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New oasis -- First Impressions

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#1 ·
Hey folks -- I split comments from the Kindle Watch thread into this First Impressions thread -- sorry for any confusion -- Ann

Ok, some quick impressions from a picky Kindle user. Quick backstory - I've had lots of kindles, and I've almost swapped them all, at least once, because I was never super happy with the lighting, or there was some screen flaw my eyes couldn't unsee. That said:

The new Oasis is just about perfect. The lighting is even, no real noticeable gradient issues (but let's be real - e-ink lighting isn't like a smartphone either) or bright/dim spots - looks really good. Nothing distracting.

Mine just kicked in an update, FYI.

Quick thoughts:

It's heavier than the oasis, but nothing major. Definitely won't fit in your back pocket. The aluminum feels more premium I guess, but I never had a problem with the plastic of the original oasis. Feels good to hold, the balance is right.

I really like the increase in screen size. Feels more like a book to me. I appreciate more words on the page at a time. Text is crisp.

The auto-lighting is a bit aggressive for me, but I like to use it with no lighting at all unless I really need to, or just a touch. But this is based on where I am here at work, which is pretty bright. I'll need to use it at home to really see how it works, but it's not a dealbreaker regardless since I can still manually control it.

It's snappy!

The reverse display toggle (black with white text) is located under the accessibility settings. Not super quick to get to, but nothing major. Unless I missed a shortcut.

I got the cloth case, it's fine, the ability to have it stand up while reading is nice. Adds a little weight, so I'd probably remove it while reading in bed or holding the oasis for long periods. Case seems sturdy and well made, does not cover 100% of the device, just like the original oasis.

Still has the little gap in the bezel that stuff can get trapped in.

Of course, all of these thoughts are just quick impressions, I'm sure I'll have more. I'll be happy to answer any questions.

TL;DR - the 2017 Oasis is a winner, and maybe the first (or second) Kindle/e-reader I'm not sending back for a replacement!
 
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#2 ·
Got mine about an hour ago. I love the tan leather cover. It is suede-like but I love that! I have the Walnut one from last year and was hoping it would be like that one. All I've done so far is get it up and running and set up a few things. I am loving this larger screen!

Isn't there a way to copy your collections from another kindle? I know I did this before but I can't find how to do that now. The dreaded part of a new kindle...setting everything up again and getting the books on it.
 
#3 ·
Went home early from work and it was waiting for me. Grabbed it and headed to a cafe. Initial impressions:
-the metal feels really good in hand (i was skeptical with the metal back) and it's metal looks more like the space gray ipad backs than the surface pro backs (which is a plus to me. just pulled out both my ipad and surface to color match).
-the screen really pops with the metal border. wow.
-the charcoal stand looks very premium (but that built in angled stand isn't very good to me and the angle doesnt go far enough for it to be useful so i'll still be carrying my mini gripzila in my pocket).
-it comes delivered without the bold font and audible update (which i find odd but no big deal).
-the magnet isn't as strong as the 6" Oasis on first impression but still locks in well.
-the screen texture is the same as the Oasis it appears which is a plus and leaves smears the same way so no greasy burritos while you read.
-i dont' remember seeing the 'night light' feature which decreases screen brightness but it seems like it may be useful for some.
-as mentioned it does feel zippy, be it downloads, page turns or exploring the features
-inverted text (to be found in "accessibility" section of settings) is really really awesome. (if you want to be anal and search for pinholes this would be how to do it). The white text is really crisp and i can see people finding great ways to read in this setting
-audible books took about 2 minutes to pull a book within a few seconds however, a prompt comes up 'Ready to Play' while it shows you the percentage downloaded
-not sure what "Voiceview" is but it looks like there is an option for "spoken feedback when you touch items on the screen"
-the spacing between grey border and the bezel is smaller than the original oasis which means less dust particles and in my case garlic bread crumbs
-the page turn buttons are smaller than i thought they'd be but i don't see that as a problem
-when just looking at the case, it's more square than i thought but it feels very premium
-and subtle but very important to some of us...the page turn buttons make a very very soft mechanical click which feels more metal gadget than plastic gadget. also a huge plus and a little more pronounced than my older Oasis
...lighting to come later when i get home and get test in the dark. so far, like everyone else, very impressed.
 
#4 ·
Received mine today at 11:45 am. The UPS man actually brought it up to me. They usually buzz my apartment to let them in and they drop on the ground floor. I'm 4 flights up. 

I set mine up with my wi-fi and opened a couple of books but I haven't done any real reading on it yet. It is pretty snappy so far. The software update wasn't done yet. I like the size. It fits in one of the 6 inner pockets in my Vera bag.

