So you didn't like the Paperwhite/Voyage, now what? The solutions thread

[maries]

FearIndex - my husband and I both have K3s and I thought of getting him a Paperwhite but not so sure between the screen issues and lack of page turn buttons.   Your review of the K4/5 sounds like this might be a better upgrade to test out but I have some questions.   It is harder to start up with a WiFi only compared to one with 3G?   Often I buy books on line and have them sent to my kindle, but if you want to purchase through the Kindle, how do you navigate on the K4/5 without a keyboard or touchscreen?  Thanks.

[KBoards.com]

[FearIndex]

So, starting my experiences with the new $69 Kindle vs. Kindle PW and other models. For brevity, I will name the new black "$69" dollar non-touch Kindle as the "Kindle 5". I will refer to the previous generation, grey "$79" Kindle as the "Kindle 4".

...

Differences in the screens start to appear when looking closer. Compared to Kindle 4/5, the Kindle PW screen, even with the frontlight to minimum, looks more washed out. The fonts are not nearly as black on the PW. Although font-to-font differences are part of the reason, I doubt they are the whole reason. It seems that the higher resolution and those two additional layers on top of the PW screen are resulting in a lower contrast on the PW compared to the higher-contrast Kindle 4 and 5.

Here is a picture of my Kindle Paperwhite (left) and the new $69 Kindle "5" (right), showing a page out of The Hobbit:



Font settings are default in both books and they were loaded from the cloud at the same time, so they are the same edition.

The frontlight is at its minimum on the PW and the room is lit by natural light falling slightly on both devices.

Font in Paperwhite: Caecilia, size 4. Font in Kindle: Regular, size 3.

[FearIndex]

FearIndex - my husband and I both have K3s and I thought of getting him a Paperwhite but not so sure between the screen issues and lack of page turn buttons.   Your review of the K4/5 sounds like this might be a better upgrade to test out but I have some questions.   It is harder to start up with a WiFi only compared to one with 3G?   Often I buy books on line and have them sent to my kindle, but if you want to purchase through the Kindle, how do you navigate on the K4/5 without a keyboard or touchscreen?  Thanks.

Setting up the Wi-Fi, assuming you have Wi-Fi set up at your home is just a matter of selecting the network on startup and entering the password. Couldn't be simpler. Of course entering text on the five-way controller is slower than a real keyboard, but for such short phrases such as passwords and search words I'd say it works very well. The lack of keyboard was never a problem for me on the Kindle 4 and Kindle 5 seems the same.

Purchasing books on the Kindle 5 (based on my experiences on the nearly identical Kindle 4) is very simple. Click to the store via a menu, enter a partial (or full if you wish) search word and the scroll the list that appears with the arrow keys. Not really a problem of any sort. There is an on-screen keyboard you navigate with the five-way controller, selecting one letter at a time. It works well for what it is.

If you want to write notes or use the experimental web browser for, say, writing on KindleBoards.com then I'd recommend against the Kindle 5. You can do that too, but obviously writing is slow for such purposes. But if your need is simply the occasional search word to the Kindle Store (or that Wi-Fi password), I'd say from personal experience you are good to go with the Kindle 5. Personally I mostly need just the page change buttons.

I had my issues with Kindle 4, with the Amazon lighted cover I didn't like and the partial screen refreshes that were the only option in the original software - the latter (and more) has been changed in software updates since and Kindle 5 is much more of a mature device to get now, than Kindle 4 was - or Kindle PW is either. Kindle 5 seems sort of fool-proof. It just works, it is the pinnacle of the traditional Kindle. (I'd recommend some other cover, though, because the Amazon Kindle 4/5 cover light shines in your eye too easily and the build quality of that cover just isn't worth the asking-price.)

As for 3G, obviously a Wi-Fi only version won't work in places were 3G is but Wi-Fi isn't available, so that depends on your needs. Personally I didn't find the lack of 3G a major issue on my Kindle 3 or 4 (I have it on 2 and PW, but for no reason really, I hardly ever use the 3G).

