Kindle is completely wireless and ready to use right out of the box–no setup, no cables, no computer required. Kindle supports wall charging via the included Kindle power adapter, and charging from your computer via the included USB 2. Kindle fully charges in approximately 4 hours.
Kindle’s paperback size and expandable memory let you travel light with your library. Kindle has six adjustable font sizes to suit your reading preference. Kindle lets you download and read the beginning of any book for free.
Kindle’s high-resolution screen now boasts 16 shades of gray, so images and photos are sharper and clearer than ever. Kindle’s screen reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays. Kindle makes it easy to take your personal documents with you, eliminating the need to print.
Kindle is as easy to hold and use as a book. Books, newspapers, magazines and blogs are loaded onto the device wirelessly via Amazons free EVDO network (called WhisperNet) and are published in a proprietary format for the Kindle. Books take less than a minute to download, and their prices vary; new releases and New York Times bestsellers cost $10.
Kindle has a (somewhat primitive, at least compared to iPhone) browsing environment, but according to the Kindle User Guide, it does Javascript, SSL, and cookies, and supports downloading of a couple formats including unprotected MOBI files and TXT. Kindle Content Management: Baby Steps Forward Although Amazon fell short of fulfilling Kindle owners’ hopes for user-defined folders or Google-style labeling to help manage Kindle content, there is a half-measure of improvement in content management functionality.
Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones so you never have to locate a hotspot. Wireless Access with Whispernet&8482Whispernet utilizes Amazon’s optimized technology plus Sprint’s national high-speed (EVDO) data network to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, download, and read content on the go. The Kindle hardware devices use an electronic paper display and download content over Amazon Whispernet using the Sprint EVDO network.
The Sony PRS-505 ($300) is the sleeker of the two devices, the Kindle is the more revolutionary in that it has a free built-in wireless connection that allows you to tap into Amazon’s vast online bookstore from just about anywhere you can access Sprint’s EVDO cellular data network.
There is also still no Wi-Fi access, but, as with the first version, with its 3G cellular radio (supplied by Sprint) Kindle owners can purchase any of Amazons 230,000 titles anywhere where there is a signal from Sprint’s data network. Since its connected to Sprints wireless network, you can use it almost anywhere in the U.S..
Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen. I have ordered multiple Kindles to use in our family. Kindle remains by far the best dedicated ebook reader out there, and based on how often they sold out of original Kindles, Amazon will sell as many of these as they can make. You can also synchronize data between Kindles, and with the Whispersync system, you’ll likely soon be able to push books between mobile devices, like phones and maybe even netbooks.