Those of you who have always wanted a Kindle 2 from Amazon but never pulled the trigger citing its cost have little excuse not to break out the plastic this morning. The 2nd generation E-Book reader has benefited from a price drop. Shedding $40 off of its price tag and standing firm at $259, Amazon shouldn’t have too much of a problem obtaining a decent boost in sales. Of course there’s the fact that it only has a CDMA radio and can’t download books while abroad, but that’s just a sacrifice you’ll have to make… Or will you? No, because Amazon has announced that come October 19th, it will be selling the Kindle with U.S. & International Wireless. Awful name, yes, but a good enhancement as its GSM radio and AT&T SIM card will let jet setters grab the latest Murakami while in one of the “100 countries and territories” it will receive service in. You’ll be charged a fee of $1.99 on top of the price of the book for the international download, but what’s $1.99 these days anyway?

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While this news will come as no surprise to anyone with even the mildest interest in following tech news, Sony introduced two new eBook readers today in the “Reader Pocket Edition” and “Reader Touch Edition”. Priced at $199 and $299 respectively, Sony’s new eBook reader duo has been rumored for quite some time now and thanks to a J&R snafu, we even caught the full specs this past Monday. As such, the biggest news from this morning is likely the fact that Sony will be dropping new releases and bestseller titles in its eBook store from $11.99 to $9.99. Also worth mentioning, Sony has stated that Mac compatibility and wireless eBook downloading a la Kindle are on the horizon. The new readers will begin shipping toward the end of this month — any takers?

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Watch our there, Amazon, Sony is prepping two new eBook readers and placing the Kindle series squarely in its sights — well, sort of. The duo of rumored Sony readers have yet to be made official by our favorite nose diving consumer electronics giant, but J&R reportedly outed the pair when it accidentally posted complete specs on each device to its site. Sony Insider caught the snafu before the pages were pulled and, well, you know how it goes. Neither reader really poses a direct threat to the Kindle 2 or the Kindle DX where capability is concerned — if the reported specs are on target, that is — but the PRS-300 pictured above in red will supposedly be available for $199 when it launches. An ultra-portable eBook reader with a 5-inch display for $100 less than the Kindle 2 could definitely be attractive to many potential buyers, especially if it goes on sale for the holiday season. Hit the jump for each readers’ specs.

PRS-600 (pictured above, left):

• Price: $299
• Screen Size: Vizplex 6 inches
• Resolution: 800 x 600 pixels
• Gray Scale: 8-levels gray scale
• Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium-Ion (battery: DC 3.7 V)
• AC Power: DC 5.2 V
• Battery Life (Approx): 7,500 (BBeB Book)
• 6.9″ L x 4.8″ W x 4″ D, Weight: 10.1 oz.
• Ships with a USB cable

Media Formats Supported: Unsecured Text: EPUB File (Non DRM/ Adobe DRM protected), BBeB Book (Non DRM/ PRS DRM protected), PDF file (Non DRM/ Adobe DRM protected) DRM Text: Text file, RTF file, Word file (unsecured), Unsecured Audio: MP3 (Non encrypted), AAC (Non encrypted) Image: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP

PRS-300 (pictured above, right):

• Price: $199
• Screen Size: Vizplex 5 inches
• Resolution: 800 x 600 pixels
• Gray Scale: 8-levels gray scale
• Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium-Ion (battery: DC 3.7 V)
• AC Power: DC 5.2 V
• Battery Life (Approx): 7,500 (BBeB Book)
• 6.2″ L x. 4.2″ W x 2″ D, Weight: 7.76 oz.
• Ships with a USB Cable, Sleeve, Quick Start Flyers

Media Formats Supported: Unsecured Text: EPUB File (Non DRM/ Adobe DRM protected), BBeB Book (Non DRM/ PRS DRM protected), PDF file (Non DRM/ Adobe DRM protected) DRM Text: Text file, RTF file, Word file (unsecured)

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Amazon has just made a whole lot of Kindle DX owners-to-be very happy campers. Back when the super-sized e-book/e-magazine/e-newspaper/e-text book reader was announced, “Summer” was as close as we got to a release date. Pre-orders were open of course so that anxious e-bookers could reserve their spot in line, but Summer can be a pretty long season — you know, global warming and all. Amazon has just made the Kindle DX ship date official however, June 10th to be exact, so the mystery is over. Those of you who were quick to throw down $489 on a pre-order will likely receive your DX shortly after the 10th and orders are first come, first served. Translation: if you haven’t gotten your order in at this point, expect Hartsfield-Jackson style delays.

