Amazon Kindle 2 Side By Side With Hardback Book

To give you an idea of how slim the Kindle 2 is, it’s actually thinner than the iPhone, which is a device that’s been touted as the ultimate in thin.

But the improvements to the new Kindle model go beneath the surface, too. The amount of work and energy that Amazon has put into the design and development shows when you take a deeper look at this eBook reader. Amazon has implemented a slew of new features and tweaks into the Kindle 2 – like better grayscale rendering, USB charging, a 25% increase in battery life, faster page turns and a new text-to-speech option.

Amazon Kindle 2 Front

One of the more popular and major improvements that one can see in the Kindle 2 is the new 16-level, gray-scale screen. When you take this screen and place it next to the Kindle 1 and it’s 4-level, gray-scale screen, the difference is significant. Because the contrast and sharpness of the new screen has been vastly improved, people who have looked at the earlier version and decided it wasn’t for them should definitely look at the Kindle 2.

While the Kindle 2 does not come with a color screen, research has shown that users of eBook readers don’t especially want a color screen, especially if the a color screen would bump the price up somewhat. For the vast majority of eBook reader users, who really just want to read text on sharp, clear screen, the added costs of a color screen wouldn’t make sense.

The Amazon Kindle 2 was introduced with a button-function layout that has been dramatically improved over the previous Kindle. This new button layout was intended to prevent accidental activation of the page-turning buttons – which in the previous version often resulted in unwanted page turns, either forward or backward. The Kindle 2 also comes with a built-in keyboard that users can use for making notes as well as for navigation within the device.

The Amazon Kindle 2 comes with an internal storage capacity of 2 GB. This means you can store the equivalent of about 1500 books on this eBook reader.

For those who like to fiddle with font sizes or for those who have problems seeing smaller text, the font size is fully adjustable, fast and easy on the Kindle 2.

When you take all that into account and then add in the fact that Amazon has a deep well of ebook content in place for the device, it’s pretty clear that Amazon has hit a home run with this eBook reader and that it will undoubtedly be the reader that all other manufacturers aim to beat.

Amazon Kindle 2 Front And Back Views

Many people that are familiar with eBooks cite the fact that Amazon has over 300,000 eBook titles available for download on their site as one of the top reasons they went with the Amazon Kindle 2. And, as Amazon users know, Amazon is constantly adding to that library.

In addition to the pay-to-download library that Amazon has available, there are over 7000 public domain eBooks that owners of the Kindle 2 can download for free.

Not only are eBooks available to read on the Kindle 2, but users also have the ability to download and read a wide variety of newspapers and magazines that are specially formatted for eBook reader consumption. While some of these publishers – like the New York Times – require a subscription to download and read their content, most do not.

One of the most important and useful features that Amazon’s Kindle 2 provides for it’s owners is the ability to use a 3G wireless connection in order to download eBooks and other publications straight to the device. Having access to the 3G network means that owners of the Kindle 2 don’t have to hunt for an available Wi-Fi network in order to download new content. The fact that there are no monthly fees or required service plans in order to enjoy this feature is a big selling point in the Kindle’s favor, as does the fact that the WhisperSync function means you don’t need a PC in order to access the 3G network.

The WhisperSync function allows users to synchronize between Kindle 1.0, Kindle 2.0, and (in the near future) between other handheld mobile devices.

Amazon Kindle 2 Is Lightweight And Easy To Use

With the Kindle 2, a highly demanded text-to-speech feature was added. For users who enjoy listening to books on tape, MP3 or CD – or for those who have visual impairments – this is an invaluable and stand-out feature. While this is useful for the publishers who provide it, Amazon does allow their publishers to disable the Read To Me feature for specific titles should they desire to do so.

While the Kindle 2 is designed to easily and quickly convert PDF files so that the user can read them, people who who work with PDF files extensively may want to consider the Kindle DX model, simply because it incorporates a native PDF file reader.

While it may not be a huge selling point to many users, the Kindle 2 has a huge array of accessories, including carrying cases. Some accessories are no-frills while others are somewhat exotic, to say the least.

For us as well as most of those who have had an experience with the Amazon Kindle 2, this eBook reader is a superior device that provides useful functionality as an e-Reader at a very attractive price. For those looking for a slim, lightweight design the Kindle 2 is just about perfect in that regard. With the new reading screen, Amazon has made a good device into a great – even revolutionary – eBook reader that stands at the top of the list when it comes to readability.

For those on the fence about the purchase of an eBook reader, while the Kindle 2 hardware that you hold in your hands is impressive, the massive library that Amazon offers for this device is one of the biggest selling points. The Amazon.com library, combined with the Kindle 2 outstanding hardware, makes this one of the best options for consumers who are looking for a reliable, well-built e-Reader.

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The Nook is a very interesting device, seemingly designed to appeal to fans of the iPhone. Clean looking, with a 6-inch eInk display, the Nook introduces a new control scheme to the eBook world – a 3.5 inch color touch-sensitive LCD screen. This screen has been placed right below the main viewing screen and is intended to allow the user a way to navigate by book cover, to give the user an on-screen keyboard and to generally operate the Nook.

Barnes and Noble Nook Held By One Hand

Running the 1.5 version Google’s Android operating system, the Nook is the first eBook reader that can claim to do so. The coordination with Google goes deeper than the Nook operating system, however. The partnership that Barnes and Noble has developed with Google means that there are more than a million titles are available for the Nook, with many of those titles made available through Google’s public domain title distribution network. Of course, newspapers and magazines are also made available to read on the Nook as well.

Because Barnes and Noble is an actual brick and mortar store, as opposed to Amazon’s internet-only presence, the Nook will offer some features that the Kindle is unable to offer. Not only does Barnes and Noble offer free Wi-Fi for Nook owners at their stores, but there is also special content that only Nook owners will be able to access at Barnes and Noble locations.

Barnes And Noble Nook

Both eBook readers come with two gigs of memory storage and can store about 1500 books, but the Nook adds a Micro SD expansion slot that ups the ante somewhat. After all, a 16 gig card will hold over 17,000 books – a big jump for people who want to carry a library in their pocket. You can also start reading a book on your Nook, and then keep reading where you left off on your Mac or PC thanks to Barnes & Noble’s Reading Now technology, which is virtually the same type of feature as Amazon’s WhisperSync feature.

The Nook offers native PDF support, which means Nook owners can also read their own PDFs on the Nook, which is something Kindle 2 owners can’t do without converting the PDF first.

The Nook is able to play MP3s, either through the built-in mono speaker or by plugging in headphones.

An interesting difference between the Nook and the Kindle 2 is that the Kindle has an integrated battery and the Nook has a removeable battery. If you want, you can buy a fully-charged battery from any Barnes and Noble, or just keep an extra one to swap out.

Nook Color Navigation Screen

The Nook, again much like the Kindle, comes bundled with wireless 3G access through the AT&T network so you can download content wirelessly. The Nook also includes Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11 b/g) and, as mentioned previously, access to free Wi-Fi in all of Barnes & Noble’s stores.

Perhaps one of the biggest differences between the Nook and Amazon’s Kindle is that you can let your friends actually borrow a Nook eBook. This loan can be for up to 14 days, during which time your friends will be able to read that eBook on their Nook, or by using the Barnes & Noble e-reader available for PCs, Macs, the iPhone, some Motorola smartphones, and the BlackBerry.