[FearIndex]

One more thing: Kindle 4, 5 and Kindle PW do not have support for audiobooks, text-to-speech or audio of any kind. If that is important, then they are of course a no go.

But for pure reading, $69 Kindle 5 does seem the most promising for me at the moment...

[tiktokman]

My $69 Kindle (replacement for two defective PWs) is out for delivery today.

[FearIndex]

Continuing with my comparisons of the new $69 Kindle "5" with other Kindles. My Kindle 4 and Kindle PW comparison is a few messages up here: https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,129956.msg1921055.html#msg1921055

This time I have the Kindle 3 aka Kindle Keyboard black (or graphite) version to compare to, my old Kindle that I have given to a family member and missed a bit during the past year of lackluster Kindle 4 experience (mostly due to the Amazon lighted case).

The look:

Kindle 3, this dark version (it was also available in white back in the day), is still a lot lighter than the black Kindle 5 and Kindle Paperwhite are. Kindle 3 is a little easier on they eyes as a color, but also doesn't give as much contrast next to the screen as the pitch black Kindle 5 does. Also the Amazon Kindle logo on Kindle 3 is more grey than the whiter Kindle logo on the new Kindle 5. So, the new model is a bit more "striking" in appearance, where as Kindle 3 comes across a little softer with its softer hues and rounder corners. Both look good though, Kindle 3 is still a remarkably good looking piece of kit.

Amazon lighted leather cover:

In my view Kindle 3 has the far superior Amazon lighted leather cover compared to Kindle 4 and Kindle 5. The leather on the front and back is much better, the case is more substantial (Kindle 4/5 case is a bit of a joke here), it has a closing rubber band (Kindle 4/5 case doesn't)... and the light on the Kindle 3 does not shine in your eye when reading in bed (Kindle 4/5 lighted case shines disturbingly in your eye). So, if you had the Amazon lighted leather cover for Kindle 3, don't expect the new case to be as good. It isn't. The only thing better about the new Kindle 4/5 case is that the Kindle sits tight inside it, not moving in those metal clips like the Kindle 3 does in its case.

Kindle PW non-lighted Amazon leather case is high quality, though, so if you opt for the PW then that is a fine case.

The software:

Kindle 3 also received the "Kindle 3.4" software update recently (roughly equivalent to the new Kindle 4.1 on Kindle 4/5), so software-wise the Kindle 5 and Kindle 3 are pretty much equal when updated. Of course Kindle 3 has some features Kindle 5 does not, namely audiobooks, text-to-speech and the experimental MP3 player, because the new Kindle 5 lacks any kind of audio hardware (Kindle 3 has both a speaker and a headset connector).

Kindle 3 does not have, even after the software updates, the partial screen refersh option Kindle 4 introduced and Kindle PW and Kindle 5 have too. Later Kindles do the "blink" between pages only after each six pages or so, unless you turn every page refresh on in the settings. Some may like this and if they do, Kindle 5 certainly offers this bonus over Kindle 3.

The screen:

Kindle 3.4 software update included new, darker fonts, so the difference of contrast between Kindle 3 and Kindle 5 is not quite as much as it was when comparing the Kindle 3.1 software to Kindle 5. Still, Kindle 3 has nothing on Kindle 5 when it comes to the screen. Kindle 5 clearly has superior black text. Otherwise the color of the Kindle 5 background looks similar to Kindle 3, so both still retain that greyness in the background so inherent to e-ink.

Disturbingly, Kindle 3 contrast seems better than that of Kindle PW. Certainly not glowing praise (no pun intended) for PW...

[FearIndex]

I've read of a lot of people with otherwise "defective" screens still enjoying using their PWs during the day. I wonder if by using an external booklight at night, but still turning up the built-in PW lights, a nice white screen could be achieved, sans the pink/green blobs?

OK, so since the other solution (aside $69 Kindle 5) I have been researching is "fixing" the Paperwhite screen, using a lighted case or a clip-on light... I tested this tonight as well.

