Pensieri di un lunatico minore

First thoughts on the Kindle 2

Ever since the first Kindle came out, I’ve been excited by the prospect. While the Sony Reader was on the scene earlier, the Kindle represented a tectonic shift in capabilities. The Whispernet feature—based on Sprint’s EVDO data network—brought near real-time access to hundreds of thousands of books and the ability to operate sans computer. So, now that I’ve had a few hours to play with my Kindle, I’ve read a few things on it:

• New York Times
• New Yorker
• Kindle 2 User’s Manual
• Several sample chapters downloaded for free

So here’s a few observations, from T+6h:

• The screen is every bit as good as you would imagine. No, it’s not backlit, but then neither are any of my paper books. I’ve had no problem reading under normal light with minimum eyestrain.
• The default font size is too big. I’ve shrunk it one step and that seems to fit my preferences.
• The typography is not as horrendous as I had expected, but this isn’t a Folio Society production either.
• Page changes are pretty quick and not particularly distracting.
• The weight of the unit is quite acceptable and it feels largely like a book in your hand. My right thumb lands naturally on the “next page” button.
• Online access is decent, but it’s no replacement for my iPhone.

Overall, I’m quite happy with the purchase. The real test will be next week when I start commuting on mass transit again and have 30-35 minutes a day to read going in each direction. With the Kindle 2, Amazon really has refined the idea even further. It’s not as dramatic a shift as the original Kindle, but it is an improvement overall.