What's smaller than a sheet of paper, weighs less than a loaf of bread and gives you access to over 240,000 books? It's the Kindle 2 from Amazon.com. The Kindle 2 is the recently released upgrade to the Kindle – an electronic book, periodical and blog reader – which revolutionized how we think about curling up with a good book, languidly reading a magazine or catching up on our favorite blogs.
There are several aspects of the Kindle 2 that make it a unique reading experience. While the Kindle 2 may weigh less than the average paperback book, it employs electronic paper technology that provides an experience similar to reading words on a piece of paper. There's no need to worry about eye-strain with the Kindle 2, because you have the option to adjust the text size to suit your needs. The Kindle 2's six-inch screen is not backlit, so it is not necessary to adjust the angle at which you are reading in different light levels. With 20% faster page turning and improved ergonomics, the makers of Kindle 2 have made the experience of reading a book, periodical or blog an even more enjoyable one.
Electronic ink display technology recognizes 16 shades of gray on the screen, so you can enjoy the clarity and crispness of text as well as images. With Whispernet – which equates to a technological partnership between Amazon and Sprint – Kindle 2 users have access to national high-speed 3G wireless that doesn't require any monthly fees or need a hotspot to use. It is possible to download an entire book in less than a minute or to search Wikipedia using the free wireless access. The Kindle 2 has the capacity to hold over 1,500 books, including many best-sellers that can be downloaded for less than ten dollars each. Thanks to the expanded battery life of the Kindle 2, you are able to read for up to two weeks with the wireless access turned off, or up to four days with it turned on. For those who can't resist making notes in the margins of books, you can do that too using the keyboard.
There are several experimental features that the makers of the Kindle 2 are still perfecting. The most interesting of the group is the "read-to-me" feature that uses text-to-speech technology and literally reads the text out loud – as long as Kindle 2 has the permission from the owner of the text – of any book, periodical or blog. Customize the read-to-me feature by choosing a male or female storyteller and the speed at which the text is read. The Kindle 2 includes a built-in basic web browser to read text-centric web sites and has a built-in dictionary. In addition, it is possible to email documents or PDF files to your Kindle 2 for a 10 cent per document fee. It is noted that depending on the complexity of the PDF format, the PDF file may not read correctly, which is where the term "experimental" is emphasized. If you enjoy listening to music while reading, just transfer MP3 files to your Kindle 2 using the included USB cable.
The Kindle 2 is available for purchase from Amazon.com for $359.00 and has 1.4GB of user storage space. The Kindle 2 wireless reader includes a quick start guide, power adapter, USB 2.0 cable and rechargeable battery. Limited one-year warranty included.
