I have added a video of the Kindle Paperwhite compared to a Kindle Keyboard and a Kindle Fire. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me and I will try to answer them.
I love that the text on the screen is crisp and clear. I use the Kindle because my declining vision caused me to stop reading books. Reading was my number one hobby my entire life and I just loved it. The Kindle has brought back that reading experience and now with the crisper text and lit screen I can enjoy my reading in every type of environment. I laid my Kindle Keyboard and the New Kindle Paperwhite side by side and the comparison of the quality of text and clarity is amazingly in favor of the new Paperwhite. The new lighting system and screen clarity is where this Paperwhite design really is outstanding. With better contrast, lighting and custom designed fonts, the text just pops out of the screen like you have not seen in an e-Reader before. With 221 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) this screen provides a 768 by 1024 pixel screen that just makes the old Kindle Keyboard look old fashioned. Technology certainly does move quickly on.
My favorite time to read is the last two hours of the evening before bedtime. Unfortunately that is the worst time to use a non-lit screen e-Reader. I went to using the Kindle Fire and the iPad 3. Unfortunately I noticed eyestrain that limited my reading time and I did not get the full enjoyment of spending my time reading. This new soft lit screen is unobtrusive and for me my eyes do not get tired of reading like they do on the Kindle Fire and on the iPad. After reading on the other backlit tablets I feel like I have that 1000 yard stare with dry and tired eyes. This lighting effect is softer and easier to read without the tired eyes and blurry vision. I am glad that I finally made the investment to get an updated Kindle Paperwhite.
There are 8 font sizes and I recently learned from one of the brilliant people who added a comment to this review that you can pinch and zoom on the Kindle Paperwhite to expand the font size or decrease it like you do on a powerful tablet, this is a great feature. There are 6 different font styles and they are Baskerville, Futura, Caecilia, Helvetica, Caecilia Condensed and Palatino. The fonts have been fine tuned to offer additional sharpness and clarity which is great for reducing eyestrain and fatigue. I love the new dictionary feature that creates a Vocabulary Builder which is a list of the words that you looked up and you can review the list and use flashcards to enhance your vocabulary and reading skills.
I thought that I would have trouble making the transition from the Kindle Keyboard to the New Kindle Paperwhite but it was a breeze. I think that using a touch screen and using finger swipes to turn pages and emulated keyboards like on the Kindle Fire and iPad made it a natural transition to this new Kindle. There is a minor learning curve of learning where to touch the screen but the changeover was fast and easy. The capacitive touch response of the screen is very nice. It makes the New Paperwhite respond quickly to finger touches, menu changes and page turns and the faster CPU helps there also.
What I like about the Kindle Paperwhite is that it is a dedicated e-Reader and it combines the best features of the Kindle e-ink and the iPad/Kindle Fire.
* Ultra lightweight at 7.3 ounces and easily held for hours with one hand. I love the size and weight as it is comfortable to hold for long periods of time and you don't find yourself laying down the Paperwhite like I would be doing with my iPad 3.
* Lit screen for reading in poorly lighted areas like the iPad and Kindle Fire but without the eyestrain. The lighting level is adjustable.
* High clarity of the text and contrast for easy reading
* Fast charging time in 4 hours
* Ability to be easily read in the sunlight with no screen glare.
* WIFI connectability
* Battery life of 28 hours (of reading time) depending on the WIFI usage and screen brightness used.
* Touch screen control
* Easy page turning and access to the onboard dictionary, access to Wikipedia and X-Ray.
* Easy to access menu and setup was a breeze
* 25% faster response for loading books and page turning thanks to a faster microprocessor.
* Small, thin and highly portable
* Able to carry 1,100 books
* My favorite feature is the adjustable text size and font style!
* Custom tuned fonts add clarity and crispness to the quality of the displayed text
* Since I review a lot of books I love to highlight sections and text as well as take notes on the screen.
* Translation of foreign language that is used in the book
* Web surfing is possible but still slower than a good tablet. Who cares, this is my portable ebook reader with 1,100 books in it. I have other devices to browse the web and read my email.
* I like the rubberized feel of the back and it is similar to my Kindle Fire. It makes the Kindle Paperwhite easy to grip and hold with one hand and just have it lay in the palm of my hand without a case.
This tablet gives me the best reading conditions in the daytime and also in the night. It has a lot of great features but I wanted to post a review that provides a strong comparison between the new Kindle Paperwhite, the Kindle Keyboard and the Kindle Fire when used as purely a reading device.
-------------------------------------Kindle Paperwhite---------Kindle Keyboard----------Kindle Fire original
Screen size: -------------------- 6 inch------------------------6 inch E Ink Pearl----------7 inch color LCD
Resolution: ---------------------768x1024-------------------600x800---------------------600x1024
Weight: --------------------------7.3 ounces------------------8.7 ounces-------------------14.6 ounces
Overall Size: --------------------6.7"x4.6"x0.36"-----------7.5"x4.8"x0.34"-------------7.5"x4.7"x0.45"
Battery life in hours of reading: 28 hours----------------28 hours----------------------8 hours
Charging Time: -----------------4 hours----------------------4 hours------------------------4 hours
Eyestrain: ---none under all reading conditions---yes in poor light----------yes due to backlighting
Memory: -------------------------2 GIG -------------------------4 GIG ---------------------------8 GIG
Number of books: -------------1,100--------------------------3,500----------------------------6,000
Included charger: --------------No---------------------------Yes--------------------------------Yes
WIFI Connectability: ----------Fast and easy--------------Fast and easy-------------------Fast and easy
Speakers: ------------------------No----------------------------Yes--------------------------------Yes
Other considerations:
* No distraction from email
* No distractions from text messages
* No distractions from phone calls.
Pros:
* You can use a capacitive stylus on the screen to help keep the screen clean.
* Great battery life and fast charging.
* Perfect form factor for size and weight for a hand held portable e-reader.
* I don't need to use the stupid book light that never worked well anyway!
* Faster page tuning which for me really makes a difference.
* Connection to the WIFI was fast and easy.
* Downloading my book library was fast and easy.
* Even though the screen has slight texture to it is does not show fingerprints as bad as a glossy screen like a Kindle Fire or an iPad
Cons:
* It still costs extra money for an AC wall adapter. It comes with a USB to Micro USB cable that you can use for charging and connecting to any AC USB wall adapter or computer USB port. I don't need another USB power adapter but not getting one just makes Amazon look cheap in not supplying one with the product.
* They charge extra money to remove push ads to your Kindle Paperwhite
* No speakers and no ability to have the book read aloud to you using text to speech.
* Dropping the memory to 2 GIG with only 1.25 GIG available. I know 1100 book storage is a lot but memory is getting cheaper and not more expensive. I already own 703 Kindle books and I continually purchase more. I would just have preferred more memory.
Summary:
Overall considering all the issues this is a great e-Reader. It is the best available at this time. I do feel that Amazon always gives some things and takes away others. Things like memory/book storage capacity, text to speech, speakers and AC wall chargers disappear from new products and sometimes return in others. I also don't care for the ads still being pushed in our faces. This is still a solid 5 star product and you can't go wrong with buying one. It is just that sometimes the things you lose seem to mean more to users than to Amazon. I don't mind them saving some money but raise the price $10 and put in all the features that users will need like a charger. This product with a few other features left in could have be a 10 star item with no regrets!
