E-book readers are dime a dozen and yet the Kindle has managed to maintain a good position for itself in the market because of the large content library it offers to users. With the don of the tablet era and the availability of the Kindle app on Android and iOS, does it still make sense for a bookworm to pick up a Kindle e-book reader?
Design and Build
Compact and sturdy is the first thing that will come to your mind when you look at the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. It has a 6-inch display with a 212ppi pixel density. The device is available in two models, Wi-Fi only and 3G + Wi-Fi. The e-book reader offers 2GB built-in storage (1.25GB user available which is approx. 1100 books) with Amazon cloud support. There is no local expansion storage support. The device is really light weighing a mere 213 grams and really slim at 0.91cm.
The front of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite has the display and there are no physical buttons here. The bottom has the on / off switch along with the microUSB port that works for data transfer as well as charging. The rear of the e-book reader has a very nice rubberized finish that adds to the grip.
One thing is for certain; the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is very comfortable to hold. It’s light, and for prolonged use, it comfortable to carry. It is also small enough to fit in your jacket pocket. The design is really good and if you are one who finds a tablet like the iPad a bit uncomfortable for prolonged reading, you will definitely appreciate the Kindle Paperwhite.
Features and Performance
Since this is an e-book reader, it is aimed for those that like to read a lot and want very little to do with anything else. If that is the purpose, then the Kindle Paperwhite executes this quite well. To start with the display is quite crisp to read books on.
I have my books synced between my iPad, iPod touch and my Android smartphone, so, I have my books with me wherever I go. And I must say the reading experience on the Kindle Paperwhite was more comfortable for prolonged reading than the other devices. The display is crisp for both indoor as well as outdoor use. A tablet or smartphone may get difficult to read under direct sunlight but not this. It remains comfortable and convenient and the brightness is good too.
There are a few advantages of using the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite for reading books. To start with you not only have access to the Anazon Kindle e-book library, which is now officially available in India, but you also have the ability to transfer PDFs and documents to the device for reading it on the go. The 3G-version ensures that you have access to your books and cloud storage on the go, but the Wi-Fi only version works well for those that have a more defined book requirement and aren’t interested in accessing more content on the go. Did we mention that there are books available for free on the Amazon store, and that books start as low as Rs. 55?
The device also has a bunch of nifty features. For example, you can long press on a word to see what it means. There is also an X-Ray mode that brings certain important content right in front. For example, if you are reading a series that has way too many characters or want a recap, you can select the name or place and you have access to all the relevant content. The official Kindle Paperwhite description of the X-Ray feature is “Exclusive on Kindle, explore the” bones of the Book “. With a single tap, see all the passages across a book that mention relevant ideas, fictional characters, historical figures, places or topics of interest. “
Syncing the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is as simple as entering your Amazon account details or creating one and voila, you are ready to download your favourite books.
The user interface of the Paperwhite is very easy to get used to. Even your grandfather will be comfortable with it. The home screen displays shows all the books that are present on the device and in your cloud storage. You can display content under all items, books, periodicals, docs, and active content.
The Top Navigation bar of the Kindle Paperwhite has home, back, brightness adjust, Kindle store access, search and a drop down menu that gives you access to options such as Shop in Kindle Store, List View, Create New Collection, Sync and Check Items, Settings and the Experimental Browser. All these features work seamlessly as their names suggests.
While reading a book on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, you can touch the right of the display to go to the next page and the left to go the previous page. You can touch the top of the display to go back to the home or access a bunch of settings such as text size, font, line spacing and margins.
Coming to the downside of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, it isn’t a lot of fun reading comics or browsing the Internet on the experimental browser. The browser crashed a few times and some heavy websites didn’t load swiftly.
Bottom Line
At Rs. 11,000 for the Wi-Fi only version and Rs. 14,000 for the Wi-Fi +3 G version, the Kindle Paperwhite is expensive. But if you are someone who reads a lot of books and doesn’t care about tablet functionality, or is a part of the Amazon / Kindle ecosystem, you can consider this device. After all, it gives you the ability to carry 1,100 books and more wherever you go. There are cheaper e-book readers available in the market but the package deal on offer with the Kindle Paperwhite may be more attractive to the avid reader.
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