|
|||
Kindle is our #1 best-selling item for two years running. It's also the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon. Now it's even better.
|
Kindle at a Glance
|
|
|
When considering an e-reader, you should ensure that you are getting a device with the latest generation E Ink technology, referred to as "Pearl." Our all-new Kindle uses Pearl, resulting in the best reading experience possible with 50% better contrast and the sharpest text. PopSci.com named our Pearl display a "Best of What's New 2010" winner stating, "The newest Kindle's most impressive achievement (among others, including a reduced size and a slashed price) is its E Ink Pearl screen, which is just an absolute pleasure to behold." Electronic ink screens work using ink, just like books and newspapers, but display the ink particles electronically. People who see the display for the first time do a double take because the screen looks like real paper. Kindle's electronic ink display is ideal for reading because it does not create the same eyestrain as reading on traditional backlit LCD tablets or laptops. Electronic ink uses actual ink to create crisp, print-like text similar to what you see in a physical book. Kindle's proprietary, hand-built fonts take advantage of the special characteristics of the ink to make letters clear and sharp. Kindle's screen reflects light like ordinary paper, eliminating the glare created by backlit LCD displays on tablets or smart phones. Kindle can be read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room. According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, sleep experts say that reading on closely-held backlit screens before bed inhibits melatonin production, which is critical for a good night's sleep. "The take-home lesson is that insomnia and electronic gadgets emitting light should not [be] mixed before bedtime...Kindle is better for your sleep." Here are some of the technical reasons:
|
Fonts on Kindle's ink-based display look smoother and more natural than on an LCD display.
Kindle lets you read for up to two months on a single charge versus hours on a tablet or smart phone. "My first impression of Kindle's screen was: 'That's a screen?! It doesn't look like a screen.'... It looks like a book page, only perfect. No grain or pulp."—Jeremy "I love how the screen really looks like a page, because I do work at a computer all day, and the last thing I want to look at is another screen."—Amy P "I found the contrast to be soothing and I was able to read in direct sunlight with no glare."—M. H. |
|||
Kindle Comparison
Kindle (Wi-Fi) is a great choice if you already have a high-speed internet connection and wireless router set up in your home and do not need the added convenience of a 3G connection. 3G enables you to download books anytime, anywhere, while on the go. If you do not have Wi-Fi set up in your home, Kindle 3G may be a better option.
Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi) is the easiest option because there is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop, purchase, and read right out of the box. Built-in Free 3G connectivity uses the same wireless signals that cell phones use, but there are no monthly fees or commitments—Amazon pays for Kindle’s 3G wireless connectivity. The added convenience of 3G enables you to download books anytime, anywhere, while on the go—without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot connection. With wireless coverage in over 100 countries and territories, Kindle 3G is a great option for travelers. Check 3G coverage area See How the Latest Kindle Compares to the Previous Generation
Features
All-New Design
Lighter & Thinner - Only 8.5 Ounces When reading for long periods of time, we know that weight matters. That's why we worked hard to make our newest Kindle lighter than ever – only 8.5 ounces – so you can read comfortably for hours with just one hand. Kindle is lighter than a typical paperback, and thinner than a magazine. Just a third of an inch in profile, Kindle fits perfectly in your hands. Ergonomic Design Kindle is easy to hold and read. We designed it with long-form reading in mind. When reading for long periods of time, people naturally shift positions and often like to read with one hand. Kindle's page-turning buttons are located on both sides, allowing you to read and turn pages from any position. The new soft-touch, textured back is comfortable to hold and never gets hot in your hands. Never Gets Hot Unlike a laptop or tablet, Kindle never gets hot so you can read comfortably as long as you like. Simple to Use, No Computer Required Unlike most electronic devices, we wanted to keep Kindle simple. Kindle is wireless and ready to use right out of the box – no setup, no software to install, no computer required.
Long Battery Life - Up to Two Months
Battery Life of Up to Two Months A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off based upon a half-hour of daily reading time. If you read for one hour a day, you will get battery life of up to one month. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 10 days. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, web browsing, and downloading content. Charge Via USB Kindle ships with a U.S. power adapter and a micro-USB cable for charging your Kindle from a computer USB port. The U.S. power adapter supports voltages 100V-240V. Get Books in 60 Seconds Whispernet utilizes Amazon's optimized technology plus Wi-Fi networks to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, and download content on the go. Your books and periodicals are delivered over Wi-Fi via Whispernet in less than 60 seconds. Wireless download speeds can vary based on file size. New, Built-In Wi-Fi Kindle automatically detects nearby Wi-Fi networks at school, home, or your favorite café. At a hotel or café that requires a password? Simply enter the password and connect to the network. Once you have added a Wi-Fi network, Kindle will automatically connect to that network the next time you’re near the hotspot. Kindle does not currently connect to enterprise or peer-to-peer networks. Free Access at AT&T Hotspots Enjoy free Wi-Fi access at AT&T hotspots across the U.S. for shopping and downloading Kindle content — no AT&T registration, sign-in, or password required.
