How to Know If the New Kindle 2 Is For You

To "kindle": In figurative use, to excite, animate, inflame. If you've been finding less and less time and place for recreational reading, can the new "Kindle 2" or other brand of wireless reading device rekindle your reading passion?
Ah, to curl up by the fire with a good book! The comforting weight of holding all those pages of knowledge or imagination, the feel of a fine leather or bright paper cover, even the smell of an old book or fresh newsprint; these are heady pleasures, not to be lightly displaced by a cold, hard "eBook reading device". But wait: Is the new, second generation Kindle really still just a "cold, hard reading device"? Here's how to decide whether the benefits of the new Kindle 2 are worth the significant cost to your wallet.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Access to Internet for research and comparison of different brands of reading devices.
• Willingness to sign up for the Kindle2, then wait in line (1st come, 1st served) after its release (on 2/24/'09) to receive your order.
• A love of most things digital.
• Passion for reading.

1. 
   Kindle 2 Is Ergonomically Optimized For Comfortable Reading

   First, learn the main features and benefits of Amazon's Kindle 2: Electronic display uses E-Ink Technology to look and read like real paper and real ink, with no backlight or glare, so there's no eyestrain; you can even read at the beach! There is no need for computer or cables. Wireless connectivity allows you to order and download most books ($9.99), top newspapers and blogs from anywhere in less than a minute. 230,000 titles are already available, with more coming every day. (Amazon's ambitious goal: To have every book in print be available via Kindle!) Device can hold over 1500 titles, yet weighs only 10.3 ounces. Second generation Kindle allows you to read for 2 or 3 days on one charge. No monthly wireless bills, service plans or commitments. Kindle 2 can even read to you!

2. 
   The Sony PRS-505 Weighs Only 9 Ounces!

   Compare Kindle 2 with the Sony eReader. While the first generation Kindle had multiple competitors, with the advent of Kindle 2, the closest comparable eReader is now the Sony PRS-505 Portable Digital eReader System. The basic Kindle 2 (features described in Step 1 above) sells for $359, with many book-like accessories such as soft-grain leather book covers available. The Sony sells for $268.97, or $328.30 for the Sony eReader, AC Charger and Leather Electronic Book Cover combined. The redesigned Digital Sony eBook Reader, 1/3" thin and weighing about 9 ounces, holds about 160 eBooks or hundreds more with optional removable memory cards, and offers thousands of eBook titles at The eBook Store from Sony. You can easily hold the Kindle 2 or the Sony in one hand. Sony's rechargeable battery allows you to turn up to 7,500 continuous pages on a single charge. Unlike the Kindle 2, however, the Sony has no text-to-speech feature and cannot read to you!

3. 
   Stephen King Wrote "UR" As a Short Novel Expressly For Kindle 2

   Two Current Issues of Interest with Kindle 2: Famous author Stephen King was on hand to boost Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' presentation of the new Kindle 2 on 2/9/'09. But the second generation Kindle must overcome competition from Google, and win a legal hurdle. First, the Authors Guild and some publishers were contesting on copyright grounds Google's massive project to digitize millions of books, but recently settled by splitting the proceeds. Now, Google plans to make many books available for download on cellphones such as Apple's iPhone, which would create serious competition for Amazon's Kindle.

4. 
   Kindle 2's Text-To-Speech: Not A Recorded Copy, But Text Conversion

   Second, the text-to-speech feature in the Kindle 2 is at issue:
   The Authors Guild says this Kindle 2 function, which will use a computerized voice, is against the law. The challenge involves audiobooks, which are treated separately from printed material from a copyright standpoint. It is illegal to record and sell a copy of a book on CD without paying a separate fee. Amazon questions this, saying that an automated text-to-speech system isn't the same as a pre-recorded audio book. Since the Kindle doesn't store a copy of the book on the device in an audio format, but instead converts from text as it "reads", it seems likely, although not certain, that Amazon will win this legal issue.

5. 
   With a Faraway Look, a Woman Reads and Imagines By Lantern Light

   Now you must evaluate whether one of these reading devices is right for you. Although Amazon.com's Kindle 2 is still less than a household staple, even authors such as Lois Lowry, who writes best-selling young adult fiction, are finding its benefits attractive. In a Boston Globe article on 2/10/'09, she says "I love it. I travel a great deal, and my worst fear in flying is to finish a book over Iowa. I can load this thing up with ...books, and if I don't like one, I can switch to another. I tend to wax eloquent about the purity of a book, of holding it, etc., but in a very short time this has come to feel like a book." If cost ($359 for the Kindle 2, $9.99 for most books) is not an issue, maybe the new Kindle 2 is NOT just a "hard, cold eReading device", but a lightweight, optionally leather-covered ticket to readers' paradise? Are you a PDA enthusiast, or do you prefer keeping handwritten notes? Do you find you have less and less time and space for recreational reading, or do you still enjoy the romance of a good book, with real pages to turn and a fine leather or bright paper jacket? Japanese poet and essayist Kenko Yoshida said,"To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations - such is a pleasure beyond compare." Efficiency is important, but perhaps with a well accessorized and ergonomically comfortable Kindle 2, one can again hold that "intimate converse". For most readers, the newest high-tech eBook Reading Device and old-fashioned reading with a friendly book both have their place.

Resources

• Kindle 2 - A Superior Wireless Reading Device
• Sony PRS-505 Portable Digital e-Reader System

[1InternetSmarty]

on 3/5/2009 Super tips. Five stars.

[gormanwvzb]

on 2/27/2009 Very interesting. The kindle has gotten a lot of play, but I am of the age where I like to touch the book and mark in it with pencil. Good article!

[elyria]

on 2/1/2009 Thank you for sharing!

[01Bri-Guy]

on 1/7/2009 Nice article, I've always wanted to check out the kindle. 5*

[sneedc]

on 1/6/2009 Awesome tips for rekindling the lost romance, I still have to raise some kids before I can curl up with a new book, wireless or otherwise. THANKS for the article, very informative! 5*