Kindle 2 Electronic Reading Device

The Amazon Kindle 2, released in February 2009, is the second generation of a milestone product. Its physical and technological design features significant improvements over the original Kindle—a device that has already spurred fundamental changes in book publishing, book design, and reading habits since its launch in 2007.
The Amazon Kindle is a hardware and software platform for reading electronic books. Unlike previous e-readers, which required that the device connect to a computer to download book files, the Kindle utilizes a wireless internet connection to download content. As of June 2009, 285,000 titles are ready for purchase and instant download from Amazon’s virtual book store. The Kindle 2 can hold more than 1,500 non-illustrated titles, a considerable advance in storage capacity over the first-generation Kindle, which held approximately 200 non-illustrated titles. The larger memory is complemented by a much longer battery life.
The Kindle 2 retains its “aura of bookishness,” with “the dimensions of a paperback.”[1] The design of the Kindle 2, however, is more streamlined and easier to hold than its predecessor, while maintaining a weight of about 10 ounces. The small keyboard below the screen, part of the all-in-one unit, features smaller, rounder keys to facilitate thumb-typing, as well as a five-way controller to enable on-screen navigation.
The Kindle uses e-ink technology to maximize readability and reduce eye strain. E-ink was developed at the MIT Media Lab around 2004. A little “like an Etch A Sketch, it forms letters by rearranging chemicals under the surface of the screen.”[2] The result shares more qualities with a printed page than a pixelated font viewed on a computer screen. The Kindle 2 features sharper screen resolution than its predecessor and further enhances readability by providing 16 shades of gray to select as the background color. Accessibility is also increased with a text-to-speech option so that the Kindle can read to you. This Kindle 2 is proposed for acquisition together with a first-generation Kindle.
[1] Steven Levy, “Amazon: Reinventing the Book,” Newsweek, November 17, 2007, http://www.newsweek.com/amazon-reinventing-book-96909.
[2] Ibid.

Kindle 2 Electronic Reading Device; Manufactured by Amazon.com (United States); USA; plastic, acrylic, aluminum; H x W x D: 20.3 x 13.5 x 0.9 cm (8 x 5 5/16 x 3/8 in.); Gift of amazon.com; 2009-53-2