Carry Your Library in 8.5 Ounces
Holds 3,500 Books The ultimate travel companion, Kindle weighs 8.5 ounces and holds up to 3,500 books. No longer pick and choose which books fit in your carry-on. You can always have your entire Kindle library with you. Worry-Free Archive Delete with abandon. We automatically keep an archival copy of your Kindle books-—re-download for free, anytime. We even back up your last page read and annotations, so when you re-download to the device you can pick up where you left off with all of your notes still in place. Please see more information about your library content. Collections Organize your Kindle library into collections, or categories, to easily access any book you are looking for. You can add an item to multiple collections to make organizing and finding titles even easier. For example, you can add the same book to your "History" and "My Favorite Authors" collections. Real Page Numbers Easily reference and cite passages or read alongside others in a book club or class with real page numbers that correspond to a book's print edition. We've added real page numbers to tens of thousands of Kindle books, including the top 100 best-selling books in the Kindle Store with matching print editions. Simply press the "Menu" button while reading to display page numbers.
Reading, Revolutionized
Lose Yourself in Your Reading The most elegant feature of a physical book is that it disappears while you're reading. Immersed in the author's world and ideas, you don't notice a book's glue, the stitching, or ink. Our top design objective is to make Kindle disappear — just like a physical book — so you can get lost in your reading, not the technology. Paper-Like Screen with New E Ink Pearl Display for 50% Improved Contrast Our latest Kindle uses Amazon's new, high-contrast E Ink Pearl display with 50% better contrast, for the clearest text and sharpest images. With Pearl, the most-advanced E Ink display on the market, text "pops" from the page creating a reading experience most similar to reading on printed paper. Sharp and natural with no glare or backlight, reading on Kindle is nothing like reading on a computer screen. Those who see it for the first time always do a double-take. New Proprietary Screen Technology - Faster Page Turns, New and Improved Fonts Kindle's new, high-contrast display is further optimized with Amazon's proprietary waveform and font technology to make pages turn faster and fonts sharper. Waveform is a series of electronic pulses that move black and white electronic ink particles to achieve a final gray level for an image or text. We have tuned Kindle's waveform and controller mechanism to make page turning 20% faster. This waveform tuning, combined with new hand-built, custom fonts and font-hinting, make words and letters more crisp, clear, and natural-looking. Font hints are instructions, written as code, that control points on a font character's line and improve legibility at small font sizes where few pixels are available. Hinting is a mix of aesthetic judgments and complicated technical strategies. We've designed our proprietary font-hinting to optimize specifically for the special characteristics of electronic ink. Read in Sunlight with No Glare Kindle's screen reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays. As a result, Kindle can be read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room. Adjustable Text Size Kindle has eight adjustable font sizes to suit your reading preference. You can increase the text size of your favorite book or periodical with the push of a button. If your eyes tire, simply increase the font size and continue reading comfortably. Now every book in your library can be large print. New Font Choices Kindle now has three font styles to choose from - our standard Caecilia font, a condensed version of Caecilia, and a sans serif option - so you can change your font style along with the font size. Screen Rotation Manually rotate the display from portrait to landscape to view maps, graphs, tables and Web pages. Newspaper Reading Using Kindle's 5-way controller, you can quickly flip between articles, making it faster and easier to browse and read the morning paper. Want to remember the newspaper or magazine article you just read? Clip and save entire articles for later reading with a single click. Newspapers are auto-delivered wirelessly to Kindle before they hit newsstands. Sharp Display of Images and Photos Kindle's high-resolution screen boasts 16 shades of gray and 50% improved contrast, for the sharpest text and images. Support for Non-Latin Characters Kindle can now display Cyrillic (such as Russian), Japanese, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), and Korean characters in addition to Latin and Greek scripts for certain file types. To view your personal documents with non-Latin characters on your Kindle, send your file as a Microsoft Word document (DOC) attachment to your Kindle's e-mail address ("name"@free.kindle.com). The file will be converted to Kindle format and sent to your Kindle via the Wi-Fi connection and also to the e-mail address associated with your Amazon.com account at no charge. See more details about Kindle’s Personal Document Service via Whispernet here. Loading TXT files containing non-Latin characters over USB is currently not supported as some characters may not display properly. Full Image Zoom Images and photos display crisply on Kindle and can be zoomed to the full size of the screen. Precise 5-Way Controller Kindle has an easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words. No on-screen fingerprints.
