{"id":6033,"date":"2009-02-09T22:38:47","date_gmt":"2009-02-09T17:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=6033"},"modified":"2026-10-15T13:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:25:26","slug":"buy-amazon-kindle-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Kindle 2 (2009): Specs, Price and Does It Still Work in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>amazon kindle 2<\/strong> was released in February 2009 as Amazon&#8217;s second-generation wireless reading device. It was slimmer than the first Kindle, with longer battery life, faster page turns, more storage, a sharper screen and a new read-to-me feature. Here is what it offered, whether it still works in 2026, and which Kindle to buy today.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-67145\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle-2-2026-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Amazon Kindle 2 from 2009 and Kindle in 2026\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle-2-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle-2-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle-2-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle-2-2026-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle-2-2026.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> The Kindle 2 launched at $359 with a 6-inch E Ink screen, 2 GB of storage and free 3G Whispernet. It has no Wi-Fi, so after the old cellular networks closed it lost wireless access and can now only receive books by USB. For reading in 2026, a current Kindle is the better choice.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aec93709dfcb\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aec93709dfcb\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/#Amazon_Kindle_2_features_in_2009\" >Amazon Kindle 2 features in 2009<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/#Does_the_Amazon_Kindle_2_still_work_in_2026\" >Does the Amazon Kindle 2 still work in 2026?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/#Which_Kindle_to_buy_instead_of_the_Kindle_2\" >Which Kindle to buy instead of the Kindle 2<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/#When_was_the_Amazon_Kindle_2_released\" >When was the Amazon Kindle 2 released?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/#How_much_did_the_Kindle_2_cost\" >How much did the Kindle 2 cost?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/#Does_the_Kindle_2_have_Wi-Fi\" >Does the Kindle 2 have Wi-Fi?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/02\/buy-amazon-kindle-2\/#How_do_I_put_books_on_an_old_Kindle_2\" >How do I put books on an old Kindle 2?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Amazon_Kindle_2_features_in_2009\"><\/span>Amazon Kindle 2 features in 2009<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-6036\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle2.jpg\" alt=\"Amazon Kindle 2 e-reader with keyboard\" width=\"62\" height=\"110\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Kindle 2 was slimmer than the original and weighed just over 10 ounces. New buttons made pages easy to turn, and pages turned 20 percent faster than on the first Kindle. A new 5-way controller allowed precise note-taking, highlighting and quick jumps between articles and sections of newspapers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Screen:<\/strong> 6-inch, 600 x 800 electronic paper display with 16 shades of gray (vs. 4 on the first Kindle), for crisper text and sharper images. With real ink and no backlight, it reduced eyestrain and glare.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage:<\/strong> 2 GB, enough for more than 1,500 books (vs. about 200 on the first Kindle).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Battery:<\/strong> 25% longer battery life: 4-5 days of reading with wireless on and over 2 weeks with wireless off. The redesigned charger was also more portable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dictionary:<\/strong> instant look-up with the built-in New Oxford American Dictionary and its 250,000 definitions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Read-to-Me:<\/strong> text-to-speech with a choice of male or female voices, for hands-free listening.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Whispernet:<\/strong> free cellular wireless to shop the Kindle Store and download books without a PC, Wi-Fi hotspot or syncing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At launch the Kindle Store offered more than 230,000 books, plus top US and international magazines, newspapers and more than 1,200 blogs. The Kindle 2 cost $359 and started shipping on 24 February 2009, with priority for original Kindle owners who ordered by 10 February.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_the_Amazon_Kindle_2_still_work_in_2026\"><\/span>Does the Amazon Kindle 2 still work in 2026?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Partly. The Kindle 2 relied on cellular Whispernet and has no Wi-Fi. When the older mobile networks it used were shut down (Amazon said in 2021 that the change would start in December 2021), the first- and second-generation Kindles lost internet access completely.<\/p>\n<p>If yours still powers on, you can keep reading books already on it and add new ones by connecting it to a computer with a USB cable and copying compatible files across. It won&#8217;t sync, download from the store or get updates over the air.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_Kindle_to_buy_instead_of_the_Kindle_2\"><\/span>Which Kindle to buy instead of the Kindle 2<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Today&#8217;s Kindles keep everything good about the Kindle 2, the paper-like E Ink screen and weeks of battery, and add Wi-Fi, front lights, higher-resolution screens and USB-C charging on recent models. Amazon&#8217;s current range includes the basic Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Colorsoft and Kindle Scribe. You can compare current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/go\/kindle-e-readers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\">Kindle e-readers on Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have one, see how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/07\/download-free-books-on-amazon-kindle\/\">download free Kindle books legally<\/a> and pick from our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/12\/best-kindle-cover-cases-jackets-sleeve\/\">best Kindle covers and cases<\/a>. Buying it as a present? Here is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/gift-amazon-kindle\/\">how to gift a Kindle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_was_the_Amazon_Kindle_2_released\"><\/span>When was the Amazon Kindle 2 released?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Amazon started shipping the Kindle 2 on 24 February 2009.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_did_the_Kindle_2_cost\"><\/span>How much did the Kindle 2 cost?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It launched at $359 in the US.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_the_Kindle_2_have_Wi-Fi\"><\/span>Does the Kindle 2 have Wi-Fi?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. It used free cellular Whispernet only, which is why it can no longer connect to the internet.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_put_books_on_an_old_Kindle_2\"><\/span>How do I put books on an old Kindle 2?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Connect it to a computer with a USB cable and copy compatible e-book files into its documents folder.<\/p>\n<p>Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, QuickOnlineTips earns from qualifying purchases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The amazon kindle 2 was released in February 2009 as Amazon&#8217;s second-generation wireless reading device. It was slimmer than the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gadgets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6033"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67146,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6033\/revisions\/67146"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}