It goes without saying that this could be a complete sham and that a chunk of salt should be consumed with it, but a batch of purported images and price for the Amazon Kindle 2 have leaked onto the Web. While the MobileRead fellas claim these to be official we’re going to wait until Monday for whatever it is that Amazon plans to announce to the universe.
A picture is worth a thousand words, no? The K2 is considerably slimmer than its predecessor and appears to be much shorter, too. That back piece screams Apple and has me thinking twice about these ‘official images’, but, again, we’ll have to wait until Monday. Also, the K2 is said to be available on February 24th for $359.
The keyboard configuration as well as the navigation buttons look much better than what’s available now. I may actually start using the Amazon service again with this new hardware. What about you?
Photo Gallery by Picturesurf
MobileRead via Giz
Why does it have two *Next Page* buttons? One on the left and one on the right?
Looks like a fake…
Is this available in India?
Anjali Sin
I will definitely getting one if it is below 150USD.
but will NEVER EVER get one above 200.
too much inital investment for a BOOK, yes, it is still used as a book.
Actually 349.99:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI?ie=UTF8&tag=g1ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00154JDAI
Anjali: Are YOU available in India ?
Some people are lefty, some are righty. That seemed obvious.
Yep. When you read an ebook, whether you’re right-handed or left, you tend to switch hands. So having a “turn page” button on both sides is very convenient.
Not all global texts turn from right to left :-)
Mathias, you know that not all languages are read left from right? The left button is probably actually a “previous page” button except as not everyone in the world reads from left to right on some books in some languages the next page is THE LEFT ONE. It seems pretty logical that you have to have the two main buttons labelled”next page” then, no?
Left handed vs. right handed, it seems obvious doesn’t it?
I blogged about this, and what Amazon will most likely reveal at its press conference tomorrow. I think Amazon will reveal more than just the Kindle 2 — the Kindle platform looks a lot more exiting to me
Alice
-kindleist.com
uh what about lefties
I find this gadget too big. Not even advisable to be put on a pocket.
not all gadgets are meant to be put in a pocket.
That’s what she said.
Would u like a kindle with ur big portion of win
The device is big but the screen is small. Do you really need that much space for the sides, top and buttons?
“Nezt Page” buttons for right or left handed, of course.
Is there any possibility that Amazon would release a version of the Kindle overseas – specifically the UK? Is there some legal/copyright impediment or is it just not on their radar?
Possible, but I think there are a few challenges; first on the hardware side, they’d need to have hardware in the European version that matched the GSM standards there. And of course they would need an agreement with a mobile carrier in each country the way they have in the US with Sprint.
The other thing that comes to mind is the issue of the rights to sell. Amazon may have to go back to all the publishers and get new agreements with them to cover countries outside of the US. I don’t know if that would be a big deal.
absolutely not. not at THAT price point. $360, and the price of books and magazines on top of that? no way, jose!
my iphone was cheaper and is a LOT more useful.
The current Kindle is $360 and comes with free EVDO service.
your iPhone is not cheaper and it’s a phone, not a book reader.
iPhone is very useful as an ebook reader. You’re willfully ignorant if you think it’s just a phone. The iPhone’s flexibility is what makes it a win. Kindle is a single use device: convergence == zero.
BTW, iphone handles PDFs properly without some antiquated email pay scheme. If only the iPhone had a screen this big. Then again, Apple is working on a tablet device, so the question will be moot soon anyway.
Except that you cannot use a backlit style display for long periods of time without eye strain. The e-ink technology is much more pleasing on the eyes, and comes close to the effect of reading printed (albeit black and white) material.
Well, couldn’t i just buy a normal book then ?
Actually, Kindle is more full function than an iPhone or iPod Touch (which I also own) in that it allows highlighted text, notes added, etc. Given how much reading I do that’s work related, the ability to use a virtual yellow marker and write virtual notes in the margins is a major plus.