Search, Annotations, Dictionary, and Wikipedia
Search Kindle's keyboard makes it easy to search within a book, across your library, in the Kindle Store, or even the Web. To use the Search feature, simply type in a word or phrase you're looking for, and Kindle finds every instance in your book or across your Kindle library. Looking for the first reference of a character in your book? Simply type in the name and search. You can extend your search to the Kindle Store to find related titles you may be interested in. Explore even further by searching Wikipedia and the Web. Web access is not currently available for some customers outside the U.S. Check your country Bookmarks and Annotations By using the QWERTY keyboard, you can add annotations to text, just like you might write in the margins of a book. And because it is digital, you can edit, delete, and export your notes. You can highlight and clip key passages and bookmark pages for future use. You'll never need to bookmark your last place in the book, because Kindle remembers for you and always opens to the last page you read. Share Meaningful Passages Share your passion for books and reading with friends, family, and other readers around the world by posting meaningful passages to social networks like Facebook and Twitter directly from Kindle, without leaving the page. Want to post or tweet about a great new novel or newspaper article? When you highlight or create a note in your book or periodical, you can easily share it with your social network. Help your network of family and friends discover new authors and books. Public Notes Share your notes and see what others are saying about Kindle books. Any Kindle user – including authors, book reviewers, professors and passionate readers everywhere – can opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community. Learn more Popular Highlights See what our community of millions of Kindle readers think are the most interesting passages in your books. If several other readers have highlighted a particular passage, then that passage will be highlighted in your book along with the total number of people who have highlighted it. Now it's easier to review, remember, and learn more from the books you read. Learn more Built-In Dictionary with Instant Lookup Never get caught without a dictionary. Kindle includes The New Oxford American Dictionary with over 250,000 entries and definitions, so you can seamlessly look up the definitions of English words without interrupting your reading. Come across a word you don't know? Simply move the cursor to it and the definition will automatically display at the bottom of the screen. Never fear a sesquipedalian word again - simply look it up and keep reading. Wireless Access to Wikipedia Kindle also includes free built-in access to the world's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia, Wikipedia.org. With Kindle in hand, looking up people, places, events, and more has never been easier. It gives whole new meaning to the phrase walking encyclopedia.
Carry and Read Your Personal Documents
Improved, Built-In PDF Reader Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go. With Amazon's Whispernet service, you can send your documents directly to your Kindle and read them anytime, anywhere. Now you can add notes and highlights, use the dictionary look-up, and read password-protected PDFs. You can also magnify PDFs by viewing them in landscape mode, and zoom into any area of a PDF up to 300% and pan to easily view small print and detailed tables and graphics. You also have the option to have your PDF document converted to the Kindle format so that it reflows. Learn more Personal Document Service Via Whispernet Kindle makes it easy to take your personal documents with you, eliminating the need to print. Each Kindle has a unique and customizable e-mail address. You can set your unique e-mail address on your Manage Your Kindle page. This allows you and your approved contacts to send Word, PDF documents, and pictures to your Kindle via Whispernet for a small fee—see details. Kindle supports wireless delivery of unprotected Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX), PDF, HTML, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PRC and MOBI files. Some complex PDF and DOCX files might not format correctly on your Kindle. You can transfer personal documents to your Kindle via USB or using a Wi-Fi connection for free at any time. Learn more Password Protection With new password protection functionality, you can choose to lock your Kindle automatically when you’re not using it.
