The biggest change in the new Amazon kindle's size is its thickness slimming down to just .36". That's about the same thickness as a pencil. Its physical size is 8" x 5.3" with a screen size of 6" diagonally. Weight between versions remains about the same dropping .1 oz to 10.2 oz. What all of this boils down to is a slimmer form containing a much better screen than the original Amazon Kindle.
While the original was no slouch, the new Kindle boasts a 25% increase in battery life. It's reported to last up to 4 days with the wireless turned on and a "did he really just say two weeks" worth of battery life with the wireless switched off. Battery life isn't the only gain as it also picks up a speed boost on page flips thanks to a 20% faster screen. The clarity on the screen has also been upgraded thanks to 16 gray scale improvement over the original's 4 shades. The resolution on the screen has also been improved moving up to 800 x 600.
Owners of the original Amazon Kindle will be happy to know gone are the days of needing a power brick to charge the device. Unlike with the original, charging can be done over the mini usb port while hooked up to a PC. This was one of the more annoying points of the original Kindle as the usb port was exclusively for data transfer and the only way to charge it was with another power adapter. Quite annoying. Hooray for this small yet powerful upgrade.
Unfortunately, with the new device comes new limitations. The Amazon Kindle 2 will no longer have the SD card slot found on the original. Amazon has said that the upgraded storage space to 2GB of which 1.4 GB (up from 180 MB) will be available combined with how every book you buy from Amazon can be re-downloaded to the device wirelessly at any time should be more than enough. Only time will tell if 2 GB's will be enough storage space but it's not hard to tell that the non-user replaceable battery is a major sore spot. When the Amazon Kindle 2's battery dies (and all batteries eventually do)users will have to send their device back to Amazon for replacement at a cost of $59. This is a major pain and something that original Kindle owners are up in arms about. Despite the lack of an SD card slot and the permanently encased battery, the new Amazon Kindle 2's features should more than make up for it's shortcomings.
With the release date looming on 2.24.09 and a waiting list from the pre-orders alone, now is the time to buy the Amazon Kindle 2 if you're even remotely interested in it. The amazing screen coupled with the Amazon Marketplace more than make the Kindle 2 a home run. For more Kindle news visit http://www.electronicsupplements.com
For more Amazon Kindle 2 news, announcements, and accessory reviews visit http://www.electronicsupplements.com
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