It’s finally available for preorder: the Amazon Kindle 2! The good news is that it has some nice new features, but it presents a few conundrums depending on where you are in the Kindle spectrum.

First, the high points of what’s new. Externally, the biggest differences are that it’s slimmer, not as angular, and the page turn buttons have been made smaller. The battery is no longer removeable by the user, so there’s no backplate to remove (or fall off).

In terms of function, page turning is 20 percent faster, and it displays sharper images and text, now showing sixteen shades of gray instead of the original four. It has built-in storage of 2 GB, and no on-board expansion card slots.

So, the big question is whether you should consider getting one. Like everything else, that all depends!

If you already have a Kindle 1, chances are you fall into one of two categories. The first is that you really like the latest and greatest things, and spending another $359 doesn’t turn you off. If that’s the case, heck – buy one! However, if you’re like me – the Kindle 1 is perfectly fine and I have other things to spend the money on – stick with it until it croaks. By that time the Kindle 3 (or 4) will be out, and you can just leapfrog ahead.

If you’ve ordered a Kindle 1 and your order is still backlogged, you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of canceling the order and ordering a Kindle 2. Another option would be to cancel the order and snap up a bargain on a Kindle 1 from the folks who are selling them off and buying Kindle 2’s.

If you don’t have a Kindle yet, but have been thinking of getting one, now is probably a great time to do it, either going straight to the Kindle 2, or saving some money and getting pretty much the same reading experience (which is what it’s all about!) with a used or on-sale Kindle 1.

For myself, I’ve got a Kindle 1, and plan to stick with it until it croaks. I think the Kindle 2 is cool, but I don’t think it’s $359 cool. I’m hoping that by the time mine gives up the ghost, the Kindle 3 or 4 will be out, and I can leapfrog ahead! But that’s just me – check out the Kindle 2 and see what you think, or save some bucks and grab up a Kindle 1.

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