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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite £ 109 – £ 169 ? ? ? ? ?
Kobo Aura £ 120 ? ? ? ? ?
One of the most heartbreaking moments in Father Ted is when Mrs Doyle is given a Teasmade to save her from the misery of making tea.
Mrs Doyle’s face freezes into a Munch’s Scream-esque mask of horror. ‘Maybe I like the misery,’ she snarls.
My mother reacted in much the same way when I bought her a Kindle. She looked at it as if I were handing over a ticket to a public book burning.
On Amazon Kindle Paperwrite (left) you can now hold down on a character’s name to see info. Kobo Aura (right) has an add-your-own comments system
She is, of course, happily using the same one four years later. Ebooks aren’t cosy, or dusty, but they’re cheap.
The problem Amazon and its rivals have is that those first e-readers were fine – and even worse, they last.
I imagine when Amazon wrote the press release saying ‘all-new Kindle Paperwhite’, someone was wrestling with an impulse to say, ‘Er, it isn’t really new, is it?’
If you’ve got a Paperwhite and you buy the updated version, you’ll be furious.
The biggest tweak is a feature where you can hold down on a character’s name to see info – great for Game Of Thrones, whose author George RR Martin has admitted he forgets which bearded prince is which.
For most books, though, it’s useless.
Likewise, rival Kobo – a plucky Canadian company which scrapes 20 per cent of the worldwide market out of Amazon’s tank tracks – hasn’t reinvented reading with its new Kobo Aura.
The screen is now flush with the bezel – a round of high fives for the engineers – but that’s it.
The best bit is the add-your-own-comments system.
‘I have sparks coming out of my Kobo!’ frothed one reader in 50 Shades Of Grey. But it’s not new.
In a startling coincidence, the Kindle now offers readers a very similar function.
But really, this is piddling stuff. If you want to usher an elderly relative into the world of £ 1 self-published detective novels that would have got a ‘C +’ as a creative writing assignment, the Kindle probably still pips it.
Amazon’s ebook prices are still generally cheaper – and that beats a flush screen hands down.
Click here to purchase the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Click here to purchase the Kobo Aura
F1 2013
From £ 20, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Creaky old vintage cars are the best addition in F1 2013 – but the graphics look just the same as last year’s
Creaky old vintage cars are the best addition here (you can access even more if you fork out extra for the Classic Edition) – but the graphics look just the same as last year’s, highlighting the fact that we’ve ‘peaked’ on current consoles. Good thing the Xbox One and PS4 are riding in to lighten our wallets this Christmas … ? ? ? ? ?
Click here to purchase
PEPPA PIGS SPORTS DAY
£ 2.99, iPhone / iPad, Android
Peppa Pig’s Sports Day is unlikely to win gaming Baftas, but it’ll make wee ones smile
Peppa and the family have besieged the app stores of late with several new titles, all of which have one, crucial function: keeping youngsters quiet while you do important stuff involving wine or spreadsheets. This is unlikely to win gaming Baftas, but it’ll make wee ones smile. ? ? ? ? ?
Click here to purchase
THE CRYSTAL MAZE HD
69p, iPad
The Crystal Maze HD’s four zones – Futuristic, Medieval, Aztec, Industrial – contain just enough mini-games to justify the price
‘Will you start the fans, please!’ yelled Richard O’Brien on the cult Channel 4 show – and this game is guaranteed to stir fan interest. It features HD video of the bald presenter to prod our nostalgia glands, while the four zones – Futuristic, Medieval, Aztec, Industrial – contain just enough mini-games to justify the price. ? ? ? ? ?
Click here to purchase
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