Indeed, you can overpower the frontlight light guide with an external light and the result will be more even than without. One of the main light uniformity issues I have with the PW is that the bottom of the page, when reading in the dark, is much whiter than the top of the page. When you have a clip-on or case light lighting up the top of the page, the result is much more even, even if the frontlight is in use. It probably won't hide the LED shadows on the bottom of the page, but it will help hide other issues with the light guide uniformity. Also, because now the bezel is lighted as well by the external light, it is less taxing and less screen-like to look at the device in darkness, because the whole face of the device lights up, not just the display.

So, I'd chalk this up as a "potential" solution for some people. I have had moments when tuning a little PW frontlight up in good ambient lighting really adds a nice effect, or more whiteness plus more light on the screen to actually help reading, without being disturbing e-ink-wise. So, in darkness if one adds an external light (either in a case or some other clip-on light or a table light) with sufficient lighting power, it should help in a similar manner.

That said, I think the best potential for me, with the PW, would be to be able to turn off the frontlight completely and use only a lighted case. Although, now, considering how much better I see the $69 Kindle 5 being contrast-wise, I have a hard time seeing myself returning to the PW.

[maries]

I plan to stop at Best Buy sometime to see the Paperwhite but thinking of just sticking with the KK for now.   I like the physical page turn buttons for reading on the KK.   My hope is that the next Paperwhite will have these plus they will have worked out some of display issues.  I get excted about new technology but don't want to jump for something new that isn't quite what I want or still has bugs to work out.   Maybe the mini-ipad announcement next week will distract me from even thinking about the Paperwhite.

[FearIndex]

One more report for today. I plopped the $69 Kindle 5 inside the Kindle 4 Amazon lighter leather case, to tide me over until a hopefully better case arrives. It actually sits in it a little better than Kindle 4, the page buttons are not hindered by the case as they are on Kindle 4 a little, and the black frame feels more at home inside the quite black case (although the case bezel is not quite as dark as Kindle 5). Anyway, the Kindle 4 official case works great with the Kindle 5, if you like that case that is. I will read on this until the new third-party case arrives...

So, it is dark here and I turned on the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle 5 (with the case light) on, side by side. There was one distant light on in the room, so it wasn't pitch dark, but very dark in the corner I was in. I pushed the PW up to 24/24 brightness to see how these two compared.

While the PW does send a more similar amount of light over the full page, there really is no contest in my eyes. The text on the Kindle 5 is super-black and the case light does make the background seem whiter too. While the PW page is fairly white (although somewhat uneven) thanks to the frontlight, the text is simply washed out in comparison. I dropped the PW frontlight to half (12/24) and the washing out of the text became a little less, but now the page was also much darker than the Kindle 5 under the case light.  And the blacks still looked grey or even blue on the PW.

Frankly, in my opinion the Kindle 5 is so superior under even this crappy Amazon case light that there is no contest in my eyes. I will see if I can capture the effect on camera, it does seem a little hard to photograph though. Somehow it is like the case light just makes Kindle 5 black seem blacker, whereas on the PW the frontlight just makes its black seem a little glowing and vague - not a good thing when the blacks on the PW are more grey of the two even without the frontlight glowing.

By the way, there is some additional discussion the $69 Kindle 5 here, for those who are interested in it and missed these: https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,129685.0.html

[larryb52]

i like e ink and like the k5 a lot & to be honest since I have yet to find a device I don't want  I'll probably reorder the PW as I did like it for its over all effect, it however did not hold up at night...I have been warned by my wife not to get the ipad mini , I guess I better listen, I like taking naps on the sofa but don't want to sleep there at night with the cat...

[FearIndex]

So, it is dark here and I turned on the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle 5 (with the case light) on, side by side. There was one distant light on in the room, so it wasn't pitch dark, but very dark in the corner I was in. I pushed the PW up to 24/24 brightness to see how these two compared.

While the PW does send a more similar amount of light over the full page, there really is no contest in my eyes. The text on the Kindle 5 is super-black and the case light does make the background seem whiter too. While the PW page is fairly white (although somewhat uneven) thanks to the frontlight, the text is simply washed out in comparison. I dropped the PW frontlight to half (12/24) and the washing out of the text became a little less, but now the page was also much darker than the Kindle 5 under the case light.  And the blacks still looked grey or even blue on the PW.

