The largest online bookstore spearheading the resurgence of ebooks with its own kingpin ebook reader, isn't that the perfect union? That was the original Kindle which took the world of reading by storm and we generally agreed that that was the peak of perfection. But no, not quite, we now have the Kindle plus-plus. Yes, the Kindle 2 has arrived, looking better and bringing more.

Like many other things, new-wave reading is electronic. If the e book reader is Oprah's current favorite gadget, so will it be for many of her fans. Sure enough, the Kindles have been flying off the shelves. And why not, all-in-one shopping, purchasing and immediate downloading of books online anytime anywhere in the US and you don't even need a computer for that as it's done on the reader itself.

Plenty of new-brand e-book readers are coming onto the bandwagon fast and furious but the safest bet is still placed with the long established top two players: the Amazon Kindle and Sony PRS respectively. Between them they dominate the market and deservedly so. With the launch of the Kindle 2, the talk in reading circles is that Amazon has put itself in a league solely of its own drawing away even from the Sony PRS.

To get hold of the Kindle 2, you have to act fast. Stock-outs especially during peak seasons are nothing new with the Amazon Kindle. For back-to-back Christmases, they sold out long before the holiday proper. Quoted delivery lead time continues to be volatile due to all the rage that it is now. EBay may be an alternative marketplace for the red hot e reader but price premium may be needed to circumvent the crunch.

The Kindle may come in an off-white color but it's really green at its core. Given that it's going to revolutionize the way people read and the scale of its impact based on the its projected sales volume, it's not difficult to imagine the number of trees that would be spared from being turned into paper for books which in turn benefits the environment and then ultimately us all, readers and non-readers alike.

The Kindle 2 is also easier for your pockets. Although somewhat pricey, it essentially pays for itself pretty quickly especially in the case of avid readers. Amazon ebooks cost half that of their paper counterparts. Shop, buy and retrieve books online through Whispernet directly on the reader itself and bypass the hassle and expenses of driving around and waiting in line. Free sampling of Amazon ebooks is also a standard practice.