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Amazon Kindle 2
Amazon Kindle 2 is an improvised version of Kindle 1. The outer look had been improved a lot. It looks so stylish and Hi-Fi now. All the minor errors in the previous versions are replaced with amazing improvements. The cost has also come down considerably.
Design and features
The odd look of Amazon Kindle 1 has been changed. The new look resembles most of the eBook readers in the market. We have the traditional 6-inch screen. It weighs about 10.2 ounces and is 0.36 inches thick. Even a pencil is thicker than this.
Under the six inch screen we have a full fledged QWERTY Keyboard. This is used to write notes, type the name of the search items and go to specific websites. We have a 5-way controller near this with a Menu button on top and Back button under it.
Apart from this we have the Volume control keys, symbol keys and text keys. Symbol keys give a menu with frequently used symbols and punctuation marks. Text key is used to avail the text-to-speech function and to change the size of the text while reading.
We also have two Next Page buttons on either side of the screen. They are very wide and fit convenienty to our thumb. They are used to flip the pages. There is a previous page button on the left side and a Home button on the right side.
We have one power switch at the side. This is used to turn the kindle on and off and to reset the kindle. We have a headphone jack near it. We have a USB port on the rear end of the Kindle. Battery life of Amazon Kindle is just normal as in other eBooks.
Amazon Kindle 2 Screen
Amazon kindle 2 uses Vizplex E-ink technology on its huge screen. It uses 16 shades of grey resulting in fantastic image renderig. The screen refreshal time is so less that it appears as if it does not happen at all. We have buttons on either side of the screen to ensure easy page turning.
Kindle Storage
Amazon kindle 2 comes with 2GB internal memory. But we do not have SD card extension slot. Hence if this space is filled we need to delete the eBooks to load more data.
Amazon Support
Amazon does not support many advanced file formats. It supports only basic file formmats like Kindle (AZW and TOPAZ), PRC, Limited MOBI (non DRM), PDF and TXT. It does not support DRM Mobi or ePub file formats. So downloading from internet is strictly restricted. If you want to load anything into Kindle it should be purchased from them.
Image and Music
Due to very good screen resolution image rendering is wonderful. Audio file formats like MP3 and Audible (format 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)) are supported. Sound quality is excellent. But when it comes to text-to-speech conversion the voices sound somewhat robotic.
Transferring Data
If you want to transfer data from your computer to kindle you can connect both the devices through a USB cable and drag and drop the items. eBooks could be downloaded directly into your kindle wirelessly, no matter where you are in the world.
Even monthly subscriptions, emails, personal doucments and MP3 files could be downloaded in the same way. You have to register you kindle first for this purpose and pay a certain fee to avail these services.
Performance
Amazon kindle's appearance is a great relief. The control buttons are so easy to use ecspecially the flip buttons on both the sides. The user interface is not so easy to learn at first use but is acceptable as we get aquainted with our kindle. The speed of the kindle is very good.
Kindle 2 Display
Display is another excellent feature. Amazon kindle's weakness is its limited file format support and payment demanding services for each every little feeds. The special features like Text-to-speech converter seem to be of little use. Perfomance wise it serves as a very good eBook reader. But it seems there are lot of restrictions even with so much technology on our palm.
Special features
We have facilities for highlighting the text, saving them seperately, writing our own notes, saving them and a built in dictionary. Another unique feature is the Text-to-speech converted. The text you are reading could be heard through the speakers in kindle. You can select between male and female voice and adjust the speed of the reading also.
Kindle uses Whispernet 3G technology to give you free access to its numerous ebook stores. You can read the first chapter of the book and buy the book later if you like it. You can also access Wikipedia and Amazon's internet network spread over a hundred countries. So numerous eBooks and libraries are avialable for you to read and choose from.
Your favorite RSS feeds for news, sports or any thing could be downloaded at a very low cost and what is more impressive you can use all these facilities wikipedia, Amazon eBook store and RSS all anywhere from the world at anytime.
Drawbacks
No touchscreen facility
No wireless
No ePub or DRM mobi file format support
There are no memory extension facilities.
Verdict
Amazon kindle 2 has tremendous improvements compared to its previous versions. But the users feel they are locked and can use only Amazon products throughout. This narrows the usage of the eBook. We hope these minor faults will be sorted out in the next version.
Cost: $259
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