Got a new Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas

[johnrogers]

Love the backlight - I have been using the 3G with keyboard version which came out a few years ago which is cumbersome and heavy compared the the newest version - really recommend this unit to anyone

[Nefer]

Oh cool, nice gift!

[SOELEY]

I got a Kindle Fire HD when they first came out as my Kindle Keyboard went bust. I am thinking of going back to an actual E-Ink reader though. Don't really use the Fire for anything else than book reading, my smartphone has done away with wanting the other feature on it to tell the truth. The App store is pretty poor as well.

How would you say the Paperwhite has improved over your old Keyboard apart from the backlight?

[johnrogers]

I got a Kindle Fire HD when they first came out as my Kindle Keyboard went bust. I am thinking of going back to an actual E-Ink reader though. Don't really use the Fire for anything else than book reading, my smartphone has done away with wanting the other feature on it to tell the truth. The App store is pretty poor as well.

How would you say the Paperwhite has improved over your old Keyboard apart from the backlight?

I am not kidding the kindle Paperwhite is really the perfect device and it's built very solid and is finished like a Swiss watch.I did purchase the actual kindle leather case from Amazon and the quality and fit is amazing.Serious I am loving this new Paperwhite

[E-Hoog]

Hi John,

Congrats on the new addition . I'm still using my iriver and when that dies I'll buy the Kobo Aura HD. But the iriver doesn't seem to want to die. I made a promise to myself that I'll wait for that to happen. Once I even "accidentally" left it in the garden during the night, but to no avail. And then there was the "Red Wedding" chapter of George RR Martin that almost made me finish the job, but it still lives...

@Soeley: I think you'll enjoy the e-ink version of the reader much more! It's so easy on the eyes and the battery generally lasts forever. Whether you buy a kindle, a kobo, or whatever: e-ink is the way to go

[johnrogers]

Kindle Paperwhite Review

The backlight is incredible makes the text so vibrant and defined.Can read more and longer because of it.
The touch screen is so nice to turn pages with.
There are no buttons on the sides get in the way as you handle the book.
The back of the kindle is kind of rubberized almost like a case and has a nice feel and grip to it.
The menu for options such is touch sensitive to adjust fonts and lights and turn on wifi and such.Just touch the top of the screen and it pops up - easy to use
The overall construction is solid and so precise with its fittings.
It is very light and can easily be controlled with one hand.
One manual button only tucked away on the very bottom of reader

You will be 100% satisfied with the Kindle Paperwhite - I strongly recommend

[SOELEY]

@John, thanks for the information, I will go and have a look at a demo model in the shop. I bought the official Amazon cases for both the Keyboard version and Fire HD. I have to say they have both been very good quality.

@E-hoog, I went for the Fire HD thinking it would be more versatile as in a E-reader and a Tablet, but really I haven't found that the case

[SOELEY]

Been and had a look at one, felt nice in the hand but seemed small as well. I might go back and take my Fire HD with me just to compare screen size side by side. I have also noted the Kindle Voyage on the Amazon website (didn't have any in store where I went to look at), Just wondering if it is worth the extra £60? I might hang on until I see a Voyage in store as well.

[E-Hoog]

I don't know about Kindles, but Kobo has a larger model, the 6.8" Aura HD.

[johnrogers]

Been and had a look at one, felt nice in the hand but seemed small as well. I might go back and take my Fire HD with me just to compare screen size side by side. I have also noted the Kindle Voyage on the Amazon website (didn't have any in store where I went to look at), Just wondering if it is worth the extra £60? I might hang on until I see a Voyage in store as well.

Soeley was not even aware of the new Voyage coming out but I did research it and agree you should look it over before you decide which way to go - the voyage seems to be almost identical in dimensions as the Paperwhite and it does have a few perks over the Paperwhite.
Let me know what you think of it when you check it out I am a techno curious person.
Again Love this Paperwhite - seriously LOVE it

[johnrogers]

Been and had a look at one, felt nice in the hand but seemed small as well. I might go back and take my Fire HD with me just to compare screen size side by side. I have also noted the Kindle Voyage on the Amazon website (didn't have any in store where I went to look at), Just wondering if it is worth the extra £60? I might hang on until I see a Voyage in store as well.

Soeley was not even aware of the new Voyage coming out but I did research it and agree you should look it over before you decide which way to go - the voyage seems to be almost identical in dimensions as the Paperwhite and it does have a few perks over the Paperwhite.
Let me know what you think of it when you check it out I am a techno curious person.
Again Love this Paperwhite - seriously LOVE it

Been and had a look at one, felt nice in the hand but seemed small as well. I might go back and take my Fire HD with me just to compare screen size side by side. I have also noted the Kindle Voyage on the Amazon website (didn't have any in store where I went to look at), Just wondering if it is worth the extra £60? I might hang on until I see a Voyage in store as well.

