blessedx5 Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Trying to determine if the paperwhite is worth the price difference?? What more will the paperwhite give me vs basic kindle? I normally don't read much at night...and if I do I keep the light on so being lit isn't really an issue. Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 The paperwhite the new one, right? If so, it's got a lot of negative reviews (ie. that it should currently be a beta test, not a final product, etc.) I have a Kindle Keyboard that's a year old, but I admit that I was interested in the white screen... (the regular Kindle, IMO, is slightly difficult to see...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I think I've used nearly every version of the e-ink Kindles. My current one is a Kindle 2 (with a keyboard). I borrowed a Kindle Touch from a friend for several weeks to evaluate it, dd11 has a basic Kindle, and I just received a paperwhite, but I've only had an hour or so to play with it. I really like it so far, but time will tell. ;) Both of my ds's are both getting basic Kindles for Christmas. I set up their accounts on the Kindle before packing them back into the box and wrapping them, and it's a real pain to do any typing on them. There's no keyboard, so you have to click a button to bring up an onscreen keyboard and then use the 4-way controller to scroll through the letters and click them. If you will be searching the Kindle store or typing notes on your Kindle, the lack of a keyboard will really slow you down. If you will shop for all your kindle books on the computer, that won't matter so much. I also don't love the way the next page and previous page buttons are on the very edge of the beveled edge on the Kindle (if that makes any sense). Having those buttons on the narrowest edge of the Kindle makes me feel like I'm going to break them off (probably an unfounded fear, but I find it a little unnerving). I've seen the bad reviews on the paperwhite, and I suspect that Amazon went back and fine-tuned their manufacturing process to address people's concerns about the blotchy screens (but that may be a totally groundless guess based on the fact that the paperwhites were back-ordered for several weeks). My new Paperwhite has has a nearly uniform brightness. There are 4 spots near the bottom of the screen (where the light comes from) that are slightly brighter, but I'm not sure I would have even noticed that right away if I hadn't read all the complaints. I imagine those spots would be more noticeable at nighttime, but I've only played with it in a moderately lit room. I really like the brightness and contrast on the new screen. I like to read in dimly lit rooms as I'm trying to settle my kids down for the night, and I'm really excited to be able to do that without switching over to reading off my iPod. The touch screen has a matte feel to it--it's not slick like the Kindle Touch or an iPod. It also has a rubbery back, so it's more comfortable in your hand than the other kindles, which have a metallic back. I've gotten cases or skins for all our Kindles, so that is sort of a non-issue for me. I haven't played with it enough to see how fast the page turns on the two Kindles compare, but they're both faster than my Kindle 2 (which is starting to feel like a dinosaur). The only things I don't like about the touch screen is that it is easier to turn the page accidentally--especially if you have a toddler who likes to come over and poke her little fingers into whatever you're doing. And it's kind of difficult to navigate the home screen or a linked table of contents, where you have a page full of links, but if you want to turn the page, you need to click on the screen without accidentally clicking on a link. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I had a keyboard and now a paperwhite. I prefer the paperwhite in every way except that you have to touch the screen to turn the page. I prefer buttons for that. I love the light and format. To me it is worth the extra money I paid, but a regular one is excellent too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessedx5 Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 in what ways is the KW different from the Basic? Other than the touch ability and the lighting??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelpants Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Ug....I spent about an hour last night trying to decide between a refurbished e ink touch vs a paperwhite touch! It's a painful decision...lol...all the reviews etc. I still haven't decided. Isn't the e ink display supposed to be easier on your eyes vs. the backlit paperwhite screen? I'm also wondering if one is easier to read pdf's on....I have a zillion Scholastic ebooks. