The Kindle 2. 'Nuff said.

I’ve been using my Kindle 2 for the past 2 months (thanks to my wife for giving me one as a Christmas gift!) and being a bookworm and a gadget freak, it has now become an essential part of my daily gadget usage. I used to bring books whenever I travel, and having all my books in one nifty device indeed makes a huge difference. Though I know that the Kindle 2 has probably been reviewed a thousand times on the web, please allow me to share my personal experiences with you and outline the things that I love most about the device.

1. The Crisp e-Ink screen. I’ve read eBooks from the “now-defunct” Palm OS device, to Pocket PCs, to PSPs and Nintendo DS (yes you can!) and I must admit, nothing beats reading from an e-Ink screen! The screen is so crisp and light to the eyes that after a few seconds, you tend to forget that you’re reading a book on an electronic device. The “experience” was akin to reading on an actual book!

2. Long battery life. My Kindle 2 lasted for 2 weeks and 5 days without charging and with the wireless signal turned off. The last electronic device I had that lasted that long was my Gameboy Advance running on 4 AA batteries. It is clear that Amazon did a great job on integrating that e-Ink screen with the rest of the hardware.

3. Solid and sturdy shell. I have great admiration for companies who spend a lot on quality and Amazon recently made it to my top list (together with Apple and Nintendo) because of the Kindle 2′s solid design and sturdy construction. The device is so slim, at about 1/3 of an inch and lightweight–at approximately 10 ounces. I still suggest getting the Amazon leather case to protect the soft e-Ink screen though.

4. Adjustable fontsize. Ever bought a physical book only to find out that the fontsize is too small and hard to read? The built-in Kindle software allows you to tweak any book’s fontsize on the fly, which is especially great for older people (like me).

5. Over-the-air eBook delivery. Nothing beats having access to thousands of books (over 420,000 as Amazon claims) anywhere you go and anytime you want it! I haven’t been to our local bookstore since I got my Kindle and I don’t see myself going to local bookstores anymore. Amazon’s Whispernet does a great job of allowing Kindle users to browse the Kindle store straight from the device and download eBooks on the fly without the need for a computer.

6. Out of the box experience. As you may have guessed it, the Kindle 2 works as soon as you remove it from its box. The user-friendly on-screen instructions make sure that nothing goes wrong, from charging the device, to reading your first Kindle book. Amazon did a good job guiding Kindle customers through the setup process and made sure that registering an account is a breeze.

7. Internet on-the-go. The Kindle 2 actually has its own built-in browser and allows you to surf your favorite websites at no cost, yes you got it right–no monthly fees! I had to pay roughly US$25 per month to have unlimited internet access from my mobile phone and I get that FREE with my Kindle! My only issue with the device is that there are still some deadspots from where I live. I think it’ll take some time for Amazon to completely roll-out across Asia.

8. Huge memory for eBooks. The Kindle 2′s 2GB internal memory allows the user to store up to 1,500 digital books and bring it anywhere. If it supported external memory cards, that would be a huge plus but 1,500 books is already too much for me. I’ve also been saving a lot of space on my shelf since I got my Kindle 2.

9. Text-to-speech. Some eBooks purchased from the Kindle store allows you to have the device actually read the book out loud to you. Connect a surround speaker or a pair of noise-cancelling earphones and you’re good to go!

10. Free book samples. Remember when you used to visit your local bookstore and scan a few pages of a book before you actually purchase it? You can do that on the Kindle via Whispernet too. Whispernet is Amazon’s global wireless service. It allows you to download a sample of a book from their Kindle Store and read the first chapter before making a purchase.

11. Native PDF support. Yes, the Kindle can display PDF documents natively. If you have a couple of Acrobat documents (who doesn’t?) that you want to bring anywhere, there’s no stopping you.

Overall, I was immensely satisfied with the Kindle 2. It suits its purpose very well and does it brilliantly! Of course, no electronic device is perfect–even the Kindle 2 has its own set of drawbacks and limitations but I’ll write about that in another article. For now, if you are a book lover and enjoy reading so much, I highly recommend getting one! The price maybe steep at first but you’ll soon realize after weeks of using it that the investment is definitely worth it.
Oh, and I didn’t bother taking pictures because you can literally find tons from Google. Happy reading!