I bought my wife an original Kindle shortly after it's release. She is an extremely avid reader and not very techie at all. She occasionally uses the Internet to search for information and only rarely uses email. Yet, she took to the Kindle immediately. The original shape and feel seemed a little awkward and the button placement caused her to flip pages unintentionally.When she received her new Kindle 2 she really liked the change in the buttons and the slimmer, more comfortable feel of it. My non-techie wife feels that the enhancements in the Kindle 2 really enhances the Kindle experience. With both Kindles the WhisperNet access to Amazon is the real defining feature of the Sony offerings Plus she feels the Kindle 2 simply looks more elegant and classy compared to Sony's clunky feel and looks.Bottom line: this Kindle is just as big a home run as the first.