Soeley was not even aware of the new Voyage coming out but I did research it and agree you should look it over before you decide which way to go - the voyage seems to be almost identical in dimensions as the Paperwhite and it does have a few perks over the Paperwhite.
Let me know what you think of it when you check it out I am a techno curious person.
Again Love this Paperwhite - seriously LOVE it

Soeley
Have been doing some thinking about what the advantage of the new not available yet Kindle Voyage could be compared to the Kindle Paperwhite and I think I have figured out what the improvement is in relation to what it would actually mean to you when reading.

Answer is pixels and contrast on the display for a more vivid and clear representation,not so much in text but in diagrams or pictures,such as a map which is often displayed at the beginning of a book.Example I read Desert God on my 3G older model kindle and there was a large diagram printed at the beginning of every chapter,I could barely make out what the diagram was.Did a comparison on my Paperwhite and the Diagram was much clearer and easier to make out a vast improvement for sure.So I think when you view the same diagram on the new Voyage the diagram,picture, or map would be as vivid and clear as the text.There are a few other upgrades that I am sure are equally as nice,the auto light,and page turner system,and it is a little thinner.

Special note - if you do purchase an Voyage make note the Amazon case is quite different than the original Amazon case so research that a bit before you take the tumble

[SOELEY]

How strange the Voyage is available in the UK. Still not seen one in store yet though.

Thanks for the information I did like the sound of the autolight, on my Fire HD I have to manually turn the brightness down at night (no other lights on), but then in the daylight you can hardly make out the screen to turn it back up Page turn sensors might be nice but not essential.

I'm still waiting though

[SOELEY]

I managed to see a Kindle Voyage in the flesh today in Waterstones, went to the till to ask for one and was told they are out of stock Anyway got home and ordered one from Tesco Direct and can collect in store tomorrow, I have also ordered the leather origami case from Amazon which should arrive next week.

I was surprised how much thinner the Voyage felt compared to the Paperwhite. In fact it is only 1.5mm thinner, but because it is beveled on the back the edges where you hold it are much thinner.

I will let you know how I get on with it.

[johnrogers]

I managed to see a Kindle Voyage in the flesh today in Waterstones, went to the till to ask for one and was told they are out of stock Anyway got home and ordered one from Tesco Direct and can collect in store tomorrow, I have also ordered the leather origami case from Amazon which should arrive next week.

I was surprised how much thinner the Voyage felt compared to the Paperwhite. In fact it is only 1.5mm thinner, but because it is beveled on the back the edges where you hold it are much thinner.

I will let you know how I get on with it.

Soeley - dying to hear about your new Voyage - great choice by the way bet you a nickel you will love it as much as I love my Paperwhite.Looking forward to hearing about it,still not available on amazons Canadian website but not surprised,new product introduced by Amazon goes to the USA first and becomes available in Canada a few months later.

[SOELEY]

Well here goes.

I have just about had it for two weeks now, the battery is nearly flat from the first initial charge (not entirely sure I did actually charge it to 100%) on average I read about an hour a day, plus I am sure playing around with the settings in the first few days might have put an extra load on the battery. Whilst I am talking about battery life, my one criticism is that the gauge does't show the percentage just an icon that slowly empties and is hard to judge how much battery life is left.

The size I am very happy with, it did feel small at first being used to the Kindle Fire HD but soon got used to it. The actual reading screen isn't that much smaller than the Fire to be honest. I also bought the Amazon Origami case for it which is quite good but expensive really for what it is (I went for the leather option). Out of the case I find it feels a bit too thin (why do all manufacturers think thinner is better?) it feels as if you need to treat it with kid gloves (although that isn't the case as it does seem very well made). I put this down to the bevels running down the back on each side, they should have left it a uniform thickness. With the case on and the cover folded back it feels much better to hold.

The touch sensors are good (you can still turn the page just by tapping the screen as well) the sensitivity of them is adjustable as is the amount of haptic feedback (vibration) they give.

The backlight is brilliant, it can be manually adjusted for brightness or set to automatic which can dim or brighten the backlight gradually depending on the surrounding ambient light. I really like that touch.

The screen is also very easy on the eyes. I am finding I can read for longer periods. Every lunchtime at work after 15 to 20 minutes of reading I always started to nod off, this hasn't happened once in the last two weeks. Obviously it wasn’t just the glare off the Fire HD making me fall asleep, it would be that and the fact I get up at 05:30 and tired eyes but with the Voyage e-ink screen the eyes no longer get as tired.

