Kindle 1 Vs Kindle 2 - Some Points

It might seem that only a few weeks after you have bought your brand new Kindle a newer, better, lighter, faster Kindle appears. It holds more, setup is better and its almost the same price or less than what you paid for the earlier version. Suddenly the one you have is obsolete.



The very popular Amazon Kindle falls into this category. If you have the original Kindle then you probably know exactly what I am talking about. There you are reading on your Kindle, thinking you have the best unit out there and you feel good that you have made the best choice. Wait a minute, Amazon just released a Kindle 2? If this is about you then don't feel bad because the Original Kindle is still very popular and is still worth hanging on to.



If you like the Kindle 1 "SD" card memory than you might not like the Kindle 2. Kindle 2 did away with the "SD" card and now uses a fixed amount of memory that Amazon says holds about 1500 books, newspapers or magazines. That's a lot of books but Kindle 2 doesn't give you any way to organize your books. The books are listed in the order that they were downloaded to the unit.

The Original Kindle with its "SD" card however does allow you to organize your books, if you put different kinds of books on different memory cards. One card for this and another card for that. Just grab the card that you are in the mood for. Kindle 2 is a little slimmer but not really enough to make a huge difference. The viewing area is the same, the page turning is a little faster on the Kindle 2 but not significantly so.



The Original Kindle uses two buttons for the power and sleep modes with each having their own seperate button. Kindle 2 has one slider switch that controls both. Kindle 2 has something that the Original Kindle does not have which is text to speech. If you like to have books read aloud to you the Kindle 2 has that feature with two small speakers on the back at the bottom. It has a computer sounding voice which you can choose from either male or female, and can control the speed in which it is read. This is a huge advantage if your eyes get tired from too much reading.



Amazon sold out every Kindle 1 they had in just over 5 hours. Many of the thousands of Kindle users told Amazon that the way Amazon designed the page turning buttons made it very easy to accidentally turn the page before they wanted to. Amazon listened and changed that setup on the Kindle 2. Kindle 2 has the page turn button hinged the opposite way so its easy to page forward or back but almost impossible to do it by accident.



The Original Kindle comes with its own custom fit cover to protect it from scratches and dings, the Kindle 2 does not and buying a nice cover for the Kindle 2 can cost anywhere from $40 and upwards.



The main controls are redesigned on the Kindle 2 and now uses a five way toggle switch to move your cursor around the screen. This did away with the up and down cursor along the right side of the screen. People seem to like that setup better as it's easier to make notes and highlight areas of interest.



The back of the units are now different as the Original Kindle users have said that it could come off to easily when handled. The Kindle 2 looks and feels more modern and locks in place in a way that its not going to come off unless you want it too. Kindle 2 has a back that is plastic but it looks like brushed aluminum or stainless steel.



Additionally the Kindle 2, the latest generation, now comes with international wireless. The first Kindle 2 only had wireless coverage in the States and was handled by Sprints 3G Network. If you do not live in the US and like the best thing about the Kindle, the wireless, than you will be glad to know that over 100 different countries are now covered wirelessly.



These are the major differences between the Original Kindle and the new Kindle 2. If you have the Original Kindle and are thinking about buying the Kindle 2 than maybe this article will help youto decide. If you have a Kindle 2 and are thinking about picking up the Original because of the cheaper price than that might also not be a bad idea. Either way, Kindles are great purshases.