Reviews for Amazon Kindle

As a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon, the Amazon Kindle is mainly used for rendering and displaying e-books and other digital media. Four hardware devices, known as "Kindle", "Kindle 2″, a third generation device simply called the "Kindle", and "Kindle DX" support this platform. However, most reviewers, customers and press companies refer to this latest generation Kindle as the "Kindle 3″. Kindle software applications exist for Microsoft Windows, iOS, BlackBerry, Mac OS X and Android. Amazon's first hardware device, the Kindle First Generation, was released only in the United States on November 19, 2007. The latest hardware device, the 3rd generation Kindle with 3G support for use in 100 countries and territories, was announced on July 28, 2010.

The Kindle hardware devices use an E Ink brand electronic paper display that features 16 shades of gray. Early Kindles wirelessly downloaded content over Amazon's Whispernet using the Sprint EVDO network in the USA. Newer Kindle 2 devices use AT&T's network and its roaming partners for international wireless access. The Kindle hardware device is used without a computer connection, and Amazon Whispernet is accessible without any monthly fee or wireless subscription. All Kindle models (except the Kindle Wi-Fi) provide free access to the Internet in the U.S. over cellular networks, although fees can be incurred for the delivery of periodicals and other content when roaming internationally beyond the customer's home country. The Kindle does not preserve the print edition page numbers used for creating and verifying sources, references and citations.

Through a technology called "Whispersync", customers can connect reading progress, bookmarks and other information across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices.

Amazon announced the Kindle DX on May 6, 2009. This device has a larger screen than the standard Kindle and supports simple PDF files. It also is the thinnest Kindle to date and offers an accelerometer, which enables the user to seamlessly rotate pages between landscape and portrait orientations when the Kindle DX is turned on its side. It is marketed as more suitable for displaying newspaper and textbook content.

Amazon released the Kindle for PC application free of charge, allowing users to read Kindle books on a Windows PC.Amazon later released a version for the Macintosh. Versions for mobile devices running on operating systems from Research in Motion, Apple and Google are also available free of charge. None of these alternate versions can currently read newspapers, magazines, or blogs, the way they are readable on the Kindle device itself.

With the announcement of the third generation Kindle in July 2010, Amazon also launched an Amazon.co.uk version of the Kindle store. Users can transfer their account between the two stores and book purchases will be transferred, however archived periodicals will not be transferred automatically and require manual backup.

Kindle (Original)

On February 10, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle 2. It became available for purchase on February 23, 2009. The Kindle 2 features, a text-to-speech option to read the text aloud, and 2 GB of internal memory of which 1.4 GB is user-accessible. Amazon estimates that the Kindle 2 will hold about 1500 non-illustrated books. Unlike the Kindle First Generation, Kindle 2 does not have a slot for SD memory cards. It was slimmer than the original Kindle.

It is the only Kindle with expandable memory, via an SD card slot. The device features a 6 inch (diagonal) 4-level grayscale display, with 250 MB of internal memory, which can hold approximately 200 non-illustrated titles.

Amazon did not sell the Kindle First Generation outside the United States. Plans for a launch in the UK and other European countries were delayed by problems with signing up suitable wireless network operators.

Kindle 2

On February 10, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle 2. It became available for purchase on February 23, 2009. The Kindle 2 features, a text-to-speech option to read the text aloud, and 2 GB of internal memory of which 1.4 GB is user-accessible. Amazon estimates that the Kindle 2 will hold about 1500 non-illustrated books. Unlike the Kindle First Generation, Kindle 2 does not have a slot for SD memory cards. It was slimmer than the original Kindle.

To promote the new Kindle, author Stephen King made UR, his then-new novella, available exclusively through the Kindle Store. on October 22, 2009, Amazon stopped selling the original Kindle 2 in favor of the international version it had introduced earlier in the month.

According to an early review by iFixIt, the Kindle 2 features a Freescale 532 MHz, ARM-11 90 nm processor, 32 MB main memory, 2 GB moviNAND flash storage and a 3.7 V 1530 mAh lithium polymer battery.

