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Amazon Announces Kindle 2, With Slew of New Features

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the dr-spatzo-finds-a-new-job dept.

Engadget is reporting that Amazon has announced the new Kindle 2 for release on February 24th at a price point of $359. Thinner than an iPhone and coming standard with "Read-to-me" text-to-speech capability, the new device also has seven times more storage, faster page turning, a 16-level e-ink display, longer battery life, and a new five-way joystick. Looks like life just got a lot more interesting for fans of the original device. Engadget also has live coverage from the Kindle 2 press conference.

13 of 451 comments (clear)

  1. A bargain price, based on that hype. by geekmux · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cripes, after reading the post, the only thing missing was the soundtrack from the Six-Million Dollar Man...

    Better, stronger, faster than ever before...

    Oh, c'mon, what do you mean you've never heard of The Six-Million dollar man? Steve Austin, you know the pilot who...shit, nevermind.

    Damn, I'm getting old.

    1. Re:A bargain price, based on that hype. by Qzukk · · Score: 4, Funny

      Having that sound effect play every time you turned the page would get annoying.

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    2. Re:A bargain price, based on that hype. by willworkforbeer · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, you're old when you recall that you HAD a six-million-dollar-man doll... er, action figure, plus his boss Oscar, and Oscar's exploding briefcase. You could look through Steve's head through his bionic eye and see the girls at the playground giggling at your, um, action figure set.

      --
      Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
    3. Re:A bargain price, based on that hype. by BigZaphod · · Score: 5, Funny

      I've heard of The Six-Million Dollar Man: he's a traditional punch line to jokes told by old people, right?

      --
      Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch
    4. Re:A bargain price, based on that hype. by Paracelcus · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually you're old enough when you had bought a six million dollar man action figure for your eight year old son.

      --
      I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
  2. I have to ask by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Will it blend?

    Also, what will happen to DRM on the device? Is it still going to be essentially rentals, since they don't like to let people own what they buy?

  3. corrrection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Looks like fans of the original device paid a steep bleeding-edge tax for seven times less storage and 25% less battery life for the same price.

  4. Re:Price point? by Clover_Kicker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Verbogeny is one of the pleasurettes of a creatific thinkerizer. (Peter da Silva)

  5. Re:And Still Ugly As Sin. by CRCulver · · Score: 1, Funny

    For the price of an iPhone, can't they make it touchscreen?

    It's not a screen, it's digital paper. There's no touchable form of this yet.

  6. Re:Very tempted to get this by smitty97 · · Score: 4, Funny

    No music or games. Less space than a usb stick. Lame.

    --
    mod me funny
  7. Re:Read-to-me by Thornburg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Having an e-ink screen and text-to-speech on the same device is an odd match. If you want to read, read. If you want to listen, get an audio book for your mp3 player. Spare yourself the synthetic voice. Unless you enjoy imagining Stephen Hawking is in your car reading to you.

    This might good for my copy of "A Brief History of Time"...

  8. Re:Very tempted to get this by TheoMurpse · · Score: 5, Funny

    Good God, your

    post looks

            like an e.
    e cummings poem.

  9. Re:Very tempted to get this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    >Convince me not to.

    You know what, if you've got $400 to burn on a device that'll let you read glorified txt documents of stuff you could get on paper for half the price on AbeBooks... knock yourself out.

    You know what, if you've got $400 to burn on a device that'll let you listen to glorified analog recordings of stuff you could get on vinyl for half the price on Craigslist... knock yourself out. And then get the hell out of my yard.