Besides…my 48-year-old eyes like larger print without having to squeeze into 5-6 word line length as required on the iPod Touch. (grin)
Cinda Baxter
AlwaysUpward.com
consultant | writer | speaker
Kindle can play MP3’s as well, and browse the web (even if it’s experimental), so it’s not a single use device by any means.
You also don’t need to pay to convert PDFs. You theoretically have to pay to email them directly to your Kindle, but according to other forums, they haven’t actually started charging. But even if they did, you don’t pay anything to transfer files with USB.
except that Apple is NOT working on a tablet device.
Is there any possibility that Amazon would release a version of the Kindle overseas – specifically the UK? Is there some legal/copyright impediment or is it just not on their radar?
I hope it’s a real leak as it looks pretty nice !
Hopefully I’ll find a way to take it for spin now that I could bear being seen with it !
I first loved Stanza on my iphone but could never find anything interesting to read. I tried with a free book and could not stand the small screen and constant swiping that just interrupts the reading.
Who buys these things?
They just keep pushing things we don’t need and everybody keeps buying.
Please go to google video and watch
The Century of Self.
A must watch to see why this is happening and how it all started.
hey, watched your video, man you are right, we are all being duped…….. no no wait, you’re a dumbass spammer!!
People who have things to read besides two line blog articles, comments on a cat video, or the latest dead-tree mag rag. It’s easier to carry an electronic device around for instant reference to your library than a backpack and a portable shelf on wheels to attempt the equivalent.
You’re only opening people’s eyes to what an idiot you are, Tupac.
— Signed, FiyvPac.
Tupac and phototristan: You might want to try looking at the world through a less narrow lens. The Kindle has it all over dead tree books and magazines, which are environmental disasters because they require using toxic chemicals to manufacture paper and ink; and must be packaged, shipped, warehoused and disposed of. Like many people, I read a variety of things simultaneously, e.g., a business book, an escapist novel, a historical tome, magazines, which mean a lot of weight in my briefcase. The Kindle allows me to carry hundreds of books at a time in a single, lightweight device; buying one was like taking a 5-lb. bag of sugar off my shoulder. Also, you can download a sample of a Kindle book to see if you like it, which, by eliminating financial risk, encourages broadening the range of topics you can entertain. Other than the gifting option, which is limited by the number of people who share your taste in literature, I see no argument whatsoever in favor of paper books.
$360? What are they smoking?
Fully fledged Netbooks are going for less than that. Maybe Negroponte should ditch the $100 laptop project and start working on a $20 book reader…
Netbooks have far worse battery life, which is mission-critical for a book reader.
get a six cell battery. a netbook can do much much more than just reading a book anyway.
Can’t wait for Kindle 3, the flexible display unit. ha
What does century of self have to do with an e-reader?
Looking better, but still ugly. Until it auto downloads my fav mags at the beginning of the month and looks better, I would feel like I was carrying something from the 90s around.
Um, it DOES download your “fav mags” at the beginning of the month, and your newspaper every day if you want (and if you pay for it).
They seemed to have missed a fundamental point with this and its the keyboard.
its an ebook reader first and such the keyboard should be hidden. The design sucks because of the keyboard in my opinon.
I can’t believe they had another go at designing it and it’s still hideously ugly compared to the Sony Reader.
I was holding out on buying a Kindle until I saw the new 2. At this price, I think I’m going to hold out for the new Eee 1000HE PC. It’s about the same price and offers way more functionality.
I think it’s funny TechCrunch still thinks the Kindle has a chance no matter what it looks like.
If I want to read a book on a screen (which I don’t), I’ll get an app that does that.
That’s the thing, it’s not a “screen.” Your eyes don’t get tired of reading on an e-ink display, because it reads just like a book. I don’t know many people that can read for hours at their computer without getting a headache, or having to take a break. With the Kindle (or any e-ink device), you don’t have that problem. It’s like having physical copies of your books with you, because it reads just like having a book in front of you.
