I pre-ordered my new Kindle Paperwhite the moment it was announced. I currently own the 3rd generation Kindle, aka Kindle Keyboard, and was finally ready for an upgrade. I skipped on the original Paperwhite because my trusty old Kindle keyboard was (and is) still going strong and I really didn't have a compelling enough reason to upgrade until this year. Age and the annoying presbyopia that comes along with it has made reading more of a challenge. As recently as last year, I could read my Kindle keyboard comfortably in pretty much any lighting other than really low light. In that short time span it became progressively harder to read my Kindle, even with reading glasses, unless I had absolutely perfect lighting. Perfect lighting isn't always available, especially late at night when you're trying to squeeze in one extra chapter while your sleepy significant other lies beside you pondering a million ways to extract revenge for the loss of sleep. So I hightailed it to Amazon and ordered the latest Paperwhite. The illuminated screen, sharp crisp text, and better contrast of the new Kindle Paperwhite was the perfect solution. I no longer have to search for perfect lighting and I no longer have to nervously sleep with one eye open after finishing a late night reading marathon. I still need the reading glasses but at least I don't need to light the Kindle up like Times Square to be able to read it.
Once I had my new Kindle in hand, I immediately appreciated the upgrade from my old Kindle. The new touch sensitive screen is much better and brighter than my previous model and absolutely perfect. Although I don't normally fret over tiny backlighting issues, I found no problems whatsoever with the new Paperwhite screen. It's bright and evenly lit. I read about issues with the previous Paperwhite screen while researching for a new Kindle but the screen looks perfectly fine to me. Operation of the Kindle using the touchscreen is much faster and more responsive than my Kindle Keyboard buttons. Speaking of buttons, I love that I no longer have the awkward side buttons that I would occasionally press by accident while holding the Kindle with one hand causing unintended page turns. The touch screen also makes tasks like highlighting, jumping to different sections and even typing itself so much easier. If you're coming from a non-touchscreen Kindle, learning to use the touchscreen is super easy and there is a brief tutorial as soon as you power on the device to help get you accustomed to using the touchscreen and features. In a matter of minutes I was navigating through my new Kindle just as easily and effortlessly as my previous model. You would think typing with a keyboard is easier but the Kindle Keyboard only has letters on the main keyboard. I had to press buttons to open menus and use a d-pad to navigate as well as to find special characters and numbers. It was chore if I had to enter things that contain a combination of letters, numbers and special characters, like my Wi-Fi password. Now I just type everything on the screen with ease. The screen resolution and lighting are perfect and allow me to read anywhere, even in bed with the lights off as my wife sleeps undisturbed. As far as size, the Paperwhite is smaller in both height and width, especially without the keyboard, but still retains the same screen size. The size, weight, ease of use and better readability have made this a very satisfying purchase.
I only have one complaint, the omission of the AC adapter. It was included with my Kindle Keyboard as well as my Kindle Fire (1st gen) but the Paperwhite only comes with a USB cable for charging. I could use the charger for my previous Kindle but I gave it to my daughter along with the Kindle Keyboard. I did have a few extra USB chargers lying around from old cell phones but had already gave or tossed those away as well. It's always unwanted junk lying around the house until the day after you get rid of it. That's when you discover you actually still need it. Lesson learned. Anyway, I begrudgingly purchased the optional 5W charger. I just feel that it should be included, even if it bumps the price up a couple dollars (although not nearly the $20 Amazon charges for the adapter). At least I got five bucks knocked off the price for bundling and an MP3 store credit. Other than excluding the charger, I have absolutely no other complaints about my Kindle Paperwhite. In addition to the adapter, I purchased the
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Leather Cover, Royal Purple (does not fit Kindle or Kindle Touch)
which fits the Kindle like a glove.
