Kindle2 - Price Slashed To $259 & International Version Introduced!

Two pieces of news: First, #1
Bestseller Kindle is now $259, down from $299.

Second, Amazon is introducing a new addition to the Kindle family of wireless reading devices: Kindle with global wireless.

With this new Kindle, you can get your books, newspapers, and magazines delivered wirelessly while at home or abroad in over 100 countries. Whether you're in Paris, Mumbai, or Sao Paulo, you can think of a book and be reading it in less than 60 seconds.

Kindle utilizes the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so you never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Unlike cell phones, there are no monthly wireless bills and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install, and no syncing required.

Kindle is as thin as a magazine and weighs less than a paperback; but can hold 1,500 books. Its electronic-ink display looks and reads like real paper without glare even in bright sunlight. A long battery life means you can read for up to two weeks on a single charge.

The Kindle Store has more than 350,000 books, including 104 of 112 New York Times bestsellers, plus top newspapers and magazines. They added more than 75,000 books in just the last five months. Amazon's vision for Kindle is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds.

The $259 Kindle with U.S. wireless is available for immediate shipment, and the $279 Kindle with U.S. and international wireless can be preordered starting today with shipment starting in less than two weeks.

Preorder Kindle (International Version)

Buy Kindle (US Version)

Kindle is the most wished for, the most gifted, and the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.com.

P.S. Until now, Kindles have only been available to U.S. customers. Starting today, international customers can now order Kindle with international wireless and get their English-language books in 60 seconds.

5 big things I immediately noticed as different:

First, when taking the K2 out of the box I immediately noted that the back cover is not easily removable (if at all) and won't slip off in my hands - as was frequent with the K1. The keyboard is also much much smaller and less obtrusive.


The second thing I noticed is power management. No longer do I have to press and hold two buttons to put the device to sleep. The switches for On/Off and Wireless On/Off are gone. There's a single small switch at the top of the K2 that handles Sleep.


The third thing I noticed - where's the silver strip? In fact, the entire navigation structure has been completely revised - I'm still getting used to it but it's a huge step forward. The silver strip has been replaced by a 4-way rocker that can also be pressed for "OK" commands, creating bookmarks, and doing highlighting.


The fourth thing I noticed - while page changing doesn't seem to me to be particularly faster - almost every other interaction on the screen is vastly accelerated... scrolling the cursor, looking up words, highlighting text, and typing text.


The fifth thing I noticed - a new power cable. This unit uses USB cables that are not compatible with K1. It's a bit of a bummer since I was hoping my wife and I could share power cables (she's taking over my K1).


What's better:

Navigation is a huge improvement. Moving the cursor to a word and having the definition of the word immediately pop up on the bottom of the screen is terrific. Using the rocker to move between articles in a newspaper makes scanning the paper much faster and enjoyable. Calling up the Menu strip is much faster and interactive. Clearly, Amazon was hard at work to make navigation quicker and easier. The hard work is apparent.


Buttons: The K1 was a constant struggle with inadvertent page changes. The design was flawed from the beginning. The single best improvement in the K2 took a few minutes of concentrated reading to realize... the button hinges are on the outside - at the edge - of the K2. You need to press on the interior of the button to get it to click. This change alone has saved me from several inadvertent page changes. Combine that with the smaller button sizes and one major source of frustration has been instantly eliminated!


Size: The K2 is thinner than the iPhone. It feels denser and maybe a tad heavier - although I did buy the premium cover which snaps into the K2 and adds to the weight (btw, I love the premium cover and think it's worth the investment).


Network Speed: The K2 can use G3 cellphone connections and when it's activated it makes a considerable difference in interactivity to the Kindle Store and when downloading Archived content.


Power Management: The little power button at the top of the Kindle is really a power slide. That is, slide it to toggle Sleep mode on and off. Slide and hold to do a full power down. And the K1's wireless on-off switch has been replaced by a menu choice in software. Works for me. Also, compared to the K1 waking from sleep is super-fast.


What's worse...

There isn't much I liked better in the K1 than the K2. One thing: calling up clippings and notes. In the K2 these items only list the first sentence or two of my highlights. In the K1 it displays the entire highlight - which makes reading through them much easier and more like reading Cliff Notes. The new interface in K2 is annoying and makes the feature much less useful. I'll be writing to Amazon to see if we can get that changed.


Closing thoughts...

The K2 is a big refinement over the K1. It feels as easy to read as the K1 but doesn't seem any crisper to my eyes (I usually read at point sizes 3 & 4). In this regard, as a book, the K1 and K2 are comparable. I wouldn't run up my credit card to buy the K2 from a belief that it's fundamentally easier to read. However, in my short time with the K2 it's a more enjoyable device to use. The change in the hinging and size of the buttons is major plus and would make it hard to go back to the K1. Amazon broke a few paradigms that K1 users are accustomed to and I found myself going to the K2 User Guide to figure out some content management issues that have been changed in this release.

Kindle 2: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device (Click Here To Read More About It's Features)

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback

Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images

Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns

Read-to-Me: With the new text-to-speech feature, Kindle can read every newspaper, magazine, blog, and book out loud to you, unless the book is disabled by the rights holder

Large Selection: Over 260,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

2-Year Extended Warranty for Kindle 2

2-Year Extended Warranty for Kindle 2
Protect your Kindle 2 for two full years -- Adds an additional year and more comprehensive protection than the one-year manufacturer's warranty, including coverage for accidental drops and damage (limited to one incident). This helps avoid the inconvenience and costs associated with a broken device. The warranty stays with the device even if it is gifted or sold to another party.

The Kindle 2 Extended Warranty is offered and sold by an experienced service management company, Service Net Retail Solutions, LLC ("Service Net"). If your Kindle 2 experiences a covered failure during the plan's term, Service Net will replace your unit at no additional cost. Service Net will even cover shipping costs for both the defective and replacement unit.

What is Covered

Two years of coverage for failures due to normal operation of device
Two years of coverage for damage attributed to lightning or power surges
Two years of coverage (limited to a single claim) for accidental drops or damage

How it Works

Purchase 2-year Extended Warranty plan for your qualifying Kindle 2 (you will receive an information packet in the mail)
Contact Service Net customer service at (877) 441-3836 if your Kindle 2 fails
Receive a replacement Kindle 2 and return your damaged device to Service Net

2-Year Extended Warranty for Kindle 2

Kindle2 Accessories

Kindle2 though a dream product for book reading lovers is not perfect. It is specially not suitable for you if ...

You live outside U.S.
If you live outside U.S. then Kindle's wireless technology 'Whispernet' which is based on the 'Sprint EV-DO' network will not work for you and you will not be able to purchase or download the ebooks. You will also not be able to surf the internet or access wikipedia through it so buying kindle2 will be of no use to you.

You want to upload your existing collection of ebooks which may be of different formats. Kindle2 supports limited formats.

If you have the above mentioned issues and yet you want to buy a Digital Book Reader then my friend you've got only one choice which comes the closest to Kindle2 ....

Sony Reader Digital Book W Touch Screen

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