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Ok ColorWare fans, it’s time to get your e-book on. Forget about the massive Kindle DX for the time being, as ColorWare has just added the increasingly popular Kindle 2 to its roster of kit begging for some high-quality color-customization. There are a total of 11 separate areas on the Kindle 2 ready for various combinations of ColorWare’s 35 different color choices. We opted to stick with our favorite colors as you can see above, but feel free to get as crazy as you like. Considering how popular the Kindle line has become, this is definitely the best way to separate yourself from the pack while you fight through Oprah’s next recommendation at the beach this Summer. As always, you have the option of sending in your current Kindle 2 (starting at $199) or purchasing one new (starting at $599).

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Amazon has definitely had some issues keeping the wraps on its readers and it looks like the Kindle DX fell victim to the trend. Of course these most recent leaks weren’t quite as bad as the Kindle 2 we scooped over four months ahead of its official launch, but never the less we basically knew all there was to know about Amazon’s super-sized e-book reader ahead of today’s announcement. Well actually, there were a few surprises tucked away in Amazon’s pocket — namely automatic screen rotation which is certainly a welcome addition. The rest, such as its specs, annotation capabilities, device size and its new education-centric features were already pretty well covered. Pre-ordering is now live and the DX ships this Summer — Price of admission: $489.

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When it rains, it pours and information is pouring out about the rumored “super-sized” Amazon Kindle. The upcoming Kindle, now known as the Kindle DX, will pack a full-featured 9.7-inch electronic ink display, 5-way navigation button and a QWERTY keyboard into its large white housing. It basically looks like the designers took a Kindle 2 and stretched its screen from 6 inches to 9.7 inches, and then squished the keyboard in the process. The new Kindle DX will reportedly feature an improved web browser, the ability to add annotations in addition to notes and highlights and a long awaited native PDF reader. In addition to newspaper and periodicals, the Kindle DX is designed to support textbooks and, according to the Wall Street Journal, a special edition packed with pre-installed textbooks for chemistry, computer science and a freshman seminar is being released as part of a college trial. Lev Gonick, chief information officer for Case Western Reserve University, claims that a lucky bunch of select college students at Case Western Reserve, as well as Pace, Princeton, Reed, Arizona State, and the Darden School at the University of Virginia are signed up to test out this new device starting in the Fall semester. Sweet! Hit the jump for a few blurry images of the Kindle DX seemingly snagged from a slide show presentation.

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Amazon will be hosting yet another press event, this one slated for Wednesday May 6th at 10:30AM ET. In the recent past of course, Amazon press events mean one thing — a Kindle announcement. Ironically, this latest event will be held at Pace University, the historical location of the the New York Times 19th century headquarters and the same company rumored to be working with Amazon on a “big-screen” Kindle designed for newspapers and magazines. We place this rumor in the “highly likely to happen” category and look forward to unveiling Amazon’s latest Kindle offering.

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iSuppli is the authority when it comes to manufacturing cost estimates and the firms latest victim is Amazon. According to a new report following iSuppli’s teardown and analysis, the Kindle 2 costs about $185.49 to build. In other words, Amazon’s margin seemingly approaches a sky-high 50%. Of course iSuppli’s numbers do not include expenses such as distribution, marketing and whatever Amazon pays Sprint for unlimited access to its data network, but it’s no wonder Amazon is doing everything it can to lead incite an e-book revolution. Should owners feel shafted? We think not — any Kindle 2 owner will tell you that WhisperNet is a pure joy. Just tell yourself Amazon’s seemingly huge profit margin is your WhisperNet subscription fee. If you own your Kindle 2 for 18 months before upgrading, WhisperNet comes in under $10 per month. $10 beats any unlimited data plan we’ve ever heard of, that’s for sure. Hit the jump for iSuppli’s press release.

El Segundo, Calif., April. 22, 2009-Amazon.com Inc.’s new Kindle 2 eBook carries $185.49 in materials and manufacturing costs, according to a dissection conducted by iSuppli Corp.’s Teardown Analysis Service.

The direct material cost of the Kindle 2, consisting of all parts used to make the product, amounts to $176.83. When adding in the conversion costs-i.e., manufacturing expenses and the battery-the total rises by $8.66 to $185.49.

The total materials and manufacturing costs reported in iSuppli’s teardown analysis of the Kindle 2 reflect only the costs for direct materials, manufacturing and basic tests. Not included in this analysis are costs above and beyond the material manufacturing of the core device itself-i.e., the cost of intellectual property, royalties and licensing fees; those not already included into the per component price-software, software loading and test, shipping, logistics marketing; and other channel costs. These costs are not included because teardowns cannot reveal this type of information.

The combined manufacturing and materials costs represent 51 percent of the Kindle 2’s $359 retail price.

The attached table presents a summary of the major cost drivers for the Kindle 2.

Black ink for E Ink
iSuppli estimates that $60, or 41.5 percent of the materials cost of the Kindle 2, is accounted for by the E Ink Corp. display module, which represents the centerpiece of the product.