Frankly, in my opinion the Kindle 5 is so superior under even this crappy Amazon case light that there is no contest in my eyes. I will see if I can capture the effect on camera, it does seem a little hard to photograph though. Somehow it is like the case light just makes Kindle 5 black seem blacker, whereas on the PW the frontlight just makes its black seem a little glowing and vague - not a good thing when the blacks on the PW are more grey of the two even without the frontlight glowing.

This is how it looks, managed to get it on "film". Paperwhite left, $69 Kindle 5 right in the Amazon lighted cover (for Kindle 4/5). (PW propped up to same height as Kindle 5 in cover for the photo.)



Much blacker text on the $69 Kindle 5.

[Leslie]

The text on your PW is much lighter than mine.

L

[Raffeer]

I returned my PW today when I finally accepted the fact that I really preferred my K4. Lighting is not an issue in my life. DTB's worked in planes with an overhead beam, K4's do also. In my bedroom I prefer a bedside lamp. The lack of a dedicated Home screen annoyed me and although I did like the time estimates they were not enough to make up for the lack of buttons. Reading on my Fire HD is not a problem although the weight can be a turnoff. I have a cover with an easel back so it's my choice while eating.
I'm waiting for Amazon's next best thing. The November Fire I guess.

[mooshie78]

The text on your PW is much lighter than mine.

Same here.  May just be the picture though I guess.

I will say the text on mine is a tad lighter than on my K3 when I compared them side by side. So I do think the touch and/or light layers make a tad of difference.  But it wasn't enough to bother me given how much better I like the lit screen compared to having to use external light and deal with ambient shadows etc.

[xtine911]

Indeed, you can overpower the frontlight light guide with an external light and the result will be more even than without. One of the main light uniformity issues I have with the PW is that the bottom of the page, when reading in the dark, is much whiter than the top of the page. When you have a clip-on or case light lighting up the top of the page, the result is much more even, even if the frontlight is in use. It probably won't hide the LED shadows on the bottom of the page, but it will help hide other issues with the light guide uniformity. Also, because now the bezel is lighted as well by the external light, it is less taxing and less screen-like to look at the device in darkness, because the whole face of the device lights up, not just the display.

Thank you for the update, it's good to know that at least there's a "workaround" to fix the lighting issues, even if having to use an external light seems counterintuitive to what the PW is supposed to be.

[Leslie]

The lack of a dedicated Home screen annoyed me

Not sure what this means? Can you explain?

L

[Betsy the Quilter]

Not sure what this means? Can you explain?

L

I think Raffeer is referring to the lack of a home screen button; the fact that, while in a book, one must tap on the top of the screen and then the home button.

Betsy

[bookie]

Continuing with my comparisons of the new $69 Kindle "5" with other Kindles. My Kindle 4 and Kindle PW comparison is a few messages up here: https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,129956.msg1921055.html#msg1921055

This time I have the Kindle 3 aka Kindle Keyboard black (or graphite) version to compare to, my old Kindle that I have given to a family member and missed a bit during the past year of lackluster Kindle 4 experience (mostly due to the Amazon lighted case).

The look:

Kindle 3, this dark version (it was also available in white back in the day), is still a lot lighter than the black Kindle 5 and Kindle Paperwhite are. Kindle 3 is a little easier on they eyes as a color, but also doesn't give as much contrast next to the screen as the pitch black Kindle 5 does. Also the Amazon Kindle logo on Kindle 3 is more grey than the whiter Kindle logo on the new Kindle 5. So, the new model is a bit more "striking" in appearance, where as Kindle 3 comes across a little softer with its softer hues and rounder corners. Both look good though, Kindle 3 is still a remarkably good looking piece of kit.

