I am currently on my 6th Kindle. (The others have been given to my kids as an excuse to replace with the newest.) I now have the Paperwhite and it is my most precious possession. I love, love, love, love the lighting on it. I could be happy with this one forever. My daughters and I share the Kindle account and we all have buckets of fun gifting each other books. Sometimes they’re just books to enjoy reading separately or in our own little book club, and sometimes we are sending each other a message (like sending my daughter a book about how not to be a bridezilla!).
Oh and the ads, they are completely unobtrusive and if you didn’t know, you would just think they are a random screensaver. A couple of times the ad has been for a book that I bought and was pleased. The only ick for me personally about that was the day after my sister’s funeral the ad all day was for My Sister’s Grave. But that’s not the Kindle’s fault.
Had original first generation Kindle and loved it, replaced a few times and now have Fire. I have always been a book person and I was a little skeptical of not holding an actual book - you get over it quickly. I agree with previous comment that ads are unobtrusive. Also, the blue light interference someone else mentioned on ipad - that can be handled with an app called Twilight.
Going on vacation is a life saver with a kindle. I remember packing tons of books. Now I stick that in my bag. The huge advantage is no glare on the screen in the sun. I have been using a kindle since it first came out during Oprah’s favorite things episode. I thought I’d miss a book and turning pages, I got over that super quick.
I finally owned a paperwhite after years of resistance. Don’t know why I waited so long.
Pros: lightweight, you can read outside with no glare, read in the middle of the night while going through menopause, no distractions like the ipad when you can just surf the web for a minute… or an hour, no more lugging books on vacation then have them come home unread (some of my books can earn their own frequent flying points), help with decluttering the house, can check out ebooks from my library system anywhere in the world.
Cons: say goodbye to actual books, sigh. I console myself that I can still buy cookbooks, art books, anything with graphs and pictures. Kindle does not do well with these types of books.
I have a Kindle Fire and go through phases of using it. As others say, it’s great for travel, and for reading in bed in the dark while your SO is asleep. I also enjoy listening to audio books on it (again, great for travel.)
But there are books I’d like to read on it that are either expensive (I’m cheap) – or unavailable. For example, the 1500 page “A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth. It would have been ideal reading on a trip to India. Sadly, a brick-size book is still the only way to read it. Being cheap, I don’t like to pay more for a Kindle download than for a used (or even new) book I can get on Amazon. So that also limits my choices. AND, finally, there’s something nice about reading real books.
That said, what’s great about the Kindle is how many free or very cheap classics you can get. For a recent trip, DH downloaded ALL OF Balzac – dozens and dozens of titles – in the original French for under $5, I think.
For those who can’t live without having easy access to reading anywhere, anytime, the Kindle is a godsend. But it hasn’t completely replaced real books in my world.
Thanks again for all the great opinions! Seems like there are not many cons, if any, with the paperwhite.
Regarding getting the books: Is it just like buying from Amazon except on their Kindle store instead? How quick are the downloads to Kindle, or is there not really a “download”?
I see most of you feel reading on there is amazing, is the screen size any issue at all or can you just zoom in/out to adjust the settings to your liking?
Regarding buying books on the Kindle, you can:
- Buy a Kindle version of the book on Amazon, and when you are purchasing it, it will ask you what device you want your book delivered to - just select your Kindle from the drop-down menu. Then, just turn on your Kindle's Wi-Fi (or you can buy Kindle 3G, which allows you unlimited, unpaid wireless access to download books around the world), and the Kindle will sync with your account and upload the book (this takes less than a minute).
- You can turn on the Wi-Fi or 3G and access the Amazon store right from your Kindle (again book download will take less than a minute).
- You can get free Kindle books from your local library, which is fantastic! I have gotten lots of free books that way. In my system, you get the book for 21 days.
- If you have a book in pdf, you can send it to your kindle's email address (each Kindle is assigned one) with 'convert' in the subject of the email, and it will load up in a readable form on your Kindle.
- There are free kindle books floating around the web.
I have no issue with the screen size - you can select the type and size of font that you want (mine is pretty big)!