I got the charcoal fabric case and like it a lot. Not worth what they charge, but this is how it always is with the Amazon covers.

Looking forward to reading, but I'm at work now. Hope there is more down time later.
 
#5 ·
Mine just arrived . . . well, I guess the did make the 'arriving by 8 p.m.' deadline . . . but it's kind of annoying as it's been 'out for delivery' since 9:30 this morning. Not hugely surprising though since delivery was going to be AMZL and they're never as predictable/reliable as UPS or the Post Office.

AND . . . . we skipped going out to dinner because it hadn't come yet and trick-or-treat was starting and that just seemed risky to have it left on the porch with us not home and people wandering. :eek:

ANYWAY . . . . it came . . . very classy looking. Feels well made. But it's cold. :( Not sure how I'll feel about holding cold metal. :eek:

Off to set up and play. ;D
 
#6 ·
Ann, mine was cold when I opened it right after it was delivered.

I just changed my setting to Large Display Size to have the percentage charged. I'd charged it fully this afternoon; it's at 96% now. I have not connected to wi-fi in the office (where I am now until 12:30am).

Just noticed that when I open the cover,  the back is only staying on by the magnet, so it is pretty easy for the Oasis to come away from the cover while reading, say if I'm on the train and we have a sudden stop or derailment (hopefully I'm being far fetched about that), or I'm holding it open while changing trains and someone bumps me (that does happen but rarely).  I suppose the original Oasis cover worked the same way with magnet. I didn't have the first Oasis.
 
#7 ·
I got mine today with the cloth cover scheduled to arrive tomorrow.  Coming from the Voyage, my first impression was that the page turning buttons seemed wrong with the bottom button turning back a page and the top button advancing.  Holding it the way I was used to holding the Voyage, my thumb tends to rest on the bottom button.

I quickly googled it and found that the buttons can be reversed which makes all the difference to me.  I changed it so that the bottom button now turns the page forward.  I also love the boldness adjustment as well as the additional font sizes.  I'm really glad that I upgraded this time.
 
#8 ·
I set up my New Oasis last night but didn't get to read anything until I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't resist! I read three chapters in this book I'm in the middle of and that took about an hour... then this morning read for about another hour in Starbucks... two more chapters down. So far so good... my initial impressions are these:

-front light is exceptional! SO even and uniform! And nice and bright at 17 with auto-adjust off.

-the design is great too... I wouldn't have thought they could improve on the premium feel of the original Oasis but IMO they have! Excellent job Amazon! The full metal frame I think is what makes the difference. And I love the cold feel of metal on electronics.. I may be in the minority there but I do....

-the leather cover in Saddle Tan is great and I haven't had any problems with it coming loose or slipping around at all yet. The magnet seems very strong to me. And I'm loving the suade feel of it. It's very slightly worn looking but much less so than I think the walnut cover was on the original. At least from the pictures and videos I saw of it. I had the black cover for my original Oasis.

-battery only took about an hour to fill up, plus was setting up and own downloading books onto the device most of that time... after two hours or so of actual use so far it hasn't seemed to deplete much, if at all from what I can tell from the battery meter but time will tell.

-one gripe: at one point I tapped the page forward button (top for me) and it definitely clicked (both audibly and tactile wise) but didn't turn the page.... I then clicked it again and it turned immediately. Not a huge deal and probably a one time occurrence, hopefully anyway. But thought I'd report it to you all and see if it's happened to anyone else. It doesn't really bode well on a brand new device. But we shall see...

I plan to make this my daily driver so expectations are high but I'm confident that this is a Winner! [emoji16]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#9 ·
So as not to clog up those still watching . . . . here's a place to post first impressions.

Me:  well, I'm not wowwed. :( It's a fine device. Quite sturdy. Feels solid but not too heavy and I do like the extra screen area. I did not get a cover, but I'm going to have to get something because every time I pick it up it's COLD. Like uncomfortable in my hands cold. Plus the metal doesn't feel as secure in my hand, like it could slip. Once I've held it a while, it does warm up, but that just makes my hands cold. :( The Amazon cases won't solve that as the metal part is still there to grip -- I'm going to have to wait for moko or fintie to make one that covers the whole back.

I'd already done the update on my other Oasis and Voyage so was quickly able to set up the new one to the margin/spacing/font setting I prefer I may adjust it further given the larger screen once I've had more time to read on it. But it was good for last night.