On November 24, 2009, Amazon released a firmware update for the Kindle 2 that it said increases battery life by 85% and introduces native PDF support.

The Kindle 2 was criticized On July 8, 2009, Amazon reduced the price of the Kindle 2 to $299. On October 7, 2009, Amazon further reduced the price of the Kindle 2 to $259 for its high original retail price of US$359, compared to the $185.49 iSuppli estimated it costs to manufacture.

Kindle 2 international version

On October 7, 2009, Amazon announced an international version of the Kindle 2 that works in over 100 countries. It became available October 19, 2009. The international Kindle 2 is physically very similar to the U.S.-only model, although it uses a different mobile network standard.

The original Kindle 2 uses CDMA2000, for use on the Sprint network. The international version uses standard GSM and 3G GSM, enabling it to be used on AT&T’s U.S. mobile network and internationally in 100 other countries.

Kindle 2 International Version is believed to have a noticeably higher contrast screen, although Amazon does not advertise this.

On October 22, Amazon lowered the price on the international version from $279 to $259 and discontinued the U.S.-only model. On June 21, 2010, hours after Barnes & Noble lowered the price of its Nook, Amazon lowered the price of the Kindle 2 to $189, undercutting the Nook by $10.

Kindle DX International

Since January 19, 2010, the Kindle DX International ships in 100 countries. The Kindle DX comes with a 9-inch E Ink screen instead of the 6 inch normal Kindle screen.

Kindle DX Graphite (Latest Generation)

On July 1, 2010, Amazon released a new revision of the Kindle DX (3rd Generation Kindle DX). As well as dropping the price from $489 to $379, the new Kindle DX has an e-ink screen with 50% better contrast ratio and comes only in a “graphite” color. It is speculated the color change is to improve contrast ratio perception even further, as some users found the previous white casing highlighted the fact that the e-ink background is gray and not white.

Kindle 3 (WiFi only and 3G+WiFi, Latest Generation)

Amazon announced a new generation of the Kindle on July 28, 2010.While Amazon does not officially add numbers to the end of each Kindle denoting its generation, most reviewers, customers and press companies refer to this updated Kindle as the “Kindle 3″.

The Kindle 3 is available in two versions. One of these, the Kindle Wi-Fi, is initially priced at US$139 / GB£109, and connects to the Internet exclusively via public or private Wi-Fi networks.The other version, considered a replacement to the Kindle 2, is priced at US$189 / GB£149 and includes both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity.The new Kindle with 3G is available in two colors: classic white and graphite. Both models use the new E-ink “Pearl” display, which Amazon claims is 50% better in contrast – a claim that is backed up by early user reports.

Among other hardware changes Kindle 3 has a larger 1750 mAh lithium polymer battery, AnyDATA DTP-600W 3G GSM modem and Atheros AR6102G 802.11bg WiFi chip.

The third generation Kindle is 0.5 inches shorter and 0.5 inches narrower than the Kindle 2. It supports additional fonts and international Unicode characters. An experimental browser based on the popular WebKit platform is included, as well as text-to-speech menu navigation. Internal memory is expanded to 4 GB. The battery can allegedly last for up to one month of reading with the wireless radios turned off.

Pre-orders for the new Kindle began concurrent with the announcement of the device, and Amazon began shipping the devices on August 27, 2010 in the United States and United Kingdom.

On August 1, 2010 both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk announced that both of the models were temporarily sold out. Pre-orders taken at and after the time of announcement will be expected to ship “on or before September 17th”.

With the announcement of the Kindle 3, Amazon also launched an Amazon.co.uk version of the Kindle store. As yet it’s unclear whether users who move out the UK will be able to transfer existing purchases to Amazon.com . However, existing UK users are offered the option of migrating to the UK Kindle store, with no loss to their existing purchases.

On August 25, 2010, Amazon announced that the Kindle 3 was the fastest-selling Kindle ever.

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