Kindle 2 for Valentine's Day?

Jeff Bezos isn't giving any hints, but many indicators point to the rollout of a revamped version of Amazon's Kindle e-book reader in two weeks.

As reported by Crunchgear and All Things Digital, the online retailer is touting an "important" press conference at the swanky Morgan Library and Museum in midtown Manhattan for the morning of Feb. 9. Expect Oprah to be in attendance.

Images of what is purportedly the new version of the popular device surfaced on Boy Genius Report in October. They showed a Kindle that is slimmer and wider, but with the same size screen as the original model. Also coming, according to the October report, is a reorganization of the device's buttons – to eliminate the occasional accidental virtual page turn.

The Kindle's ease of use and innovative package earned it the "iPod of e-book readers" monicker – and version 1.0 had the original iPod's high price, too. Will Amazon drop the $360 price tag for the new model, perhaps embedding ads in the e-books it sells and pricing it closer to the "just cheap enough to be an impulse buy" $199?