Features – Hardware and Software

The Kindle 3 carries over lot of Kindle 2 reading-centered features, including social networking, free 3G access to Kindle Store (and its wide selection of competitively priced books and other reading materials), 60 second book downloads, free 3G access in over 100 countries, and cross-platform book sharing.

On the other hand, the Kindle 3 makes big improvements on the Kindle 2 over (1) ease of carrying the device, (2) ease of using it, and (3) readability of the device.

The Kindle 3 still sports a 6-inch eInk screen. To make the Kindle 3 more portable, however, Amazon has reduced its size to a svelter 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.335 inch form factor. The size reduction also allowed for a lighter weight of 8.7 ounces. The result is a smaller, thinner, and lighter device. Though the size got smaller, the memory got twice larger. The Kindle 3G + WiFi has 4GB memory, which can carry up to 3500 books at a time.

The battery life is also doubled: with the wireless turned off, the Kindle 3 can last up to a month, making it even more ideal for traveling. You don’t need to bring a charger even if you’re planning to spend a long vacation away from home.

The Kindle 3 has also been given a facelift to achieve a more ergonomic design. Amazon seems to have given a lot of thought as to what to scrape out and what to retain. The page turn buttons flanking both sides of the screen are now just one-quarter of an inch wide and are labeled with > and < arrows instead of words (as found on the Kindle 2).

The buttons come in a rocker style that press towards the edge, making them easier to press and quieter, too. The joystick got smaller, and is now found under the screen along with the Home and Menu buttons. The number buttons have been removed (to access the numbers, press the symbol button), and the keys are arranged more closely to each other.

Nearly half of the improvements on the Kindle 3, though, have to do with readability. The Kindle 3G is sporting a new eInk Pearl screen offering 50% more contrast. You can breeze through the menu, and the pages turn noticeably faster, too, than on the Kindle 2. You can now change the font type (choices include Condensed, Serif, and Sans Serif) or the line spacing (choices include small, medium, and large).

The Kindle 3 also supports non-English fonts including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Cyrillic. Built-in PDF reader is better than ever, allowing you to add highlights, notes, and look up definition of words in the dictionary. It can also access password-protected files.

The new Kindle reader still offers free 3G access in the US and in over 100 countries all over the world. Also, Kindle owners will now be able to enjoy the benefits of WiFi, such as accessing the web or store when outside a 3G area.

The browser is now WebKit-based, and can be accessed either over 3G or WiFi. When browsing the web, you can set the page into text-only mode to make reading easier by choosing the Article Mode.

It’s not just the normal-vision readers who are going to benefit from the enhancements and new features of the Kindle 3G + WiFi. The device can read out loud item descriptions and menus, too, and so is great for people with low or impaired visions.

The Kindle 3 is available in Graphite and White.

The Bottom Line

Amazon’s decision to not add a touchscreen and color support to give the Kindle 3 better readability is quite laudable. Without any argument, Kindle 3 is the eReader that provides the most value for your money.

For those who want a sub-$150 eReader or who have no need for 3G accessibility, the WiFi version is just as formidable as its 3G brother. With its thinner form factor, more ergonomic design, improved readability and even bigger storage, the Kindle WiFi is positioned to out-perform every other eReader out there. And with its incredibly low price of $139, the Kindle WiFi is more enticing than ever.

Features – Hardware and Software

Amazon has given the Kindle WiFi a complete redesign. The first thing people will notice is its smaller form factor. Amazon has trimmed the Kindle in all corners, cutting out as much 21% unnecessary spaces. The result is a more streamlined, tighter look. The Kindle 2 measures 8 x 5.3 x 0.36 inches. In contrast, the Kindle WiFi measures 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.34 inches only. That doesn’t sound like much, but when you hold the device, you’ll feel the difference more dramatically: it feels lighter, thinner, and much easier to hold with one hand.

To allow for the smaller form factor, Amazon also removed the row of numbers button and resized the page turn buttons to just 1/3 of an inch wide. The navigation buttons have been re-organized to allow for a more ergonomic arrangement. The Menu, 5-way buttons, Back, and Home buttons are now located under the screen directly next to the QWERTY keyboard.

The keyboard buttons are more rounded and arranged closer next to each other, making typing a lot faster. The slimmer page turn buttons now come in a rocker style, which responds to presses easily without making any annoying noise. Instead of Word labels, the page turn buttons are now labeled with > and < arrows only.

What’s more notable is the way Amazon has made the Kindle WiFi’s readability much better than ever. The screen has 50% better contrast that its predecessor. It is also zippier, offering a 20% faster page turn rate. 4GB onboard storage is double the size of the Kindle 2, and it can hold up to 3500 reading materials. Battery life is also doubled; it can now last up to a month with the wireless turned off.

Amazon has added a lot of new features, too, including the ability to modify line spacing (options include small, medium, and large) and typeface (options include regular, condensed, and sans serif). The device also supports several languages (Japanese, Korean, Cyrillic, Chinese).

The Kindle WiFi has free access to AT&T networks. It is available in Graphite only.

The Bottom Line

The Kindle WiFi is already available for pre-order. It’s a very solid eReader that will be hard to resist. Amazon has really done a great job.

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Features – Hardware and Software

Like the Kindle DX White, the Kindle DX Graphite sports a 9.7-inch eInk screen display that excellently displays a broad range of reading materials. Instead of Kindle’s trademark off-white casing, however, the Kindle DX 2’s screen is enclosed by a graphite casing. 

