Kindle 2
Amazon has announced the successor to their eBook industry-starting Kindle, the aptly named Kindle 2. As far as crafting an update to a wildly popular product goes, Amazon has done very well here. They have kept the obvious successful features (wireless book downloads, slim form factor, decent screen), and added just a few new features (new button layout, text-to-speech, thinner form factor) for some pizzazz.
eBook readers have been a part of the technology world for over a decade, under many different names. Despite what should be an obvious appeal of taking your entire library with you anywhere you are, they have never taken off until the original Kindle. In my mind the reason for this is the same reason that digital music never really took off until the appearance of the iTunes store: consumers want their name-brand content, not generic content.
The Kindle, and now the Kindle 2, can deliver all the content that is available through bookstores to you quickly and at a much lower price point. And, you don’t need to worry about losing your content if you lose your Kindle; anytime you want to redownload from Amazon it’s right there.
Like Apple updating a wildly popular iPod with a new version to buy, the Kindle 2 will draw in new customers while tempting existing customers to upgrade.