[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: http://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.

 

[Leslie]

- 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/

I agree with this. I found the black was a fingerprint magnet, more than any other Kindles have been. I put a skin on it to solve that problem. I also realized I didn't like the black so much which is why I ordered the $69 in graphite.

- 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.

Keep in mind that in cover view, the panel of four other books (today, "Popular Mysteries & Thrillers") only show on page 1 of the home screen. Once you swipe to the next page, you'll see six of your books, nothing else.

I find List View much more practical than cover view, IMHO.

L

 

[Sunshine22]

I find List View much more practical than cover view, IMHO.

L

Agree, especially on the home page. What would be perfect, IMO, would be if we could use list view for the home page and then cover view once we were in a collection, because I do like seeing the book covers.

And I also agree with the dislike for the black matte bezel, I much prefer the dark silver bezel of my KTouch... but a Decalgirl skin fixed that problem!

 

[skyblue]

I am returning both 3G and wifi Paperwhites due to shadows, mottling, sallow screen, short battery life, and lack of contrast. Like Happy Guy, I am reading on my Fire HD. It has a pure white background, great contrast, no shadows or mottling, and decent battery life.

 

[mooshie78]

The finger prints are a bit annoying.  I love the black bezel otherwise though.  I like black gadgets in general, and for reading I like the contrast of a black border around a white screen--be it my PW or reading on my black iPad 2.

 

[FearIndex]

Tried the parental controls on my PW and using them does hide the suggested books on the home page and allows one more row of the first page of books to show (like said above, other pages of own books always show full page, so the suggestions are only an issue for the first page). The problem with that is the Store is disabled, instead of just password protected. I had to go turn off parental controls before I could access the store.

 

[manou]

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!

I'm in the same boat, I was mulling over updating from my dearly beloved KK to the PW - whenever it might be available in Hong Kong. Looking at several pictures posted and the reviews here, on mobile read as well as on Amazon I decided that there is absolutely no good reason for me to do so. I love TTS, I love the page turn buttons and I love the e-ink screen (espcially after the last firm ware update). Instead I rewarded my KK with a new name (Esmerelda Weatherwax) a new cover and a new pink clip on book light

 

[CAR]

I'm in the same boat, I was mulling over updating from my dearly beloved KK to the PW - whenever it might be available in Hong Kong. Looking at several pictures posted and the reviews here, on mobile read as well as on Amazon I decided that there is absolutely no good reason for me to do so. I love TTS, I love the page turn buttons and I love the e-ink screen (espcially after the last firm ware update). Instead I rewarded my KK with a new name (Esmerelda Weatherwax) a new cover and a new pink clip on book light

I just got my PW yesterday and I will be posting a review soon. One of the main reasons I ordered the PW was no book-light needed. Would never would carry a book-light with me, and hated those times when the light was just a little too dim. So the K5 would not be a option for me over my KK.

 

[FearIndex]

I just got my PW yesterday and I will be posting a review soon. One of the main reasons I ordered the PW was no book-light needed. Would never would carry a book-light with me, and hated those times when the light was just a little too dim. So the K5 would not be a option for me over my KK.

I have noticed that clip-on lights are fairly popular on this forum (a newbie observation). However, I'd personally never want to use any kind of clip-on light that wasn't an integral part of the cover. It would seem like a hassle having a light with you. I'm looking for a more integrated solution personally (having used the Amazon lighted covers on Kindle 3 and Kindle 4).

So, to CAR and others opposed to carrying book lights, are you also against using Kindle covers that include an integrated light? The Amazon lighted leather cover for Kindle 3 for example, I felt, was a pretty excellent leather case, that also included a reading light for those occasions that the regular lighting wasn't enough.

This picture has the Kindle 5 (right) in the lighted Amazon case:

 

[CAR]

I have noticed that clip-on lights are fairly popular on this forum (a newbie observation). However, I'd personally never want to use any kind of clip-on light that wasn't an integral part of the cover. It would seem like a hassle having a light with you. I'm looking for a more integrated solution personally (having used the Amazon lighted covers on Kindle 3 and Kindle 4).

So, to CAR and others opposed to carrying book lights, are you also against using Kindle covers that include an integrated light? The Amazon lighted leather cover for Kindle 3 for example, I felt, was a pretty excellent leather case, that also included a reading light for those occasions that the regular lighting wasn't enough.

This picture has the Kindle 5 (right) in the lighted Amazon case:

Yes its kinda funny, my wife has a lighted cover for her K3 and she still uses a book light sometimes. BTW on that picture was the PW light on 24? The text contrast on my PW looks much better at 18.

 

[FearIndex]

CAR, yes the PW was on 24. It is blacker on lower settings I guess, but even when the light is to minimum, the text is not as black as on $69 Kindle 5: