Kindle 2 Debut

Horserider · Feb 9, 2009

Thought you guys might be curious to know that the Kindle 2 debut was today.

http://www.informationweek.com/news...cle.jhtml?articleID=213401718&subSection=News

Amazon.com on Monday released a new version of its Kindle electronic-book reader, but the slimmer and lighter upgrade of the original is drawing criticism from some Kindle users.

Rather than make any dramatic changes, Amazon has tweaked the original book-sized Kindle. The new version is a third of an inch thick, weighs about 10 ounces, gets more battery life, and has an improved display. In addition, Amazon has added more storage and has made the device faster. The price, however, remains the same: $359.

$359??? You can buy 24 $15 books for that much!!!

James81 · Feb 9, 2009

Cool. This means that Kindle 1 will start being sold for chump change and I can finally get one.

Williebee · Feb 9, 2009

$359??? You can buy 24 $15 books for that much!!!

True. Question is, how many $15 dollar books do you read a year? How many $10 ones?
And, the year after that?

Not that I'm defending it.
First, because the big upgrade is that the video for Kindle 2 is "now in 15 shades of Gray"!!!
Second, because I'm waiting for it to come out with "that new book smell".

KTC · Feb 9, 2009

boycott the kindle. buy a book.

Williebee · Feb 9, 2009

The real question I have is: If you buy the download, does the author still get the same percentage?

Sheryl Nantus · Feb 9, 2009

I've always said, and continue to say, that ebooks are NEVER going to take off until they produce an ebook reader that costs under $100. And that shows the colors of those magnificent covers that the artists work so hard to design.

Until then it's going to just be a cool expensive toy.

alleycat · Mar 14, 2009

I friend I work with got a new Kindle 2. I have to say, the thing is pretty impressive. While I was playing around with it some other people came by and saw it and the general consensus was that it was "way cool".

I don't feel like shelling out $360 for one just yet, but I can see one in my future. At the same time, I sure hope books don't go the way of the cassette Walkman and the slide rule.

Wayne K · Mar 14, 2009

I've read 12 books this year and it hasn't cost me a dime. I'm a big library person. As far as e-books I have no interest in sitting here at the computer longer than I do. I like to run away from home to read.

alleycat · Mar 14, 2009

Wayne K said:
I've read 12 books this year and it hasn't cost me a dime. I'm a big library person. As far as e-books I have no interest in sitting here at the computer longer than I do. I like to run away from home to read.

I understand. I haven't exactly embraced e-books myself. However, the Kindle has an automatic wireless connection. Sitting at the beach and decide you want to read the latest Stephen King book? . . . you can download it within minutes. I can see where a lot of people would pay for the privilege (just think of what people pay for the privilege of sending little text messages to their friends or yakking as they drive down the road).

I have no idea where this is all going. Will books become less common as digital downloads take over? Will books share the marketplace with downloads? Will e-books remain the exception? Will e-books provide more opportunities for writers? Will books be beamed directly into our brain implants? I don't know. Some industries have been slow to adapt to the "brave new digital world" (newspapers come to mind) and are paying a price for it now. I'm sure traditional publishers are thinking about all of this.

Anyway, just one more thing to think about.

Wayne K · Mar 14, 2009

alleycat said:
I understand. I haven't exactly embraced e-books myself. However, the Kindle has an automatic wireless connection. Sitting at the beach and decide you want to read the latest Stephen King book? . . . you can download it within minutes. I can see where a lot of people would pay for the privilege (just think of what people pay for the privilege of sending little text messages to their friends or yakking as they drive down the road).

I have no idea where this is all going. Will books become less common as digital downloads take over? Will books share the marketplace with downloads? Will e-books remain the exception? Will e-books provide more opportunities for writers? Will books be beamed directly into our brain implants? I don't know. Some industries have been slow to adapt to the "brave new digital world" (newspapers come to mind) and are paying a price for it now. I'm sure traditional publishers are thinking about all of this.

