As expected, Amazon has announced new versions of the Kindle Fire, and the new Kindle Paperwhite that has a lighted screen (frontlit, not backlit like the Fire) to replace the Kindle Touch. The Paperwhite screen is whiter and higher resolution than previous e-ink Kindles. They’ve also made small updates to the basic Kindle and priced it at $69. The releases are rolling out over the next couple of months.
I do not own any Kindle, but I’ve been wanting one for a while now. When I heard they were coming out with the frontlit model (following Barnes & Nobles’ release of the Nook Glow), I decided to wait. I’ll probably wait a little longer until I can read some reviews of the Paperwhite in a month or two. They look awful nice!
One downside I’ve heard to the new Paperwhite versions is that they’ve removed the audio features (no text-to-speech, no speakers or headphone jack).
I’m interested in the opinions of current Kindle owners. What do you think of these changes?
Any newcomers (like me) planning on getting one of these new models?
The new models look good, but I’m happy with my Kindle Keyboard with the booklight built into the case.
I am jazzed about the new Whispersync for Voice feature that bundles audiobooks with ebooks and lets you switch back and forth between the formats. Especially since Amazon/Audible are offering 29 Classics free in both ebook and professionally narrated audiobook to promote the feature. Handy link for the downloads.
Ooh, that is really cool. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and it would be nice to be able to easily switch between formats as circumstances warrant. It’s curious that Amazon hasn’t included audio in the new devices.
I love my kindle keyboard, but the new Paperwhite has a function I wish mine had: time to read. It automatically calculates your reading speed then gives you an estimate to how long until you’re done with the chapter/book. So nifty.
I preordered the Kindle Fire HD, 7". I sold my Kindle Fire about a month ago in preparation for the new one, as I knew that once it was announced I’d have to sell it cheaper. I thought about getting the 8.9", but I kinda liked the size of the 7–it fit perfectly in my hands.
Although I preordered the HD, I’m kinda torn between that and the Nexus 7 due to the older OS of the HD. But, I’m very ingrained in the Amazon ecosystem with not just books and music, but I have a ton of tv shows with them as well. Also, I don’t really use many apps. I mostly screw around on the internet and watch tv. One reason I’m thinking of keeping the HD is the ease of getting pdfs on board. I use them all the time for school and I like just having to email myself.
I do like their dual antenna that they have to offer. Hopefully it works as well as they say.
Yeah, I just bought a new Kindle Keyboard to replace my deceased old model. I was looking for a case for it, but they all get blasted for having metal parts in them that can short out your Kindle. How damned hard is it to make a case that won’t damage the product it’s supposed to protect? :rolleyes:
That sucks. You should have done an online search, as the rumors of an announcement has been around for a month, and the specific date for over a week.
I posted in GQabout this. Yes, I do plan to get the KindleFire 4G when it comes out in November. I’ve got so many amazon rewards points saved up, by November it will be free for me.
I have a Kindle “Keyboard”, love it…the new Paperwhite looks great to me for reading in less-than-ideal lighting conditions.
Though I don’t take a lot of notes or anything I do like the physical keyboard for searching and for playing games like “Every Word”, though I’d imagine the onscreen keyboard works well enough…I’ve literally never used the audio capability (have several ipods for that) so wouldn’t miss it at all.
As a mostly-happy owner of a Kindle Keyboard (since before it was called that), I’m tempted by both the Paperwhite and the Fire HD, but I don’t know whether or not I’ll end up getting myself one or both of them. I think I prefer buttons to a touchscreen for ease of reading, but I don’t know for sure without trying one. And a Fire would be fun to play around with, but would be of limited usefulness at home where I don’t have WiFi (but do have a computer with internet access).
I doubt I’d use this much, since I only want to listen to audiobooks that are so well-narrated and so listenable that the audio is actually an improvement over reading it myself—and in that case I’d want to listen to all of it, not switch back and forth. But I might try it out, given the free books to try it out on.
At any rate, I eagerly snapped up those free audiobooks—some of them look pretty good. (The Dracula by Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, et al might be a good Halloween-time listen.)
Well, the Paperwhite is a relief to me in some ways. Finally, after four years, a new ereader has come onto the market that matches what I consider the minimal features I want for an ereader based upon my experience with my Sony Reader. In particular, it’s the built-in lighting on an e-ink screen that I’ve been wanting to be able to replace should my current Reader die.
However, until Amazon, wakes up and allows for EPUB format books this will never ben anything but a last resort for me, should my current one fail. (Yes, I know that there are freeware library programs that will convert between formats, but why deliberately go out and buy something you’re going to have to go through that with, or look at such a requirement as anything but an onerous obligation placed upon the consumer.)
They’ve already recanted and are allowing people to opt out of the ads for an extra $15.
I have a Kindle Touch with ads and the ads are not a big deal. They’re barely noticeable and I’ve even bought a few books that were on sale. But if I was paying real money for a Fire HD, I’d be pissed off at not having an opt out feature (or having to pay extra for it.)
I’ve already taken steps to swap my current Touch for the new Paperwhite model. Higher contrast & resolution is the ony thing that could make the Touch better.
I had a feeling they might be coming out with a backlit device soon.
As for the ads, I don’t really get what the fuss is about. They’re not intrusive, they don’t show up when you’re reading and sometimes when you go to pick up the Kindle, you might see something you’re interested in. Besides, the ads keep the price of the reader down.
If you are stuck on epub, then buy the new Kobo Glo instead.
I own a Kindle and mostly shop at Amazon, but I still download all my books to my computer. Stripping the DRM allows me to purchase ebooks anywhere and format shift if needed using calibre. I don’t find it onerous, backing up my library is the smart thing to do.