Although the new Kindle Fire HDX looks like an awesome new tablet, I didn't need another tablet, I needed a better E-reader. That's why I stuck with the Paperwhite. I just prefer reading on traditional Kindles instead of full-feature color tablets. I've tried reading on the original Kindle Fire, as well as an iPad Mini, an iPad 4, and a Nexus 7 (through the Kindle app). I just never found reading for long stretches on a full-color glossy screen tablet to be anywhere as enjoyable or immersive as reading on my Kindle. Despite the beautiful full-color covers and photos that the full-feature tablets offer, they just don't have that feel that's comparable to reading a page from a real book like the traditional Kindle e-readers. Color tablets are better suited for magazines and graphical novels but not plain old text. The Kindle's e-ink display is still king of the hill when it comes to reading primarily text. That's just my personal preference. If you do not currently own a color tablet you may have a more difficult decision to make because tablets like the Kindle HDX include numerous other benefits that basically turn it into a little handheld computer and personal entertainment device. If I didn't already own other tablets I may have opted for the HDX but I honestly prefer having a dedicated E-reader and would likely still keep a Kindle E-reader on hand, even if I purchased the HDX. The low prices Amazon's of entire Kindle line definitely make owning both a possibility for anyone in need of both. For the same price as a 16GB Retina iPad, you could purchase a Kindle HDX 8.9 and a Paperwhite. For just a tad more than the cost of an iPad Mini, you could purchase a 7" Kindle HDX and a Paperwhite. Unfortunately, I think some of the costs are recouped through the price of the accessories but at least they aren't mandatory. If you prefer a cover and charger there are plenty of good quality Paperwhite covers and compatible USB AC adapters you could buy for much cheaper. If you already own a Kindle and still have the AC adapter or have one for a smartphone laying around, you could also use that.
If you are experiencing diminished vision like me, tired of relying on external light sources, or simply looking for a new E-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite is the way to go. The improved performance, bright backlight and improved usability of the touchscreen has made this a very satisfying purchase. The reliability of my previous Kindle provides the comfort of knowing this Kindle will be my reading buddy for at least the next few years.
Reviews with images
Best e-ink e-reader available. Make sure an e-reader is what you want though.
Quick Review:Pros:• E-ink screen• Fantastic battery life• Lots of storage for books• Standard Micro USB charging• Large enough size to comfortable read on• VERY adjustable and great backlightCons:• A bit too wide to use in only your left hand• Screen size may be too small for you if you’re used to a tablet (iPad,Android, whatever)• No Epub support• Feels somewhat brittleBottom Line: Get this e-reader if you want to read text. Get this if you want the convenience of reading like a book, but being able to carry more books, read in the dark, and don’t mind a digital format, and dislike eyestrain. Get this over the normal Kindle for the backlight.Long Version:The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. Where do I begin? As you hopefully know, the Paperwhite is an e-reader. That’s what it is, that’s what it does and that’s what it was made for. This device is NOT a “tablet” in the way we usually mean. It doesn’t have a color screen, it won’t run angry birds(Everyone still plays that, right?), and it won’t play you videos.But that’s ok!Since a very young age, I’ve been an avid reader. Everything from the Hardy Boys to hundreds of Star Wars novels are in my library and I love reading them all. I am a 911 ambulance EMT in a busy city in the southwest. While the days are usually decently busy, sometimes they aren’t and usually during a regular day I might have an hour of downtime here and there and I would always have a book with me. Maybe a textbook for my classes, sometimes just a good ol’ spy novel, but always there. If you’ve been into a book you know the letdown feeling you get when you finish a good one; especially if you don’t have another one to read right afterwards. I can tell you that some days at work are really slow and I’ve been able to get through a book that I didn’t anticipate doing and I’m left with nothing to read. I would usually turn to my phone or something. Not the same. So I began experimenting with eBooks. First on my phone, then on my computer, then on an original Nook Color, then…I hated them. I hated staring at a screen, especially at night, I hated the battery drain it took to read for a couple hours, and I often found them cumbersome to use.Finally, this last month, I took the plunge and dove into the kindle world. Not the Fire HD word, but the world of e-ink. I have to say I’m thrilled. First off, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about still reading off a screen. I’m not a paper snob, but that’s all I’ve ever used besides an LCD. The reading experience on the Paperwhite is great. First, the screen doesn’t feel like an LCD screen. It isn’t the super smooth glass screen of a tablet. It has a rougher feel to it which, in