The Chronic Consumer

Well, just as I feared, a second-generation Kindle is going to be available in a couple of weeks. I bought my Kindle back in July, meaning that a mere seven months later, it’s already outdated. I hate when stuff like this happens, but I guess that’s always a risk with gadgets and tech toys.

Anyway, the new Kindle 2 doesn’t strike me as so different from the first generation version that I have to run right out and buy another one (which I couldn’t afford even if I wanted it). It’s got a different design, the page turn buttons are shorter, and the keyboard has circular keys instead of the angular ones on the old model.

The software has been improved a bit too, with faster page turns, more shades of gray for sharper images and better readability, and more internal memory. Inexplicably, however, Amazon did away with the SD memory card slot, so you can’t expand the memory at all.

The new Kindle costs the same as the old one, $359. But the new one doesn’t come with the standard faux leather case — now you have to pay an extra $30 for it.

I have a feeling that my first-generation Kindle is going to be just fine for at least a couple more years. Maybe I’ll jump back in when Kindle 5 is on sale!