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Amazon Kindle 2 review – now with International Wireless

October 8, 2009 By 12 Comments
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We received a Kindle 2 with 3G  connection for the US from Amazon for review. A new US and International Wireless is now available as well.  E-readers are becoming more and more popular.  From e-reader applications on the desktop, mobile device to the stand alone devices like the Kindle 2 from Amazon.

This review will give you an impression of our experiences with the Kindle 2 from amazon. The Kindle 2 is the 6 inch screen version. The bigger Kindle DX has a 9,7 inch screen size. below is a quick difference reference guide.

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Unboxing

The Kindle 2 arrived in nice small box which was secured by packaging on 2 occasions. In the first place you could only open the carton box by removing/ripping off a strip like you would open up a FedEx envelop.

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Secondly the storage container inside the carton box had a similar strip that needed to be removed.

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Included in the box are:

  1. Kindle 2
  2. USB cable charger/connector
  3. USB to US plug conversion power adapter
  4. Quick get started reference guide
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Besides the item in the box we also received the Amazon Kindle Leather Cover. The leather cover connects easily on the Kindle using a spring loaded clip. This gives the kindle a professional, clean look and protection.

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The Out Of The Box Experience

The Kindle 2 comes out of the box pre-registered to your Amazon.com account. There is no need to connect it first to your computer at all. You can start using it right away. The quick start guide explains in text and images how to charge your Kindle and gives you a overview of the buttons and the different ways of navigating on the device.
The first time you start up your device by sliding the power button on the top of the Kindle, the screen will show you the Kindle user’s guide. The welcome chapter will give you a minimum to get started on the Kindle.
The Home Screen
The home screen of the Kindle shows all your books and other readings you are subscribe too or have purchased in the Kindle store. Basically this is your book shelve. By pressing the home button on the right hand of the device, it  will create some small black and white flashes on your screen and will show you the home screen with all your listings.
Using the 5 way Navigation button (Up,Down, left, Right and Press to Select) on the home screen will allow you to select the reading you would like to read. If you scroll all the way to the top you can change the order of listing by : Most Recent First, Author or Title.

Included is “the New Oxford American Dictionary” which you can use to look up a particular word without leaving the book, newspaper or any other document you are reading.  Using the 5 way navigation button on the right you can scroll to the beginning of a word and on the bottom of the screen will automatically give you a description an definition of that particular word.

The Menu Button

By pressing the menu button on the home screen you will get the following options:
  • Turn Wireless Off (preserve battery power)
  • Shop in the Kindle Store (this will get you live to the Kindle store to sample or purchase reading materials, wireless needs to be turned on)
  • Search (search for items,dictionary,kindle store,wikipedia,google or web) Some basic web browsing will work.
  • Settings (Registration, Device Name, Device E-mail, Personal Info)
  • Experimental ( Basic Web, Play MP3, Text-to-Speech) Try it and let Kindle know if it is something they need to continue.
  • Sync &Check for Items (this will update all your bookmarks, files that are synchronized to your account. For example if your Kindle reader for the IPhone is further into a document it will sync this to your Kindle as well)
The Menu button will have more possibilities depending on the screen your in. For example in the web browsing or books you can;
  • Go to the beginning
  • Table of Contents
  • Go to location
  • Sync to last page
  • Add bookmark
  • Search
  • Book Cover
  • Add notes and Highlights
  • And more…

Other  Hardware Buttons and Keyboard

Some other hardware buttons makes the navigation a breeze on the Kindle.

  • Next Page – this will turn to your next page in your e-book
  • Prev Page – this will turn back to your previous page in your e-book
  • Back – this will turn back to your last screen throughout your navigation within the Kindle
  • Qwerty Keyboard – physical hardware buttons to type your words in the different search options.
  • 5-way Navigation Button – scroll through text- forward to next chapter-highlight text-main menu per title

The Kindle’s Screen

I have to say that it took a little getting used to reading on this small black and white tablet. But the opaque e-ink screen gives it a great same look as reading the actual book. What I did miss was the option for a backlight. But just as reading a regular book, it is easy to read the screen with low and high light surroundings.

The Kindle Shopping experience.

All the items listed in the Kindle shop have a fee. To access the shop you will select from the Home page the Menu button and you select “Shop in the Kindle Store”. This includes the Kindle versions of the Books, Newspapers, Magazines and, yes indeed, Blogs. With the 5-way navigation button and the search box it is easy to navigate through all the different tittles. In the books section you have an option to download “Try a Sample”. This will give you a small excerpt to see if you would like to buy the book in full digital format.

On your Amazon account you can manage your purchases. As well as your devices. For example I share the same account with my wife and we are both able to read the same book purchased once on two different devices. The Kindle and the Kindle reader for the iPhone or iTouch.

