Amazon Kindle 2 review

Amazon’s Kindle, which has proved popular in the US, is finally available in the UK.

It doesn’t look like other eBook readers, with a keyboard below the display, but more importantly it has a built-in 3G modem that hooks straight into Amazon’s Kindle Store.

The mobile connection enables you to buy books, newspapers and magazines. These come in Amazon’s own proprietary eBook format (AZW), so can’t be read on other eBook readers, although PC software is available and there’s an iPhone app, too. If you know what you’re after, you can simply search the store, but the long lists of books aren’t ideal for browsing.

Prices, which are all in US dollars, are roughly equivalent to those from other online bookshops, although Amazon offers some good deals on current US bestsellers. You can subscribe to newspapers or magazines, which are automatically downloaded, with one month of The Times costing $23 (around £14). However, UK users will not get photos or images in newspapers or magazines. The 1.4GB of storage will store more than 1,000 eBooks, but a memory card slot would have been a useful addition.

The Kindle 2 is an international product, so you can use it pretty much anywhere in the world. It works on US mobile giant AT&T’s roaming network, but the exact UK mobile partner has not been disclosed, although coverage maps are available on Amazon’s Kindle page. It will fall back to GPRS when 3G coverage isn’t available. Even with 3G coverage, navigating the store is rather sluggish, taking up to five seconds to load each page.

You can also connect the Kindle to your PC via USB, but format support is limited compared to other readers. It will recognise standard text files, so you can get free classics from the vast collection at Project Gutenburg. Sadly, there’s no support for the popular Epub format, so it’s not suitable for those with an existing eBook collection. As we went to press, a firmware update added support for PDF documents, but there’s no zoom function to let you read small text.

The Kindle is slender, yet feels sturdy. The keyboard beneath the screen makes it a little larger and heavier than other readers, so it’s less comfortable to hold one-handed for long periods. There are Next Page buttons on both sides, but the only Previous Page control is on the left, whereas the main menu controls are on the right. These aren’t huge issues, but we prefer Sony’s original Reader, with its book-like cover and ambidextrous controls.

The keyboard has tiny keys and, like the main controls, they have very little travel. The original Kindle’s keys were angled inward, making it easier to type with your thumbs, and it’s a mystery why this new model doesn’t copy that design. Typing feels awkward, and using one finger instead of your thumbs isn’t much better. Thankfully, you’re unlikely to use the keyboard all that often.

Page turns are quicker than other readers. The menu shows all text sizes, so you can jump straight to your desired size instead of having to cycle through each, and it’s quick to reformat. While reading, you can use the tiny joystick navigation control to look up words in the built-in dictionary, or choose to add an annotation with the keyboard. Amazon doesn’t disclose the usual page turns rating for the battery life, but claims seven days of use with the wireless on and up to two weeks with it off.

An Experimental menu includes some work-in-progress features. There’s a basic MP3 player, and you can turn on text-to-speech mode, although the robotic voice completely mangles the natural rhythm of the prose. The web browser gives access to Wikipedia, but no other URLs are available.

To hold – and, most importantly, to read – we prefer Sony’s original Reader, though stock is running low and prices are rising. The Kindle is cheaper than other readers and better designed. We’re not big fans of proprietary formats, as once you’ve bought the hardware you’re stuck with the service provided. On the other hand, it’s great to be able to browse and buy books practically anywhere and without having to use a PC. If this convenience attracts you, then this is the eBook reader for you.