<p>For those of you complaining of screen burn / ghosting (a natural as of yet unremedied effect of e-ink) - try holding ALT and pressing G. It refreshes the screen by flashing black again, and should get rid of all ghosting lines.</p>
<p>I ordered mine on July 30th. I only sprang for the free shipping, so it’s scheduled to arrive on Monday. Sure wish I had the weekend to play with it.</p>
<p>Also don’t forget that you have a year warranty. My husband’s Kindle 1 started to lose battery life and they shipped him a new one super fast. They see to be more inclined to replace than repair. (You do have to return your old one, though.)</p>
<p>I got my Kindle today, along with the spiffy blue leather case with the built-in light. I don’t think I like the case (except for the color and the quality of the leather). I have read books on my H’s Kindle and sensed that extra light would be nice (I need a lot of light to read), but this light has very uneven coverage and seems flimsy. The case itself is heavier than I expected. I’m going to try it for a few days and return it if it doesn’t work for me. Otherwise, I’m so happy not to have to ask my H if I can borrow his Kindle!</p>
<p>I am glad to know the screen issues weren’t just me, I bought a “factory refurbished” kindle and wasn’t sure if I’d just bought a lemon. I’ll try the refresh trick.</p>
<p>I am eager to hear what new features everyone appreciates the most when they get theirs!</p>
<p>My Kindle arrived! Yay! I had never even held one in my hand before, so I’m trying to get used to it and figure out all the bells and whistles. One thing that struck me right away is that it’s rather dark–sort of all-over grayscale rather than a contrast of black (print) & white (background). I keep wanting to turn up the brightness or something. I am guessing this is because I am SO used to reading from a computer screen, but even so, the Kindle page is grayer than the pages of my paper books. Did anyone else have this first impression? Or am I just crazy? (possible :))</p>
<p>I noticed that, too, but you’ll get used to it. I fiddle with the type size, spacing, and words per line occasionally. I read a lot of PDFs for business, usually on my computer, and I’m going to experiment with putting them on the Kindle instead, just because it’s easier on my eyes.</p>
<p>Here’s a suggestion that may elicit a few “duhs”: Read the user’s guide. You’ll learn all sorts of neat stuff. I rarely read instruction manuals from start to finish–I’d rather look something up if I have a problem. I relied on trial and error to learn my husband’s Kindle, but I read the manual when I got my own. It’s made a big difference!</p>
<p>I’m quite satisfied with my new Kindle. Overall I say the changes between this one and the previous one were not dramatic, however it improves on lots of little things here and there. At the $139/$189 price points, it’s well worth it if you are looking to buy into the e-reader market.</p>
<p>I love the smaller size. I can hold easily with one hand. Apparently the battery lasts a month now. I’ve only had it a few days so can’t tell you how accurate or generous of an estimate that month is just of yet. I love the condensed font. Looks much more better than the traditional Kindle font IMHO. I’ll probably also try using the sans serif font too sometime depending on whatever my mood is.</p>
<p>The internet browser is much better and faster. However I am having trouble inputting my user name and password when I go to the mobile Gmail site (<a href=“http://m.gmail.com%5B/url%5D”>http://m.gmail.com</a>). I end up having to just use the normal Gmail website, which works just fine but is of course slightly slower than the mobile optimized version. </p>
<p>The contrast looks good. If you compare side-to-side, the new Kindle’s white background is noticeably whiter than the old Kindle, and the black texts are blacker.</p>
<p>I really lament the loss of the numeric buttons on the keyboard. It appears that there is still ample space between the display and the top line of letters, I wonder why Amazon couldn’t have just left it.</p>
<p>I love the fact that the top header is hidden, and when I read my books I get a full screen of text now.</p>
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<p>Thanks! I’ve been reading the user’s guide, but my problem is retaining what I’ve read. As I age, how-to instructions just don’t stick with me as well as they used to…I think I’m more of a “geezer” mom than you.</p>
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<p>Interesting! Then I’m glad I held out for the new Kindle because if this contrast bothers me, I would really have noticed it with the earlier version.</p>
<p>ucigrad - thanks for the comparison. I have a Kindle 2 (which I love and carry with me everywhere) and am seriously considering getting the 3. Can’t decide if the improvements are worth it. Your summary has me leaning toward buying the new one. 
