Forums > Specific Focus > Technical Mexico

taltman711

Feb 9, 2009, 12:51 PM

Post #1 of 7 (6141 views)

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Kindle 2

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The Kindle 2 http://www.amazon.com/...ativeASIN=B00154JDAI was announced today. See link fo all details.
Quickie differences from Kindle 1:
1. Different form factor--much thinner, taller, button placement changed
2. Non replacable battery--but with better battery life
3. No SD card slot--limited to 1.4 GB internal memory for storage. I am using a 4 GB SD card in the K1.
4. K2 will charge from USB or wall charger. K1 only from charger port.
5. Still no wireless out of the USA.
6. Faster page turns
6. Text to speech. Speech recognition software will allow the text book to be "read" out loud, albeit in a computer generated voice. Audio books are expensive, and this is a way to get the advatages without the cost.
I really like my Kindle, and it is a great way to get books in an area where English language books are hard to purchase or are expensive.

Tim

bournemouth

Feb 9, 2009, 12:56 PM

Post #2 of 7 (6135 views)

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Re: [taltman711] Kindle 2

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Tim - non-replaceable battery - so once the battery dies, the whole thing needs to be replaced?

taltman711

Feb 9, 2009, 1:14 PM

Post #3 of 7 (6132 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Kindle 2

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In Reply To

Tim - non-replaceable battery - so once the battery dies, the whole thing needs to be replaced?

Probably not. The battery in the K1 is easy to get at and replace. Not much harder than a flashlight. The K2 has no battery cover to remove like the K1, so the entire "back" would have to be removed to get at it, probably more like replacing a watch battery. You can do it, but it is a pain. Hence, the term non-replaceable. Production cost savings at its worst.

Tim

HarryinNM

Feb 11, 2009, 7:43 AM

Post #4 of 7 (6066 views)

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Re: [taltman711] Kindle 2

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At $359 USD and $9.99 per "best seller download" I'll stick with printed versions until this technology catches up. I am reluctant to pay $359 for the right to buy content.

BMOC2, for example sells all hard covers in their catalog for $9.99 (incl postage in US).

HarryinNM

bournemouth

Feb 11, 2009, 8:04 AM

Post #5 of 7 (6062 views)

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Re: [HarryinNM] Kindle 2

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Harry - Kindle is useful for folks living in Mexico who often cannot get things like BOMC issues delivered to them south of the border and who want to read a lot.

Bill in NC

Feb 19, 2009, 9:01 AM

Post #6 of 7 (5986 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Kindle 2

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I considered the Kindle but...

you can get a netbook for the same price (e.g. MSI Wind)

and use your choice of e-book readers (I use Adobe's Digital Editions or E-reader, whichever's cheaper for the book I want)

taltman711

Feb 19, 2009, 8:47 PM

Post #7 of 7 (5959 views)

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Re: [Bill in NC] Kindle 2

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I'm not quite sure what you are saying here. The MSI Wind does list for about the same as the Kindle, But, I can convert just about any format so that I can read it on the Kindle in less than a minute. The big deal, though, is that I can download from the Kindle store at Amazon which has the largest selection of ebooks anywhere. Unless one has a Kindle, the Kindle store is a no-no. The Kindle store also usually has very good prices.
If you are speaking of personal preference, then I have no argument there. You enjoy your 2.5 lb. mini-notebook, and I will enjoy my 10.5 oz. Kindle. :)

Tim