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I have a Kindle Touch and wanted to see if I should upgrade to a Paperwhite, so I did a lot of research. There are a lot of negative reviews (as someone else stated) basically because all the bugs have not been worked out. I love my Kindle Touch and the only reason I was thinking of upgrading was so I didn't have to use a booklight at night. However, with the negative issues and price, I'll stick with my KT. I've had absolutely no issues with it and it's wonderful to use. My mom sent me some money for Christmas, and I did, however, buy a Kindle Fire HD 7 for myself. Amazon has some great educational apps I can use with hsing: Greek mythology cards, art history, geography, US states and capitals, etc... I put it away until Christmas, but I can't wait to use it in the classroom with dd! The one thing I bought for it for myself is the Avengers movie in HD -- I'll be watching that on Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I've got a basic Kindle (I did pay the $15 to get rid of the ads), the kids have basic Kindles with ads, and I also have a Sony Reader with a touch screen. I'm absolutely satisfied with the basic Kindle, though I do miss the touch screen. On my Sony Reader, the touch screen allows me to get definitions of words with a double tap, which is especially helpful when reading classics. It is much more awkward to navigate to specific words with the basic Kindle. So my next Kindle will be a touch screen version, but I'm in no hurry, because I can still use my Sony to read novels that are likely to have archaic language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Ug....I spent about an hour last night trying to decide between a refurbished e ink touch vs a paperwhite touch! It's a painful decision...lol...all the reviews etc. I still haven't decided. Isn't the e ink display supposed to be easier on your eyes vs. the backlit paperwhite screen? I'm also wondering if one is easier to read pdf's on....I have a zillion Scholastic ebooks. Any thoughts? The paperwhite isn't backlit and it is still eink. It is front lit, so it doesn't hurt your eyes any more than a booklight would, that's all. You can even control the brightness if you want. And neither would be great for pdfs. Pdfs are difficult to read on ereaders because the page is shrunk down to the small screen. I don't know what all the bad reviews about the paperwhite are, but I love it as much as my keyboard and love the light on it and i would recommend it to anyone starting out with ereaders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelpants Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 The paperwhite isn't backlit and it is still eink. It is front lit, so it doesn't hurt your eyes any more than a booklight would, that's all. You can even control the brightness if you want. And neither would be great for pdfs. Pdfs are difficult to read on ereaders because the page is shrunk down to the small screen. I don't know what all the bad reviews about the paperwhite are, but I love it as much as my keyboard and love the light on it and i would recommend it to anyone starting out with ereaders. Thanks for this info!!! Should I be worried about the 2gig vs 4gig storage between the devices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Thanks for this info!!! Should I be worried about the 2gig vs 4gig storage between the devices? I don't think so. Ebooks are very small files and you can fit hundreds in that space. And with the paperwhite, you can see all the books that you have access to through "the cloud" and download them and delete them very easily. So long as you have access to wifi, you should be more than fine. That is if you fill it up in the first place, which I have yet to do and I use my Kindle daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenDaisies Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Thanks for this info!!! Should I be worried about the 2gig vs 4gig storage between the devices? I don't think so either. The Kindle Keyboard has 4 gig, but it has speakers so it needs room to store audio files. The basic doesn't have speakers and therefore no need to store the audio files. I like the Paperwhite, but I decided to give mine to my daughter and keep my Kindle Keyboard. I just think the PWs are a bit glitchy, and I would rather wait for the next version. The light on the PW isn't perfect, but, it is so nice to have it built in. I like the touch screen, and for everything but page turns, I find the navigation to be easier.. If you are buying it as an upgrade, I would wait. If you need a device, I think the PW is nice- but I think the next version will be better. As far as the differences between the basic and the PW, I think it is mainly the light and the touch screen. The PW does also tell you how much longer you have until you finish a chapter, and I don't think the basic does that. The PW may also have some additional font choices that the basic kindle does not have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 The paperwhite isn't backlit and it is still eink. It is front lit, so it doesn't hurt your eyes any more than a booklight would, that's all. You can even control the brightness if you want. And neither would be great for pdfs. Pdfs are difficult to read on ereaders because the page is shrunk down to the small screen. I don't know what all the bad reviews about the paperwhite are, but I love it as much as my keyboard and love the light on it and i would recommend it to anyone starting out with ereaders. I agree. I hate reading PDFs on kindle. If I want to be able to read them on a kindle, I convert them to kindle-friendly books using MobiPocket Creator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.