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<p>Did you get the new case with the light?</p>
<p>I really really want one, but can’t justify $60 (!!) on an ‘accessory’ for a $189 product.</p>
<p>I suspect I will get one eventually, haha! The fact that it’s self powered through the Kindle sounds too nifty not to!</p>
<p>For those of you interested in comparisons between the Kindle 2 and Kindle 3:
[A</a> Kindle World blog: Kindle 3 Arrives - First Impressions from New Owners, and a clear video](<a href=“http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2010/08/paul-biba-kindle-2-paul-biba-kindle-3.html]A”>A Kindle World blog: Kindle 3 Arrives - First Impressions from New Owners, and a clear video)</p>
<p>Also, watch Len Edgerly’s youtube video:
[YouTube</a> - What’s So Great About the Kindle 3?](<a href=“What's So Great About the Kindle 3? - YouTube”>What's So Great About the Kindle 3? - YouTube)</p>
<p>Andrys and Len are two excellent Kindle bloggers, who I recommend to all ebook fans :)</p>
<p>I wonder how much faster the battery drains if you are using a self-powered light. If changing the battery on the new kindle is as inconvenient as the old one, that may be something to consider.</p>
<p>I’m a novice–please bear with me–but can someone explain the “free preview” kindle books that don’t cost anything? Does that mean you get the first chapter or something so that you are tempted to buy the whole book? A random example: </p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Reckless (Free Preview) eBook: Cornelia Funke: Kindle Store](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Free-Preview-ebook/dp/B003ZYF7UQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1283383933&sr=1-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Free-Preview-ebook/dp/B003ZYF7UQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1283383933&sr=1-1)
vs.
[Amazon.com:</a> Reckless eBook: Cornelia Funke: Kindle Store](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-ebook/dp/B003JTHXYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1283384554&sr=1-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-ebook/dp/B003JTHXYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1283384554&sr=1-1)</p>
<p>mary13: You can adjust the contrast by pressing the Aa button on the bottom row of the keypad. I bookmarked sections of the user’s guide to refer to later. I need a lot of light when reading, so I ordered the expensive case with the built-in light. I’m not sure I love it, but it helps.</p>
<p>^^ Yes, on the Kindle you can download a free sample of a book. Usually it’s the first few chapters. If you like it, you can buy it. I do this all the time. I have at least a dozen free samples on my kindle. Even if I don’t buy it right away, it’s there to remind me that it’s book I might want to read it in the future. </p>
<p>Since ‘Reckless’ hasn’t been published yet, it sounds like they are offering you a sneak preview - same thing as a sample.</p>
<p>This is one of my favorite features on the Kindle.</p>
<p>The “first few chapters free” is absolutely my favorite thing about my Kindle.</p>
<p>I think that you can link three devices to a single Kindle account - for example, a Kindle, a laptop, and an iPhone.</p>
<p>To you all who just got your new new Kindles - when did you orders yours? I’m waiting on one but don’t know when it will arrive…</p>
<p>Thanks so much, everyone! All the posts have been very helpful (and I’ll continue to read–and bookmark–the user’s guide, too). Calreader, I ordered mine on August 3rd and it was shipped on August 27th (arrived yesterday, the 31st).</p>
<p>I ordered mine within a few hours of the announcement on July 28 :)</p>
<p>It shipped on August 25th via UPS and arrived on Friday August 27th on release day.</p>
<p>Mary13, the book with a free preview you linked us is a special example. Usually, you go download a free sample of a title straight from that title’s Kindle Store page. But in this particular case, this a pre-order for a book that comes out September 14. But I guess the free preview is already available for you to download right now. I would think that when the book is finally released on 9/14, the free preview title will disappear, and anybody who wants to sample that book can go download it from that title’s page itself instead of a separate listing.</p>