I was starting to feel like I was one of the last people to get theirs, especially after enviously reading Dan’s emails and Doug‘s post about their Kindle 2s, but today my Amazon Kindle 2 finally showed up.
I also got the Cole Haan Brown pebbly leather cover to go with it, since Amazon neglected to include even a cheap plastic one.
The big box is the leather cover, and the smaller box is the Kindle 2; go figure.
I opened everything with an expectant, yet slightly wary eye; I had dropped serious coin on this gear, and if it wasn’t going to meet my expectations, then it needed to go right back.
I’ve only really had time to take the pictures, load some books, and tinker around a bit. So for now, I only have a few things to mention about the device before serious testing begins…
The Kindle 2 appears to blow away the original Kindle in nearly every build regard. Lest we forget, let’s first take a peek at the Kindle 1.
Yeah; okay.
The Kindle 2 is thinner, lighter, much better looking, and much more inviting. The Kindle 2 looks like something you would be proud to carry, and not something you would keep hidden in a bag. As butt ugly as the original Kindle was? This one is not.
And look how tiny it is next to a fat paperback!
Or next to a not so fat hardback!
The way that the screen shows various shots of “library art” when the Kindle 2 is turned off was unexpected, and it is very nice eye candy.
I don’t mind the new keyboard at all; the old one was too Chiclet-y and oddly angled. This keyboard seems to blend right in, and the keys aren’t as easy to press as the first version’s.
new kindle
old kindle
There is still way too much bezel around the screen; I would like to see more screen and less frame!
I love that the weird and annoying rolling slider from the Kindle 1 is gone now; the new joystick is much more intuitive and easier to operate. However, I keep catching myself trying to go forward to the next page by angling the joystick to the right; it just doesn’t work that way.
I like how the new Next Page button has to be pushed inward instead of on its outer edge. I repeatedly advanced whatever book’s pages I happened to be reading a accidentally on the Kindle 1; I haven’t yet done it on the Kindle 2. Yay!
The Kindle 2’s shiny metal back is very iKindle-ish. I like it. Not that I’ll ever see it again after today, mind you. I bought a $100 case and the Kindle 2 isn’t coming out of it. Hey, I saw what happened to Rob’s Kindle 2, and I don’t want to go through a similar experience. :-/
Pictures seem much sharper and deeper on the Kindle 2…and did I mention how much I like the art that shows when the device is turned off?
Purchasing and downloading eBooks from the Amazon store is wayyyy easy, which is both good and bad news. The problem is that since you have to enable one-click to purchase things, even when you are purchasing books from your computer, each book purchased will ring up separately. This meant that I had some ‘splainin’ to do to American Express – about how my card had not been stolen, and why they got 10+ charges in a row this afternoon ranging in price from $2.99 to $11.99. Gah!
I may never buy that many books in a row ever again, but it was a bit of a FAIL as far as first day experiences go.
Mmmmmm – the Cole Haan case is freaking luxurious. I am not sure why it has a business card slot in the front cover, but whatever. It smells yummy, feels sumptuous, and it makes my Kindle 2 feel much more like a book than a reading tablet.
I have loaded up a plethora of books – both free and purchased, and all that remains is to see if the Kindle 2 keeps giving me positive vibes.
Doug, Dan and I have a three-way review planned, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, enjoy the unboxing slide show…
