So far, I love my new Paperwhite Kindle. I've been using an aging keyboard Kindle 2, waiting for a version with a built-in light like this. Amazon really got it right with the light on this one.
The high resolution screen is noticeably easier to read, and the user interface is well thought out.
The form factor is also an amazing improvement. I like the tactile feel of the Kindle's back, although I'm awaiting shipment of Amazon's leather case because I like to take my Kindle everywhere and this device feels small and delicate, and I've liked the old Amazon leather case on my old Kindle.
The one thing keeping me from giving this product a 5-star review is a software issue that really irks me: I paid the extra $20 to have a Kindle without advertising, yet the entire bottom half of the home screen in cover view is taken up with Amazon's recommendations for me to buy new books. This is advertising, and it is totally unacceptable in a product that costs extra just to avoid advertising. Targeted advertising is still advertising, and there's not enough space on this screen to make any amount of advertising okay with me.
If I ever want to see what Amazon recommends for me, I'll visit the Amazon Store and look myself. The end result of this unsolicited advertising on my home screen is that I have to scroll past it to see more than three of the titles on my device, whereas if the ad was gone, I could see six titles right away on the home screen. Given the way the Kindle's user interface is designed, going to the home screen is necessary to get just about anywhere else, so this advertising block causes me to have to scroll past it over and over again, gumming up my otherwise smooth user experience on the device.
Amazon could easily make this optional with a software update, and I hope they do so very soon. At the very least, this unsolicited, mandatory advertising on the home screen needs to be explicitly disclosed on the sales pages. Had I known that there would still be advertising I could not remove on my device, I might not have paid $20 to avoid advertising.
Until Amazon gives us the option to disable these "recommendations" on the home screen, I've used parental controls to just disable the store completely on my Kindle. That does make the ads go away, but it's not really a convenient solution, because if I ever actually want to buy something on my Kindle, I'll need to type in a password and re-enable the store. I'll more likely use a different device for all purchases. This forced advertising, then, really backfires in my case because instead of enticing me to buy more books right on my Kindle, it's prompted me to shut the store down completely on the Kindle.
* UPDATE: I left this review years ago, then never realized until just recently that it had received so much attention. Had I realized that, I'd have posted an update sooner. I don't remember exactly when, but Amazon did, as promised, release a software update that made it not only possible but easy to remove those recommendations (ads, as far as I'm concerned) from the home page of the ad-free Kindle. I now have upgraded to a Kindle Voyage and am very happy with it, and these recommendations never appeared on it, even by default when it was new. I've changed my review to 5 stars and will mention this in my upcoming Voyage review.
Just realized I had not written a review. I've been reading on this daily for more than 5 1/2 years, and the original battery is still good. I carry around a library of hundreds of books as well as having the dictionary, translator and Wikipedia available at a touch. When I first got this I was approaching the need for cataract surgery, and it was a huge help to be able to enlarge the text to a comfortable level. Controlling the brightness is another huge advantage. I can read in bed without turning on a lamp and disturbing my husband. My only regret is that we didn't have this sort of thing when I was a kid.
I have been using the Paperwhite exclusively for reading for two weeks now vs. my other Kindles, and I am writing this review from the perspective of being a long-time Kindle user vs. someone brand new to the Kindle experience as well as in direct comparison to the Kindle Touch, which the Paperwhite replaced.
From an overall standpoint, and considering everything you get (compact e-Reader,touch screen, lighting system), the Paperwhite is a very good e-Reader. I am amazed at how much smaller these e-Readers can become with each new generation yet still not feel like you're losing anything from a "feels like a book" experience.
To address the reading experience, I wasn't sure what to expect with the display. Needless to say, the text on the screen is much more crisp than any of the other version of an e-Ink Kindle I have used, and just to ensure I wasn't being biased I put the Paperwhite next to a Kindle 3 / Keyboard, a Touch, a "regular" Kindle, and a Kindle DX - all on the same page of a book with the covers removed (didn't want the cover to give an optical illusion or anything) - and you can clearly see a better quality in terms of the fonts.
Reading at night is a good experience with the lighting display in comparison to the other versions of Kindle because you don't need an additional light that can get in the way: it didn't disturb, for example, my wife who likes to watch TV in a dark room. It was also very convenient on a plane ride at night as I was able to see the full page of the text vs. a light attachment only reaching most of the screen: there are no impediments to the reading screen.
Turning the page backwards and forwards is as simple as a simple tap of the thumb as you hold the device or, if you prefer, a swipe with your finger in either direction. It did take a little getting used to turning with my thumb as I have been trained after years on a Kindle Keyboard and DX to press a button - it didn't take that long and after about 5% or so into a science fiction novel I didn't even notice the new turning action. This page turning experience is a significant improvement over the previous Kindle Touch and much appreciated!