Anyway, just one more thing to think about.

It sounds like a rich kids toy to me. Besides, I reserve the right to throw a book across the room or into the fireplace. I would give Kindle a new meaning.

alleycat · Mar 14, 2009

Wayne K said:
It sounds like a rich kids toy to me.

Drive through the projects and count the number of cell phones being used (and some of them not by drug dealers ;-).

I wondered if someone had already started a YouBook site. I looked. Well, they have but it's an Australia book exchange site.

Devil Ledbetter · Mar 14, 2009

Horserider said:
Thought you guys might be curious to know that the Kindle 2 debut was today.

http://www.informationweek.com/news...cle.jhtml?articleID=213401718&subSection=News

$359??? You can buy 24 $15 books for that much!!!

And you'll be paying close to that much for the Kindle books you load onto it, anyway.

I'd like to try someone else's. I'm also a big fan of the library. That reminds me, I have a pile of books due back today.

Wayne K · Mar 14, 2009

alleycat said:
Drive through the projects and count the number of cell phones being used (and some of them not by drug dealers ;-).

I wondered if someone had already started a YouBook site. I looked. Well, they have but it's an Australia book exchange site.

The corner boys use dump phones, they're a lot cheaper.

I think the thing that really bothers me about this is the mentality of someone who needs something immediatly. Like the girl who simply had to text her BFF Jill and got everyone killed because she was driving at the time. I'm a firm believer in the journey making someone appreciate something more. I like bookstores and libraries too so I would feel like I was missing out on something if it magically appeared in my hands.

Then again, I'm a dinosaur.

Beach Bunny · Mar 14, 2009

I'm sure the eye doctors will appreciate the switch to ebooks, just think of all the new patients they'll have from people reading computer screens instead of paper. (You don't blink as much when you read a computer screen.)

I'm all for technology, but I hope ebooks don't take off. It takes longer and it is harder to read an ebook.

JLCwrites · Mar 14, 2009

I live near a paper mill that pollutes the air and the river. I won't frown on alternative ways to get stories into people's hands.

Devil Ledbetter · Mar 14, 2009

According to the product description, the new Kindle "Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images."

From the full Amazon description:

Paper-like Screen

Utilizing the latest in electronic-ink display technology, Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white 6" screen with the same appearance and readability of printed paper. Sharp and natural with no glare or backlight, reading on Kindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen. Those who see it for the first time always do a double-take. The screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. And unlike a laptop or smart phone, Kindle never gets warm so you can comfortably read as long as you like.

That hardly sounds like a boon to optometrists to me.

I hope that the Kindle and similar book hardware become wildly popular. The more books people buy, whether e-books or printed, the better off authors will be. There may be a lot more profit in e-books because they don't require printing, shipping, warehousing, retail space, etc.

maestrowork · Mar 14, 2009

Beach Bunny said:
I'm sure the eye doctors will appreciate the switch to ebooks, just think of all the new patients they'll have from people reading computer screens instead of paper. (You don't blink as much when you read a computer screen.)

I'm all for technology, but I hope ebooks don't take off. It takes longer and it is harder to read an ebook.

The Kindle and new e-Books use what's called e-Ink. they have no back-light and reads like actual ink and paper (thus, you need a reading light just like you would with a book). Plus you can change the font size -- something you can't do with print.

So e-book readers won't hurt your eyes, no more than a print book would. So don't knock the technology.

So many people have the WRONG idea of what the new e-Book readers do -- it's kind of irritating, actually. It's not your grandfather's tiny laptop or Palm Pilot screens.

In fact, you get more eye strains from your laptops or desktop monitors -- it doesn't stop people from being on the Internet or staring at their computer screens for hours. So why criticize an e-Book reader that actually doesn't strain your eyes?

Devil Ledbetter · Mar 14, 2009

maestrowork said:
The Kindle and new e-Books use what's called e-Ink. they have no back-light and reads like actual ink and paper (thus, you need a reading light just like you would with a book). Plus you can change the font size -- something you can't do with print.