The Kindle Store - Over 950,000 Books, Plus Newspapers, Magazines, and Blogs
You can search and shop the Kindle Store wirelessly right from your Kindle, allowing you to click, buy, and start reading your purchases in 60 seconds. The Kindle Store offers the same great Amazon.com customer experience you're used to, including customer reviews, personalized recommendations, and low prices. We auto-deliver your selections wirelessly, so the next time you hear about a great book, just search, buy, and read. Over 950,000 Books We are fortunate that we have tens of millions of book customers at Amazon, and as a result, we know the books customers want to read and we prioritize getting those titles. With over 950,000 titles, the Kindle store contains the largest selection of the books people want to read, including New York Times® Best Sellers. Our vision for Kindle is to have every book ever written, in every language, available in 60 seconds from anywhere on earth. We have worked with publishers to get the most popular books you want to read. Low Book Prices Of the 950,000 titles available in the Kindle Store, over 770,000 are $9.99 or less. For non-U.S. customers, content availability and pricing will vary. Check your country Over 1.8 Million Free, Out-of-Copyright, Pre-1923 titles Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are available to read on Kindle, including titles such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, and Treasure Island. Learn more Read First Chapters for Free No need to judge a book by its cover. Kindle lets you download and read the beginning of books for free. Sample a new author or book-–if you like what you read, simply buy and download the whole book with 1-Click, right from your Kindle, and continue reading. Sample length will vary by book. Kindle Store eBook Exclusives Along with new releases, New York Times® Best Sellers, and over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright titles, the Kindle Store also features many books exclusive to Kindle. UR by Stephen King, The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey are just some of the digital titles you won't find in any other e-bookstore. Kindle Book Lending Lend eligible Kindle books to other Kindle or Kindle app users. Each eligible book can be lent once for a period of 14 days. Not all books are lendable — the publisher or rights holder determines which titles are enabled for lending. For more information on how to lend Kindle books, visit our help page. Over 50,000 Audible Audiobooks Available - with Wireless Delivery Over Wi-Fi Discover, download, and listen to over 50,000 audiobooks from Audible.com — read by authors, celebrities, and world-class narrators — right from your Kindle. Shop the Internet’s premier provider of digital audiobooks, with genres including mysteries and thrillers, romance, and biographies. Download directly to your Kindle using the new, built-in Wi-Fi. Buy Once, Read Everywhere Our Whispersync technology synchronizes your Kindle library and last page read across your devices, so you can read a few pages on your phone or computer and pick up right where you left off when you return to your Kindle.
Experimental Features
The experimental category represents features we are still working on to enhance the Kindle experience even further. Try them out and let us know what you think. Read-to-Me With the Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read English newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book's rights holder made the feature unavailable. You can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and your spot is automatically saved. Pages automatically turn while the content is being read, so you can listen hands-free. You can choose from both male and female voices which can be sped up or slowed down to suit your preference. In the middle of a great story or article but have to jump in the car? Simply turn on Text-to-Speech and listen on the go. Voice Guide With Text-to-Speech, Kindle can read out loud to you. New Text-to-Speech enabled menus allow customers to navigate Kindle without having to read menu options. In addition to listening to books aloud, users now have the option of listening to content listings on the home screen, item descriptions, and all menu options. To turn Voice Guide on or off, press the Menu button from your Home screen. Select Settings and then press Next Page to go to Page 2 of Settings. Select "turn on" or "turn off" next to the Voice Guide setting. WebKit-Based Browser Kindle's web browser is based on WebKit to provide a better web browsing experience. Now it's easier than ever to find the information you're looking for right from your Kindle. Experimental web browsing is free to use over Wi-Fi. The experimental web browser is currently not available for some customers outside the U.S. Check your country Listen to Music & Podcasts Transfer MP3 files to Kindle to play as background music while you read. You can quickly and easily transfer MP3 files via USB by connecting Kindle to your computer.
Buy Once, Read Everywhere
Our Whispersync technology synchronizes your Kindle library and last page read across your devices, so you can read a few pages on your phone or computer and pick up right where you left off when you return to your Kindle.
