Are you ready for a new Kindle?

If you got a Kindle for Christmas, you might soon be old school rather than cutting edge. This week, Seattle-based Amazon.com sent out invitations for a Feb. 9 press event in New York -- at the Morgan Library & Museum -- sparking rumors that a Kindle 2.0 announcement is on the way.

Apple and Steve Jobs started the tradition of inviting the media to a mysterious press event and then debuting a shiny new product. And the last time Amazon held such an event was in 2007 -- at which it announced the Kindle. The rumors are swiftly morphing into definitive headlines, like Fast Company's "Amazon's Kindle 2 E-Reader to Debut on February 9."

What would a Kindle upgrade entail? Richard Doherty, a consumer electronics analyst, told the L.A. Times:

"We're fairly sure that it will be a new Kindle, one that will feature an improved black-and-white, grayscale screen and a better battery life."

Electronics analyst Tim Bajarin says that the company would probably relocate the page-forward and page-back buttons. "The first generation was too clunky," he said. "I would have to believe they've improved it."

Jeff Axup, a Kindle owner who happens to have a PhD in interaction design, suggests that the Kindle could be improved by giving it the ability to communicate with other Kindles. He closes his detailed review of the Kindle's functionality with this idea:

"Another thing Amazon seems to have missed along with most other mobile device manufacturers, is that numerous connected mobile devices can form user communities. There is apparently no features on the Kindle itself that link me to the book reviews of my friends, or that allow me to rate the books I've read from my device and have it recorded on my Amazon account. Electronic book clubs could sponsor cheaper books and share reviews linked from the book itself. I could publish my own content from my Kindle to a larger community on Amazon. The opportunities for connecting people engaged in the activity of reading are huge, but currently the device doesn't really support it.... I'm really looking forward to 2.0.

You can see the Kindle 2.0 here -- at least, it's probably the Kindle 2.0. The site Boy Genius Report posted this leaked photo back in October; maybe we'll see more of it on Feb. 9.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Amazon.com

Comments

[LotusNectar]

They should focus on having more books available as Kindle downloads instead of just creating another gagdet. I have a Kindle and 70% of the books I want to download are not available.

[Mark Coker]

I like the Kindle, and an improved user interface and faster screen performance are welcome improvements.

But the Kindle has a bigger issue Amazon needs to address. How many units have really been sold? Stanza, the e-reading app for the iPhone, has been downloaded by over one million people. And there are other popular e-reading apps on the iPhone as well. The Kindle has sold only 200,000-300,000 units according to unsubstantiated rumors.

On February 9 at its press conference, Amazon has the challenge of telling the world why it matters as much as it did one year ago. It's time for them to come clean on the stats. I'm rooting for them, as I am for all the interesting ebook innovators out there. The future of ebooks is looking bright.

Mark Coker
Founder
Smashwords
http://www.smashwords.com

(disclosure: We're an indie ebook publisher. We have a relationship with Lexcycle, makers of Stanza)

[charlie]

another version? Already?

thanks, I'll stick to paper books, which were version 1.0 right from the start, still are and still work just fine.

[Jeff]

The new Kindle should also allow those of us who work and live overseas to use the Whispernet wireless connection.

[Henry Hutton]

I disagree with Mr. Axup. Amazon should strongly consider their market demographic for the Kindle before diving into social networking functionality. The Kindle is a book replacement device--it overcomes the inconvenience of acquiring and managing a personal library of printed books. Unlike the iPhone, the Kindle's purpose is limited to enabling book consumers to search, purchase, read, and store their books in a simple, efficient, and appealing manner. The technology doesn't get in the way, making it more like the iPod than the iPhone.

Sure--sharing reviews, ratings integration, self-publishing capability, community building--that's great functionality for the smaller tech-savvy user base, but it runs the risk of distracting and confusing the Kindle's core audience. We just want to buy and read ebooks--and the Kindle fills that need wonderfully.

I read books on the Kindle and on the iPhone, and have no desire to see the Kindle turn into a mobile phone or tablet PC. Of course, Amazon might be listening to users like Mr. Axup, and working to meet his needs. We'll know on Feb 9.

[Susie Green]

I thoroughly agree with Mr. Hutton's opinion on the use of the Kindle and could never have expressed it so well.

[Ron Burgin]

RE: Mr. Coker and the IPhone App.

Yes, I phone has an app for book reading. So did Palm 5 years ago. BUT the app is just one of thousands. People don't buy IPhone to read, so it really isn't too relevant how many $2.95 apps are sold, if it is only for the novelty of reading an out of copyright Twain novel.

I own a kindle and have read dozens of books on it. You just cannot compare the experience to an Iphone. I am sure the Amazon book sales volume per kindle is an order of magnitude higher than any current or future average sale per stanza app sold to an Iphone user.

Just my 2 cents worth.
Ron

Disclosure: Happy Kindle owner.

[Crystal]

Here's my issue: I ordered a Kindle for Christmas...backordered until April? The Kindle 2.0 will be released before I get the first one. Let people have a chance to obtain, form an opinion, enjoy or diapprove, make comments on the product, then make upgrades. Some of us haven't even gotten the first one we ordered.