I have to say this is a great e-reader and I can easily see it replacing my kindle fire, ipad and Samsung Galaxy s3 as my primary reading device (yes I read on all the others). Here are my likes and dislikes....
Likes:
1) Size-This thing is perfectly sized to fit my hand. The grip sits where my hand is always cupping the bottom of the device and my fingers are in perfect position of the page turn buttons. This thing is also insanely light. I hated bringing my kindle fire with me to appointments, etc. because it was so heavy and bulky. This one I put in my purse and you can't even tell that it's there.
2) Page Turn Buttons- I've been a fan of touch screen technology for many years and was wary that I'd dislike this kindle because it wasn't touch. Well, I actually like it better not being a touch screen. I don't accidentally flip forward pages like I did with the kindle fire/iPad and when my son grabs it from me, no matter how much he touches the screen (he's also accustomed to touch screen) my page never changes which I have found to be amazing
3) Battery life- I've read 2 full books (total of about 900 pages) and the battery doesn't even look like it's 15% used. If I had to break that down in hours, I'd probably say roughly 5 or 6 hours on that 15%. That to me is amazing because with the kindle fire I was having to plug it in every night after reading for 4 or 5 hours because it would be well past half used up. I'd estimate this thing to easily give me 30+ hours of reading time or about 5 average length books if you think better in those terms. NOTE-This is with the wifi off (or airplane mode on). Also I'm basing this on having a full battery to start and downloading about 25 of my archived books onto my device before turning wifi off.
4) Storage Capacity- I'm adding this as a plus because with amazon cloud giving an indefinite amount of space to store your books, I don't see how 2gb of space for roughly 1000 books on the device is a bad thing. I've been reading off the kindle app for about 5 years and I don't even think I have 150 books, so I think I'll be safe.
5) Quality- I can not believe how much a backlit screen has been ruining my reading all these years! My eyes always hurt after reading, but with this kindle and the e-ink technology, no eye strain. I love that the screen looks like an actual page of a book. It really is incredible.
6) You can read in the sun!!!!!! I LOVE THAT! Because this baby is not backlit you can read out in direct sunlight.
Dislikes:
1) Ghosting- While I read this to be a common "occurance" on the kindles in general due to the way the e-ink technology works, it took a bit to get used to. Ghosting is where you can see the hint of the page you were just on or the next page show up on the current page. I've found though it tends to only happen on the first few pages of waking up and is totally unnoticeable now, so it's not really a problem, more of an I wish someone would have prepped me for it.
2) The keyboard- Obviously to make this perfect for hand holding, you don't get a keyboard. Using the buttons for that is a bit of a pain, but I actually buy all my books online and send to my device so it's not an issue. Just something to note if you plan on searching for books, etc. from the kindle that you will have to learn to use the keyboard. (This was the only feature where I missed touchscreen).
3) Internet- Don't even bother with this if you have a computer, smart phone, etc. You won't get much and honestly I don't see the purpose in it. I didn't buy this device to use the internet, so it's a non-issue for me, but something you might want to consider if you plan to ever use it.
Neutral
1) Having to use a special lighted cover/light at night- I consider this neutral territory, but feel people should make their own call. I personally read in a lighted area almost all the time, so this is almost of no importance to me. However in dimmer light it is harder to read the kindle. If you read regularly in the dark, then I'd recommend either the paperwhite version of the kindle or the lighted cover (which run for almost the same price as the kindle itself!). For me, I have a kindle fire as well which is backlit, so I just switch to reading on that if I want to read at night or in the dark. So no biggie. I have friends who have bought reading lights from the dollar store that they say work perfect on the kindle, so this isn't necessarily a reason to not buy this little guy.
Overall- if you want a device to READ, then this is your device! After years using the iPad and recently the kindle fire, I can't believe I didn't buy an actual original kindle sooner. I'm actually kicking myself for my husband buying me a kindle fire for my birthday since this one has already replaced it for reading. (Please note, I think the kindle fire is also a great product in it's own right as a tablet, but not my favorite e-reader anymore).
