The Kindle 2 arrived this afternoon. For GeekTonic readers, I'm sharing the unboxing and first photos of the brand new Kindle 2 for all to see.
NOTE: IF you're a first time Kindle owner or plan to get one, be sure and check out the GeekTonic Kindle2 Owners Checklist and the Video Demo of the Kindle 2 text-to-speech feature
Read on for lots of photos and an unboxing video of the Kindle2.
This latest version of Amazon's e-book reader arrived in a specially branded Amazon Kindle packaging. My first thought on this thing is wow, this Kindle2 is really small. It's much smaller than the first Kindle and the package it's shipped in is very small - almost like a book :) No hardcopy, full operating manual is included this time. Instead you get the Kindle2, a quickstart guide and the USB cord/power adapter. That's it. Eliminating the manual and the Kindle cover definitely shrunk the shipping size, but I sure would have appreciated a cover like they included with the first Kindle.
The brown, eco-friendly cardboard box contains the Kindle 2 packed in a lightweight, black cardboard, egg-carton type package. Watch the video at the bottom of this post to get a better idea of the size.
Inside the package is a black, cardboard (almost egg carton feel) packaging holding the Kindle. The second photo below shows the Kindle, the cord still cradled in its packaging.
The Kindle 2 powercord is a standard USB mini USB cable with a small, two-prong adapter (nice because you can use the USB to charge from a PC as well as a wall outlet.
The quick-start booklet has the familiar "Kindle-Art" and contains the information most impatient owners (like me) will possibly read before trying out the device. The full, owners manual is available for download as a PDF and is of course stored on your Kindle for reading.
To get a feel for the size, I put my iPod Touch (in it's plastic case) next to the Amazon Kindle 2. The Kindle 2 is bigger, but not bulky by any means.
Below I have three "old-school books stacked next to the Kindle so you can get a feel for the size difference. There is the large, hardcover Harry Potter book, the smaller "The World is Flat" book and finally a paperback book all holding up the very thin Kindle2.
The Kindle plugs in with a mini-USB port at the bottom of the device. You can continue using the Kindle while plugged in if you want.
This thing is thin - very thin. Below I've attempted to demonstrate how it is easy to hold. (No I'll never get an offer as a hand model ;)
More photos of the Kindle2 Below:
Finally, the unboxing video with my professional average narration. Enjoy!
Note: I had some "technical" difficulties with the video editing so below you have the raw, unedited unboxing video
I'm spending some quality time with the Kindle 2 tonight and will have a "first look" post up on GeekTonic very soon with my thoughts after using it for a few hours.