I agree. The e-ink screen is great to read off of. However it would be nice if it incorporated color. (Will the academic model have this?) I subscripe to graphic design publications and i don’t think the kindle is the right platform for these inspirational periodicals. But i’m always looking for a way to cut down on clutter and use of paper.
Btw, I have an iPhone which I love, but i don’t want to use it for reading a novel…or anything longer than a couple of paragraphs.
I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned the complete lack of cursor bar in this new version, which is slightly puzzling because it makes me wonder whether they’ve perhaps “hidden” the curser as an LED or something beneath the screen, or within the E-Ink display. And why replace a scroll wheel with a stick? I’m really eager to see how this one pans out.
I had the exact same question. The cursor bar is such a fundemtal piece of the first Kindle’s UI, there must be something going on.
I call bogus. I’m not doubting there’s a kindle 2 coming – but the images are photoshopped.
Take a look at the top-right corner of the screen. See the little dog-ear part (from the original kindle). How would you use this, exactly, with the absense of the action bar on the right? If you’re going to give us that much space for keyboard (unlike the last one) wouldn’t they just lose that icon and make it a button?
I’m also having a hard time buying the joystick thing – anyone who’s ever used the existing kindle knows that the screen couldn’t handle that type of movement. Unless they changed up the screens – which could happen – I’d say unlikely.
If they were able to increase the render speed of the e-ink display, which one would expect, that would explain the absence of the cursor bar–it can be incorporated now as a UI element. The dog-ear should also be a UI element and not a button, as we’d expect a dog-ear to be part of the page.
The Sony Reader does exactly the same thing, even on the original device with the older version of the screen. And Sony’s Reader has a navigable menu system that doesn’t need to refresh the whole page – for instance navigating the list of books you can move the arrow up and down the list (slowly) with the D-Pad to choose the book you want. Or you can just press the number.
You can see that on the youtube video below, starting at 6:30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfw0xSI-l_Y&feature=related
If your talking about bookmarking. You can do this on the Kindle by hitting alt-b. The key board serves a lot more function than just typing. There are many keyboard shortcuts that allow you to do things on the kindle like check the time, install new screen savers and even play mindsweep.
Useless without a color screen for reading comics. But I’ll keep waiting and hoping.
I agree…
At that price it ought to do more. Though the book price is decent enough. In a way I am glad it is not subscription based hardware like cell phones. Does this thing do RSS feeds for news?
Better looking but the screen isn’t big enough and the border is way to wide…
I thought the same thing at first, but then I realized that it’s probably like that so you can hold it on any edge without getting your fingers in the way. They seem to prioritize usability above form.
Amazon should pull an Adroid on this one: allow others to make the devices then just support the payment and downloading service. I know that isn’t working out too well for Google, but the economics and core competencies of Amazon are different.
The line between the metallic and plastic sections on the back has an unnatural shadow. I call fake.
I don’t know!
It seems that in US such things are well accepted by the consumers
Maybe here in Europe we’d love to have a bigger iphone than a Kindle
wireless == useless. Make it tethered/wifi only, or a fully-functional e-ink netbook. I don’t need EVDO, I just need MORE books to be available for e-readers, and aqa cheaper reader. :(
Great, so don’t get one. You are correct in your beliefs and I in mine.
I am getting one.
this is so cool that it is comming outttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Does anyone have updated numbers on newspaper/magazine/blog subs on the Kindle? The most recent I’ve seen are 10K for the Times as of November. – http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/nyts-10k-subscribers-on-kindle-the-start-of-something-bigger/
Looking forward to the real announcement in 36 hrs
Do you know the dimensions?
Until the price is reasonable, I would never consider it. $360 is just nuts and I wouldn’t dream of paying that much for a single use device.
Make it around $100 and I would think about it. Remove the EVDO for all I care.
Hi-res images are now available: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38174
I don’t like the Kindle because it destroys the democracy of books in a way.
With a physical book, after I’m done reading it, I can give it to a friend or sell it. With a Kindle book you cannot do that, which is a shame.