“The showcase feature of the Kindle is its E-Ink display, which not only is easy on the eyes, but also employs electrophoretic bistable technology that allows it to show an image even when it’s not drawing power,” said Andrew Rassweiler, director and principal analyst, teardown services, for iSuppli.

“The new version of the E Ink display in the Kindle 2 supports 16-level grayscale images, rather than the 4-level version used in the previous-generation hardware. This makes the Kindle 2’s display look like a printed page.”

Rassweiler noted that the bistable display for the Kindle 2 obtained by iSuppli continues to display the warning message “Critical Battery” even after the product was completely dissembled for the teardown. With no power or electronic control to refresh the image, the display will be frozen in this state forever.

Kindle 2 takes turnkey wireless approach
After the display, the next largest cost driver in the Kindle 2 is the wireless broadband module, provided by Novatel Wireless Inc. Priced at $39.50, the module accounts for 27.3 percent of the materials cost of the Kindle 2. The module supports the CDMA2000 1X EV-DO Rev A air standard.

In the first-generation Kindle, the wireless functionality was provided by an integrated chipset that was an integral part of the main printed circuit board. In the second-generation Kindle, the wireless functionality has been divorced from the core design and instead uses Novatel’s turnkey module.

The use of a standard module like this makes the Kindle 2 easier to design. Furthermore, since Novatel manufactures many different wireless modules, it buys components in high volume, which represents leverage it can use to negotiate prices down with suppliers such as Qualcomm Inc., whose device represents the integrated circuit core of the wireless module.

Qualcomm Inc.’s MSM6801A single-chip baseband processor is priced at $13.18, iSuppli estimates.
The wireless connection runs behind the scenes, providing an always-on invisible link to Amazon’s library of electronic book content.

Another key element of the Kindle is Freescale Semiconductor Inc.’s MCIMX31LVKN5C multimedia application processor, priced at $8.64. The Freescale processor is based on an ARM11 microcontroller core, which runs at a clock speed of 532MHz. Freescale also contributed its MC13783VK5 audio circuit and power-management IC.

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It’s been nearly five months since we scooped Amazon’s Kindle 2 and earlier this week, after what seemed like an eternity for anxious e-book fans, Amazon finally began shipping its new reader. We unboxed it for you this past Tuesday but you know we couldn’t leave it at that — it’s full-on review time! Leading up to the Kindle 2 we’ve been through a Sony PRS-505, an Amazon Kindle 1 and an Irex Iliad so we had high hopes for Amazon’s new Jesus-reader. Is it up to snuff? Did it fall flat on its slim, sexy, 3G-connected face? Grab a cup of coffee and a snack pack, then hit the jump to find out.

Hardware and Aesthetics

To kick things off, let’s start with the guts. The Kindle 2 packs a 532 MHz ARM-11 processor, a 3.7 V 1530 mAh non-removable lithium polymer battery, a Sprint compatible EV-DO antenna and 2 GB of internal storage. The choice to abandon the external SD card slot and the removable battery of the Kindle 1 are a source of contention amongst current Kindle owners and rightfully so. Yes, the internal memory of the Kindle 2 can hold close to 1,500 books and the battery does promise longer life but people paying $360 for a reader don’t want to be limited — especially when the first generation Kindle didn’t have such limitations. You can’t carry around your whole library if your collection exceeds 2GB and the device is only useful for the life of the battery (unless you want to fork over $60 to Amazon to replace it).

For the average user who upgrades devices regularly, these limitations are nothing to be concerned about of course, but to the power user or pack rat, the lack of an SD card slot and replaceable battery may be a deal breaker. Just a warning to all of you “I am not going to buy the Kindle 2 because it does not have an SD card slot or replaceable battery” folks, the allure of this sexy new device may soften your stance on this issue so don’t handle a Kindle 2 as you may not be able to resist. And so we come to the design…

Fresh out the box, the Kindle 2 is a gorgeous looking device — rounded edges with a brushed aluminum back, and ohhhh so thin. Sorry original Kindle fans, we don’t mean to be offensive but the Kindle 2 brings some style to what had previously been a very clumsy-looking device. Despite its thin profile, the Kindle 2 feels very solid and not at all flimsy. At the top of the device, you’ll find a sliding power switch and a 3.5mm audio jack. The left side of the device has two small slots for a cover (optional purchase and not included in the box) while the right side has a volume rocker toward the top of the device. The bottom has a mini-USB port and small reset button. The back is brushed aluminum with a non-removable cover — no cracking this Kindle open unless you’ve got some tools on deck. The only items of interest on the backside are the two speakers at the bottom and the device information like the serial number, FCC ID, etc.

