Just A Guy Thing

While I love gadgets, I never had a huge hankering for the original Amazon Kindle. Why carry around yet another device just so I can read books and magazines?

Amazon may have changed my mind with the introduction of the sleek new Kindle 2. The thin design makes Kindle 2 as skinny as a typical magazine. The Kindle 2 has seven times more storage than the original and now holds over 1,500 books, plus it has a longer battery life and faster page turns. The original Kindle had amazing resolution, but from what I’ve been able to see, the new Kindle provides even crisper images and clearer text for an improved book-like reading experience.

One of the coolest new features of the Kindle 2 is “Read to Me” which changes text to speech for any book, magazine, or newspaper. No need to buy any more audio books for long drives – just plug in the Kindle. Of course, the Kindle still has the original cool factor of being able to wirelessly download a book in less than 60 seconds. The Kindle Store now has over 230,000 ebooks available.

I also like the fact that there’s no wireless or data plan you have to buy. Amazon pays for all the wireless connectivity for the Kindle. As popular as the original Kindle was, I suspect the Kindle 2 will appeal to an even larger audience.

The Kindle 2 is available for pre-order starting today and will ship later this month. To check out the Kindle 2 in detail or place an order, visit Amazon.