Gone are slant angles in favor of a flat white, rectangular design. You could call it a plain Jane. And if the scuttle butt is correct, the picture you see above is the 2nd version of what some believe is the best ebook reader on the market … the Kindle. And it may be here after Amazon’s press conference February 9th. Man, I didn’t think basic could look so ugly.

It’s longer, but thinner. A larger screen is promised. And with 2.0, button placement issues that plagued the first model have been solved. In addition to rearranging the buttons, they have been made a tad smaller in an effort to address the accidental page turning issues. And even though it’s thinner, reports say it weighs a bit more to give it a more solid feel in the hand. Interesting. But all in all, aside from a new coat of paint (and not an attractive one at that) the Kindle 2 is reported to be the same basic feature set as Kindle 2, just thinner. The Kindle 2 will also drop an AC adapter in favor of USB charging set up, which as Kodak users can attest is an exercise in frustration at best. Also part of the redesign is a joystick, which is replacing the scroll wheel. A joy stick? What is it, a book reader or an Xbox?
I dunno, I like the feel of a book in my hands, but there’s no denying that being able to carry one platform that has several books at your fingertips can certainly be attractive to a traveler, and the ability to purchase and download near instantly on it’s wifi connection is a definite plus. It’s just too bad Amazon didn’t go with a nice black finish, rather than this white bread look yet again.

Hat Tip – Crave