

Kindle 2 was briefly available only in America. This feature allowed the blind to listen to regular books thanks to a speech synthesis program. Kindle 2 added to its audio capabilities by introducing text-to-speech or TTS.

The original had a speaker that let you listen to music in the MP3 format as well as audiobooks. Battery life was raised, as was the size of Amazon’s digital library. Internal storage was increased to 2GB, which meant you could keep a library of thousands of books. The page-turning buttons were smaller and harder to press accidentally while the scroll wheel was made smaller and more functional. Kindle 2 was $50 cheaper at launch and saw further price reductions down the line.Īmazon ditched the original’s wedge-like shape and made the reader flat. Four contrast levels were replaced by sixteen, and page-turning speed was optimized. Amazon took customers’ complaints to heart and made improvements across the board. Kindle’s second iteration arrived less than two years after the original. The original only had 256MB of storage but could be expanded with an SD card. The reader’s 400MHz processor and web browser were sluggish, and the screen turned black briefly each time you turned a page. Its battery lasted a week at best, the screen had only four contrast levels, and the design was both bulky and unattractive.
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You could download the first chapter of a book for free before buying, though.įor all of its breakthroughs, the original Kindle had some noticeable shortcomings. The selection of books, journals, periodicals, and other content was extensive but also pricey. You could access the Amazon store, download books, or browse Wikipedia pages from anywhere for free over Sprint’s 3G network. There was also a rubberized scroll wheel to make navigation easier along with a physical keyboard for text input.ģG wireless connection was another big selling point. A touchscreen was still a ways off, so you had to turn the page using two large buttons to the left of the screen. It had a 6-inch display with a resolution of 600×800 and 168 pixels per inch or PPI. It might not seem so now, but the original’s specs were impressive at the time. This was thanks mainly to superior performance and Amazon’s vast catalog of books and other written media. It wasn’t the first reader to use E-Ink, but the original Kindle left its competition behind. Despite costing $399, it sold out mere hours after appearing on Amazon, and it took months for new stock to arrive. Kindle made its debut in 2007 and was sold exclusively in the USA. Keep in mind that we focus on the e-readers only – Kindle Fire tablets are a topic that deserves its own article. You’ll also have a better idea which Kindle type to get if you don’t have one yet. By the time you’re finished, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of how your Kindle came to be. It examines every type of Kindle e-reader released so far, showcasing their characteristics, improvements, and flaws. Now you can take the Kindle to the beach, read at night without disturbing your partner, or share favorite passages with friends across multiple social media sites.īut how did we get to the diverse options we have today? This article takes a closer look at Kindle’s history. The device has come far from the expensive, clunky slab of white plastic that took the world by storm in 2007. It uses Electronic Ink technology to display your favorite books, comics, and documents in a way that simulates real paper almost perfectly. 3D Insider is ad supported and earns money from clicks, commissions from sales, and other ways.Īmazon’s Kindle is the world’s best-known e-reader.