my opinion, makes it feel more like a page. This has a drawback of being a little less responsive than most of us are used to on a phone or tablet. But think about it, all you are normally doing with it is touching to flip the page. When holding this one handed with my left hand, I DID find it difficult to turn the page without having to readjust my hand or use my right hand to touch the screen. I could very easily turn the page back though. This issue was solved by holding the Paperwhite in my right hand. From there, my thumb could easily tap the screen to go to the next page. If you hold the Paperwhite by the top, you have to make sure to tap the screen far enough down the sides to do the page turn. If you tap too high on the screen, it opens the settings which is annoying when you really want to turn the page when the climax is close. Holding it by the bottom, I have found, doesn't give you enough room to tap the sides and turn the page.The touchscreen is usually just used by taps, which you have to mean to hit. Light taps I have found to be unreliable, so you have to mean what you do. I’m not saying you have to pound on it, but you have to be a little forceful. This goes with everything from the on-screen keyboard to the page turns. The swipe to unlock can be a bit slow taking sometimes of upward to 1.0 seconds to register and open. The screen flashes and then resumes you wherever you were when it went to sleep.The backlight is great! Most screen lights shine the light into your face, but this one reflects it back onto the page and then back to you. Plus, you can get the backlight REALLY low. Almost non-existent. This is awesome for reading at night. It seems like the page is lit up without looking at garish. I can read on this for hours without eyestrain and I feel like reading on my Paperwhite is like reading a page in a book.Also true to their word, the Paperwhite performs just like a paper page in sunlight. I can safely use it in direct sunlight with no glare at all and the device doesn't heat up like a phone or tablet would in the sun.The screen changes are a bit slow and they change in a transition format. What I mean is that they don’t just pop in. Sometimes it reminds me of turning a page. I think this is a product of how the E-ink screen works. Either way, it doesn’t bother me.Technical stuff. Yes, this thing has an “experimental” browser, but it isn’t great. I mean, this screen isn’t an LCD and black and white. Again though, this ISN’T a normal tablet. I did not buy it with the expectation of doing web browsing or using apps. The Wi-Fi works great and connects right away. I use it to download books and then turn it off again to conserve battery.Speaking of battery, it’s great. I went about 3 weeks without charging it and experienced no drops at all. This was with the backlight on a low setting the entire time. I ended up charging it last night because I just wanted to see how fast it would charge. I charged it from about 70% up to 100% in about 30min.Lastly, the formats. This device supports PDF, MOBI, and a host of other formats that you can find in the description. But I do want to point out that it does NOT support EPUB format. This can be overcome through using Calibre to convert the book, but this gets a bit sticky if you have an eBook that is protected using DRM. If you don’t have the license on the kindle, you won’t be able to use it on there. So keep this in mind if you’re coming in with a library of eBooks already. Do some testing and see if you can convert them to a kindle usable format. When viewing a PDF, you will find that if it is a scanned image of a page, this images will be of poor quality on the kindle. A PDF that is using text will display just fine, but images will be hard to read in my experience. Lastly, one of the most annoying things on the kindle is the library display. It just gives you a list of all eBooks on your device. You can select viewing only the ones downloaded on your device, viewing the ones in your amazon library, or both. So, finding books on the device can be cumbersome. The best way around this that I have found is simply to search for the title of the book. This means that you have to know the title, which sometimes you don’t, especially if you put an entire series on the device at once.You can also access the kindle store and buy through your amazon account directly from there. I have found both purchases on the kindle and those on the site and sent to my kindle to be quick, speedy, and flawless. I have had zero problems downloading books to my Paperwhite.Over all, this is a great purchase for me and I love it. It can hold many, many books and provides a pleasant reading experience comparable to that of a book just without the torn pages and bigger space needed to carry more than one book. I can read in the dark without an extra light and I can do so without eyestrain or bothering my partner in the ambulance with a light turned on. It also doesn’t kill my night vision with a bright light shining in my face. Which, as you may imagine, can be really annoying in EMS at night when a sudden call interrupts my reading session. I enjoy this device far more than I did my nook color and far more than reading off of a LCD screen. It may be smaller than an iPad or tablet in terms of how much it can display, but with easy page turns it doesn't really matter.