Accessing the menu structure of the Paperwhite is as simple as touching the top 20-30% of the screen where you can quickly access a keyboard, hit the menu, table of contents, etc. Navigation is a piece of cake.
Web surfing speed with the WiFi feature on the Paperwhite is about the same as the other type of e-Ink Kindles. Doing a side-by-side test I tried the mobile websites of Fox News and CNN and they popped right up; the usual slow sites were still slower than Christmas. Checking email with an e-Ink Kindle via gmail is a chore with this as well as other versions of e-Ink Kindle, but none of that is really important to me as I have too many device that do that anyway: when I have my Kindle, I usually want to read a book vs. surf the web or check email.
Despite what people may say, size matters! In this case, the Paperwhite is not too small and not too large and Amazon appears to have hit the sweet spot. I would highly recommend the Amazon-branded case for it, as it fits snug and firm and automatically puts the unit into sleep mode when you close the cover, and wakes it back up when you open the cover. To see the cover I purchased, click this link: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Leather Cover, Onyx Black (does not fit Kindle or Kindle Touch)
About the only negative I have for this unit, if you could even call it a negative, is I wish I had bought the 3G version vs. the Wi-Fi only - for someone who travels a lot with my job, what was I thinking?!? Accordingly, I ordered one of those. Despite that statement, for just $119 I think this is a great unit and I enjoyed reading with it: the Paperwhite may soon be replacing my beloved Kindle Keyboard permanently!
I'm still learning how to use my new 4th generation kindle. Really different than my kindle keyboard.
I'm giving it 5 stars because it does exactly what it is suppose to do.
Here’s my "but"... I wish that the people that design the software would make it possible to have SUB FOLDERS within a main folder. Many authors write different series. For example, Lily Harper Hart... Some of her series are Rowan Gray, Ivy Morgan, Harper Harlow... Etc Maybe it's my MS Windows mindset, but I like things organized so they are easy to find. I have over 800 books.
It's a nice Kindle. Not sure if I like it better than my kindle keyboard though
**UPDATE **
I lowered my rating by 1 star because of the battery. I'm an avid reader and I've already had to charge my Kindle twice. And that is with the light on the lowest settings. Each charge gets me through about 2 books and they are not long books by any means. 200-300 pages each. That's disappointing.
I cannot compare since I have not used any of the current, comparable machines, but I am impressed with this one. I bought it to replace an aging Sony ereader that I have been using for years. There have been improvements in the technology over the past few years and the Kindle Paperwhite reflects it. I really like the light built into the reader. It is unobtrusive and provides all the light needed at whatever light level you are reading in.
I do recommend that if you purchase a Paperwhite, you look at the various ways to extend the battery life. Some may surprise you, they did me. If not, you may be caught unawares and feel your battery is betraying you. I now know what uses the battery and how to make sure I get the most out of it.
I am very happy I made the decision to buy the paperwhite.
Feature Product
- Glare-free screen - unlike a tablet, the Paperwhite display is easy to read in bright sunlight
- Read without eyestrain - unlike a tablet, Paperwhite projects light inwards, not out at your eyes
- Thin and light - hold comfortably in one hand for extended periods
- Read for weeks without charging - Kindle Paperwhite can be read for up to 8 weeks on a single charge
Description
Unlike a tablet, Kindle Paperwhite 3G is deliberately designed to read like a printed page with a glare-free display, ultra-light design, and weeks-long battery life. Includes free 3G wireless—no hunting or paying for Wi-Fi hotspots, no annual contracts or monthly fees; 3G wireless works globally.
I ordered this the day it came out; and never thought about writing a review for it until now.
I won't get into the specs of it; as there are literally 20,000+ people before me who've covered this.
The Good:
It is small, light, battery is fairly long-lasting, and I like that if you buy a mated cover; it turns off when you close the cover.
There is little ghosting if any after it's finished turning the page.
The Bad:
~Any attempt to use it as a web browser is a joke.
~A "wifi off" seems 10x more intuitive than "airplane mode on". Also, shouldn't that be a top bar menu option instead of making me click on a bunch of stuff to get to it?
~The light is a bit uneven towards the bottom.
~It can "read" pdf's but it's utterly useless for pdf's IMHO. The page is either super zoomed out; so you can't read it, or else it's super zoomed in; and you now attempt to scroll around with a ridiculously slow refresh rate and super jittery screens.
~The harsh blinking when you turn the page.
~The fact that you can install other fonts in the previous firmware but not the current one. Losing abilities on a piece of hardware after a firmware upgrade is retarded.
