The latest generation of Amazon’s Wireless reading device named Kindle 2, was unveiled last week. A lot of bug fixes and aesthetic checks have gone into Kindle 2, which makes it a definite improvement on the older version.With a sleek design, faster speed and large capacity, this marvel has already started raking in raves from around the world.

Priced at $359 (yes, agreed that not everything good is cheap), Kindle 2 comes with the following features:

Advanced Design -

• Sleek & Trim – weighs only about 10.2 ounces and is lighter than a typical paperback.
• Easy to use or navigate – No computer required for this. Kindle has a new easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words.
• Improved speed – Wireless ready with a Fast 3G network, Kindle can download books from Amazon in just a minute or less. Wireless access is provided (at no charge) via Whispernet, which utilizes Amazon’s optimized technology to download content on the go. Besides, this is not like WiFi – you don’t need to look for hotspots (currently covers all the 50 states in the United States).
• Larger capacity – With a capacity to hold olver 1500 books, Kindle 2 eliminates the requirement to pick and choose books to carry while on travel. Also, Amazon backs up a copy of every book you purchased online in case you want to download them later – which makes it easier for you to make room for new titles on Kindle.
• Longer Battery Life – With wireless on, you can read on up to 4 days without having to recharge. Turn wireless off and you get up to 2 weeks! You can also easily charge the device via USB with the included power adapter, or directly plugging in to the USB 2.0 outlet of your computer.

Enhanced Reading -

• Paper-like screen – Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white 6″ screen with the same appearance and readability of printed paper. The screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. And unlike a laptop or smart phone, Kindle never gets warm so you can comfortably read as long as you like.
• Sharper Display of Images and Photos – Kindle’s high-resolution screen now boasts 16 shades of gray, so images and photos are sharper and clearer than ever. You can also read under sunlight with no glare on the screen.
• Adjustable text size – Six adjustable font sizes to suit your reading preference gives the user the option to read without the eyes getting tired.
• Text-to-Speech – With the in-built Read-to-me feature, Kindle can read out every newspaper, magazine, blog and book out loud. Pages automatically turn while the content is being read, so you can listen hands-free and listen on the go.
• Built-in keyboard – You don’t need a computer anymore. Kindle comes in with a built-in QWERTY keyboard, using which you can add annotations, edit, delete and export your notes.

For a full set of features, go directly to Amazon’s Kindle 2 product page.

That’s for the pros, and as for the cons:

• Personally I would have loved this to have a backlight option to make night reading easier, but I guess I still have to depend on my old booklight.
• Yes, you noticed it – cost. $359 dollars for the device (and about $60 in case you want to go for a new battery) is slightly over priced for a lot of people.
• Does not come with a casing – Amazon forgot to throw in a casing for Kindle as part of the package, though it’s available in case you want to buy it separately.
• US only – International users may need to wait till Amazon considers getting the device wireless enabled in other parts of the world. But currently this is available in all 50 states in the US.
• No color – It supports about 6 shades of gray, but no color – yet. But I guess most users would find it ok, because it still lets them read a book just like a book.
• Navigation is still a bit jittery – Most of the menus in Kindle are presented in list, and though the new five-way controller makes it easy to navigate through text, jumping through a list is still one-step at a time.

Hopefully, the next Kindle version would have a touchscreen and larger display with colors, but that’s something you might have to wait till the end of the year, and could be priced higher with much more advanced and user-friendly features. But for now, if you are a hard core reader who like to travel and cover a lot of books in one sitting, it’s a good reason for you to go get a Kindle 2.