New Amazon Kindle Version Released
The Hand-Held Electronic Reader is Updated
Amazon recently released the Kindle 2; a newer, smaller version of the Amazon Kindle. The Kindle is a small, hand-held reader that was originally introduced in 2008. It allows the user to read newspapers, books and blogs on the reader after they are purchased and loaded onto the Kindle with its wireless connection.
Changes to the Amazon Kindle
Making the experience of reading on a Kindle like reading on paper has always been the aim of the creators of the Amazon Kindle. To make the experience more realistic, there have been several changes to make holding and looking at the Kindle feel more like reading a book or newspaper rather than like reading an ebook on a screen.
The new Amazon Kindle has the same capability as the old model for downloading books, ebooks and other items with its own tiny modem. The new version also has what Amazon calls Whispersync technology. This allows a user to pause their reading on their new Kindle and then to pick up from that same point with another Kindle.
The new Kindle is thinner than the old version at only 0.36 thick. This newer, lighter electronic reader weighs just 10.2 ounces and can download books in less than a minute. The new Amazon Kindle is also able to display more of gray on screen than the first version. Older models could display four shades while the new Kindle can display 16.
To keep the Kindle user able to read for a longer period, the new Kindle has a battery that lasts 25 percent longer than the one in the original Kindle. The memory capacity for storing books on the Kindle is now larger, allowing the Kindle 2 to store as many as 1,500 books. When a user is reading those books, it turns pages onscreen 20 percent faster than the old model.
The Popularity of the Amazon Kindle
Amazon has not offered sales figures for the Kindle and has not commented on estimates about the number of Kindles sold. Industry experts have estimated that Amazon has sold about 500,000 units since the Kindle was unveiled in 2008. Part of this success has been attributed to its endorsement by Oprah Winfrey as one of her favorite possessions.
As the Kindle has grown more popular, more books have been made available for wireless download by the device. Some authors, such as Stephen King, have released content that available only on the Kindle. According to Amazon, there are more than 230,000 books now available for download to the Kindle. Amazon also make newspaper and blog subscriptions possible with the Kindle. The Kindle downloads the subscriptions automatically and does not require a computer for any of its downloads.
The Amazon Kindle
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