Deleting a book on your Kindle is very easy as well. On the home page you scroll down to the title you would like to delete using the 5-way navigation button. Once you are there your press the 5 way navigation to the left and select delete.

Experimental Web Browsing

The Kindle has a search with Google build in. This one of the ways to get to the experimental internet browser. The browser is very simple but could be useful for a quick look up.  Being used to many color screen on mobile devices it is not that attractive to browse on.

Conclusion

I really like the kindle to sit down and be able to read my books without dragging them around or have stacks of them laying around. The Kindle is a little pricey, but we will save some trees. The e-books are also cheaper compared to the real books. Most of them are $9.99. Similar priced to the soft cover versions. The battery life is very good.  It even gets better if you turn the wireless off.  The 5-way navigation button has so many different function per page that you kind have to experiment a little to know all the possibilities. I am not sure how the Kindle will work in a text book environment, but for reading a novel it is definitely now my first choice.

The Kindles are available on Amazon.com

  • Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6″ Display, U.S. & International Wireless, Latest Generation) goes for $279
  • Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6″ Display, U.S. Wireless, Latest Generation) goes for $259
  • Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7″ Display, U.S. Wireless, Latest Generation) goes for $489

Update: A question arised about extra possible charges for the wireless connection in your home country or outside your home country with the Latest generation wireless Kindle.  When slecting your specific country in the box “Live Outside the U.S.?” on the product page it will states the following.

Free Wireless: Free 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle. No monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots. For non-U.S. customers, there are also no additional charges for wireless delivery outside your home country.

Filed Under: Notebooks & Netbooks, Phones, Travel Gear Tagged With: , , , ,
About Johan van Mierlo

Johan van Mierlo has been writing and reviewing for the online communities since the launch of the handheld computer Palm IIIe and Compaq iPaq in 1998. He owned and tested many mobile devices including Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, Android, Apple OS iPhone and many different GPS and Mobile products.

Johan was awarded MVP Windows Phone Consumer (Previous MVP Windows Phone and MVP Windows Mobile Devices) by Microsoft in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 for his community activities.

You can follow Johan on Twitter

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  • montfort

    Johan, is there any information in the documentation on 3G usage outside the US for non-US costumors? Just wondering if we will be charged extra for 3G data in Europe when using the Kindle wirelessly, the Amazon website is not very clear on that last time I checked.

    • http://www.mobilityminded.com Johan van Mierlo

      As far as I know the price for the Kindle includes the wireless connection. The question remains if the wireless connection will work in the other countries while travelling. according to the specs it is one specific unit and doesn’t need to be programmed individually per country.
      go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015T963C/ref=sv_kinh_0 and select “click here to see important specific to your Country”.

      There it states the following
      “Free Wireless: Free 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle. No monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots. For non-U.S. customers, there are also no additional charges for wireless delivery outside your home country. “

      • montfort

        Thanks, I didn’t see that country specific information option yesterday. Looks like we’re ready to go for the Kindle then, this one will make it to the top of my wishlist for Christmas!

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  • PaulB

    I haven’t quite figured out what I’m going to use it for, but I must have this. Must. Have. I hope I can wait for Christmas…

  • http://? Jessie Darrett

    A US Servicemember I’d like to know the cost of using the Kindle International unit in the 3G / GPRS network outside the USA (International: Germany specifically, the EU other countries) that offer access to the Kindle Store, free of network usage fees? Upon return to the USA will the Kindle International unit using of the 3G/ GPRS network within the USA include additional fees, greater than the cost of the digital e-book?

    • http://www.mobilityminded.com Johan van Mierlo

      Hi Jessie,

      On the Kindle website it mentions the following for US customers.

      “Travel Internationally with Kindle

      Travel internationally and still get books in under 60 seconds. Download books wirelessly in over 100 countries around the world. Stay in touch with news from home by having your newspaper and magazine subscriptions delivered wirelessly while you travel. See wireless coverage map for availability.

      For U.S. customers traveling abroad, a $1.99 fee currently applies when downloading books or single issues of periodicals wirelessly from your Archived Items or the Kindle store while traveling internationally. For details on periodicals and personal documents, click here. To avoid any fees, you can always download books, periodicals, and personal documents via your computer and transfer to your Kindle using USB. ”

      http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015T963C#kindle-features-wireless

      • TMS

        My Kindle willnot connect to the wireless. It has been this way for about a month and I have restarted it several times, any advice?
        T

      • http://www.mobilityminded.com Johan van Mierlo

        Did you contact Amazon in this yet? Also check if your wireless is turned on. From the home screen select Menu-> turn on wireless

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  • http://identi.ca/autoinsuranceflorida tom

    We should keep focus not on the reader cost but the books. The reader is a minor one time purchase. Overpriced ebooks is where the retailers make money. Why do ebooks cost so much more than the paperback version? Why can I share a paperback book but not an ebook? Until this situation is improved this avid reader is sticking to paper.