The front of the device is where all the action takes place of course. In the center you have a 6-inch, 800×600 e-ink display touting 16 shades of gray. On the left hand side you’ll find the previous page button and a next page button. What an improvement these buttons are, by the way! Gone are the paddle-like Kindle 1 buttons that would navigate pages with the slightest accidental touch. With the new style buttons, you have to push firmly on the edge of the button closest to the screen; there will be no accidental page turns from simply picking up or putting down the device. It is a bit awkward at first to push the inner portion of the button but you quickly get used to it and appreciate the feeling of control with regards to page navigation. Finally, at the bottom you’ll find the bubbly QWERTY keyboard which is an improvement over the Kindle 1 “chicklet” keyboard for sure. It’s most definitely not the greatest keyboard we’ve come across but it’s fine for searching and typing brief notes.

The right hand side of the device has the menu button and back button, both of which flank the 5-way directional control which may be the Achilles heel of the Kindle 2. It is an improvement over the scroll button and the funky vertical navigation display on the Kindle 1 but the 5-way controller itself leaves much to be desired. It is sturdy and has a nice satisfactory click but it’s small. Too small. It is fairly easy to move up and down but moving left and right can be tricky at times. We’re not talking “throw this thing out the window because it’s impossible to use,” but people with any dexterity problems will likely be less than happy with the performance of the controller. A slightly larger d-pad with a center button/click may have been a better choice.

Above the 5-way controller, you have another next page button and finally the home button. The button layout is quite comfortable over all, and you can perform just about any common function without having to shift your grip. The exception is probably the previous page button on the left which is placed a bit too high on the device for our taste. Despite the two main flaws we mentioned however, the Kindle 2 is definitely a winner in terms of look, feel and overall design. It is not perfect but it is pretty close.

Display

Amazon made a huge deal out of the Kindle 2’s snazzy new 16-shade display so our expectations were sky-high. Unfortunately without having another reader to do a side-by-side comparison (we’ve long-since ditched the Kindle 1 and other readers), it is difficult to rate the overall quality of screen as it relates to its predecessor or competition. As a stand alone device however, the text on the screen is crisp and the images have a nice appearance. The display response is definitely spry it supports the dynamic rendering needed for the on-screen cursor. Page to page refreshes are also quite snappy, though you do get the typical e-ink inverting and flashing when you switch pages (albeit very briefly). You really only notice it during the first 10-15 minutes of usage when you first get the device. After that initial adjustment period, the flickering anymore as the pages turn smoothly and quickly.

As for the flip side of the coin, light source is a necessity for the Kindle 2 as it lacks backlighting. This is a limitation of e-ink technology and affects all e-ink based readers. The latest Sony Reader, the PRS-700, includes external side mounted LEDs to alleviate the problem but the Kindle provides no such solution. If reading in a dimly lit area, you will definitely need a stronger light source. In a fully lit room or in the sunlight however, the Kindle display is perfectly crisp and the glare is minimal making the Kindle 2 a real pleasure to read.

Reading with the Kindle 2

The home screen is where all the fun begins of course. When on the home screen, the menu key provides access to core features including settings, search, a link to the Kindle Store, the experimental applications and the ability to sync your Kindle data and the command to check for new items. Outside the menu, the home screen itself contains a list of all the books on the Kindle. Sorry folks, as most of you Kindle 1 owners already know, the Kindle 2 does not support folders leaving all of your books to sit in one giant list. This might not be a problem for the new Kindle user who may have 5-6 books but watch out experienced veterans; you still have to scroll through your 100+ titles. This is a feature that has been requested a million times and may be added in a future update but don’t count on it. Purchase the Kindle 2 with the knowledge that you cannot use folders to organize your book collection.

When you select a book, you are brought to the beginning of the book if it is your first time opening it and the most recently finished page will appear if you have already begun reading. At the bottom of the page is a progress bar that indicates your location (locations are the digital equivalent of pages) within the book and highlights your progress. A percentage indicator is also present on the left side. Beyond the next and previous page buttons which allow page-by-page navigation, the 5-way controller allows you to jump from chapter to chapter which is a nice feature. Navigation through the book is further simplified by the menu button which provides access to the clickable/linkable Table of Contents, the beginning of the book, a page jump that allows you to go to any page or straight to the furthest page read. The “in-book” menu also lets you create a new note, highlight or bookmark, access your saved notes and bookmarks within a book and search an individual book. Last but not least, you can toggle the wireless off and on, hop to the Kindle store, or start Text to Speech from this menu. All that from one click of the menu button!