Though both Kindle DX versions share similar features and capabilities, from a readability perspective, the Kindle DX Graphite is overall a better device than its white twin. The Graphite offers 50% more screen contrast and a higher contrast ratio of 10:1, making text and images look a lot sharper and clearer. Also, perhaps taking a page from the B&N Nook, Amazon’s choice of graphite casing is just perfect. The graphite enclosure provides to make the dark text of the Kindle DX Graphite stand out more against the white screen background.

The Amazon Kindle DX Graphite offers all the goodness you find in the Kindle DX. It also comes with built-in accelerometer, text-to-speech function, PDF reader, long battery life (2 weeks with wireless off, 1 week with wireless on), basic web browser, and a large library space capable of storing up to 3,500 ebooks and other reading materials. There’s the access to Twitter and Facebook, library collections organizer, and support for 6 font sizes. Further, the Kindle DX Graphite is an excellent choice for those who travel abroad much and for those who live outside of the US as the device comes with AT&T-powered global 3G access. Whether you’re in the US or abroad, you can enjoy wireless downloads and wireless syncing. As with other Kindle models, you can enjoy use of 3G without worrying about monthly bills.

Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

The Bottom Line

Instead of bending to the pressure of the media to add video playback capability, games, touch screen, or other features not related reading, Amazon simply focused on improving the Kindle DX’s readability. The Kindle DX Graphite is a testament to Amazon’s great emphasis on perfecting the reading experience.

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The reader’s appearance is further streamlined by its absence of buttons on the left-hand side of the unit; the controls to turn pages have migrated exclusively to the right side. Even though I’m a righty, and do most of my page turning from that side, I do miss the Kindle 2’s Next page button on the left, which I use when reading in bed, head propped up by my right arm.

The most glaring hindrance of the DX is its price. It costs $490 — more than the original Kindle cost at its launch 19 months ago. Even Apple, which operates on a premium pricing philosophy, typically introduces its improved models at the cost of the previous one. You’d expect the DX to come in at $400, with the Kindle 2 tariff (which remains at $370) dropped to $300. That’s plenty for a device that sends you directly to the manufacturer to buy books.

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Features

The Kindle DX can hold up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents. It has a 9.7″ diagonal e-ink screen that reads like real paper and boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images. It also has an auto rotating screen, much like Apple iPhone, That enables you to Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages. The 3G wireless connection lets you download books right from your Kindle DX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, no annual contracts, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots . With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book’s rights holder made the feature unavailable.

The Bottom Line

Overall, the DX feels more like text and less like device and comes closer to the stated goal of the Kindle: for the device to disappear, leaving only the joy of reading.

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[Update 2: Amazon released a WiFi only version of the Kindle.]

Kindle 2 is a showcase of how serious Amazon is in perfecting ereading experience. Amazon gave the design of the first Kindle an overhaul to give its second generation device a sleeker and slimmer look. The Kindle 2 also shows improved/added features, including better grayscale rendering, longer battery life, better refresh rate, and larger storage.

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It is worth highlighting that Amazon didn’t stop improving the Kindle 2. Long after the device was launched in February 2009, Amazon continued to make changes to the Kindle. One of the most notable is making the device more affordable by dropping the price to $259 from its original retail price of $359.

In less than a year, downloadable reading materials in the Kindle Store increased by over 130,000. As of September 2009, the Kindle Store had approximately 350,000 books available for download. Today, it has over 480,000.

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Amazon has also released an international version of the Kindle 2. The global Kindle can access the Kindle Store over the Sprint network (the US version is powered by AT&T).

However, Whispernet access and experimental browsing features are limited in some countries. The international version also retails at $259.

Taking account all the above features including standard ones such as low book prices ($9.99 for most titles), over the air download via Whispernet, and a display technology that recreates traditional reading experience, it’s not difficult to see why the Kindle continues to dominate the eReader market.

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Hardware and Software

The Amazon Kindle was the first to make shopping and purchasing ebooks more convenient than getting real books. The Kindle Store is seamlessly integrated into the eReader. No need to hook up the device to a computer – your Kindle takes care of everything. You simply pick a book and download it. In less than 60 seconds, the book appears in your library.

The Kindle may not have a look as sexy as the Sony Daily eReader, but it is still built for portability and ease of use. With a waistline of 0.36 inches and weighing 10.2 ounces only, it doesn’t tire the wrist even after long use.

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Navigation commands are easy to learn. Even non-techies can quickly figure out how to use the device. Buttons on both sides of the device allow one-handed use with either right or left hand.

While 6-inch screen may not be ideal for broad layouts such as magazines and newspapers, it does allow comfortable reading of books. As it uses eInk screen, the Kindle is readable in various lighting environments. 16 shades of grayscale and 600 x 800 pixel resolution sets the standard in sharpness of texts and images. A common complaint in the past was Kindle’s lack of native PDF support.

The Kindle 2 now has built-in PDF reader, which even supports a variety of languages. You also have the option to convert PDF documents to Kindle format. For a small fee, you can send personal documents and image files to your Kindle wirelessly.

The Kindle’s greatest disadvantage, most experts say, is its lack of support for open source content. Recently, Amazon made a change to its Digital Text Platform. Small publishers and individual authors can now opt out of DRM publishing format.

With Kindle’s Text to Speech feature, you can have the device read out loud stories to you. The TTS feature, however, raised a debate last year over copyright issues. Amazon didn’t remove the feature, but modified the systems by leaving the decision to enable or disable the feature to authors and publishers.

Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

The Bottom Line

The Kindle may have flaws in design, but they don’t impact what Kindle 2 does best: giving you the pleasures of reading.

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