Technical Details
|
Publications and Blogs
New on Kindle
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Recommended
|
Covers
|
Skins
|
Reading lights
|
Power adapters
|
Recommended
-
3.7 out of 5 stars (159) $29.99
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
Covers
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
-
4.5 out of 5 stars (9,409) $49.99
Skins
-
3.2 out of 5 stars (6) $19.99
-
$24.99
-
$24.99
-
$24.99
-
3.0 out of 5 stars (2) $24.99
Reading lights
-
4.2 out of 5 stars (369) $19.99
-
4.2 out of 5 stars (369) $19.99
-
4.2 out of 5 stars (369) $19.99
-
3.3 out of 5 stars (98) $39.99
-
3.3 out of 5 stars (53) $39.99
Power adapters
-
3.7 out of 5 stars (31) $19.99
-
3.8 out of 5 stars (158) $19.99
-
4.3 out of 5 stars (186) $19.99
-
3.8 out of 5 stars (21) $19.99
New Designer Covers for Kindle
-
3.6 out of 5 stars (57) $85.00
-
3.9 out of 5 stars (54) $125.00
-
3.6 out of 5 stars (57) $85.00
-
3.9 out of 5 stars (22) $119.00
-
3.6 out of 5 stars (57) $85.00
-
3.9 out of 5 stars (22) $119.00
"The Kindle 3 is ingeniously designed to be everything the iPad will never be: small, light and inexpensive… Now, the Kindle is almost ridiculously lightweight; at 8.5 ounces, it’s a third the weight of the iPad. That’s a big deal for a machine that you want to hold in your hands for hours... certain facts are unassailable: that the new Kindle offers the best E Ink screen, the fastest page turns, the smallest, lightest, thinnest body and the lowest price tag of any e-reader. It’s also the most refined and comfortable." ‒ New York Times Read full article | |
"Amazon's newest Kindle is the best ebook-reading device on the market. It's better than the Apple iPad, the Barnes & Noble Nook, the various Sony readers, and certainly better than any smartphone… It's still black-and-white, but really, that's for the best. The screen almost glows outdoors. In comparison to the iPad, which turns into a pretty but useless mirror in sunlight, the Kindle only gets more readable. This is a gadget that loves the beach… It's razor-thin and feels great in the hand, small and light enough to hold comfortably for as long as you care to read (unlike the 1.5-pound, 10-inch iPad)." ‒ Fast Company Read full article | |
"Kindle's winning combination of noteworthy upgrades—an improved screen, better battery life, lighter weight, and lower price—vaults it to the top of the e-book reader category… The other upside to e-ink displays is that they aren't backlit, which not only is supposed to reduce eye strain but it allows you to see the screen—better, in fact—in brightly lit environments, including direct sunlight. By contrast, the iPad is hard to read outside because its LCD gets washed out in direct sunlight and the glass covering the screen is reflective and creates glare issues." ‒ CNET Read full article | |
"What's clear, however, is that if you're looking for a standalone e-reader (i.e., a portable replacement for physical books), this is the go-to, standard-setting device." ‒ Engadget Read full article | |
"Amazon has finally arrived at an e-reader product that not only slays its current competition, but also feels ready to meet the mainstream masses… In fact, the resulting design is actually extremely pleasing to hold: I could hold the Kindle to read for a couple of hours and not feel as if I was encumbered by the device in my hands. I can't say the same thing for the multipurpose Apple iPad: At 1.5 pounds (25 ounces), the iPad is nearly three times the weight of the new 8.7-ounce Kindle. That alone makes a strong argument in favor of a dedicated e-reader… Its solid build quality, along with its improved design, integrated store, and cross-platform transportability… all add up to a winner that shoots to the head of the pack." ‒ PC World Read full article | |
"Simply put, it's the best dedicated ebook reader you can buy… Amazon has managed to increase the contrast on the Kindle in a way that sets it above the Nook, Sony Readers, or any other dedicated ebook reader we've tested… in fact given its new low price along with its massive library of ebooks and dead-simple book buying, the Kindle keeps its crown as our Editors' Choice." ‒ PC Magazine Read full article | |
"Amazon treats page turns the way the NFL views 40-yard dash times—you just can't be too fast. Pages turn 20 percent faster than the previous Kindle. Simply put, the Kindle turns pages faster than I can. It's instant book gratification... The screen has a higher contrast. The latest Kindle’s screen has 50 percent better contrast than its previous E-ink screen. It shows." ‒ ZDNet Read full article | |
"The streamlined, lighter body plus the new E-ink screen make it a legitimate step up from both the old version and other e-readers on the market." ‒ CrunchGear Read full article | |
"Kindle 3 combines solid improvements (50% better screen contrast, compactness, faster page turns, better PDF support, WiFi, lighter weight, longer battery life) with an even sharper focus on reading and simplicity. Quite simply, the Kindle 3 is the best eReader available." ‒ iReader Review Read full article |
What Customers are Saying
|
|||
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29,385 of 29,719 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kindle vs. Nook (updated 6/2/2011),
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Kindle 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology (Electronics)
When I wrote this review last August, there was only one Nook, which is now called "Nook First Edition." It continues to be available, but there are two new Nooks. The Nook Color was introduced last fall - it's basically a tablet computer, and runs the Android software that is popular on many smartphones nowadays. It's twice as heavy and costs twice as much as a Kindle, but compared to other tablet computers, it is a very good value.
