Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought the original Kindle a year or so ago and have been very pleased with it - so I was excited when the release of Kindle 2 was announced. I preordered one and was excited when it arrived - but my excitement turned to frustration when I began reading on it. Unlike my old Kindle, when the Kindle 2 is turned off, then turned on later, it does not return to the last page read. Instead, it displays the book title and there is no way to navigate to the last page read. I wondered if I was doing something wrong, so I contacted Kindle tech support and was told that the problem was a "known issue." I was told the workaround, until the software is revised, is to bookmark the last page read every time you stop reading, then you can go to the last bookmark when you turn the Kindle 2 back on. I can't believe that such a basic function, which works flawlessly on the old Kindle, is so messed up on the Kindle 2. Other major problem: The sync function that is supposed to allow you to stop reading on one Kindle and start reading on another Kindle at the same place is poorly implemented. Unless you sync each Kindle over the Whispernet connection just before you turn it off, the sync loctation will not be correct. You may actually sync back to a previous location or even to the beginning of the book. Other issues: The original Kindle has an SD memory card slot. I presently use an 8G memory card, so I have lots of storage for music, books, and audio books. The Kindle 2 has no memory card slot, so you're stuck with only 1G of internal memory. This isn't much if you load a few Audible digital books. Also, you have to connect the Kindle 2 to your computer to transfer books from your Kindle to your computer (for backup). With the original Kindle you could just remove the SD card and plug it into your computer to transfer books. The original Kindle had a removable battery and you could buy extra batteries in case you'd be away from a power source for an extended time. The battery in the Kindle 2 is not removable by the owner. I expect you have to send it back to Amazon to have it replaced. The original Kindle was supplied with a nice case. The Kindle 2 has no case, but you can spend an additional $29.95 for a nice heavy leather case. This case adds quite a bit of weight to the Kindle. The Kindle 2 is almost too thin - it's harder to hold than the original Kindle - but maybe that's just my preference. At any rate, I think the Kindle 2 is a step backward. I certainly can't think of a reason to "upgrade" from Kindle 1 to Kindle 2. That's why I'm sending mine back.