Kindle 2 Can Read To You In Bed At Night

We didn't really pay attention to the release of the upcoming Kindle 2 from Amazon until we saw a video of the very sleek ( 1/3" thick) ebook reader.

Yesterday Amazon sent us an email saying Kindle 2 is available for pre-order for $359 now. It will be released Feb. 24.

Features: The new Kindle 2 is much thinner and sleeker (think iPhon-ish) than the original. The 3G wireless lets you download books, newspapers, blogs etc. directly to your Kindle. It uses free "Whispersync" cellular radio from Sprint, so there are no Wi-Fi hotspots or computer needed. It takes 60 seconds to download a book; the charge holds for days or maybe weeks.

Kindle 2 can read everything out loud -- for when you're driving; or at night in bed, it can read to you like mom used to (assuming your mother was a droid).

According to Computerworld, some owners of the original Kindle said the 2GB of storage offered in the Kindle 2 won't be enough. But a Kindle 2 spokesperson told them, "That's room for 1,500 books," and that any book a Kindle user buys is backed up on Amazon's servers. Techcrunch says the 2 has more than seven times the storage of the first Kindle. PC Magazine lists 10 things you should know, both good and bad (bad: there's no color; good: it's not going to kill books, just make it easier to buy more of them).

A Canadian company, Shortcovers, on the other hand, will soon be launching an app for the iPhone, the BlackBerry, and Android operating system that will let you read book chapters on your smartphone. Not as much razzle-dazzle (and harder on the eyes) but cheaper, at least initially.

(Eventually, McBrooklyn intends to stream content to the Kindle, as soon as we learn how to work the little doohickey.)

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