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Specs:

Our Analysis:

How I conducted my analysis on the All New Amazon Kindle:

When I came to review the “all new Kindle”, I had several things I wanted to check out. First of all, I got the device itself as it was important for me to form my own impression of it before becoming “biased” with online reviews. Afterwards, I checked over a dozen online reviews which included company reviews such as CNET, PCPRO, and Gizmodo and customer reviews from people who bought the product as well (Amazon reviews and various online Blogs). I’m pleased to say that my conclusion was almost 100% coherent with what I discovered online. So, here goes….

What I thought of the All New Amazon Kindle:

The “all new Kindle”, is the newer version of the former Kindle 2 which was discontinued on July 2010. This new model runs on AT&T's wireless network and can access content on cellular networks inside and outside of the U.S (in over 100 countries). After the big rush over the older model of the Kindle 2, I was intrigued to find out how much better this new model is. It’s important to note that since its release, Kindle has been cut in price 3 times and now only costs about half of what it used to cost (it started out at $359 on February 2009 and now costs only $189).

The first thing that was most-notably similar to the old Kindle 2 was its sleek, eye-catching design. Only now the device is smaller and lighter making it even easier to carry around. Just like the older version, everything is exactly where it's supposed to be. The keyboard naturally blends in with the entire device, the screen is just about right, and the “next” and “previous” page buttons are subtly inserted as well. The device is also extremely easy to carry. The whole Kindle weighs about nine ounces and is the size of a paperback. Because I travel a lot throughout the day, I need to be very calculated with my briefcase space. The Kindle fits in perfectly, not taking up too much space, and enabling me to get rid of some books which I now read in digital format.

The Kindle’s usability and readability is probably its greatest advantage. I assumed that it wouldn’t be the same to read off this digital machine as it would to be reading off a normal book. So, I gave it a try. After reading with my Kindle for the past week, I can honestly say the Kindle is amazing. What I noticed was that I get "absorbed" inside this machine as if it was an actual book. It didn’t strain my eyes; the font was easy to read (the font on the new Kindle is even clearer than the one on the old Kindle); it was really easy to hold in my hand; and everything that I love in a real book was present!

Now, I could go on and explain about all of the cool features, like the Wireless feature that lets you download books from most places in the U.S. and around the world or the built in dictionary (which is great, by the way), but I think all of this is irrelevant compared to the amazing reading experience this gadget gives you. I was concerned at first because the screen is only six inches long and this makes it hard to fit a lot of text inside a "page". And after using the Kindle for two weeks, I still think the screen is too small, but I also think that it's not that big of a deal. It doesn't damage the overall reading experience. Sure, you need to turn the pages twice as often as with a normal book (hopefully, this will be "fixed" in the future), but once you start reading, you totally forget about this.

The supported file types by the Kindle are most definitely its greatest downside. On the bright side, the new Kindle comes with a built in PDF reader, unlike the older version where you had to convert PDFs into a different format in order to read them on the Kindle. Kindle can read a variety of formats, but some basic formats need to be converted in order to read them (such as DOC, TXT, etc.). This is a disadvantage of the Kindle as compared to other eReaders, but the conversion is surprisingly easy. All I had to do was just email these files to my kindle address and they were instantly converted. Note that if you want the files to be transferred wirelessly back to your Kindle, you will have to pay an extra fee. This can be easily circumvented by downloading the file straight from the computer.

The wireless feature works excellently throughout the U.S., but is still clunky overseas. If you are not a U.S. resident, I would advise you to read the testimonials below about what international customers thought of the Kindle. Regardless of that, however, the ability to download books straight to your machine and the ability to browse through the Amazon bookstore no matter where you’re located is what distinguishes the Kindle from most competitors.

Battery life, to my surprise, isn’t an issue. The new Kindle has an even longer-lasting battery than the old model. I have used this device for two weeks now and still haven't recharged it yet. Of course, this is relative to how much you read (sorry…turn pages). The only problem I noticed with it is that you can’t manually change the battery once it’s depleted. You actually have to send it back to Amazon for replacement.  This process costs around $60.

To summarize my own experience with the Kindle, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The Kindle is as good as any normal book, easy to read from, and extremely user-friendly. I would give it five stars if it didn't have the file conversion issue and if it had a larger screen. However, other than that, I was definitely wrong in thinking that this is another gadget that I am not going to use after it's a week old.

 

Online Expert’s Opinion of the All New Amazon Kindle:

After going over the major websites online which deal with electronics, such as Cnet, Gizmodo, and PC Pro, I found out that we basically share the same opinions. Cnet, for example, criticized the Kindle 2 for its lack of file compatibility, the fact that the device doesn’t have Wi-Fi technology, and the lack of an external memory slot. Cnet summarized the Kindle 2 as “an incremental improvement to the Kindle line --- just as serious competition is ramping up in the e-book market”.

Top ten reviews summed up the Kindle with this: “It’s carefully designed to be the best at reading eBooks and, for now, it certainly is. No other reader, except the larger Kindle DX, can compete with the content library, the interface, the battery life, the wireless connectivity, and the simplicity of the Kindle.” Other international websites, such as PC pro and Gizmodoo, complained about downloading fees for non-U.S. residents as the major downside for this device.

What customers who bought the All New Amazon Kindle thought about it:

Customers who rooted against the Kindle mainly judged its poor web-browsing capabilities (Jeremy Z. – “Mobile Read” forums) and about it not being a 100% internationally compatible (John Yunker – “Global by Design” blog). This translates into several issues, such as additional downloading fees outside the U.S., the lack of an international power adaptor, and the variety of books on international Amazon book stores. If you’re not a U.S. resident, you should seriously check out some of our resources at the bottom to get the full picture.

On the other hand, customers that loved the Kindle talk about its great reading experience (e.g. “David Roessli’s blog”) and the wide selection of titles available to download in minutes from Amazon (e.g. Douglas H. Haden – “ Amazon” reviewer).

The verdict:

The new Amazon Kindle seems to be the next big thing in eBook readers. It’s smaller, lighter, faster and basically more user friendly than most eReaders out there. Amazon is showing that they are not giving up on the eBook reader market and are coming on strong with this great new exciting device. It had been up for pre-order for the last few weeks and now it’s already sold out.

 

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Our Sources:

. For this review I have used information gathered from:

     

and also Speirs, David Rosseli, Global by Design & Wired

 

*Prices are only estimates and may vary from time to time, eReader central does not guarantee the stated prices.