I like this design much better!
http://www.core77.com/competitions/greenergadgets/projects/4597/
Call me when it gets under $50.
If it can display PDFs natively, i’m sold!
Your blog is super. So are your photographies. They make me hungry. I have spent a nice moment when seeing them. Thanks a lot.
Yes, with Oprah’s endorsement, Kindle 2 will probably drive some serious sales. Looks like Amazon will be doing very good in the coming quarters:
http://www.wealthalchemist.com/Blog/2009/01/amazon-anti-recessionary-stellar-q4-2008/
One half of the surface of the device is screen and the other half is white plastic. This should be a books reader, so they could have made a screen-only, half-size device that fits easier in pockets and bags.
All that amount of plastics amazes me and also the keyboard feels funny in this times of touch screens.
Looks pretty fake to me. Its too mac-like. Am gonna wait and see but this is probably fake
There is one clear feature for these, regardless of the hardware design. They allow you to carry the equivalent of many books for both reference and distraction and to immediately add new material in minutes from a fairly large and diverse amount of titles. If the Kindle causes people to read, that’s a good thing. I hope Amazon gets traction with the Kindle and improves it. The iPhone didn’t appear out of nowhere, it was the result of a lot of experience od many types. Any comparison of price with the iPhone is frivolous because the EVDO a included for the life of the Kindle which could be at least a few years. If I were in the US, I’d definitely buy one.
Bad news guys…
I just heard that the “hand model” in this new Kindle photo is “man hands” from the Seinfeld episode.
That means that the new Kindle could actually be 1 1/2 times the size of the original.
Joe
Waay overpriced for what it is.
This is the type of eBook reader that I want:
2x 10in thin led backlit LCDs joined at the spine with an apple style touch flow/zoom etc. Hold it like a book, read it like a book, and surf the net via a thin opera client similar to opera mobile (nifty zoom features etc).
Wtf is happening with the TC tablet anyway? Prototype, pre-order? pre-production? vaporware?
It’s like the worst looking gadget on the market. Can they at least make it in some other color than 1982 eggshell?
I would never carry that device.
Well, “like” it is good to hear you have your priorities straight.
shallow |ˈ sh alō|
adjective
• not exhibiting, requiring, or capable of serious thought : a shallow analysis of contemporary society.
See also superficial.
Maybe you should consider submitting your photo to be included with this dictionary definition, for “like”, clarification.
Agreed. Hopefully this is a fake, because this is almost at fugly as the first one. Would love to see the whole thing without the keyboard. How much typing do you do when you READ? The keyboard is probably is in there due to some Product Manger’s powerpoint slide praying for the Amazon mythical mobile computing convergence play in 2010 with EC2 or something.
People who dis the Kindle are silly. I’ve never read or heard a negative view of Kindle from anyone who’s used one for a few weeks. If you don’t get it, that’s fine, but people how use it love it, so just let us love it, okay!
This one looks a lot much easier to handle.
Well I don’t need any other impression on this but I need one k2 :). I love it. I want to be one of the very first customer of it.
wish me luck!
Is this ever going to be available outside the US ?
Or should I just go buy a Cybook Gen3?
It looks nice to me. However, I wouldn’t mind a little bit of color. :-)
If it’s announced today, let’s track it for a year and see if it sinks…
http://www.nostradamical.com/predictions/technology/112-technology-prediction-will-the-amazon-kindle-2-sink-amid-a-market-of-smartphones-and-netbooks-
Do the people that called fake feel silly when the picture turns out to be real?
Kindle2. Expensive? Primitive and cheap looking? Yes, and yes.
Go out and buy a PDA (cheap). Download Microsoft Reader for your PDA, free. Download 100s and 100s of eBooks in .lit format, free. Download an add-on to MS Word which allows you to format a story/article in .doc format and converts it to eBook .lit format, including and pictures, graphs, spreadsheets.
All free, and makes good reading on a PDA. Whay do you want Kindle 2? Waste of money.