The 5-way controller is used to navigate the contents of the page you are on. When scrolling though the text with the 5-way controller, a definition of the selected word appears dynamically at the bottom of your screen – a great convenience when you hit unfamiliar words. The controller can also be used to navigate to and select any links that may be present within the text. The onscreen cursor will switch to a finger when a link is selected and a click of the 5-way controller will bring you to the linked location. Lastly, the controller can also be used to zoom in on images within a page. A zoom icon will appear over the image and a quick click zoom while a second click will zoom back out to the full page.

The Kindle 2 provides several different methods for annotating the text within a book, allowing you to add a note to a portion of the text, highlight a portion of the text or bookmark a page. If you are reading a periodical or a blog, you can also take a clipping of the any section you choose. When a note, bookmark or highlight is added to the text, the Kindle 2 indicates the specialized status of the text by displaying a folded page corner for a bookmark, a superscript number for a note or an underline beneath the text for a highlight. Pretty nifty. Reading a periodical, blog subscription or non-Kindle e-book is similar to reading a Kindle e-book. The overall navigation is the same but you have different menu options that reflect whichever type of content you are reading.

The Kindle Store: Searching, Previewing and Purchasing Books

The biggest advantage the Kindle has over its competition is Whispernet, the wireless connectivity that makes browsing and buying books ridiculously simple. The wireless coverage is provided by Sprint and, depending on your location, can be a high speed 3G EV-DO connection. Why bother with wireless connectivity? To browse and purchase books directly from the Kindle, of course! You can browse books by genre with almost every category broken down into subcategory upon subcategory. You can also view the National Bestsellers list, a new and noteworthy book list and the top Kindle books as ranked by Amazon.

If you prefer a more direct approach, you can search the book catalog using the search field and the QWERTY keyboard. When browsing categories or search results, the books appear in a scrollable list with the book cover, title, author and the review ranking (up to 5 stars) of each book. You use the 5-way controller to move up and down the list and the previous page and next page buttons to advance forward and backward through the list.

Clicking on an individual book will bring you to the the book detail page which has a link to the author’s other available Kindle books, a short list of details and a brief description of the book, the ever important “buy” button, a link to user reviews and finally, a helpful “what others have bought” section. If this book is not what you expect, you can use the search field at the bottom to start over. You can also select to “Try a sample” or “Save for later” if you want to mark the book for further review. The “Try a sample” option is another ingenious idea from Amazon and is present in the Kindle 1 as well. You can liken the experience to sitting in your local bookstore, grabbing a book off the shelf and thumbing through it before purchasing. You lose the ambiance of a bookstore with the Kindle of course, but you retain the ability to try before you buy which is most definitely appreciated. It is also handy if you have 20 minutes to fill and want a quick read.

Once you pick a book that warrants a purchase, buying it is a breeze — it’s almost too easy as a matter of fact. Hit the “Buy” button and Amazon will process the purchase using your Amazon One-Click settings. You do have to log in to your Amazon account using your PC and setup One-Click prior to purchasing of course, but once One-Click is configured, purchasing is a one step, no hassle process. The delivery of the book is equally elegant. In matter of a minute over the 3G connection, your book is downloaded to your Kindle 2 and is ready to read. If you were the proud owner of a Kindle 1, you can also use Whispernet to sync all your previously purchased books to your new Kindle 2 which certainly makes things much easier. Amazon really has captured here with Whispernet, what Apple has captured with the iPhone and its App store. Elegant and easy over the air purchasing.

For those who prefer purchasing books from sources other than Amazon, the Kindle 2 provides several methods for getting non-Amazon content onto your reader. The Kindle 2 supports the Kindle format (AZW), TXT, Audible (format 4 and Audible Enhanced AAX), MP3, unprotected MOBI and PRC natively. No conversion is needed for these formats and the content can be dragged over to your Kindle 2 via USB or sent wirelessly for a fee of $0.10 per item. It also supports PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP but these formats require conversion. Amazon provides an easy to use email-based service for converting these documents to a Kindle 2 friendly format. Basically, each Kindle 2 is assigned a unique email address (”your_kindle”@kindle.com) and you send the item for conversion to this address. Amazon will accept the content, convert it to a Kindle-friendly format and forward it on to your Kindle. It is easy but as you might imagine, it’ll cost you $0.10 per item.

If you need the conversion and don’t want to pay Amazon $0.10 to forward the book to your device, you can instead use your Kindle’s “free” email address (”your_kindle”@free.kindle.com) and Amazon will send the book back to you via email. You will need to connect your Kindle via USB and drag the newly converted content to your Kindle, but for frequent flyers this could save you a bundle in the long run. For security and privacy and purposes you can’t send content from any email, you must pre-designate a list of acceptable email addresses from which content will be sent.

