Amazon Kindle 2 delayed until early next year

The Kindle 2 e-book reader, revealed in an early October leak, is apparently delayed until the first quarter of 2009 because of software issues, according to a Tuesday report from TechCrunch. Even the early 2009 release is tentative and this means the second-generation of the hot-selling device from Amazon will miss the holiday season, which will hurt its overall sales numbers. At the same time, a student version with a larger screen is expected to launch in the first half of 2009.

A Sprint 3G EVDO data connection is included at no monthly cost with every Kindle and allows users to receive newly purchased content or their periodic digital newspaper or magazine subscriptions. The second-generation of the device is longer than the original while being slimmer and addresses many complaints users had with the original device. It is also expected to be less costly than the current $360 device, perhaps even as low as $250.

The Kindle uses an e-paper display that does not require energy to display text, drawing current only when it's necessary to change the image.