Amazon Kindle 2: all the details revealed

Amazon.com's CEO Jeff Bezos has finally unveiled the new Amazon Kindle 2 electronic reader at a press launch event at New York's Morgan Library and Museum on Madison Ave earlier today.

As expected, the Kindle 2 is slimmer, faster, crisper, brighter and altogether better than its predecessor. It also comes with a load of new books, newspapers and other content for Kindle users to read on their shiny new device.

Whether or not the Kindle will appeal to US eBook consumers more so than Sony's forthcoming refresh of its eReader remains to be seen. For now though, let's just look at what's new with Kindle 2.

Improvements in all areas

According to the press release that just dropped into our inbox, Amazon's "new reading device… offers Kindle's revolutionary wireless delivery of content in a new slim design with longer battery life, faster page turns, over seven times more storage, sharper images, and a new read-to-me feature."

Kindle 2 packs in a high-res 6-inch electronic paper display "that looks and reads like real paper, which lets users read for hours without the eyestrain caused by reading on a backlit display."

Amazon.com is also quick to remind us that over 230,000 books are now available in the Kindle Store, "including 103 of 110 current New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases," most of which cost around $9.99.

"Top U.S. and international magazines and newspapers plus more than 1,200 different blogs are also available."

$359 for US eBook buyers

Kindle 2 is available for pre-order starting today for $359 for US consumers, with the release date set for 24 February. So you'll have to think of something else to buy your loved one for Valentines this year, we're afraid.

"Kindle 2 is everything customers tell us they love about the original Kindle, only thinner, faster, crisper, with longer battery life, and capable of holding hundreds more books. If you want, Kindle 2 will even read to you — something new we added that a book could never do," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO.

"While we're excited about Kindle 2, we know that great hardware is useless without vast selection," says Bezos, adding that the Kindle 2 is just under a third of an inch thick (0.36 inches), weights just over 10 ounces and features new buttons to make it easier to turn the page.

A new 5-way controller on Kindle 2 "allows for more precise note-taking and highlighting both up and down and side to side in lines of text [and] makes it easy to quickly jump between articles and sections of newspapers."

So many shades of gray

"Kindle 2's 6-inch, 600 x 800 electronic paper display provides 16 shades of gray versus 4 shades available in the original Kindle, resulting in crisp text, and sharper images and photos."

Kindle 2's 2 GB in-built memory can hold more than 1,500 books, while improved battery tech gives you 25 per cent longer battery life so "Kindle 2 customers can read for four to five days on one charge with wireless on and for over two weeks with wireless turned off."

What else is new? Kindle 2 comes with the New Oxford American Dictionary and its 250,000 word definitions built-in as well as an 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.

Finally, Stephen King announced today that he is releasing a novella, 'Ur', exclusively on Kindle.

For more check out amazon.com/kindle2.