Almost a year after the launch of Kindle, Amazon reportedly is getting ready to launch the next version. The guys from The Genius Boy Report have managed to get some pictures of Amazon’s Kindle 2, as they dubbed this new device.

Of course, is hard to tell how different will be Amazon’s Kindle 2 from its predecessor, but according to The Boy Genius Report the source which provide them the photos, said that the screen has the same size, while the device seems to be a little wider and a little longer.

Also, the keyboard was reshaped and judging by the picture, the shape of Kindle 2 seems more attractive compared to the first version.

The source also noted that Kindle 2 uses the same EVDO connection as the first version, but Amazon ditched its own charger in favor of a mini USB.

Apparently, the SD card slot is gone as well, so probably the device will have more internal storage. In addition, the slide buttons were redesigned in order to avoid accidental page turning.

However, it will be interesting to find out what other features will be included in this second version, especially since Sony has just announced the November released of PRS-700, its new Digital Book Reader. Priced at $399, Sony PRS-700 will offer a touch screen and a a built-in LED reading light.

Also, it will be interesting to see if Kindle 2 will include support for PDF files, as Sony promised for its PRS-700.

For the moment, Amazon Kindle uses a proprietary format AZW, DRM-restricted and the PDF files should be converted. Also, it is unknown when Kindle 2 will be released or how much it will cost.

The original Kindle was priced at $399 when it was launched, but in May this year Amazon lowered the price to $359.

Although, Amazon didn’t reveal any official data about the sales of Kindle, it is believed that the company has sold somewhere around 200,000 units.

Also, in August, CrunchGear reported that Amazon is working on two Kidle: October 2008, just in time for holiday season. It appears that one the them will be an updated version of the first generation Kindle, with the same screen size, but with improved interface; the second model is reportedly shaped like a 8 ½ x 11-inch piece of paper, bigger than the current Kindle.

In late August, addressing those rumors, Amazon’s spokeperson Craig Bergman explained that the product’s new version will be released "sometime next year at the earliest."

"Don't believe everything you read -- there's a lot of rumor and speculation out there about Kindle," he said.

Meanwhile, both Amazon and Sony, maybe should pay attention to Stanza, an application fo reading e-book on the iPhone. As Ars Technica reported, since its release, Stanza was downloaded around 395,000 times and is a free software. Unfortunately, Stanza offers only public-domain and Creative Commons books, but apparently this is about to change.