Like the 1st generation Kindle
unearthed by Engadget snoops way back in September of 2006, Amazon's having a tough time keeping the lid on its
2nd generation e-book reader. Seems
everyone and his analyst brother is confirming a new, larger screened
collegiate reader and at least one other variation, presumably the Kindle 2.0. Now
BusinessWeek steps up and "confirms" the collegiate reader while claiming knowledge of a new 2.0 base model that, "is significantly thinner, has a better screen, is more stylish and includes fixes to some of the user interface annoyances," such as the placement of those massive page forward / back buttons which can
trigger inadvertent page changes. In fact, their source claims that the new version is much more than an iterative evolution, "They've jumped from Generation One to Generation Four or Five. It just looks better, and feels better." BW also claims that the new model's price (currently, $359) will hit $299, "or maybe $249," and could be announced as early as September.
Interestingly, Kindle 2.0's design is being lead by a designer hired from the powerhouse shop, Frog Design. A group which just happened to give the Kindle a very public and very critical tongue lashing at its November 2007 launch. We guess this squeaky wheel received its oil in the form of a giant cash payment.
Read -- Frog's take on Kindle 1.0
Read -- BusinessWeek rumor
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
L @ Aug 26th 2008 5:56AM
A thinner, cheaper Kindle with better screen and UI? Count me in (if that darn thing launches in Europe before the end of the world, that is)...
=glu @ Aug 26th 2008 7:02AM
if you read the post you might deduce that Amazon is targeting the $5.5b textbook market and then you might realize "i'm a hard-to-please electronics geek who compares prices on a usb cable for weeks on end only to wait for another cable need in order to save on the outrageous shipping costs...i am not an incoming college student's parents who will immediately purchase any device the student's university deems a learning tool in addition to all the e-textbooks the student 'needs'."
Ryan Trevisol @ Aug 26th 2008 7:41AM
If your desperate need to be high ranked via sarcasm didn't overwhelm your sense of logic, you might realize that this guy might be a college student in Europe. (They have schools over there too. It's like they have their own countries and everything!)
L @ Aug 26th 2008 8:11AM
=glu, what are you trying to tell me, exactly? That it is wrong to find an apparently all-around enhanced new version of something that I found interesting in the first place even more interesting?
Ryan Trevisol, spot on. I'm indeed a studying at a University ;) And textbooks aren't even the single reason why I think this is interesting. I commute a lot, and having todays newspaper with you without any hassle and without having to boot up the laptop is great imho.
BOGRASH @ Aug 26th 2008 8:20AM
glu: you are a babbling asshat
=glu @ Aug 26th 2008 2:16PM
Ryan, congrats on the hero ranking. You truly are the Robin Hood of the comments section.
ntlam @ Aug 26th 2008 6:16AM
erm... how about an netbook with ebook function? Maybe that's the real thing we need.
curtisrutland @ Aug 26th 2008 8:58AM
A good idea in and of itself, but it misses the point of a device like the Kindle on several fronts:
The display on the Kindle is E-ink. It provides a reading surface almost like paper, and spectacular battery life, because it only draws power when the display is redrawn. This sort of display is a long way from being ready for a netbook, and even then would loose most of it's benefit because of the constant refreshing. So, you'd loose the nice reading surface (it is supposed to be a book, you know) and the battery life.
Then there's the free hi-speed internet that the kindle lets you download ebooks on. You'd definitely loose that, because it would be too easy to hack and use for general purpose on a netbook.
I really hope devices like this catch on. Imagine if nobody printed newspaper anymore, just automatically downloaded it to a pocket device that reads like paper every morning.
Bevo4138 @ Aug 26th 2008 10:20AM
Even better- I wouldn't mind having a e-reading monitor that I can read email or PDFs on. It should be placed to the side of the main monitor, so reading is a lot easier on the eyes.
chuckda4th @ Aug 26th 2008 11:54AM
Yes E-Ink is SUPPOSED to lead to good battery life, but my girlfriend's Kindle is horrible. She can read on it for about 6 hours on a charge, and if she charges it and doesn't use it, the charge only lasts 5-6 days. This is while having the wireless off all the time. She called Amazon and was told that's what most users were seeing.
Somehow the Kindle has completely defeated the purpose of the E-ink.
RikF @ Aug 26th 2008 1:29PM
HOw fast is she tuning pages?!!