The buttons work well . . . for now I've left them at the default but may experiment with switching them. I did the same thing with the first Oasis and the default ended up being better, but this is a different size so I'll have to experiment to see. Haven't had time to thoroughly put it through it's paces as it came pretty late yesterday but I did finish a book on it last night.

Stand by for second impressions in a day or so. :D
 
#10 ·
Got mine yesterday afternoon. I like the new Oasis and all it has to offer...but I like the first Oasis a little better..I think it's the feel of the device in your hand. The 1st Oasis has a solid compact feel and this feels lighter, looser. I'm not complaining because it's lighter which is a good thing....I'm sure there is a learning curve and I will get used to it. The thing that does bother me is that I read during lunch break at work and I stand up the device on my desk. I was using my Voyage at work that has the origami cover and when I stood it up it would stand level...I got the cloth cover with this Oasis and when I stand it up it goes a little crooked....like I'm reading down hill. Not very pleasant to me, it's distracting...not sure if it's because the magnet isn't very strong to keep the cover in place...I'll wait a bit and see what the secondary covers offer....or I'll use my credit card credits to get a leather cover....if anyone has the leather cover could you please let me know if the Oasis sits level when you stand it up. Thank you.
 
#11 ·
Ann in Arlington said:
So as not to clog up those still watching . . . . here's a place to post first impressions.

Me: well, I'm not wowwed. :( It's a fine device. Quite sturdy. Feels solid but not too heavy and I do like the extra screen area. I did not get a cover, but I'm going to have to get something because every time I pick it up it's COLD. Like uncomfortable in my hands cold. Plus the metal doesn't feel as secure in my hand, like it could slip. Once I've held it a while, it does warm up, but that just makes my hands cold. :( The Amazon cases won't solve that as the metal part is still there to grip -- I'm going to have to wait for moko or fintie to make one that covers the whole back.

I'd already done the update on my other Oasis and Voyage so was quickly able to set up the new one to the margin/spacing/font setting I prefer I may adjust it further given the larger screen once I've had more time to read on it. But it was good for last night.

The buttons work well . . . for now I've left them at the default but may experiment with switching them. I did the same thing with the first Oasis and the default ended up being better, but this is a different size so I'll have to experiment to see. Haven't had time to thoroughly put it through it's paces as it came pretty late yesterday but I did finish a book on it last night.

Stand by for second impressions in a day or so. :D
While I really like the new Oasis, I'm also put off by the cold metal back. I liked taking the Oasis1 out of the case to read. When I tried that with Oasis2, the cold back is a turnoff. Better if I leave the case on. Already wondering about skins, and if this might mitigate my cold metal problem.
 
#12 ·
rcarbone1214 said:
Got mine yesterday afternoon. I like the new Oasis and all it has to offer...but I like the first Oasis a little better..I think it's the feel of the device in your hand. The 1st Oasis has a solid compact feel and this feels lighter, looser. I'm not complaining because it's lighter which is a good thing....
I find myself wondering if the smaller Oasis came 2nd if we all would be swooning by its size and weight and form factor. Awaiting to see how soon inverted text comes to the first Oasis.
 
#13 ·
rcarbone1214 said:
Got mine yesterday afternoon. I like the new Oasis and all it has to offer...but I like the first Oasis a little better..I think it's the feel of the device in your hand. The 1st Oasis has a solid compact feel and this feels lighter, looser. I'm not complaining because it's lighter which is a good thing....I'm sure there is a learning curve and I will get used to it. The thing that does bother me is that I read during lunch break at work and I stand up the device on my desk. I was using my Voyage at work that has the origami cover and when I stood it up it would stand level...I got the cloth cover with this Oasis and when I stand it up it goes a little crooked....like I'm reading down hill. Not very pleasant to me, it's distracting...not sure if it's because the magnet isn't very strong to keep the cover in place...I'll wait a bit and see what the secondary covers offer....or I'll use my credit card credits to get a leather cover....if anyone has the leather cover could you please let me know if the Oasis sits level when you stand it up. Thank you.
I have the leather cover (Saddle Tan) and I can tell u right now, the stand feature of this cover is basically useless to me... not sure what you mean by "level" though. Do you mean level as opposed to crooked or level as in straight up vertically?? Either way, the thing doesn't stay upright for me... it's a little crooked but the main thing is that it doesn't really feel secure. It moves a little into itself on the table and I'm afraid it will fall. Not gonna use that feature at all personally. It's a shame... I liked the one on the Voyage...

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
#14 ·
I got mine yesterday as well and I love it. It's a bit smaller than I was anticipating, so that is a good thing.

