I am absolutely thrilled with the Kindle Paperwhite. This e-reader seems perfect in just about every way.
I loved the Kindle 1, I really did, but after years of daily use (2007-2010) it was forgotten within moments of downloading the first Kindle app for iPad. I've been reading on an iPad or iPad Mini ever since. While I missed the funny shape, the buttons and the lovely faux suede cover of the early Kindle, the iPad app felt superior. I liked the backlit screen more than anything. I didn't mind glare or that the iPad is difficult to read in the sun, as I spent most of my leisure time on airplanes flying from city to city. I wanted to read in the dark.
A few months ago my iPad Mini evaporated at an AirBnB and I started to reconsider the Kindle. I asked friends what to do and got passionate responses. There was the 'why do you need ANOTHER device?' crowd and there were the people who had tried the Paperwhite. The people who tried the Paperwhite unanimously recommended it as a superior reading device with few if any complaints. As I am not a person looking to limit the number of electronic gadgets in my life, I ordered a Paperwhite and Amazon's leather case for it, because I really liked the one they made for my Kindle 1.
I was reading within a few minutes of opening the box. The device is simple. The tutorial that launches on startup tells you everything you need to know. The Paperwhite's e-ink screen has improved so much. It still has a pleasing color and visual texture, and the ink looks great. Gone are the ghosting and flashing problems of yesteryear. The e-ink screen is like an static electricity powered Etch-a-Sketch. The old version refreshed slowly and you'd still see the last page's words, if they'd sat there a few minutes–but this problem doesn't exist in the new version, which is much faster and rarely if ever needs a fullscreen flash to clean up. I've only noticed ghosting on the Paperwhite once, on a forced power-off. Tapping and swiping on the screen also work flawlessly.
The device feels wonderful in hand. It is solidly made, smooth and just the right weight. I also love the case from Amazon. With a denim cloth inner-cover and a snap in bracket to hold the Paperwhite, I double I'll ever remove it. I'm able to read with one hand, too–advancing to the next page is not an issue. The interface is simple, menu driven and easy to grok. I love the Kindle store via the Kindle itself. Without the crippling policies of Apple over in-app purchasing, browsing on the Paperwhite is a pleasure. A great example is Kindle Unlimited. I find browsing Kindle Unlimited titles on the iPad or in my browser nearly impossible. With a Kindle in hand, Unlimited suddenly because easy to search and I hit my 10 book limit in a few minutes.
Battery life is wonderful. It feels like I get 5-7x more equivalent reading time out of a charge than I do on an iPad with a relatively fresh battery. I opted for the wifi only model as I can just tether to my phone if I really need a certain book NOW, but I did spend some of the savings on the ad free model.
I don't just shop on Amazon and find books all over the internet. The simple email address to Kindle gateway remains a pleasure to use. ePub2Mobi is a favorite web service for converting ebooks to an Amazon readable format.
I carry the Kindle with me everywhere. My reading volume is way up. My human interaction way down. This is happiness.
Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Next-Gen Built-in Light, Wi-Fi