Web Browsing/MP3Player/Text to Speech

The Kindle 2 also comes with a few “experimental” features including a web browser, an MP3 player and the much talked about Text to Speech function. The web browser works but don’t expect a Safari or even Opera Mobile-like experience here. You’re looking at a browser for mobile web sites only, and it’s a bit sluggish and clunky to navigate. Despite its unpolished nature, the browser does work and is convenient if you really need to check out the latest news headlines, read/post to a forum or search Wikipedia. The same applies to the MP3 player. It works and provides decent-quality background music through the small speakers, but don’t fire it up expecting to be wowed.

Last but not least is the Text to Speech function. This experimental feature actually works better than expected. It reads the text back in a computerized voice but does so with surprising clarity and proper enunciation. It is not as “sterile” and “robotic” as expected. It won’t replace audible and all those folks upset about this feature should not be concerned about book lovers opting for the Kindle audio version of a book over the audible version. The Text to Speech lacks the intonations, inflections and drama that a real person reading would bring to a book. Nonetheless, the Text to Speech is quite listenable and is a great accessibility feature to boot.

Overall Conclusion

Kindle 2 PROS:

• Whispernet service makes book searching and purchasing a breeze
• Kindle 2 is thin, well-balanced with a nice layout of buttons
• QWERTY keyboard makes entering text easy and allows for features like note taking and web browsing
• Text is crisp and easy to read with minimal glare and the screen refresh is quick
• Navigation is easy and intuitive

Kindle 2 CONS:

• Device is a bit long due to the presence of the QWERTY keyboard
• Side buttons are a bit awkward to press as you have to push the inner edge and not the outer edge of the button
• 5-way controller can be difficult to use
• Cost is a bit prohibitive and you need to purchase a case asthe retail pack does not include one

Overall, the Kindle 2 is a gorgeous looking device that makes digital book reading a joy. For those looking to make the jump into the digital book reading experience, the Kindle 2 is an excellent choice and the experience it provides will be tough to match with a competitive reader. The price tag of $359 is a bit high, especially when you consider the extra $30 you’ll need to shell out for a cover. Never the less, the ability to have all your books on one device and new content accessible via a wireless connection is indispensible and lessens the sting of the high price tag. If you are an avid book reader and have the cash on hand, the Kindle 2 is definitely the way to go. Amazon did a fantastic job and while it might not live up to the hype surrounding its launch, it most definitely came a whole lot closer than we expected.

The Kindle 2 is one of those gadgets that people either love or hate. One the one hand it’s a glimpse into the more versatile, eco-friendly and portable future for the written (and spoken) word. On the other hand it is also the devil’s dandruff, a little white monster that is attempting to ruin the noble and glorious history of the written word. But no matter what people think of it, most everyone is fascinated by the Kinde 2 and the technology that lurks underneath those understated looks. Thankfully the jewelers screwdriver-wielding maniacs at iFixit did their thing because we’re quite fascinated by some of the findings:

• The Kindle 2 is powered by a 532MHz ARM-11 Freescale MCIMX31L processor
• The 3.7 V 1530 mAh Li-Pol battery makes up roughly 10% of the weight of the Kindle 2 coming in at 31g
• Upon disconnecting the battery from the unit, the E-Ink display continued to display the last image before the power disconnect
• An outline of a SIM card is present indicating the potential for international versions of the Kindle 2
• A Samsung 2GB moviNAND and two 32MB DDR RAM chips perform all memory duties
• Only 26 screws and four connectors need be removed to completely disassemble the Kindle 2

There are of course a few more pics after the jump, but before we have to say it; the Kindle 2 has a processor that is faster than the iPhone 3G and on par with the Curve 8900. So sad and so true, but we’re so over it.

[Via Gizmodo]

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Way, way back in October we broke the news of Amazon’s Kindle 2. Seems like forever ago, doesn’t it? Amazon snubbed us at the launch event, but we’ve taken matters into our own hands and got a Kindle 2 delivered. As we all have come to expect, the Kindle 2 arrived in its very own customized packaging. Occupying the size of a large hardcover book, the inside of the box and the Kindle 2 packaging was matte black with a slightly embossed Kindle logo and swirl of letters that typifies the Kindle brand. The contents of the box are meager — Kindle 2, power adapter, USB sync cable and brief getting started guide. Unlike the original Kindle, the Kindle 2 does not included any type of case or slipcover. All in all, much as you think it would, the unit doesn’t disappoint aesthetically. It has a nice rounded look and is amazingly thin, not clunky and awkward-looking like the original Kindle, and despite its diminutive size, it has a nice heft and feel to it. The only drawback from an appearance point of view is that the screen is eclipsed by the overall size of the reader. Unlike the Sony series of readers which have minimal casing, the Kindle 2 is dominated by the keyboard and large casing, making the screen appear smaller that it actually is. A small trade-off for including a physical QWERTY keyboard. We are waiting for this baby to charge before we dive into our first book but you can enjoy the pictures with us while we wait.

