, and absolutely loves the K2 better, and had no problems with the screen contrast.

Betsy

[Scheherazade]

I'm glad you did comment on it.  I got the K1 for my mom but decided I wanted some time to play with it to see what the fuss was about before giving it to her.  If I didn't see the home key there after a week she probably wouldn't have either... or maybe previous interaction with my Kindle 2 made it harder for me to adjust.  I don't want misinformation out there either -_-

[Anju No. 469]

My comment is about the battery, it's fine for the K2 if you live in the U.S. and can easily send it in for replacement, but living out of the country as some of us do, it is difficult.  Although Pidgeon92 says the battery can be replaced in the K2, so I am hoping that if I ever have a K2 and need a battery replacement I will be able to do it.

[Harvey]

Scheherazade, we highlighted your post in today's blog. You can see it here: http://www.kindleboards.com/blog/2009/04/buyers-tip-kindle-2-vs-used-kindle-1/

[marianneg]

Thanks for the replies so far, guys. I'm leaning more towards the K2 now.

I'm a perfectly happy K1 owner, but, at this point, if I was buying a Kindle for myself, I would get the K2.  FWIW.

[Raffeer]

I think it depends on your plans for the K. If you plan on just using it for books the K1 will work well.
If, however, there is ANY chance you are going to be reading your newspaper on the K, a K2 is FAR superior. I have been getting my morning paper via a K since January '08. There is no comparison between the two versions.

[Betsy the Quilter]

I think it depends on your plans for the K. If you plan on just using it for books the K1 will work well.
If, however, there is ANY chance you are going to be reading your newspaper on the K, a K2 is FAR superior. I have been getting my morning paper via a K since January '08. There is no comparison between the two versions.

Raffeer--interesting point--is that because of higher quality for the images?  That's the only way I can think of that would be different?

Betsy

[Tangram]

I think it depends on your plans for the K. If you plan on just using it for books the K1 will work well.
If, however, there is ANY chance you are going to be reading your newspaper on the K, a K2 is FAR superior. I have been getting my morning paper via a K since January '08. There is no comparison between the two versions.

Would that go for magazines, too? I plan on getting Asimov on mine.

[Tangram]

I just wanted to let you guys know I'll be getting the K2 tomorrow.

[Scheherazade]

Woot!  How exciting!  I wish I knew I'd be so excited when I got mine, but I literally got it thinking "Eh, I like technology and I like to read... and I can return it within 30 days if I hate it so why not?"  Then I got it and the packaging was just so fun... I want to be able to experience that again knowing I'd love it as much as I do instead of having reservations!

[crebel]

I just wanted to let you guys know I'll be getting the K2 tomorrow.

Congratulations Tangram, I am sure you will enjoy your K2 and become just as addicted as the rest of us regardless of which version you have!  DH and I are a K2/K1 family and both like different features of each.  I think Leslie is the one who first said the K2 is more of a lateral move than a true upgrade, but terrific nonetheless.

I confess I felt like an idiot as I read through this thread.  I have used my K1 hours a day every day for 9 months and I never realized I had a "home" key until I read Betsy's post - always used the two-step scroll key process, DUH  - it is right there, pretty little house symbol on it and everything.  Much more efficient  - I guess you do learn something new every day.

[Tangram]

Woot!  How exciting!  I wish I knew I'd be so excited when I got mine, but I literally got it thinking "Eh, I like technology and I like to read... and I can return it within 30 days if I hate it so why not?"  Then I got it and the packaging was just so fun... I want to be able to experience that again knowing I'd love it as much as I do instead of having reservations!

Haha. I'm super excited. I've been debating for a few months now whether to actually get it, so I've had plenty of time to build up the anticipation. That's why I picked one-day shipping. It's totally worth the $18.

Congratulations Tangram, I am sure you will enjoy your K2 and become just as addicted as the rest of us regardless of which version you have!  DH and I are a K2/K1 family and both like different features of each.  I think Leslie is the one who first said the K2 is more of a lateral move than a true upgrade, but terrific nonetheless.

I confess I felt like an idiot as I read through this thread.  I have used my K1 hours a day every day for 9 months and I never realized I had a "home" key until I read Betsy's post - always used the two-step scroll key process, DUH  - it is right there, pretty little house symbol on it and everything.  Much more efficient  - I guess you do learn something new every day.

I think I'm already addicted, heh. I ended up getting the K2 based on how nice having a warranty for a year will be. I think it's worth $100 to know that if anything goes wrong with it for a year, I'm covered.

[Leslie]

Congratulations, Tangram! Now we are all on Kindlewatch with you. Keep us posted!

L

[Tangram]

Congratulations, Tangram! Now we are all on Kindlewatch with you. Keep us posted!

L

Thanks! It should be here later today. So anxious!

[Tangram]

I got it! I'm in love.

[Leslie]

I got it! I'm in love.

It only gets better...think of the song by Spiral Staircase 

L