Amazon has been trying hard to keep the secret about its next-generation Kindle, but it wasn’t long before the rumors started to appear, and now, just a few months later, photos of the new device are all over the Internet.

Kindle 2, unlike the previous model, has a plus on the design part, and a relatively new shape, however, it appears that Amazon is not trying to impress its customers with looks this time either. The same old colors, the same old big border, a new keyboard layout, and there’s just little comparison with Sony’s PRS-700.

According to the Boy Genius Report, who came up with the photos, Amazon has been working on some changes to the buttons, while a joystick has replaced the scroll wheel. Kindle 2 now also has its very own miniUSB cable for recharge.

In terms of size, the difference compared to the first model doesn’t seem to be that big, and that includes the size of the display too. The removable SD storage is gone, and Kindle 2 seems to be offering about 1.4 GB of memory.

While Amazon is still trying to keep the secrecy, they’d better decide fast whether Kindle 2 should be in stores sooner, now that Sony has officially made an announcement on its next-generation e-book, Sony PRS-700.

Just by looking at the design, Sony seems to be the lucky winner, with its touchscreen display that almost became a must in gadgets lately. Leaving that aspect aside, Kindle also has its advantages, if we think at the WiFi connectivity, but time is money, and we’re just one month away from Sony’s PRS-700, which will sell for $400 in November.