We can’t exactly call it a surprise, seeing as the long awaited and highly anticipated Amazon Kindle 2 was first BGRized over five months ago, but e-bookers around the globe breathed a sigh of relief this morning as Amazon finally made its updated Kindle official. While your good pals here at BGR weren’t on hand at Amazon’s launch event – we suppose the reasoning behind snubbing us and denying us press passes is fairly obvious – news travels fast on the interwebs so here’s what you need to know:

• The design is identical to the early model we showed you back in October – no surprises there
• The unit is 8″ x 5.3″ x 0.36″ and weighs about 10 ounces – 25 percent thinner than iPhone (wow, even Amazon is jumping on the iPhone-killer bandwagon)
• 6″ diagonal E-Ink electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale (original Kindle was only four shades)
• Battery life has been improved by 25 percent – Amazon claims two weeks on a single charge
• 2GB of internal storage – 700 percent more than the original Kindle, holds over 1,500 books
• Page turning is now 20 percent faster
• Pricing is exactly in line with last week’s leak: $359, same as the first Kindle model
• The release date was no surprise either: Ships February 24th

Bezos & Co did have a few tricks up their sleeves – there had to be something unexpected to announce we imagine. In a very savvy move, Amazon had Stephen King write a story (involving a Kindle, err) and will release the story as a Kindle-only exclusive. King’s publisher stated the story may become available in physical form down the road a bit but for the time being, die hard King fans will need to snag a Kindle in order to keep claiming they’ve read every one of his six trillion published works. King was on hand at the launch event to explain that he typically does write stories on demand but the money was so good Kindle 2 is so cool he made an exception. He even read an excerpt from the story, titled Ur, off of his one-of-a-kind pink Kindle 2 at the event. Hooray for celebrity cameos!

Beyond that, the new Kindle will be able to automatically download magazines and newspapers, it will sync your content between devices and with a new feature called Read-to-Me it’ll even read content to you in a synth voice (great feature for the blind). The Kindle 2 is currently available for pre-order on the site and original Kindle owners get priority if they order before midnight tonight. Hit the read link for the Kindle 2 product page on Amazon.com, complete with a video.

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Looks like those Kindle 2 photos we published back in October were spot on. Additional official-looking photos of the Kindle 2 have emerged and the new e-reader from Amazon looks sweet! If the pencil comparison is accurate, then the new Kindle appears to shed much of its width, coming in as thin as the Sony PRS-505 reader, and little bit longer than both the original Kindle and the Sony Reader. As we reported earlier, the Kindle 2 also appears to have a metal back with built-in speakers. Start putting those pennies aside as the Kindle 2 is expected to hit Amazon on the 24th of February for $359, the same price as the current Kindle. No apparent price increase, yay! This is still all unconfirmed but the information seems to jive with previous rumors and the source of the leak, MobileRead, is well-known in the e-book world. We will all get the skinny on this reader and its features on Monday, until then enjoy the photos after the jump.

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Just in time for the expected Kindle 2 announcement, Google is apparently trying to steal some of the pre-announcement hype by launching its own mobile book reading service. Previously available on for desktop computers, Google Book Search is now available via a new mobile web site, providing on-the-go access to nearly 1.5 million public domain books. Point your mobile browser to books.google.com/m where you can peruse its book list via category, find the poplar titles in the “Featured Books” list or search by author, title or subject. The web site is optimized for Android and the iPhone and they are currently the only supported mobile platforms with no indication as to whether or not mobile Book Search will be expanded to support Windows Mobile, S60, Palm or Blackberry. Most Google products end up being extended to those platforms so we assume that same principle will apply here but for the time being, G1 and iPhone owners can flaunt their ability to read the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes for free while riding the morning subway to work.

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We promise, no one is happier about this rumor than the team here at BGR. No, we’re not all too excited about the Kindle 2 itself though it certainly is a snazzy little e-book reader. Truth be told, we’re looking forward to lighter inboxes. Huh? Since we scooped the Kindle 2 back in October and even served up a whole gallery of photos for all to enjoy, the emails have been unending. Hundreds of emails from people asking us about it. People searching out more details on it. People asking if they can buy it from us. People asking us to compare it to each and every other e-book reader on the planet. People asking if they can swap their first-generation Kindle for it. People asking if they can swap their first-born child for it. People asking if it smells like cinnamon and sunshine… You get the picture. Please oh please Amazon – announce the Kindle 2 on February 9th at the press conference you’ll be holding in New York. If for no other reason, do it for your pals at BGR.