Amazon lighted leather cover:

In my view Kindle 3 has the far superior Amazon lighted leather cover compared to Kindle 4 and Kindle 5. The leather on the front and back is much better, the case is more substantial (Kindle 4/5 case is a bit of a joke here), it has a closing rubber band (Kindle 4/5 case doesn't)... and the light on the Kindle 3 does not shine in your eye when reading in bed (Kindle 4/5 lighted case shines disturbingly in your eye). So, if you had the Amazon lighted leather cover for Kindle 3, don't expect the new case to be as good. It isn't. The only thing better about the new Kindle 4/5 case is that the Kindle sits tight inside it, not moving in those metal clips like the Kindle 3 does in its case.

Kindle PW non-lighted Amazon leather case is high quality, though, so if you opt for the PW then that is a fine case.

The software:

Kindle 3 also received the "Kindle 3.4" software update recently (roughly equivalent to the new Kindle 4.1 on Kindle 4/5), so software-wise the Kindle 5 and Kindle 3 are pretty much equal when updated. Of course Kindle 3 has some features Kindle 5 does not, namely audiobooks, text-to-speech and the experimental MP3 player, because the new Kindle 5 lacks any kind of audio hardware (Kindle 3 has both a speaker and a headset connector).

Kindle 3 does not have, even after the software updates, the partial screen refersh option Kindle 4 introduced and Kindle PW and Kindle 5 have too. Later Kindles do the "blink" between pages only after each six pages or so, unless you turn every page refresh on in the settings. Some may like this and if they do, Kindle 5 certainly offers this bonus over Kindle 3.

The screen:

Kindle 3.4 software update included new, darker fonts, so the difference of contrast between Kindle 3 and Kindle 5 is not quite as much as it was when comparing the Kindle 3.1 software to Kindle 5. Still, Kindle 3 has nothing on Kindle 5 when it comes to the screen. Kindle 5 clearly has superior black text. Otherwise the color of the Kindle 5 background looks similar to Kindle 3, so both still retain that greyness in the background so inherent to e-ink.

Disturbingly, Kindle 3 contrast seems better than that of Kindle PW. Certainly not glowing praise (no pun intended) for PW...

Wow! Thank you for your very detailed review! I have been thinking about updating from KK to K5 (not interested in PW for many reasons). I now see NO reason to do so and will go kiss my KK and give it some over-due love it so deserves!

[berfles]

I went to Best Buy last night to see this new display and compare it, and of course some moron broke the display unit already 

[FearIndex]

Wow! Thank you for your very detailed review! I have been thinking about updating from KK to K5 (not interested in PW for many reasons). I now see NO reason to do so and will go kiss my KK and give it some over-due love it so deserves!

Thank you.

Yes, the reasons to upgrade from Kindle 3 to Kindlle 5 are smaller form-factor and much blacker text in $69 Kindle 5 - but other than that, considering all the features (like audio and hardware keyboard) Kindle 3 has, there are certainly plenty of reasons to stick to Kindle 3 too!

[FearIndex]

Thank you for the update, it's good to know that at least there's a "workaround" to fix the lighting issues, even if having to use an external light seems counterintuitive to what the PW is supposed to be.

I think the trick with the frontlight is, use external lighting and then set the PW frontlight as low as you need to achieve whiteness, but avoid glowing and lighting the text too much. For example, when reading with overhead lighting on the PW, I have been experimenting with as low as 3-8 (out of 24) brightness settings. Enough to increase the whiteness of the background and tenderly light up the screen to provide additional lighting to help reading, if the overhead lighting is not completely sufficient. If the external lighting is good enough, any unevenness of the frontlight tend to disappear too in this case.

So definitely, there is hope with the many adjustable settings of the frontlight and experimenting with different external lights, even if the PW frontlight isn't your favourite. But of course it may turn out, like with many people, that you actually like the PW frontlight as it is. Do report back what your solution was.

[xtine911]

Thanks, FearIndex, will definitely keep you posted, although it may be a while before I get my hands on my Paperwhite. I'm hoping I'll like it enough to use as is too, without the need for external lights

Thank you for your patience in testing out the PW (and the K5), I've enjoyed reading your reviews

[FearIndex]

Same here.  May just be the picture though I guess.

I will say the text on mine is a tad lighter than on my K3 when I compared them side by side. So I do think the touch and/or light layers make a tad of difference.  But it wasn't enough to bother me given how much better I like the lit screen compared to having to use external light and deal with ambient shadows etc.