Would I recommend getting one, yes I would.

[johnrogers]

Well here goes.

I have just about had it for two weeks now, the battery is nearly flat from the first initial charge (not entirely sure I did actually charge it to 100%) on average I read about an hour a day, plus I am sure playing around with the settings in the first few days might have put an extra load on the battery. Whilst I am talking about battery life, my one criticism is that the gauge does't show the percentage just an icon that slowly empties and is hard to judge how much battery life is left.

The size I am very happy with, it did feel small at first being used to the Kindle Fire HD but soon got used to it. The actual reading screen isn't that much smaller than the Fire to be honest. I also bought the Amazon Origami case for it which is quite good but expensive really for what it is (I went for the leather option). Out of the case I find it feels a bit too thin (why do all manufacturers think thinner is better?) it feels as if you need to treat it with kid gloves (although that isn't the case as it does seem very well made). I put this down to the bevels running down the back on each side, they should have left it a uniform thickness. With the case on and the cover folded back it feels much better to hold.

The touch sensors are good (you can still turn the page just by tapping the screen as well) the sensitivity of them is adjustable as is the amount of haptic feedback (vibration) they give.

The backlight is brilliant, it can be manually adjusted for brightness or set to automatic which can dim or brighten the backlight gradually depending on the surrounding ambient light. I really like that touch.

The screen is also very easy on the eyes. I am finding I can read for longer periods. Every lunchtime at work after 15 to 20 minutes of reading I always started to nod off, this hasn't happened once in the last two weeks. Obviously it wasn’t just the glare off the Fire HD making me fall asleep, it would be that and the fact I get up at 05:30 and tired eyes but with the Voyage e-ink screen the eyes no longer get as tired.

Would I recommend getting one, yes I would.

Go to your settings and make sure you are in airplane mode otherwise your on wifi and your battery will drain quickly - so get in the habit of making certain your airplane mode is on for everyday usage

[SOELEY]

I will give it a try to see the difference it makes, but I like to keep the WiFi on to tell the truth because i have the Kindle app on my phone and laptop. I must admit that I rarely read it on the laptop, but quite often manage to grab 5 or 10 minutes on the phone. But I will try it.

[johnrogers]

Well here goes.

I have just about had it for two weeks now, the battery is nearly flat from the first initial charge (not entirely sure I did actually charge it to 100%) on average I read about an hour a day, plus I am sure playing around with the settings in the first few days might have put an extra load on the battery. Whilst I am talking about battery life, my one criticism is that the gauge does't show the percentage just an icon that slowly empties and is hard to judge how much battery life is left.

The size I am very happy with, it did feel small at first being used to the Kindle Fire HD but soon got used to it. The actual reading screen isn't that much smaller than the Fire to be honest. I also bought the Amazon Origami case for it which is quite good but expensive really for what it is (I went for the leather option). Out of the case I find it feels a bit too thin (why do all manufacturers think thinner is better?) it feels as if you need to treat it with kid gloves (although that isn't the case as it does seem very well made). I put this down to the bevels running down the back on each side, they should have left it a uniform thickness. With the case on and the cover folded back it feels much better to hold.

The touch sensors are good (you can still turn the page just by tapping the screen as well) the sensitivity of them is adjustable as is the amount of haptic feedback (vibration) they give.

The backlight is brilliant, it can be manually adjusted for brightness or set to automatic which can dim or brighten the backlight gradually depending on the surrounding ambient light. I really like that touch.

The screen is also very easy on the eyes. I am finding I can read for longer periods. Every lunchtime at work after 15 to 20 minutes of reading I always started to nod off, this hasn't happened once in the last two weeks. Obviously it wasn’t just the glare off the Fire HD making me fall asleep, it would be that and the fact I get up at 05:30 and tired eyes but with the Voyage e-ink screen the eyes no longer get as tired.

Would I recommend getting one, yes I would.

Soeley just curious now you have had the new ereader for a few months and have got used to having it do you still give it a raving review

[SOELEY]

Hi John,

Yes I am still loving the Voyage, not missed the Fire HD one bit. First two charges last just about two weeks. Since the last charge I have switched it to Airplane mode as you suggested, in to the third week now. I think i will achieve four weeks out of it, so it was a worthy exercise. Might not keep it on all the time, but will definitely switch it on for holidays.

[SOELEY]

Just an update on battery life. I just managed 4 weeks with it set to Airplane Mode. I have just got 6 weeks from full charge, still in Airplane Mode and the Auto Light switched off and back light set manually to level 7.