10/03/2008, 10:20pm, EDT
Friday, October 3rdAmazon Kindle 2 leaked to the web
Amazon's second-generation Kindle reader has already surfaced in a new leak to BGR this evening and promises to solve many of the first-run issues with the e-book device, which was nicknamed the "iPod of reading" in its first generation. The new model appears to have a similarly sized, high visibility e-paper screen as the original but has the promised rounder styling, albeit in a slightly larger form; this extends to the narrower but taller keyboard and iPhone-like metal back with conspicuous grills for speaker vents.
More practical but also controversial changes have also been made to the new device, the shots reveal. The revamped Kindle drops the unique touch strip on the side, which was used to select menu items, and replaces it with a more conventional joystick. It also abandons removable SD storage entirely in favor of about 1.5GB of built-in flash memory good for holding most book collections. Mini USB replaces the proprietary cable from before and makes it easier to charge or transfer content directly to the Kindle.
New control paddles eliminate common complaints that the original reader was overly prone to accidental page turns.
The Kindle continues to get access to most books through a Sprint-based EVDO connection that is likely to be free to use for Kindle buyers.
No launch information accompanies the leak, though past rumors have pointed to the second-generation Kindle arriving in early 2009 with a larger, magazine-like version due sometime later. The escaped details come just as the Kindle faces increased competition from rivals as well as its indirect inspiration, Apple. While Sony has introduced a new touchscreen Reader and iRex has launched a new wireless series, downloads of the recent Stanza app for the iPhone have reportedly outnumbered Kindle owners despite the hardware's smaller screen and shorter battery life.
Filed under: iPhone, industry, gadgets, digital imaging
Other story tags: sony, Amazon, Kindle, iRex, Reader
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one word...
Fugly!
No Color
Its still a monochrome display. It needs to be color.
Color?
Why does it need to be color? It's primary function is as a text display.
!Color
It certainly doesn't need color. It absolutely doesn't need a keyboard. Speakers? Zettai Iranai! There are a lot of things an e-ink based reader could use and this monstrosity doesn't add any of them. I have a bookeen cybook3. Compared with kindle, it's quite minimalist. It's far from perfect but I'll take it over this silly looking thing any day.
Errr...
Why does it need a keyboard? It's called a READER - so why would you need to write anything?
Keyboard
It needs a keyboard because you need to type in URLs to go to Amazon.com to buy e-books. Or something like that. And they figured it's cheaper to add a keyboard than to make the screen touch sensitive. Or something like that ;-p
Jonathan Ives
They are in desperate need of a Jonathan Ives. Not only is the Kindle, both current and future, fussily designed (too many buttons, etc), it's aesthetically unappealing. You'd think they'd have learned the power of good design from Apple's success.
"unique touch strip"
Must be very unique, since it doesn't have one. (I have a Kindle, so this I am very sure of). The original Kindle has a scroll wheel that positions a marker (little block cursor) up and down the right side of the page. It actually does this by revealing a shiny bit of metal, which is kinda cool, but it definitely is NOT a touch-activated thing.
Plastic Logic prototype
Is what I'm drooling over. It really is what a reader should be.
Whats the point?
iPhone/Touch has eReader and you can buy new and popular mainstream book. Stanza give you access to the rest...