So I just got my new Amazon Kindle 2 in the mail yesterday and I thought I might write a little review for those of you thinking about purchasing one. I won’t be including all the specs and technical stuff, you can find that anywhere. What I will be telling you is my subjective experience with the device. Let’s start out with a general overview.

General

I love it! That’s about the sum of my feelings. This is my first e-book reader so I don’t have a basis for comparison but the Kindle 2 seems to be almost everything I could want in a reading device. The design is sleek and functional, the size is good (about the same size as your average non-fiction book), and it feels overall good in your hands. It’s not overly heavy either. I did purchase the official leather case for the Kindle which is quite sturdy and well made. I would highly recommend it. With the Kindle in the case, you get a sense of security piece of mind. I could easily see the device slipping out of people’s hands as it is rather sleek and smooth. The inside of the case is padded overall makes the unit look very hansom.

At about $380 for everything, it did set me back a bit more than I would have liked, but as a PhD student, I read so much and an responsible to so much material that it just makes sense to go digital. Plus, a decent number of classic texts for my courses (and of course a bunch of new/popular works) are available for instant download. Not having to lug around 22+ books a semester is always welcome news.

The Good

Where do I start?

• The screen is sharp and well readable, even in direct sunlight. Images appear well thanks to the 16 shades of gray.
• FREE wireless access to EVERYTHING you could want is an obvious plus. This includes books, blogs, newspapers, and magazines
• Prices are good for most items. Popular items like NYT best sellers are usually under $10 while Newsweek is only $1.50/month!
• The buttons seem sturdy and commanding.
• The ability to highlight, bookmark, and annotate sections of text is incredibly valuable and functional.
• Battery life is great…something like 2 weeks with wireless off (you don’t need wireless to read a book you already downloaded, so might as well only turn it on when you want to purchase another item).
• Text-to-speech is a great feature. It will take you a little while to get used to the voice but once you do, it’s very useful for when your eyes are to tired to read but you have to get through some material.
• Built-in dictionary. Moving the cursor over a word automatically brings up the definition at the bottom of the page. VERY handy for those of us in school who constantly encounter commanding use of the English language.
• No trees get sacrificed!!!
• Self publishing on the Kindle. Yes, you get 35% of whatever you sell through the Kindle store. Great for amateur writers and students looking to rudimentary publish!
• Direct searching in Wikipedia…for free. Basic web browsing too!
• Can import PDF’s, .doc’s, and other formats at a cost of $.10 each for conversion
• Can play MP3’s and audiobooks

The Bad

• Page turning and other interaction functions area a bit slow..but it’s not all that bad. If your used to working on a high power computer with instant response, it will take a little getting used to. It’s not like an unreasonable delay but we’re not talking about the most power processor here.
• DRM. Yes, books you buy through Amazon are encoded in a proprietary DRM format. I don’t like it either but there are already hacks and workarounds to this.
• The next/previous buttons are a little hard to press. But I suppose this is a good thing since you would not want to press it accidentally. It could also be that the firmer buttons give some durability since they would presses a good number of times over the years.
• Purchasing books and other items through the Kindle is simple and straight forward but it would be nice if there was a confirmation after clicking the “Buy” button. I can see myself using the directional pad and accidentally pressing the “Buy” button. Though there is an option to “return” the book after clicking “Buy” accidentally.
• Easier to spend $$$. This is of course Amazon’s intention but by making it so easy to search and buy, you are left to your own restraint to buy wisely. I can easily see myself racking up a big bill of good books without really realizing it!

Conclusion

I really wanted to make this a little more in-depth of a review but I just don’t have the time! I hope this was helpful to some of you thinking about purchasing the Kindle 2. I love it and I think I will continue to love it as I discover more of the neat features. If you are a hardcore reader or have to read and manage a large number of books on the go then the Kindle 2 is definitely for you.

Tags: Amazon Kindle 2, e-book, e-reader, review