As I have written about before, I am not a huge fan of the first version of the Amazon Kindle device. Don’t get me wrong: the concept is fantastic, and I applaud Amazon for basically creating an entire market from scratch. However, I think the Kindle device itself feels “prototype-y” and… well.. kludgy. In fact, I mused that it was SO kludgy that Amazon was looking for someone to do the hardware device right, so it could focus on media and content distribution.

I’m not sure if their plans changed or not, but however they arrived at the decision to create the Kindle 2, they seem to have done a very, very good job. Here are some screenshots and a brief discussion. Supposedly, it will be released on Monday, February 9th, and available later in the month. The price point will be the same as the original Kindle: $349.

I sure hope this boosts Amazon’s stock and ushers in mainstream adoption of the (currently niche) ebook market. The iPhone offering, while nice, just isn’t large enough to be used effectively, in my opinion – and also only offers public-domain content.

And for what it’s worth, I still think the Readius is very cool, and that Amazon should partner with them.

Ever since Amazon released their Kindle Reader, I’ve maintained that is pretty much a proof-of-business-concept for them; I don’t think Amazon wants to be in the hardware business, and instead wants someone else to handle the device, while they sell the media. While the Kindle is very cool, it strikes me as a first-gen prototype that COULD have been designed a bit more gracefully. So, my theory is that Amazon, after waiting a few years for someone else to do it, finally lost patience with the slow pace of ebook up-take, and is jump-starting a new sales channel for themselves.

That’s why this device called the Readius intrigues me so much. It’s a very cool and sleek looking device based on the same display technology as the Kindle.. and it doesn’t appear to have content partnerships lined up. Amazon wants to sell content, and these guys want to sell devices.. seems like a match made in heaven to me!