Jon @ Aug 26th 2008 1:36PM
My kindle lasts for weeks, or the equivalent for 2000+ pages in a normal book. Are you keeping the wireless off? And turn it off when not using it, don't leave the screensaver on. For inexplicable reasons, that thing drains the battery.
Tagbert @ Aug 28th 2008 1:01AM
chuckda4th
Tell your girlfriend to call Amazon again. She must have gotten a bad customer service rep. Most kindle owners do NOT see that kind of battery drain. Even with wireless on, she should get 2-3 days reading. Browsing the web wirelessly will cut into that. If you are in a weak signal area the wireless connection will draw more power. I normally keep wireless turned off unless I need to use it. That way I get most of a week on a charge. (my iPhone and Laptop are jealous)
Some people have had bad batteries and when Amazon replaced them their problems cleared up. Others have had bad kindles which Amazon replaced and the then had normal batter life.
SolarCurve @ Aug 26th 2008 6:27AM
w00t! I have been saving up to buy one in October as a self birthday present. It looks like it could be awesome timing and the patience will have paid off. :)
Almadi @ Aug 26th 2008 7:19AM
That is just sad, whats your Amazon wishlist URL?
Michael @ Aug 26th 2008 10:28AM
I've been wanting to get one too, but once I heard they were coming out with a new one this fall, I decided I would wait. I have no issues with the specifications of the current model, I just wish they hadn't hit it with the ugly stick so much. I hope they don't change too much with v2.0, and just make it a bit nicer looking.
eddy @ Aug 26th 2008 11:05AM
You and me both! (although my b-day's actually today, but never mind that...)
In the past few months, I've been setting aside money for a Kindle and as of today, taking into account shipping, I'm about $5 shy...of the $350 model, that is. If the news of a $250 model is accurate, then I just ended up saving enough money for a Kindle AND $100 worth of books!
I love news like this. If there's an official announcement from Amazon by next month, I'll be even happier.
onnow @ Aug 26th 2008 12:04PM
Well, September is the "announcement" date. Usually there will be a gap of several months before they really ship it. I doubt it will even be available for the X'mas.
Jamie @ Aug 26th 2008 6:39AM
But please make it work in Europe!
Russ @ Aug 26th 2008 10:01AM
..and Australia, please!!
Chirag @ Aug 26th 2008 10:54AM
Why not have a location neutral version. Why do you need a mobile device under the hood? By doing so, you ar elimiting the appea of the deivce to only the markets where Amazon is interested in ging to.
By keeping it simple (like Sony's eBook), they can go much further than wherever they can tue up a mobile partner. (and pass on the savings in the form of cheaper books.)
Fred @ Aug 26th 2008 3:15PM
But then you'd also lose the Kindle's most appealing feature: OTA book buying and news delivery.
Fred @ Aug 26th 2008 7:40AM
If a redesigned Kindle came out with that free Whispernet downloading functionality in Europe, I'd snap one up immediately. Especially if I could just have a newspaper wirelessly delivered to me each morning.
Jamie @ Aug 26th 2008 11:36AM
Yup. Getting the paper automatically every day would send me off to Amazon straight away.
smib @ Aug 26th 2008 7:46AM
Damn, I just recently bought my girlfriend a Kindle. I guess I'll just have to get the new version then.
anon @ Aug 26th 2008 8:57AM
I'm holding out for reasonable color. 64k would be fine for something like this to start.
Why color? Consider reference books in sciences. Figures, graphs, illustrations, etc. Many of these require color. Scientific papers often do as well. Plus pictures of naked women just aren't as interesting in b&w.
Jason @ Aug 26th 2008 10:41AM
Certainly color would be an improvement for certain material, such as magazines, text book illustrations, etc. The problem is that currently color e-ink displays cost a fortune. Sadly I think it will be late 09 or more like 2010 before we see a color Kindle on the market.
slarity @ Aug 26th 2008 8:59AM
I never thought about one of these but I think it would be nice to have. Sitting next to my keyboard I could read books instead of being bored all day at work. I mean come on, engadget doesnt update enough times in a day to keep me entertained for 10 hours.
Scott @ Aug 26th 2008 11:09AM
Amen to that bored at work thing. Hopefully they'll restructure the way it handles pdf's. I have loads that I'm not prepared to have to pay to transfer.