~Bookerly isn't an update (yet) as of this review.
Overall score before hacking: 3.5 stars.
Simple things like changing it to "wifi on/off" vs a deeply set menu item of "airplane mode on" would have raised the score. Most of what I gripe about seems to have been addressed in the newer kindle paperwhite though.
The Hacking, Bookerly, Literata
As mentioned above; I was waiting for Bookerly to be in a recent update; but it hasn't happened. So I went searching and found a few articles that said you can manually add fonts.. Hooray! When I tried and failed; I did some more digging and found that you can do it with the older firmware; but not the newer one. So I decided to downgrade the firmware (since none of the firmware upgrades really effected me) and so downgrading allowed me to add Bookerly as a font. Well, since we were adding fonts; I went ahead and also added google's Literata. After both fonts were installed; I read the same 10 pages or so from the same book in both font. Here are my findings.
Bookerly vs Literata
After reading some more; I prefer Literata. Yes; the irony is not lost on me that I've hacked my kindle paperwhite just so I can get Literata (and Bookerly) on it; and read it in Literata. I find the font to be incredibly easy to read; so much so that I've changed the default font on my Android to Literata.
Bookerly vs Literata ~ Content Specific Font:
So I have scoured the whole of the internet (or at least the whole of Google) and not a single person has mentioned this and so I will address it. I, as I'm sure most of the people reading this and the people who designed both fonts thought; that a font is a font is a font, and easy to read is easy to read. What I have discovered and is the reason I am writing this review; is that fonts are CONTENT SPECIFIC. Let me explain; I liked Literata so much that I changed my Microsoft Word document default font from Times New Roman to Literata. It was immediately easier to read. Then I discovered a problem, for my legal documents and contracts; it was __TOO__ easy to read, with no hard pausial cues anywhere (which admittedly was their goal) I found that important things required me to reread with two or three passes. I went back to Times New Roman and I didn't have this problem, but it.. welll.. looks like Times New Roman. So I tried other fonts, and I found that for Legal documents and Contracts; Bookerly was superior to Literata in every way. So if you happen to be a designer for either Bookerly or Literata; I hope you are reading this! Because I'll bet you that you were not aware that fonts were content sensitive. Literata; its ability to provide smooth and fluid reading is a detriment to legal documents where every single word matters. This is a stark contrast to what I mostly read on my kindle; which is novels, where one word is not as influential and flow of story is priority over acutance of word absorption.
So this review was more about fonts than the actual Kindle. If you are a even slightly computer savvy; then I highly recommend you downgrade your firmware and install both Bookerly and Literata and try them both out. They are both superior to all the generically available default fonts on the kindle paperwhite; with IMHO Literata being superior.
My biggest complaint is that there isn't a way to easily turn off the backlight while reading. Also, I would love to be able to easily disable the timer to go into sleep mode. Besides these 2 things, it works great! I have been using it to read some books. The battery is still great. The pages do not take super long to load...overall, I love this kindle!
I love my new (old) kindle! I was nervous about not purchasing a new one, but this price was just too good. It works perfect! I cannot find any scratches or dings on it and I am absolutely in love with it! It was completely polished when I got it and the thumbprints on it in my pictures are my own from the past few days of use.
While I will always be a great lover of printed books, it is hard to remember life before my Kindle Paperwhite. I have used it for a while now and can't say enough good things about it. While nothing can replace the joy of holding a hard-copy book, the Kindle certainly comes close. And, it comes with so many amenities, it just makes reading that much more of a delight. No more lugging around over-sized tote bags for unexpected delays or waiting room stints. No more packing an extra bag with my reading material for a business trip or extended vacation. It just makes having a constant supply of reading material so much more convenient.
I really like the improved contrast of the Paperwhite "page", and the lack of eye strain is so nice. I also very much enjoy being able to change the font size and lighting to easily accommodate any circumstance (doctor's office, dimly lit restaurant, dark bedroom, etc.)
I've used the device frequently and in a variety of situations. It has proven to be extremely well-made, and there have been no problems at all with it. The battery continues to hold up well. I have purchased others as gifts and would do so again without hesitation.
This is my third kindle, second paperwhite. I don’t read books anymore because I love my paperwhite. I do have one problem however. For the last year or so, every time I search the kindle store for a book or try to buy one, I keep getting an error message. I need to try over and over again. Eventually the buy will go through. Very frustrating, so much so that I will sometimes buy from my computer. I’ve contacted Amazon about this and while they are always incredibly helpful and accommodating, the problem does not seem to be resolvable. Maybe it’s because it is a little old. Having said that, I still think it is an awesome product.
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