If your Paperwhite text is a tad lighter than your Kindle 3 text, then we probably have the same darkness on PW and it is just the pictures that seem different. Because that is exactly how I'd describe the Paperwhite text darkness, a tad lighted than on my old Kindle 3.

The problem for me, now, of course is that Kindle 5 text is much darker than Kindle 3. It is really quite black, so it is much darker than Kindle PW. So now the Kindle PW text looks really washed out in comparison.

[FearIndex]

So, starting my experiences with the new $69 Kindle vs. Kindle PW and other models. For brevity, I will name the new black "$69" dollar non-touch Kindle as the "Kindle 5". I will refer to the previous generation, grey "$79" Kindle as the "Kindle 4".

...

I settled down to read properly for the first time last night with the $69 Kindle 5, temporarily in the Amazon lighted leather case for Kindle 4/5. The light still shines in my eye when reading in bed and I hate that, but obviously that is why I have another lighted cover on order... Hopefully next week.

However, since this was the first time reading on Kindle 5 in my usual reading spot and time (not just testing it in front of the computer), it was interesting to see how it felt. For the past week and a half I had been reading on my Paperwhite, trying to keep the frontlight in a low setting to settle reading it in the dark. Before that, I had been using the same lighted case on the Kindle 4.

I didn't really expect that much of a difference to the previous devices, but I must report I did. Not so unexpectedly, it was relaxing to finally read without having to think about a frontlight. For some reason the Paperwhite experience has become a little bit taxing both on the eyes and emotionally, it takes away from diving into the book because I've become too conscious of the device standing between me and the text. Kindle 5 definitely has that uniform, paperlike screen, I've come to love and expect from Kindles that allows you to forget you are reading on a gadget. I can't shake it, reading on Kindle PW is a bit like reading on a tablet. Not quite, but a bit. And it doesn't help that the light isn't fully uniform either.

The unexpected bit was how black the text on Kindle 5 felt in action. I was really surprised by it, even though I had discussed it here and taken photos of it. But picking the Kindle 5 up in my usual reading place and time, really underlined how different it felt to the PW and even to Kindle 4. The text really is black. This is helped by the black bezel on Kindle 5, which lights up a little less under the case light, meaning the screen becomes lighter in comparison to the bezel - compared to the grey/silver Kindle 4. The end-result is excellent and somewhat shockingly good. I can not seem to praise this new Kindle 5 screen enough. This is how e-ink was always supposed to look like.

I will give, though, points to Kindle PW for navigation. Although I know some people lament the loss of chapter skip shortcut (which the Kindle 5 has and PW doesn't), I don't use that other than accidentally when it just is annoying. Changing pages on the PW, to me, is really nice even though I first thought removing the page change buttons sucked. Combine this with the "Go To" touchable chapter list in the PW, it is definitely easier to get around the book in PW. I got quickly back to the groove of using the buttons, but credit where credit is due - the touch interface in PW works really well. Although getting to home screen is easier on the Kindle 5, thanks to that button.

[FearIndex]

Since this is the "solutions thread" for dislikes in Kindle PW, one of those angles is finding solutions that fix those dislikes.

I think there are two topics that have been brought up elsewhere, that I'd like to quote here:

- One is how easily Kindle PW gets fingerprints on the bezel. Out of my Kindle 2, 3, 4, 5 and PW, the PW is easily the most prone to this, while the matte Kindle 4 and older are the least prone to this problem. If this bothers you (it doesn't bother me), aside from a case that covers the bezel, many have used "skinning" as the solution. A black skin (or any skin of course) would also allow hiding the white Kindle logo, if that is distracting for you. DecalGirl is recommended by many: http://www.decalgirl.com/

- Second is the suggested books on the home screen that appear on Kindle PW even when it is not a special offers model. I haven't tried the trick myself, but using Parental Controls to hide the Kindle Store behind a password is said to hide those book suggestions. Also, you can use List View for the home screen to hide the suggestions, although that hides all book cover pictures as well.

[KBoards.com]