I love my Kindle. I bought one when the price dropped below $100 back in 2011. A touch screen sounded nice, but physical buttons were OK by me. At $79, the new touch screen Kindle was definitely tempting, but I resisted until Thanksgiving when the price dropped to $49. Two days later I had my new Kindle & my husband had my old one. He's been a read paper books or read on the tablet or phone kind of guy. Two weeks later when the price dropped to $59 I asked him if he wanted Santa to get him one. After comparing the 2, he said yes. So, why this Kindle?
Designed for readers
Physical books have dark print on a light background. They don't have built in lights. You sit in a spot with adequate lighting and read them. The same is true of this Kindle. Of course, sometimes it would be nice to be able to read in the dark or see the color in a book. Fortunately Kindle apps are available for almost any device and Amazon syncs across my devices. That means I can switch to using my tablet or phone when I need color or a light. For the record, I don't do that very often.
Ease of Use
I really didn't mind the physical buttons on my old Kindle. I also don't miss them. It's so much easier to hold the Kindle when I don't have to position my thumb on the edge of the device so I can turn the page. On the relatively rare occasions when I need to type something the keyboard on the new Kindle is incredibly easy to use. Typing on the old one was a pain in the butt. Getting a definition or highlighting a passage is a matter of touching the screen, not repeatedly pushing a button.
Adjustable Fonts
Need reading glasses? I do. Sure, I can read normal sized print in physical books, but my Kindle lets me adjust the font size to make reading easier. This isn't a new feature, but it's easier than it used to be.
Battery Life
The bad news is I don't get the projected month on a charge. The good news is the battery lasts days, not hours. Amazon bases their claim on 1/2 hour of reading per day (15 hours per month)and leaving wi-fi off. I spend an hour or 2 a day reading, so that cuts the estimated battery life at least in half. The Kindle uses battery only for page turns and accessing wi-fi. I leave wi-fi on. I also use a larger font and I read more than 1000 wpm. Google says the average person reads 250-300 wpm. The font size and reading speed mean at least 4 times the estimated page turns. Battery life may not be what Amazon claims, but it's certainly within expected parameters. And it definitely beats battery life on my phone and tablet.
Good Reads
I have't previously used Good Reads, but I do now. I love that it's integrated into this Kindle.
Family library
This wasn't available on the old Kindle. I like sharing books with my husband. We don't have any children in residence, but the family features sound great.
Buying Experience
Books don't have to cost money. I usually don't go into a bookstore or a library in search of a specific book. I go to a section and choose from what's available. I do the same on Amazon. I do most of my browsing in the free best sellers list. Since free books don't necessarily stay free, I buy whatever looks like I'd like it. I don't always like them and/or read them but I have more than 800 purchased books, most of them free. And all I have to take with me on the plane is my Kindle. Of course, at the bookstore I can sample the book before I buy it. Amazon lets me download a free sample. Once I buy a book, Amazon downloads it to my Kindle in about the time it takes to read this sentence. Amazing.
Other book sources
**Public libraries. The selection of ebooks at my library is significantly smaller than the selection of paper books. (No, ebooks don't cost the library nothing. They are actually significantly more expensive.) That said, the selection has definitely improved. Books check out for 1-3 weeks. The process is ridiculously easy. Check out the book & select Kindle. Overdrive takes you to Amazon, where the buy button has been changed to the borrow button. Don't count on finishing the last chapter after lending period ends. The book will stop functioning the second the lending period ends. The good part of that is that there are no fines for late returns.
**Prime Lending Library. Check out 1 qualifying book per month with no due date. I have a wishlist of Prime books I want to read. I checked the library for them. Most weren't available,so my free sources don't overlap. This is a nice perk of Prime, but definitely not a reason to sign up. Prime books are only available on Kindle devices, not Kindle apps.