So e-book readers won't hurt your eyes, no more than a print book would. So don't knock the technology.

So many people have the WRONG idea of what the new e-Book readers do -- it's kind of irritating, actually. It's not your grandfather's tiny laptop or Palm Pilot screens.

In fact, you get more eye strains from your laptops or desktop monitors -- it doesn't stop people from being on the Internet or staring at their computer screens for hours. So why criticize an e-Book reader that actually doesn't strain your eyes?

Ray, do you have me on ignore? :tongue

Wayne K · Mar 14, 2009

One of the very few things we still make in this country is books. These electronic devices you kids use are all made in China or India or some damned place. That's my main problem with electronics.
I honestly don't care how people read as long as they're reading. It's a lot of money for something that, in my opinion, is better spent on actual books. I love books is all.

ETA: I found this in "What are you doing right now"

Just came back from a library's quarterly book sale. I got 30 (count 'em--30!) books for under ten dollars. I was there for two hours and could have spent more time looking through the boxes and bins. And most were in excellent condition.

A sign of the times--a lot more people (first-timers) were there.

Now I'm off to find a place for all the books....
__________________
stormie

This is my idea of a good time.

stormie · Mar 14, 2009

You beat me to it, Wayne! I was just going to repeat myself.

In five years maybe I'll look into the latest ebook reader. As long as it's a lot cheaper and shows whatever's downloaded in color.

Til then: book sales at the library.

Wayne K · Mar 14, 2009

stormie said:
You beat me to it, Wayne! I was just going to repeat myself.

In five years maybe I'll look into the latest ebook reader. As long as it's a lot cheaper and shows whatever's downloaded in color.

Til then: book sales at the library.

I feel so busted.

Wayne K · Mar 14, 2009

TurkeyLurkey said:
I live near a paper mill that pollutes the air and the river. I won't frown on alternative ways to get stories into people's hands.

Actually books are the most recycled material in the world. Advertisments and packaging are the paper problem. I've bought recycled books all my life and have books that I've owned for twenty or so years.
I'm on my fourth computer and had seven or eight cell phones. There was a story recently about the garbage piles from electronics that scared the hell out of me.

I lived in Marcus Hook Pa. for a few months so I feel you though. We were sandwiched between two oil refineries and I saw progress at it's savage best. The sky was fake and the drinking water had a smell and it burned when you showered.

Grrarrgh · Mar 14, 2009

I got the original Kindle as a Christmas gift when it first came out and I really enjoy it. I still read paper books, still use the library, but this is just so much more convenient to take places with me. I hate leaving the house without a book, and this way I don't have to. The last vacation we took before I got it, I had to pay extra to check my luggage because all of the books I had in it weighed the suitcase down so much. It's definitely not an issue at all with this. I still don't read the majority of my books on it, but it is a great addition to feed my habit.

I like the looks of the Kindle 2, but I don't see enough of a difference to make me re-think the one I have or wish I could afford an upgrade. But I do recommend it to anyone who's on the fence about it. I like the e-readers, and the Kindle has adjustable font, so you can make it as big as you want. I never feel my eyes straining when I use it.

Wayne K · Mar 14, 2009

I was thinking it would be handy to travel with.

Pagey's_Girl · Mar 14, 2009

Grrarrgh said:
...I hate leaving the house without a book, and this way I don't have to. The last vacation we took before I got it, I had to pay extra to check my luggage because all of the books I had in it weighed the suitcase down so much. It's definitely not an issue at all with this. I still don't read the majority of my books on it, but it is a great addition to feed my habit.

Remembering times I've been stuck waiting somewhere, finished the book I was reading and wished wished wished I'd brought that other book I was in the middle of - or wanted to start - with me...no, I wouldn't want it to replace paper, but the idea of having a potential library in one small package is alluring.

And I'm with DL on this one - anything that makes reading more convenient for more people is good.

Kindle 2 Debut

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