And now (early June 2011), a new e-ink based Nook is coming out. It's called the "Nook Simple Touch." It is just now starting to ship, so obviously I don't have one and can't tell you anything about it that you can't learn by reading online reviews. But the reviews are very favorable, so if you're considering a Kindle, you should take a look at the new Nook Simple Touch, too. But the Kindle is nonetheless still a compelling option. It's a mature product, very well designed and easy to use, performance is very zippy, it's competitively priced, and no e-ink based reader has a better, more readable display than the Kindle, not even the new Nook Simple Touch. Also, the Kindle universe is quite extensive: the Kindle store is great and has many thousands of free e-books as well as good deals on most other e-books, and once purchased, you can read your Kindle books on nearly any device you own (computer, phone, tablet), not just your Kindle. And there are tons of great cases and other accessories for the Kindle. So, while my review compares the Kindle to the older Nook, I'll leave it here because it has a ton of information about the Kindle, a great e-reader that deserves your attention, and because the original Nook continues to be available. That said, I urge you to NOT buy the original Nook. It was a respectable e-reader when it came out in 2009, and still had some value when I wrote about it in August 2010, but it is clearly inferior by today's standards. ------------ my original review -------------- If you're trying to choose between a Nook and a Kindle, perhaps I can help. My wife and I have owned a Nook (the original one), a Kindle 2, and a Kindle DX. When Amazon announced the Kindle 3 this summer, we pre-ordered two Kindle 3's: the wi-fi only model in graphite, and the wi-fi + 3G model in white. They arrived in late August and we have used them very regularly since then. For us, Kindle is better than Nook, but Nook is a good device with its own advantages that I will discuss below. I'll end this review with a few words about the Nook Color. First, reasons why we prefer the Kindle: * Speed In our experience, the Kindle is very zippy compared to the Nook. Page refresh speed (the time it takes a new page to appear after you push the page-turn button) was WAY quicker on Kindle 2 than on Nook, and it's quicker yet on Kindle 3. Yet, I read a whole book on the Nook and didn't find the slower page refresh to be annoying - you get used to it, and it's not a problem. For me, the more important speed difference concerns navigation - moving the cursor around the screen, for example to pick a book from your library, or to jump to a chapter by selecting it in the table of contents. On Kindle, you do this by pushing a 5-way rocker button, and the cursor moves very quickly. On Nook, you do this by activating the color LCD touchscreen (which normally shuts off when not in use, to conserve battery). A "virtual rocker button" appears on the screen, and you touch it to move the cursor. Unfortunately, the Nook cursor moves very sluggishly. This might not be a big deal to you, but it really got annoying to me, especially since my wife's Kindle was so quick and responsive. In November 2010, Nook got a software upgrade that increases page refresh speed and makes navigation more responsive. I returned my Nook months ago, so I cannot tell you if the Nook's performance is now equal to the Kindle's, but Nook owners in the comments section have convinced me that the software update improves the experience of using the Nook. If performance is a big factor in your decision, visit a Best Buy and compare Kindle and Nook side by side. * Screen contrast You've seen Amazon's claims that the Kindle 3 e-ink has 50% better contrast than Kindle 2 or other e-ink devices. I have no way of precisely measuring the improvement in contrast, but I can tell you that the Kindle 3 display definitely has more contrast than Kindle 2 or Nook. The difference is noticeable, and important: more screen contrast means less eyestrain when reading in poorly lit rooms. In well-lit rooms, the Nook and Kindle 2 have enough contrast to allow for comfortable reading. But I often read in low-light conditions, like in bed at night, or in a poorly lit room. In these situations, reading on Nook or Kindle 2 was a bit uncomfortable and often gave me a mild headache. When I got the Kindle 3, the extra contrast was immediately noticeable, and made it more comfortable to read under less-than-ideal lighting conditions. (If you go with a Nook, just make sure you have a good reading lamp nearby.) * Battery life The Nook's color LCD touch screen drains its battery quickly - I could never get more than 5 days out of a charge. The Kindle 2 had longer battery life than the Nook, and Kindle 3 has even longer life: in the 3 months since we received our Kindle 3's, we typically get 3 weeks of battery life between charges. (We keep wireless off about half the time to save battery power.) * Weight Nook weighs about 3 ounces more than the new Kindle, and you can really feel the difference. Without a case, Nook is still light enough to hold in one hand for long reading sessions without fatigue. But in a case, Nook is a heavy sucker. The new Kindle 3 is so light, even in a case, we find it comfortable holding in one hand for long reading sessions. Reasons some people might prefer the Nook: * In-store experience If you need help with your nook, you can take it to any barnes and noble and get a real human to help. You can take your nook into the coffee shop section of your local B&N; store and read any book for free for up to one hour per day. When you take your nook to B&N;, some in-store special deals and the occasional free book pop up on your screen. * User-replaceable battery Rechargeable batteries eventually lose their ability to hold a charge. Nook's battery is user-replaceable and relatively inexpensive. To