Review: Kindle Paperwhite

This is my first pure ebook reader, but my purchase of it does not signify my total shift to ereaders. My first use of this Kindle doesn't symbolize my loss in faith on the printed book. I still love to touch and smell 'em paperbacks and hardbounds. My main motivation in buying is--I want to take advantage of the occasional good deals on Kindle books that Amazon gives out (see #5 and #6 in Pros below) and, well, the supposed-best ereader fully.


Pros:

1) The handiness is undeniable.

--Really great on flights. Have read 50% of Judd Apatow's book of interviews in one 3-hr flight, without carrying its 400-page heft in physical form.

--Also ok on long boat rides.

Or on the beach.

--also ok on the beach, but i don't like people who spend half the day time reading under the tree than enjoying.

--it is definitely lighter, unobtrusive, and generally handy-er than an iPad Mini.


2) Adjustable font is great. Even if I can afford the books printed in large print version, Im not buying those books because I have mercy for the trees. Here, reading in big letters doesnt cause that anxiety.

3) Carrying many books while travelling indeed offers an advantage.

If you get bored with a novel, you can easily switch to an anthology of shorts. This is fantastic when travelling. Even if youre travelling in a 16-hour flight, it;s really not optimat to squeeze and lug 3 books in your handcarry.

4) The reading is pleasant and not tiring to the eyes especially if there's sufficient ambient light and there's no need to depend on the backlight (see cons below).

5) Amazon indeed gives out good deals. 1.99USD for a James Salter 0.99USD for a Michael Chabon, 3.99 for a latest Judd Apatow book of interviews, etc. You just need to subscribe to the daily deals email and also check this forum from time to time. The Best American series also goes on sale once a year. And Amazon always have this Kindle book bonanza during Black Friday/ Cyber Monday.



(Kindle sitting on a shelf. If the price is equal between a softcopy and a hardcopy, I'll of course choose the physical book any day).


6) Related to #5, owning this Kindle becomes an inexpensive avenue to try an unknown book or author. I was very thankful to have discovered Stoner by John Williams when I saw it was offered at 1.99 in a daily deal.





CONS

But there are still critical rooms for improvement to this supposed best in the market. The following are my concerns.

1) The lighting is still not even (wrongly advertised). You have to increase the backlight to max to get the semblance of even lighting, but this strong illumination will tire eyes regardless if paperwhite has that nano-thing lighting. I suppose better to read still with min brightness plus a reading light.



In this same picture, you can see the uneven lighting at the bottom. It's more obvious when youre actually holding and reading on the device. Whether it's distracting will be up to the level of OC-ness of the reader.


2) The contrast of Paperwhite is not yet perfect--fonts not yet that solid and the black can still be blacker. The letters' print is probably just 60% on the white to black scale, relative to a printed page.

3) Shadowing of previous page occurs frequently. There is an option to automatically refresh the screen to remove this, but doing that on every page turn is distracting to the eyes, because the screen will flicker to completely black before the next set of text appears.

4) Would have also preferred a bigger screen. (Real booklovers do not put a book in their back pockets any way).

#1 - #4 considered, I wouldnt declare that Kindle Paperwhite better for books when compared to Fire or iPad mini.


5) The screen is soft (like on the nintendo game and watch of the 80's). Not for kids.

Reason why if youre on the fence in getting Amazon's expensive leather case, get it. It's durable enough and adds elegance to the 'experience.'


6) Finally, my unit also has a white stain on the bottom, probably equivalent to a dead pixel on full LED displays. This stain is annoying/distracting every time I get to the bottom of the page. I noticed the stain after a week of use, I dont know if it was there from the very start or popped up after the first recharge.


VERDICT:

Is it worth to getting an ereader?

--If you have an iPad mini and are just a casual reader, just get the Kindle app. Youll still be able to partake in Amazon's Kindle deals.

--If you dont have a tablet yet, get the Kindle Paperwhite for the cheap Kindle deals.

--If you travel a lot and read books a lot white travelling, 99USD (paperwhite is one sale through these Holidays) or 119 is well worth it. Just inspect the full week it is with you, to make sure you still have time to return and ask for replacement in case you notice any blemishes.