New Hotness

Yesterday, upon my return from CSHALS 2009 (which was terrific, thank you very much!), I got to open up ("unbox" is the cool term for it) my new Kindle 2. You probably already know that I was (am) a huge fan of my old Kindle, and that I was a pretty early adopter of it.

Anyway, I think the Kindle 2 is a tangible improvement on all aspects of the original. I really like the new form factor; I haven't once pushed a button I didn't intend to push in the first place. The 5-way controller is just right for the interface, and while the original scroll wheel was well done I'm happier with the 5-way.

I like the slidey power switch at the top. Turns it on, turns it off, puts it to sleep, wakes it up, and resets it. Simple. And I think the Kindle 2 goes to sleep and wakes up faster than the original.

I was a little surprised when I got my Kindle 2 that it wasn't pre-registered for me. As an early adopter who ordered before 10th Feb, I got moved to the top of the list (so it actually arrived Wednesday, not Saturday), and maybe they just didn't have the time to do it. No matter, it took just a few minutes, and I got the opportunity to clean up my content a little bit (it's so nice that Amazon keeps all that stuff for me online).

I also got the Amazon Kindle 2 leather cover, and I really like it. I also liked the quirky cover that came with the original, because it really was just perfect for the Kindle, but the Kindle 2 cover is a very nice piece of work. I'm pretty sure my new Kindle isn't going to come loose from its cover occasionally anymore, as the new hinge is pretty clever and solid.

I loved my old Kindle. I love my Kindle 2 even more.