BLKMGK @ Aug 26th 2008 4:10PM
PDF are easily converted for free using available free software for the Mobi format. Did this myself several times and it works perfectly. Or you can have them transferred for free via Amazon OR have them transferred and delivered for like 10 cents. Pretty good stuff IMO.
molo @ Aug 26th 2008 9:36AM
Well i hope they will also sell it in australia.
(where amazon does not even have an online store, but they will ship most things here)
tiuk @ Aug 26th 2008 10:24AM
These are actually getting to the price point where I would seriously considering getting one. If the books themselves were significantly cheaper than paper I'd jump on board for sure.
GETYOID @ Aug 26th 2008 12:02PM
Would have been a nice piece without the subtle advertising for that jackass, Obama's, book. Nice try though.
erik @ Aug 26th 2008 12:56PM
subtle advertising for Obama? It's a stock photo of a stack of books. Try harder to not be so stupid.
Sandra @ Aug 27th 2008 12:06AM
Subtle advertising for Obama? What?! All those books were bestsellers in the past few years... Looks like Amazon also wants you to influence you to read Stephen King!
linuxamp @ Aug 27th 2008 12:31AM
And given Michael Crichton's stance on climate change I'd say he's leaning to the right.
dave @ Sep 1st 2008 4:44PM
You may note that Steven Colbert's book is on top. If you take him literally, he's probably right up your alley. Whose the jackass, jackass?
Ian Kennedy @ Aug 26th 2008 12:23PM
Sweet. I love my Kindle.
Note to Kindle store: fill annoying gaps in library, allow me to send books to other readers from my kindle.
Jon Doe. @ Aug 26th 2008 2:09PM
Sold. I've been waiting for a V2.
technopimp @ Aug 26th 2008 8:51PM
How about a backlight finally? So I can, you know, actually read the thing in the dark (which is the only place I'd use something like this, since if I'm reading in daylight I'd just read a book). Otherwise it's still completely worthless to me.
linuxamp @ Aug 27th 2008 12:27AM
If your only reason for reading an ebook is to read in the dark, you're completely missing the point.
Ebooks are vastly cheaper to produce, distribute, and store. They can be easily indexed, shared, carried, and disposed of. Their impact on the environment will be astronomical given that there's no trucks to deliver thousands or millions of books and no trees chopped for paper. And let's not forget that the marginal cost of producing each ebook is next to nothing so profit margin is huge. More profit means more books!
Plothole @ Aug 28th 2008 12:34AM
Backlighting always has been, and always will be, physically impossible with eInk.
But of course there are advantages even without a backlight....
linuxamp @ Aug 27th 2008 12:33AM
"They've jumped from Generation One to Generation Four or Five"
So Amazon's firmware page will list firmwares for Gen 1, Gen 5, Gen 6...
Klasnikov @ Aug 27th 2008 4:02AM
Frog Design are the same guys who helped Apple achieve popularity in Apple's design.
ssrat_ @ Aug 27th 2008 12:34PM
Still going with a netbook, since I will be reading comics as well as pdfs which do not need to be "converted" to be read, plus of course there is the whole, "unable to read past dusk thing"
IF gen4/5 allowed color, and had a backlight (plus the lower price) it would be REAL hard not to go with the Kindle, since it's a "one handed" device.
THAT's why I was envious of the little netbook on a hanger, touchscreen full flip..but is a NOTHING in the spec range
As for the stack of books.. I did not even look, it is a generic stack of best sellers, what they are selling is the thing in FRONT of the books
Sam @ Sep 11th 2008 3:19PM
I just got a Kindle and I would not like a larger or thinner device. A thin device is hard to hold and a bigger device is pointless for paperback and magazines, like the Kindle is meant to replace. I would only ask for a better screen so images are clear and a little bit of button movement (damn big next button!).
SeattleReader @ Nov 17th 2008 11:53AM
dang - article was written in August - it is now November and there is no new Kindle available -- and the the pricing noted has not changed - so much for web rumors!!!
glad I have my Kindle in hand!
LiliaNic @ May 12th 2009 2:21PM
This is pretty exciting. I had heard rumors of Kindle 2.0, but wasn't expecting it to hit stores until right before the winter holidays or even early 2009. I have wanted a Kindle for a while, and I'm glad that they managed to fix some of the design problems that people noticed on the first version.