I have a first generation Paperwhite and I got the dreaded notification. It has its problems, including two chips in the screen, but I still use it in the bath, as I can put it in a plastic bag with a zipper closing and it still works. It’s lightweight and keeps me from doomscrolling on something else.
I’m considering buying another Kindle, but I don’t really want to. So I might just keep my Kindle with the books it has, and re-read the books that are already included. I’m also considering buying another different brand.
If you’re affected, have you decided to buy another e-reader?
I have a Kindle Voyager, I’m guessing maybe 7 years old but I’m often wildly wrong guessing how long ago things happened. So I am probably okay for now.
But a niece is considering a Kobo Clara, and from my initial look that seems a nice machine.
I switched from Kindle to Kobo a few years back and am generally happy, but I did lose my entire Kindle library. It was for unrelated reasons though (Amazon’s treatment of warehouse workers)
Kobo is somewhat more open and has better library support (Overdrive built in), but most of its books are still DRMed. Kindle has a wider and often cheaper selection.
It’s extremely annoying that Amazon refers to Kindles by “generation” and by year of manufacture, but there’s no easy way to tell either the so-called generation number or the year it was manufactured. The firmware’s “device information” gives only a serial number and firmware version. You can tell the year of manufacture from the serial number using a Secret Decoder Table. Mine is a first-generation Paperwhite first manufactured in October 2012; the second generation wasn’t produced until September 2013. So mine will be unsupported but it probably won’t affect my use.
I’m abandoning amazon and my Kindle, and moving to some other device. I haven’t decided what I’m getting yet, and in the meantime, I’m using my library service’s BorrowBox app to use audiobooks instead.
I also note that Kindles are a lot more expensive than they used to be. I bought a Paperwhite in December, 2017 as a gift for CAD $99.99. Today the Paperwhite lists for CAD $184.99, currently discounted to $164.99. Adjusted for inflation the price should be around $127, and electronics should generally be getting cheaper over time.
The price of the Kobo Clara isn’t any better at $169.99.
I think all computer-type electronics are getting more expensive now because there’s a major RAM and storage shortage caused by the AI bubble. Everything from desktops to tablets to headsets are getting more expensive, and the industry is warning that it’s going to get worse soon.
I have a Kindle 3 and I’m hoping I can find something that’s almost the same, just newer. I love how closely it mimics reading a physical book - there’s no backlighting, no screen refresh, etc. I notice eye strain much more quickly on other devices.
But as with all things electronic, everything seems to trend towards “more” when I want it to do just one thing - display a page of text for me to read. I don’t want games or animation or really even the ability to display color images.
There should still be plenty of ereaders like that. The light they have is a sidelight that mimics a nightlight, and it’s reflective rather than emissive (more comfortable). You can also turn off the light completely if you prefer. Color is optional.
The basic eink advantage is still there and present in all of them (dedicated ereaders). The contrast and page turn speed has gotten a bit better over time, but it’s still the same basic technology.
Just make sure you’re actually looking at ereaders and not tablets (like the Fire).
Yes, the lighting on the Kindle Paperwhite closely mimics the lighting on a printed page, and I love it. It’s edge/front lighting is completely different from the backlight on a tablet or phone.
In fact I originally bought the basic non-illuminated Kindle and decided to return it in favour of the Paperwhite, which is so convenient when reading in bed in dim ambient light. At the time, the Paperwhite also had one or two extra fonts that the basic model didn’t have, most notably Baskerville which is an elegant traditional font and far nicer than the other model’s default Caecelia. I have it selected as my standard default.
As for the OP’s question, what I’m doing is nothing. It’s still works perfectly well except after 14 years the battery life isn’t what it used to be, but even for that I have a replacement battery if I every get around to bothering to replace it. If Amazon refuses to upload book purchases to it in the future, there are workarounds.
I took advantage of the 20% discount offer they sent me, and got this one. Seems OK so far. I doubt I will ever throw away my 14-year-old one, but I wanted one where I could download new books, and it is kind of nice having more options for type sizes than “very small” and “very large.”
My Kindle is a 2018, so I guess I’m safe for now. It’s a bit slow downloading, but I’m not in a hurry. I really do prefer regular printed books, but the typeface isn’t always friendly for old eyes.
IIRC, in 2017 the Paperwhite was the most basic model that had a built-in light. Nowadays the basic Kindle has a light and is roughly comparable (in screen size, resolution, and other features) to the 2017 Paperwhite.
I’m not denying that Kindles are more expensive than they used to be (as is almost everything), but comparisons can be tricky.
That’s a good observation – I didn’t realize that the basic Kindle now had a light. The existence of a separate, more expensive model designated “Paperwhite” is a little deceptive. At CAD $144.99 the basic model is slightly more reasonable but still substantially more expensive than it was in 2017. That one, as I said purchased as a gift, was a 3rd generation model; mine is a 2012 first generation Paperwhite.
Anyway, I’m still sticking with the one I have, which still works perfectly well. It’s also unclear what fonts the new basic Kindle has. To me, the #1 most important feature is the illumination, but having a nice font like Baskerville is a strong #2. Back in 2012, the basic Kindle didn’t have it, but the Gen 1 Paperwhite did. Apparently the blocky Caecelia font was the default in early non-illuminated Kindles because it was considered easier to read than more elegant traditional fonts, but it’s fugly!
If I buy another Kindle, this is probably what I’ll do. The battery on my current Kindle is not what it used to be.
I just downloaded everything I have on Amazon onto it and I still have space, but not much.
As I just got a new iPad in December, because my laptop was no longer usable as it could no longer get security updates, I’m reluctant to buy yet another electronic device that will have to be replaced in just over a decade. If I’m lucky.