I really love the inverted text feature. It's the main reason that sold me on it. The one thing I did notice is you can't use Auto Brightness with the inverted text. Not sure why not. Maybe somebody already mentioned this before.

Also the brightness between the inverted and regular text seem to be set independently of each other. Which I think is a good thing.

The aluminum backing is a bit cold to the touch and I do worry it might slip out of my hands as I don't want to be using it with the cover on it. I ended up attaching a finger ring stand to the back on mine to make it more comfortable to hold.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
#15 ·
kschles said:
While I really like the new Oasis, I'm also put off by the cold metal back. I liked taking the Oasis1 out of the case to read. When I tried that with Oasis2, the cold back is a turnoff. Better if I leave the case on. Already wondering about skins, and if this might mitigate my cold metal problem.
I've had the same thought . . . and I haven't skinned a kindle since the original one.
 
#16 ·
Only kindle I ever skinned was the K3. And I did that only because it got that crack in the corner, so  many got. I put a matte black wood over it and that was it. It was a pain in the you know what though to line the skin holes up around all the keyboard letters and get it totally straight. Course that is not an issue anymore  ;D

I might have to put one on the back, if they make one later on. My hands are already always cold as it is, I don't need help in that regard. Wonder why they didn't put some rubbery spray over the material on this one. It would still be magnetic through it and would just make it more comfortable to hold. I'll find out. Won't get to mine until tomorrow as I won't be home later for delivery today.

I have no intentions of reading with the case on. I didn't with the first Oasis and I wont with this one. Defeats for me the purpose of the ergonomic shape. Of course the cover doesn't cover the back anyway.
 
#17 ·
Atunah said:
I have no intentions of reading with the case on. I didn't with the first Oasis and I wont with this one. Defeats for me the purpose of the ergonomic shape. Of course the cover doesn't cover the back anyway.
The thing is, with the cover off, it DOES fit very nicely in the hand -- except being cold and a bit slick I keep being afraid I'll drop it so I end up using the other hand to steady it. :( And, with the Amazon cover, the cold metal on the one edge would still be there.
 
#18 ·
Looks like some decal girl skin is in my near future then. Weren't there some pretty skins for the Oasis1? I remember seeing some that had some nice matching ones to their covers. And in this case, its not as critical for the connectors as sometimes the skin prevented the cover being attached properly for the battery to charge. Not an issue now of course.

Some nice matte skin to go with my hopefully nice saddle tan cover.  ;D
 
#19 ·
quadtronix said:
I have the leather cover (Saddle Tan) and I can tell u right now, the stand feature of this cover is basically useless to me... not sure what you mean by "level" though. Do you mean level as opposed to crooked or level as in straight up vertically?? Either way, the thing doesn't stay upright for me... it's a little crooked but the main thing is that it doesn't really feel secure. It moves a little into itself on the table and I'm afraid it will fall. Not gonna use that feature at all personally. It's a shame... I liked the one on the Voyage...

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
The Oasis stands up but the bottom isn't flush with the desk. It's high on the left side with the right side touching the desk. When you look at the text it looks like it's heading downhill, not straight across the page. I'm sure other people don't notice it but I see it and it's annoying. I may have to read it flat but since the screen is so beautiful it may work out. Thank you for letting me know about the leather cover....doesn't seem like that will fix the problem....The Voyage cover is the best.... :D
 
#20 ·
rcarbone1214 said:
The thing that does bother me is that I read during lunch break at work and I stand up the device on my desk. I was using my Voyage at work that has the origami cover and when I stood it up it would stand level...I got the cloth cover with this Oasis and when I stand it up it goes a little crooked....like I'm reading down hill. Not very pleasant to me, it's distracting...not sure if it's because the magnet isn't very strong to keep the cover in place...I'll wait a bit and see what the secondary covers offer....or I'll use my credit card credits to get a leather cover....if anyone has the leather cover could you please let me know if the Oasis sits level when you stand it up. Thank you.
I have the Merlot leather cover and it is not straight when standing either, with a downhill tilt. It also stands more upright than the Origami cover that I am used to. Overall I prefer the origami cover to this one and will try to find another way to prop the Oasis up while eating.
 
#25 ·
Battery life depends greatly on the individual.  Amazon gives battery life in weeks when used for half an hour a day at brightness level of 10.  I, as a retiree, read much more than 30 minutes a day and at brightness level of 18.  My personal experience is that the Voyage did not last as long as the first Oasis when considering the case battery.  And the new Oasis does not last as long as the first.  I, however, do not mind plugging it in when not in use so it will have enough battery life to read as long as I want. 
 
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