Amazon released the second iteration of its Kindle e-book reader Monday, a device that will hold up to 1,500 books, boasts 25 percent better battery life, and includes a “talk to me” feature that reads books aloud.
The $359 Kindle 2 is available for pre-order starting today, and will ship February 24.
The new Kindle is just over a third of an inch thick, and weighs about 10 ounces. Amazon has added buttons to make it easier to flip pages, and a new five-way controller is intended to facilitate note-taking and highlighting text. Kindle 2 definitions, pulled from the New Oxford American Dictionary, will appear instantly at the bottom of the page.
The six-inch, 600-by-800 electronic paper display includes 16 shades of gray, compared to the 4 shades available on the original Kindle. Like its predecessor, the Kindle 2 does not use backlighting in an effort to eliminate eyestrain and glare.
The Kindle 2 also features a redesigned, more portable power charger. With one charge, the Kindle 2 will last up to five days with wireless turned on and for two weeks with wireless powered off, Amazon said.
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