Best Kindle So Far
I bought the first Kindle when it came out and, while I liked it, I didn't use it that much because the page turn buttons could be too easily triggered, and the cover was somewhat clumsy to use. The second generation Kindle was a lot better, but I still preferred to read physical books with the Kindle being a solution for being able to have books available without taking up any more space (I still buy physical books, but most are donated to the local library, Salvation Army, etc. after I've read them). Next, about a year after it came out, I bought what Amazon called the "Kindle Keyboard" and was hooked! I began using the Kindle as a preferred reading medium over physical books and thought that the Kindle Keyboard couldn't be improved upon (I've since given a couple as gifts). I liked the storage capacity, the 3G capability and thought I wouldn't want to be without the keyboard. After reading more than seventy books on it I couldn't imagine trying a Kindle with less memory and only Wi-fi. I was wrong. I ordered this "4th Generation" Kindle earlier this year, thinking I'd have it for a backup to my Kindle Keyboard. Instead, it has become my much-preferred device. Storage room? With the cloud, it's really not an issue. I keep a few reference books on both of my current Kindles (the Keyboard and this one) as well as what I'm currently reading. I haven't had any problem with coming close to exceeding the storage capacity. While it would be nice to have 3G, it's not a deal-killer at all. I've already read close to 50 books on this Kindle and I've only found myself without easy access to Wi-fi once. When I'm close to finishing a book, I plan ahead and download a new one (or two) so that I'm ready wherever I happen to be. I also thought the cover for the Kindle Keyboard was better, but have found that I like the (Amazon official) cover for this one every bit as much or better. I don't need an elastic band to hold it closed (thought I wanted this, but it is really a non-issue). I flip it open, flip it closed, leave it folded back and just generally don't worry about it. That's what a cover should be - unobtrusive. The thing that makes this Kindle a real winner is its size and simplicity. It's easy to read one handed in any of the chairs in our house, at the island in the kitchen, at a restaurant at lunch or while lying in bed. It fits easily in my pants pocket, in a briefcase, laptop case, accordion file, sportcoat pocket, etc. The battery life (with "airplane mode" on - meaning Wi-fi off) is fantastic. I read anywhere from a couple of hours to as many as seven or eight hours per day and I generally can go three weeks (never less than two) between charges. I turn on Wi-fi (or turn off "Airplane Mode") to download new books or to allow sync'ing with other devices (I'll still use the Kindle app on the iPad when reading in the dark), and unless I forget and leave it on, the battery life is just fantastic. I also like the fact that charging just involves hooking it to a USB port on my laptop or desktop. I wouldn't mind having a way to know the percentage of battery life left, but estimating from the icon I'd say that I have at least 20% battery life and I've read several books since the last recharge going on three weeks ago now. Oh, and the time to re-charge from a depleted battery is only a couple of hours at most. Will I try the new "Paperwhite" with 3G? Probably. Will I miss the page turn buttons? Maybe. Maybe not. I thought the 2nd gen Kindle was where I'd stop (I even thought about buying a second one because I "liked it best"). The same was true with the Kindle Keyboard. Again, I thought it was the best version and wouldn't be improved upon (and once again considered buying a backup in that version). Today, I'm on this product page because the announcement of the Paperwhite made me think that maybe I should buy another one of the "Kindle 4" devices as a backup. Then I remembered the other two times I considered stocking up on the "tested and true" versions and decided to write this review instead. Maybe this will end up being my favorite Kindle. But if it doesn't, if the Paperwhite or even one of the Kindle Fires becomes a new favorite, I'll have paid my due respects to a device that has given me a great deal of pleasure. I recommend this Kindle without reservation. UPDATE: I've uploaded a video showing the Kindle being used one-handed. It's a little shaky (using the other hand to try to hold the camera), but shows the Kindle being used left-handed to "turn" the pages. From the other reviews I've read this doesn't suit everyone - I guess it's a matter of the size and shape of each person's hands. The video also gives some sense of the page refresh. I've uploaded a couple of still shots in the photo section at the top of the page that provide an idea of the resolution.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2013