replace Kindle's battery, Amazon wants you to ship your Kindle to Amazon, and they will ship you back a DIFFERENT Kindle than the one you sent (it's the same model, for example if you send a white Kindle 3, you get a white Kindle 3 back, but you get a "refurbished" one, NOT the exact one you sent them). I don't like this at all. However, several people have posted comments here that have eased my concerns. Someone looked up statistics on the Kindle's battery and did some simple calculations to show that it should last for 3 or more years. Before that happens, I will surely have upgraded to a newer Kindle model by then. Also, someone found some companies that sell Kindle batteries at reasonable cost and have how-to videos that demonstrate how we can replace the battery ourselves. Doing this would void the Kindle's warranty, but the battery will probably not fail until long after the warranty expires. [update June 2011: The batteries in the Nook Color and Nook Simple Touch are not replaceable, but the battery in the original Nook is.] * ePub Nook uses the ePub format, a widely used open format. Amazon uses a proprietary ebook format. Many libraries will "lend" ebooks in the ePub format, which works with nook but not kindle. However, a free and reputable program called Calibre allows you to translate ebooks from one format to another - it supports many formats, including ePub and Kindle. The only catch is that it doesn't work with copy-protected ebooks, so you can't, for example, buy a Kindle book (which is copy protected) and translate it to ePub so you can read it on a Nook. * Nook's color LCD touchscreen The original Nook has a small color LCD screen on the bottom for navigation. This could be a pro or con, depending on your preferences. It makes the Nook hipper and less drab than Kindle. Some people enjoy using the color LCD to view their library or navigate. I did, at first. But after two weeks of use, and comparisons with my wife's Kindle, I found the dedicated buttons of the Kindle easier and far quicker to use than the Nook's color touchscreen. I also found the bright light from the color screen distracting when I was trying to read a book or newspaper (though when not in use, it shuts off after a minute or so to conserve battery). * expandable capacity Nook comes with 2GB of internal memory. If you need more capacity, you can insert a microSD card to add up to 16GB more memory. Kindle comes with 4GB of internal memory - twice as much as Nook - but there's no way to expand that. Kindle doesn't accept memory cards of any type. If you mainly use your device to read ebooks and newspapers, this shouldn't be an issue. I have over 100 books on my Kindle, and I've used only a tiny fraction of the memory. Once Kindle's memory fills up, just delete books you don't need immediate access to; you can always restore them later, in seconds, for free. A few other notes: Kindle and Nook have other features, such as an MP3 player and a web browser, but I caution you to have low expectations for these features. The MP3 player on the Kindle is like the... Read more ›
1,845 of 1,876 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A hesistant buyer rejoices on his choice,
By Mr Goodwrench (Colorado) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Pearl Display (Electronics)
I researched the purchase of a Kindle for a long time. I couldn't decide whether or not it was worth buying a dedicated e-reader. Boy am I glad I made this purchase. The downside to Amazon's online selling of Kindle 3 is that the customers don't get to see it in person. It is much better in person. This may sound stupid, but when I got my new Kindle, I thought there was a stuck-on overlay on the screen containing a diagram of the unit's buttons, etc. I actually tried to peel it off. Doh! The e-ink on this unit is THAT good. I didn't realize that I was staring at the actual display. I also didn't realize that no power is required until the display changes. (thus the great battery life) I do a lot of reading, but was facing the prospect of reading less or buying large type books because of my variable and deteriorating eyesight. The new Kindle has been a godsend. Now, I can decide the size of type I need depending on my level of fatigue among other things. The weight and ergonomics are very good. For someone, like me, with neuropathy in his hands, it is extremely easy to manage and enjoyable to own. To me, it is easier to read than print books. The ease of navigation is great as is the speed. The battery life, so far, has been extraordinary. It easily connected to our home Wi-Fi, which by design does not broadcast an SSID. It downloads books so fast that I almost thought they were not completely received. I did not buy the 3G version because of the price difference and the fact that there is no coverage where I live. If you are not constantly traveling, I don't see the need to spend the extra bucks, but that is a matter of personal choice. For those who have no Wi-Fi at home, remember that you can always download the material to your computer and transfer it via USB. Just today I was watching an interview with Tony Blair on TV. He was talking about his new book, which sounded interesting. I picked up the Kindle and downloaded a free sample before the interview was over. I have only read the preface so far, but will probably buy the book. Now THAT is a great way to buy a book! I haven't used online browsing extensively yet, but find it reasonable for what the device is. This is primarily a book reader, not a laptop or notebook. They are great for what they do, but can't match the e-ink display, or the light weight. For those of you worrying about the wait for the new Kindle, let me end with, "It is worth the wait" This new Kindle is all about the quality of experience. There are many format choices for electronic reading. If you want the best experience, go with the Kindle.