Love, love, love my kindle! I originally had the kindle keyboard and only bought the paperwhite for the backlighting. I love being able to read in bed or a plane (without turning on the overhead light). And when you go on vacation, you only have to bring your kindle which gives you access to hundreds of books, instead off having to bring multiple books. I love it!
I disliked the first generation Kindle and sent it back. Dh talked me into trying the ad-free Kindle Paperwhite as a present this year, and I love it. For himself, he bought the one with the ads and really doesn’t notice them. I like being able to reduce the brightness of the back lighting at night and then ramp it up during the day. Being able to change the font and text size is a plus, too.
Once you tell the Kindle to sync your account, the downloads take only seconds. I’ve bought over 30 books so far, and have read all but three, in contrast to last year when I read maybe six books the whole year. I have carpal tunnel syndrome and find the Kindle Paperwhite so much easier to hold than a book. Plus, I can prop it on a pillow at night and not hold it at all.
I found the ads to be pretty unobtrusive. Since it’s just on the start up screen, they are very easy to ignore. You do not see them when you are reading.
What I like about hte kindle is that it is so lightweight compared to my iPad. I have an early kindle model.
Painless. Just like buying anything on Amazon. Saves a one-click credit card if you like. Books download instantly (seconds, usually) to either my Kindle Fire or Kindle on the PC. They are also on Amazon cloud so you can download them later. I can read the same book on the PC and the Kindle and it will ask me if I want to sync to the farthest page read on either, so very convenient.
I occasionally get a glitch when opening a book from my library – a dialog box telling me to delete the book and re-download it from my Kindle Cloud archive. No big deal. I suspect that may be the result of changing computers? Not sure.
Overall, I would say that the Kindle is a functional budget priced tablet and an an awesome book purchasing/reading device.
One thing I really like about the Kindle (or Kindle app) is collecting samples of books I might want to read some day. You can get samples of books – the first 20 or so pages – for free. I used to buy a lot if books that I never got around to reading. Now, if someone recommends a book or I see an interesting review, I download a sample as a placeholder reminder. Often I never even get to the sample, but I like having a list of possible “to reads” on my device with a little taste of each. And if I start and like the book, it is very easy to get the whole thing.
Someone mentioned classics; there are many many classics available on the Kindle for free, including books that aren’t readily available in print. That’s a nice perk.
The only place you see the ads in on the “swipe to unlock screen” page when your first turn the thing on. No other ads.
Echoing others. Love, love, love my paperwhite. I had an older version and bought the cover with the built-in light. The paperwhite has lighting built in. I love to read right before going to sleep. I used to use a small light when reading books in bed, but it still bothered my DH who was trying to sleep. No problem with the paperwhite! It’s wonderful in all lighting conditions. The ads as others have said are unobtrusive and I’ve actually clicked on them a few times–they are usually ads for books and you can go to the amazon link if you are interested. Only on the lock screen, so you can easily ignore them if desired.
Me too!! Love my Paperwhite!!! I read ten times more with it than I did without it. I can read anywhere, in any position, and any lighting. I also love getting samples of books to try out. Can’t recommend it enough.
I have a Fire that I use here at home all the time but I have a Paperwhite to take on trips where bright light is a concern, such as the beach. I love, love, love my Kindles.
I wear multifocal contacts. With nothing on my eyes, I can read a book without glasses. With contacts, if the print is small, I need reading glasses. It’s a pain. With a Kindle, I just make the text larger and don’t have to wear glasses.
I have the paperwhite. I broke my original Kindle. I use my Kindles primarily to borrow library books. There are a bunch of classics that are available for free for Kindle at the NYPublic Library…and I suspect many other libraries.
I am a night owl. I love deciding that I’d like to read a book at midnight and being able to check one out from the library for my Kindle right then.
My kids swear by their Kindles (esp for travel)n but I haven’t found it to be wonderful. I do like the kindle app on my phone, however - that’s saved me in a number of situations, including an unexpected hospital stay.
Love my Paperwhite.