New Gadgets! Part II - Kindle Paperwhite

Don't let anyone tell you that Amazon and Jeff Bezos aren't smart.  Founded and beginning online sales in the mid 90's, it survived the dot com burst.  That alone says a lot, as I remember several online services that I tried or even used regularly, that quickly disappeared back then.  Amazon even hosted the websites for several brick and mortar stalwarts until fairly recently, including Toys-R-Us and Target.

But becoming the biggest and best in online sales wasn't enough for Amazon.  In November 2007, Amazon launched the Kindle.  I tend not to buy gen 1 tech products, as I prefer to let the manufacturer work out the bugs and add a few new features first.  I was also very hesitant to try an e-reader.  Sony already had something on the market, but I'd also already begun to worry about Sony electronics products in general, so I did not want to be tied to their ecosystem.  This was before Barnes & Noble had released the Nook.  And, as an avid reader, I was quite concerned with switching to an e-reader in general.  Was e-ink really easier on the eyes than LCD screens?  Would I read more or less on a device like this compared to actual books?  Would I spend more or less on books this way?  And, could I just give up the "feel" of physical books?  All things I wondered about...

Fast-forward about a year, and I bought the Kindle 2.  I had tried a few original Kindles, and as mentioned a time or two, I love electronics gadgets in general.  And I fell in love.  I read more, found a lot of titles for free or for less than I'd pay for the physical book, started saving space in my house (I'm sure my husband was happy to have me stop asking for new bookcases and/or room in our basement to store more books), and on what other device could you get free 3G data?  My initial hesitation totally shifted to me being a Kindle advocate.  I joked that I should be paid some sort of royalty from Amazon for all of the Kindles I was selling for them by telling friends and family how great a device it was.

My daughter owns and uses that same Kindle 2.  I graduated to a Kindle Touch a few years later.  And yes, I'm seriously considering upgrading again, but not to a Kindle Fire HD as some might suspect. I want a Kindle Paperwhite.  I like my Kindle Touch, but I want some of the new features:

• Paperwhite built-in light:  I was disappointed in Amazon that they let Barnes & Noble beat them to the punch with a lighted e-reader.  But I am now convinced that the technology behind the Kindle Paperwhite is better compared to the Nook Simple Touch with Glow Light.  For one, the shorter name helps (ok, not really, but I have to laugh at some of the product naming that companies still manage to come up with).  I like that the light points downward and illuminates the screen equally.  And I like that you can keep the light on at all times (even in direct sunlight) and still have a battery that lasts 8 weeks.
• Battery life:  They essentially kept the same battery life of the Kindle Touch, while adding an awesome light.
• Display:  212 ppi (pixels per inch), up from 167 ppi on the Kindle Touch.  Clearer text, faster page-turns, same size (6-inch) screen that has proven to be a sweet spot for e-readers.
• Data:  Still only 2gb of built-in storage (and yes, I still mourn the SD card option they took away after the original Kindle), but if you don't mind buying primarily from Amazon, most of what you own can be stored in their cloud anyway.  Free 3G available is available (higher price upfront of course) in addition to standard WiFi connection.  A little-known fact though is that you used to actually be able to use the 3G for web surfing on the Kindle 2, and that does not work anymore (although I believe it still will over WiFi).  Not that this is something Amazon advertises or that you'd spend a lot of time doing on a dedicated e-reader, but it was another cut that I do (slightly) miss.

To special offer or not to special offer...  I broke down and saved the money on my Kindle Touch and took the special offers model.  I was not disappointed.  I think I've grown accustomed to mostly ignoring ads anyway, and they are not obtrusive (not shown at all within a book).  I have even claimed one or two of them.  And, if you find that you just don't like the ads, you can pay to have them removed.  It looks like Amazon is moving to having them included up-front as a standard anyway, but that shouldn't keep you from considering a Kindle product even if you know that you will immediately pay to remove the ads.

Amazon customer service has typically been great over the years in my experience.  If something happens to your Kindle within the year warranty, they send you a new one happily (at least in my experience, which did happen personally with my Kindle 2, and I've heard of friends with similar experiences).  You can actually speak to someone over the phone without a long hold time (as long as you know where to find that option in the online help section).  My only real complaint is their pricing strategy on other (non-Kindle) goods and software, and their lack of customer empathy on that front.

Why don't I want a Kindle Fire HD you ask?  I do like the idea of offering 3G data (although with a monthly limit) at a very reasonable price (although with a hefty addition to the price of the Fire with 3G versus WiFi only).  But, while I don't mind being fairly locked in to the Amazon ecosystem for books, especially now that I can borrow in Kindle format from my local library, I do NOT want to be locked in for a tablet experience.  I want full access to the Android or Apple markets.  With Android, I still have access to the Amazon App Store and content anyway.  But I can see that it's a product that will still attract a large demographic.  If I had an unlimited electronics budget, I'd buy one, too, so I certainly can't say it's a bad product.

While it's become much easier to read on a tablet device, or even my smartphone, I still see great benefits in reading an e-ink device, especially in longer reading sessions.  I'm excited to stop using my iPad for night time reading if and when I get the Kindle Paperwhite.

I hope you have or get a tech toy that you enjoy, too!