Get ready for Kindle 2.0 in 2009!

Nov 27 2008

Okay, I lied. I said I wasn’t going to post anything today, being Thanksgiving, but I just can’t help myself!

With the holiday season now upon us, 2009 is just around the corner. While I can’t believe how fast 2008 sped by, I always look forward to a new year and see it as a time for new beginnings and more progress.

Amazon apparently has that same philosophy, and according to this TechCrunch post, will be unveiling the new Kindle 2.0 sometime in the first quarter of 2009. The changes being reported are mostly cosmetic, with the new Kindle being thinner than the original. But it’s also said that the new Kindle will resolve some pesky button issues that users currently suffer from (ie. turning the page accidently).

My interest, however, is mainly in the changes Amazon will make to the firmware, if any. Will the new Kindle make it easier to download ebooks not in Amazon’s proprietary format? Will users be able to back-up their Kindle content onto a computer (last I head, this was not possible which means if you lost your Kindle, you lost all the ebooks you purchased/downloaded. But that might have changed already)?

Other questions I’ll be interested in is the price. Will the new Kindle be cheaper than the original, like Apple did with the iPhone 3G? And will they keep ebook prices the same on Amazon’s website? They have seemed to hit a fairly tolerable price-point a $9.99 for most ebooks. However, that is still a little pricey, especially when you consider that mass market paperbacks usually run a few bucks cheaper.

I don’t own a Kindle, and come to think of it, have actually never seen one save for pictures on the internet and on television. If the price on the device came down significantly, I’d seriously consider one. But as for now, I’m very content to use my trusty iPhone for all my ebook reading needs!

2 Responses

You are showing that you do not own a Kindle. If you lost your Kindle and replaced it, every book you bought from Amazon is still yours — they back up everything themselves. Plus you can download everything on your Kindle including items bought elsewhere than Amazon, and save it on your computer hard drive. Then copy it back to your Kindle if necessary. But it can be only used on your own Kindle, and cannot be used on anyone else’s Kindle, but can be restored to a replacement Kindle which Amazon has identified by your account number.

Charles F. Wilkes 11/27/2008 9:07 pm
Hi Charles!
Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate it!
You are right, I don’t own a Kindle. In the above post, I was referring to an article I read shortly after the Kindle was first released, where the reporter lost her Kindle and was unable to get any of her books back. I’ve tried to find the link to the article, but have not been successful.
I’m glad you have been able to shed some more light on this issue. Thanks again for your comment!
Brad

Brad 11/27/2008 9:24 pm