People have been asking me if I’m annoyed that the Kindle DX came out after I got the Kindle 2, but I’m actually relieved that the DX is what it is. It’s not a slimmer, lighter, faster version of what I have; it’s almost exactly the same thing in a larger form factor (more suitable for documents than books) and it looks like Amazon is going to keep improving both as separate products in the same family.

One of the reasons I got a Kindle is because I love reading books and I wanted to be able to read more often. I usually read on the subway, but I also like to travel lightly (before the iPhone I was an iPod mini/nano person) so I’d end up leaving heavier books at home half the time. With the Kindle, the size and weight issue is completely gone.

No matter what I’m reading, no matter what books (plural!) I have with me, it’s always 10.2 ounces and 8″ x 5.3″. If I’m squished between two people, or standing up and holding onto a pole, I can still hold it comfortably with one hand and easily go to the next page (a tricky maneuver if you have to turn physical pages with one hand).

Plus I like that when I’m looking at the text of a Kindle 2, it’s still the same size as a real book. It doesn’t feel like the device is altering my experience and pacing of a real novel. Having the text re-flowed to double that size would feel more like reading a Word document on a computer screen.

I would love it when I was in college, especially since college books are way heavier (and all the great features like searching text, seeing definitions of words right on the spot, exporting highlights/notes/bookmarks would be even more useful), but if I’m using it mostly for books the Kindle 2 is a better fit for me.