After Hours

Gallery: Amazon releases Kindle 2.0

By // February 9, 2009, 4:54 AM PST

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  • Amazon updates its Kindle 2.0 e-book (left) with a slimmer design, a 6-inch 600 x 800 display that provides 16 shades of gray versus 4 shades in Kindle 1 (right), 2GB of memory that holds more than 1,500 books, and 25 percent more battery life.

    For more, Larry Dignan's live blog. You can click on any image to enlarge. Kindle 2.0 will cost $359 and is expected to be available to ship on February 24.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

  • Kindle 2.0 features a reconfigured keyboard and more control options.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

  • Kindle 2 offers the experimental read-to-me feature “Text-to-Speech” that converts words on a page to spoken word so customers have the option to read or listen.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

  • Amazon's Jeff Bezos runs the show during the launch festivities.

    Credit: Larry Dignan

  • Bezos shows off Kindle 2.0 on the big screen.

    Credit: Jason Perlow

  • Novelist Stephen King wrote a novella about the Kindle called UR. Downloads cost $2.99.

    Credit: Larry Dignan

  • Kindle 2.0 fits into your hand.

    Credit: Jason Perlow

  • The 16 shades of gray add some life to graphics.

    Credit: Jason Perlow

  • The Kindle Store currently offers more than 230,000 books, including 103 of 110 current New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases, which are typically sold for $9.99.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

  • At about one third of an inch thick, Kindle 2 is thinner than its predecessor.

    Credit: Larry Dignan

  • At the announcement, everyone wanted to try out the new e-book.

    Credit: Larry Dignan

  • Trying out Kindle 2.0.

    Credit: Larry Dignan

  • Kindle 2.0 in action - at the beach.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

  • Kindle 2.0 is 0.36-inches thick.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

  • E-book sales have leaped since the introduction of the Kindle in November 2007.

    Credit: Larry Dignan

  • At a bus stop.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

  • Customers of Kindle 2.0 can use Amazon's WhisperNet to wirelessly shop the Kindle Store, download or receive new content in less than 60 seconds, and read from their library - without a PC, Wi-Fi hot spot, or syncing.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

  • And of course, every Kindle needs a nifty carry case.

    Credit: Jason Perlow

  • At a coffee shop with The New York Times.

    Photo credit: Amazon.com

Related Topics:

Innovation Hardware Tech & Work

Amazon updates its Kindle 2.0 e-book (left) with a slimmer design, a 6-inch 600 x 800 display that provides 16 shades of gray versus 4 shades in Kindle 1 (right), 2GB of memory that holds more than 1,500 books, and 25 percent more battery life.

For more, Larry Dignan's live blog. You can click on any image to enlarge. Kindle 2.0 will cost $359 and is expected to be available to ship on February 24.

Photo credit: Amazon.com

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