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It’s been almost two months since we scooped the Kindle 2 and since then, crickets. For those who need a quick recap, we’re talking about the sexied-up successor to Amazon’s popular Kindle eBook reader, set to further popularize a new wave of readers with a paper-like display style intended to mimic pages of an actual book. You remember what a book is, right? It’s like vinyl, but for words. Ok then. The Kindle 2 was supposedly slated for release last month to be ready and waiting for the coming holidays but unknown delays pushed it back. Rumor has it Mr. Bezos-if-you-please put the kibosh on an October release so Amazon had time to make some software changes to the device. According to rumors from this morning however, we might not have to wait much longer for Amazon’s next-generation reader. Reports now indicate an “early-2009″ release, sometime in Q1. There is also still reportedly be a student version equipped with a larger screen that is due some time in 1H of next year. If it happens, it will be interesting to see what kind of arrangements and pricing Amazon will throw together in terms of textbooks. As for pricing of the actual units, we’re still in the dark for the time being.

As an interesting related note, the current Kindle model is way over-sold on Amazon’s site thanks to Oprah. Amazon’s current projected time frame in terms of new order fulfillment is 11 – 13 weeks, or between the middle and end of February 2009. This could very well mean one of three things:

1. Today’s rumors are way off and Amazon indeed intends to start shipping out the current Kindle model for orders placed recently, leaving the Kindle 2 release for later in the year.
2. Amazon may be putting off fulfillment and we can indeed look forward to a mid to late February release for the Kindle 2.
3. Amazon plans to offer the current and updated Kindle models concurrently, which would definitely piss off anyone who orders the first-generation model between now and February.

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Yeah we know this post sounds like something you might read at “People Magazine” but it does have some pretty serious gadget implications, so read on. If you don’t watch daytime TV, then you probably don’t know that Oprah has been hyping her October 24th show, during which she will announce her favorite gadget, like there is no tomorrow. Teaser videos are on her show’s website and on the front page of Amazon’s website. If you consider the fact that Oprah is the leader of the world’s biggest book club, it isn’t too hard to deduce that her favorite gadget just might be the Amazon Kindle. It also helps if you look at the source code of the XML file on her website and see that the keywords for Friday’s show include:

Oprah Fridays Live, gadget, favorite things, favorite new gadget, kindle, kindel, kindle device, amazon.com, edgar sawtelle, obc, oprah’s book club, Cristina Ferrare, Mattie Stepanek, money, economy, savings, dollars, recession, cooking, meals for less,

Cha-ching, can you hear the sound of Amazon’s virtual cash registers ringing up infinitive sales? The show will air on Friday, so if you want an Amazon Kindle, better buy one now. Who knows what will happen when the Oprah nation descends upon Amazon tomorrow. You have been duly warned.

Read [XML file source code]

Yes, people. You’re looking at the first shots of Amazon’s Kindle 2. The follow-up to their popular e-book reader. Our ninja sent us a ton of shots, and we have to admit, they look pretty good. The unit didn’t go down too much in size which is unfortunate, but then again, you want something pretty large so it’s comfortable to read on. He says that the unit is a little wider and a little longer, but it should help those that thought the first unit was a little too awkwardly-shaped. What’s even better is that with the new unit, while holding it, you won’t accidentally flip the page like the old one. Hit the jump for the rest!

As far as buttons go, on the right side, the bottoms from top to bottom are: Home, Next Page, Menu, a joystick, and Undo. On the left side, there’s Previous, Page, and Next Page. We’re told the buttons are significantly smaller to avoid accidental page turning. The joystick takes the place of the scroll wheel and it “takes a little getting used to.” As far as the redesigned keyboard… it “has a good layout, but lettering on the keys could be darker.” Continuing our tour around the unit, next to the sliding sleep button, there’s the headphone jack, and on the right side edge you’ve got the volume up/down buttons. What’s interesting (and you can see this in the photos) is that the backside of the unit is mostly metal with the speakers at the bottom pf the back. One more plus? They’ve finally ditched their own charger. The Kindle 2 is able to be charged with a miniUSB cable.

Our ninja didn’t have a pocket ruler, but he said that the size of the display is approximately the exact same as the original Kindle even though at first glance it looks a little smaller. What might be a little troublesome is the fact that the battery does not look to be user-accessible, and there’s no more SD card slot. In the top left corner of the device, it gives you a display of how much memory is left, and our guy’s unit showed 1403 MB. Lastly, it still uses EV-DO for downloads, and it comes with a leather pouch as opposed to the binder-style piece of nonsense that would constantly let the unit fall out. All in all, the unit is thinner, has a slightly heavier feel, and it feels much sturdier. Mr. Badass Ninja doesn’t like the metal back, and he’s not convinced on the joystick yet. That’s all for now, folks! Thank our ninja in the comments, and let us know what you think. Shots are of course in the world-famous BGR gallery

Thanks, BCU1!

Click on over to our Amazon Kindle 2 gallery!