**Kindle Unlimited for $9.99/month. I didn't expect to like my free trial, but I did. I could easily find and read more than $10 worth of books per month. Most (all?) of my Prime wishlist is available on Kindle Unlimited. While I like Kindle Unlimited, I have suspended my subscription for the moment. I will probably renew periodically. My husband wasn't impressed with the selection. I browse bookstores. He shops for a specific book. Kindle Unlimited is more suited to browsing.
Special Offers
As previously implied, I'm cheap. That said, I did wonder about the Special Offers. Buy the Kindle with SO. Pay the $20 difference later if they bother you. You will see them as a screen saver and at the bottom 1/2 inch of the home page. You do NOT see them when you are actually reading. I don't spend much time on the home screen. I spend even less time looking at the screensaver. I spend most of my time on the Kindle actually reading. Some deals aren't bad, so I occasionally look at the list in the menu. It's definitely not worth $20 to me to get rid of them.
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Customers say
Customers find this Kindle device excellent and easy to use, particularly appreciating how simple it is to add books. The device is lightweight and perfect for reading on the go, with a glare-free screen that works well even in bright sunlight. They consider it good value for money and like its compact size, though some note it's smaller than expected. While the device generally works well, some customers report operating problems.
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2374 customers mention quality, 2186 positive, 188 negative
Great product. My only problem with it is that you cannot read at night without an independent light. You have to buy a separate night light....Read more
Great, just wish I could read it in bed in the dark like my kindleRead more
It is a great device. I'll never regret owning it.Read more
Bought it by mistake, keeping it because it's a good product and doesn't let me distract myself like the Fire does....Read more
1611 customers mention ease of use, 1383 positive, 228 negative
This kindle is so easy to use. The clear crisp screen is amazing. I like that I can email content straight to the device. Page turning is easy.Read more
Fantastic device. Simple, light, great battery life and, unlike my iPad, I can now read by the pool. And affordable to boot.Read more
I owned a first model Kindle. It was very easy to use. It died! I bought this new model. I do not like it. Everything is "touch" screen....Read more
...what I wanted: instant gratification on getting books, glare free, and easy and light to hold as I read in bed. I love it!Read more
1407 customers mention weight, 1312 positive, 95 negative
This Kindle is wonderful! It's light, fits comfortably in my hand, and never gives me a headache after staring at the screen for more than ten...Read more
...am very happy with it (despite having to replace books lol), it is lightweight, easy to hold, easy to set up, the wifi is great on it, and I like...Read more
...I love the size, functionality, light weight, easy to read and easy to sync up new books. If you're looking for a reader, I recommend this...Read more
...SOMETHING FOR OUSIDE READING AND THIS IS PERFECT GREAT PRICE AND VERY LIGHT EASY TO HOLD! IF YOU WANT A EREADER FOR OUTSIDE ITS THE ONE!!!Read more
1346 customers mention readability, 1096 positive, 250 negative
Light-weight, easy to read, I still love paper books, but as e-readers go, this is SO much better than reading the glare of a cell-phone or my tablet...Read more
...It was quick to do and the kindle is very easy to read. Even with my 60 something eyes. I do not even have a smart phone so the...Read more
Love it very much! Easy reading! Books download fast! Easy to hold! Perfect to read anywhere! Price of books are cheap! Good choice of books!...Read more
...I love reading, and this kindle is perfect. It's so light! Much easier to read on this than a book. It's not backlit, but who cares?...Read more
1146 customers mention value for money, 1031 positive, 115 negative
...If you are a reader, it is for you. Love it. Great price.Read more
great valueRead more
Great for readying outside. Simple to use. good price but if you like to read at night upgrade to the back lit kindle and iam definitely going to do...Read more
...This is perfect for what I want it for. And good value, too.Read more
1023 customers mention size, 818 positive, 205 negative
...It is small and portable so she takes it all over. It is nice to go to an appointment and pull out your Kindle to read while you wait your turn....Read more
I absolutely love my kindle! Perfect size, so light and compact, easy for travel. Definitely recommend it!Read more