10,029 of 10,245 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the money. Not perfect, but very very good for start to finish novels in good light,
By Jeffrey Stanley (Wichita, KS United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Pearl Display (Electronics)
The Kindle is my first e-ink reader. I own an iPad, an iPhone, and have owned a Windows-based phone in the past that I used as an ereader.
My overall impression of the device is good. The good: I'd honestly rather read linear (read from page one to the end, one page at a time) fiction from it than a book, because I can't always get comfortable with a book. Hardcovers are sometimes a bit heavy, and paperbacks don't always lie open easily. The Kindle is incredibly light and thin. I can hold it in one hand easily. The page turn buttons are conveniently located. Page-turns aren't instant, but they're probably quicker than turning a physical page in a printed book (there are just a lot more page-turns unless you choose a small font). The contrast is better than other ereaders I've seen. There is zero eye strain in good light. My eyesight isn't the greatest and I like being able to increase the font size and read without glasses. I love being able to browse the Kindle store and read samples before deciding to purchase. The "experimental" browser is surprisingly usable, but isn't great. It is useful for browsing wikipedia and blogs. The biggest drawback to the browser is the awkward pointer navigation, using the 5-way pad. It syncs your furthest read page over the internet so you can pick up where you left off using your iPhone or iPad. The so-so: The kindle store could use more categories and sorting options. You can't sort by "top rated," and there is no category for "alternate histories," for example. Finding a very-specific type of fiction relies on keyword searches, which don't do a great job. The wifi sometimes doesn't connect before it times-out. You rarely need the wifi, but it is annoying if you change a setting, answer "OK" to the prompt to connect, and the thing tells you it failed to connect two seconds later (the exact moment it indicates that it did finally connect, then you need to go back to update the setting again). Most settings don't require a connection, but it is a minor annoyance. Most of your time will be spent reading, and of course your books are stored on the device and a connection is not required. Part of me wishes I'd bought the 3G model, because the browser is good enough that having lifetime free 3G wireless would be worth the extra money. Magazines don't look very good and are not very easy to navigate. There is minor glare in some lighting conditions, mostly when a lamp is positioned behind the reader's head. The bad: The contrast is fair to poor in dim light. It is much easier to read a printed page in dim light. In good light, contrast is on par with a pulp paperback. In dim light it feels almost like reading from an old Palm Pilot (resolution is better than an old Palm, but contrast is bad in dim light). The screen is small enough that the frequency of page turns is pretty high. Even in good light, the light gray background is less pleasant than the eggshell background of a printed page. You must tell it to sync before you switch it off, if you expect the feature allowing you to pick up where you left off using other devices to work correctly. The copy protection prevents you from using the files on anything other than Kindle software or devices. Vs iPad: IPad is a lot better for magazines, reference materials, and illustrated materials. Kindle is worlds better for reading novels. IPad is pretty heavy, making it more difficult to hold in your hand or carry with you everywhere. Kindle is much more portable and easier to hold. IPad has some amazing children's books and magazines, which take advantage of its multimedia features. IPad is unreadable in sunlight and glare is bad in bright light. Kindle is as good as a printed page in bright light. Ipad serves as a creative tool, a computing tool, a gaming tool, and a communication tool. Kindle is only a novel machine. I don't regret buying either one of them. An iPad won't replace books, but a Kindle can, if the book is text-only. I highly recommend this device at its new low price if you are a frequent reader of novels. I love my kindle. Just don't expect it to be more than it is. Leave the magazines and such to the tablet computers. 2115|R2YVZNKUMWGYJ4;2115|RUAZZJ2E2JWT2;2115|RJUKFI4PVQ6E0;
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Customer Discussions
|
|
|
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|