I love it, it is the perfect size, easy to read and my books download so fast!Read more
...It is difficult to hold for a long period of time because of the small size.Read more
962 customers mention anti-glare, 733 positive, 229 negative
I am impressed. The kindle is easy to read with the no glare and adjustable type set and it's comfortable to hold and read in bed.Read more
...is exactly what I wanted: instant gratification on getting books, glare free, and easy and light to hold as I read in bed. I love it!Read more
...Its compact size means that it travels easily. The glare free screen means reading without eye strain....Read more
i like the weight of the kindle, its not glare free,i think with the grayish background and if the light is not too bright it is harder to read....Read more
1240 customers mention reliability, 810 positive, 430 negative
...Touch screen: Works great, better then expected. Typing is no problem. It is some times annoying when you turn a page not intending to though....Read more
We were loving our Kindle until it stopped working, just under three years?! Locked up and won't re-boot. Very frustrating. Never damaged, never wet....Read more
...I think it works well and has some good features, but I miss my first one. It had the bigger screen and buttons to turn the page which I prefer....Read more
Works fine but just never got into it much. Charge lasts a long time so that was cool.Read more
I love it and you will too, if you don't mind that the screen is surprisingly dimmer than expected.
I wish I had bought a Kindle sooner. Let me preface this by mentioning that when a family member got a 4th Generation Kindle about 2 years ago, I could not figure out how to use it. The small buttons and no keyboard drove me crazy trying to type in what I wanted, trying to navigate on the Kindle screen to purchase or find books, and downloading books. I found the page turn buttons to be annoying and it was too easy to accidentally press them while reading. I couldn't figure out where to put my hand to hold the Kindle while avoiding the page turn buttons. The Kindle touch has changed all of that. It's easy to navigate and easy to type because it's all touch responsive. You don't have to worry about turning the page unless you touch your finger to the screen, and because of this, turning the page is really easy. Built into the Kindle interface, I can hold my finger on a word I don't know and it will give me a definition of that word in my choice of 2 dictionaries. The lack of buttons on the bottom gives you ample space to place your thumb to grasp the Kindle, and the same for the edges on the left and right of the screen, to rest your finger of the same hand for stabilization. To make things even easier, I purchased Popsockets to put on the back so I can hold it with a flat hand. My only caveat is that there is no light, which I knew before purchasing, but the screen is somewhat darker than expected. It's not as bright as a piece of paper in front of you, it's a shade or two dimmer. In daylight or indoors, this is not a problem, but if you read in bed at night with a low watt lamp next to you, you're going to want the screen to be brighter. If I could turn the light off completely on the Voyager, I would have opted for that one in retrospect. Things I like: Touch screen No buttons Easy to navigate and type because of the touch screen Space to grasp due to no buttons Small power button on the bottom Things I don't like: The screen is dimmer than expected and has no light to compensate. Only comes with a USB cord to charge off of your computer, no wall plug. I use the base from the iphone charger with the Kindle USB. The lack of a charging base is clearly a way for Amazon to earn extra money when you purchase the wall plug, but if you want to look at it from a positive perspective, for the many who refuse to pay extra money for the wall plug, providing only the USB cord is ecofriendly and minimizing technological waste being sent to Guiyu, China, the e-waste recycling hub of the world, to be recycled when we no longer want our used electronics. (Children and adults alike in the city of Guiyu are getting sick from lead poisoning and various other ailments from the toxicity of the air, water, and direct exposure to heavy metals from inside our electronics). The ads and having to pay $20 to remove them is cheap marketing, where Amazon is profiting off of you seeing the ads, and profiting off of you not wanting to see them. Clever, but not classy. Unknowns: How easily does the screen dent? Does it need a screen protector or a hard case to protect the screen? Update 7 months later: I still LOVE my kindle. I had no idea I would ever love it this much. I don't go anywhere without it.
