
Is Kindle Paperwhite really worth it? - tsironakos
http://dtsironis.net/posts/kindle-paperwhite/
======
InTheSwiss
I have owned every Kindle e-reader and currently use a Paperwhite (2012 model)
which I find to have the best screen (which is really the most important part
of an e-reader) however I much prefer the physical buttons on the regular
Kindle. I find the touch screen annoying. The only time the touch screen was a
nice to have was the initial setup when I connected it to my wifi.

I still jump back and forth between the Paperwhite and my older model with the
physical page turn buttons. What I would really like is a non-touch screen
Paperwhite. I would also like to be able to totally disable the backlight
rather than just put it to the lowest setting (which is still actually on and
more than good enough to read in a pitch black room).

~~~
chimeracoder
> What I would really like is a non-touch screen Paperwhite

I would honestly pay almost _double_ the price for a Paperwhite that had
physical buttons.

I love the Paperwhite - I stare at backlit screens all day enough as it is, so
the frontlight is a welcome change - but I can't stand the touch screen. I
really wish they'd bring the physical buttons back.

~~~
tspiteri
The issue I have is with the use of the touch screen for page turning. I
prefer the touch screen to the awkward keys of the Kindle Keyboard's keyboard
for everything else, but I really miss the physical page turn buttons. I would
prefer awkward keys + physical page turn buttons to only touch.

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majormajor
Nice to see an example of a title ending in a question where the answer is a
non-cynical "absolutely." :)

And my answer is exactly the same. It actually quite surprised me how much
I've more I've appreciated and used the Paperwhite after upgrading recently
from a Kindle Keyboard. You simply never have to worry about the lighting,
whether too bright or too dim.

~~~
rflrob
A rare counter example to Betteridge's Law.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_headlines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_headlines)

~~~
idProQuo
Man, I learned about Betteridge's Law a week ago, and ever since I've been
having some serious Baader-Meinhof. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baader-
Meinhof_phenomenon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baader-Meinhof_phenomenon)

------
bowlofpetunias
Paperwhite is the first Kindle I ever owned, and I like it.

I do not like Amazon's DRM encumbered walled garden though, especially the
fact that it doesn't acknowledge anything not bought through Amazon as
"books". In general the software and online service, with the exception of
Whispernet, is shit.

My next eReader will definitely be something neutral, like a Kobo, and I'll
just un-DRM stuff from Amazon via Calibre.

~~~
gman99
>>it doesn't acknowledge anything not bought through Amazon as "books"

I have a Kindle and this is patently not true. I have multiple DRM-free .mobi
"books" that I have sideloaded. You don't even need a cable; just add the book
as an attachment and email it direct to your kindle (username@free.kindle.com)
and it gets synced over WiFi.

~~~
gcb0
this only works for a few formats and small files.

wife bought a kindleDX to replace the mountain of books and huge withe papwr
pdfs she have to read.

kindle will refuse pretty much all files for one reason or another. and none
of the books are available in the amazon walled garden.

unfortunatelly we missed the return date. worst misleading purchase ever.

kindles are only good for people reading novels.

~~~
cpleppert
I have a kindle DX and this is false. PDFs are relatively easy to read in the
landscape orientation and dont require any conversion whatsoever. If you can
convert any ebook format to mobi you are good to go. Try calibre for starters.

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swanson
I've owned every Kindle (except the DX) and while the Paperwhite is my
favorite, I really wish they would remove the touch screen page turning and
add the physical buttons on the side. The touch screen works great for
searching Amazon or even making short notes, but I find that I accidentally
turn the pages way too much.

~~~
dbpatterson
I would be fine with them keeping the touch screen (so they don't need a
physical keyboard, navigation buttons, etc), but I can't for the life of me
figure out why they removed the page turning buttons. This feels like a basic
UI thing - 95% of what you are going to do is turning pages, so that should be
much easier and reliable than anything else.

~~~
InTheSwiss
I was pretty shocked they removed the page turn buttons. They are the most
used buttons by an order of magnitude and tapping the screen is a crappy
interface as it is too sensitive and I often jump forward or backward a page
when I reposition myself in a plane seat or similar.

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blutack
You can also get a Nook Glowlight in the UK for £49, less than half the price
of the Paperwhite.

Spec isn't as good but it does support standard epub books.

[http://www.nook.com/gb/tablets/nook-simple-touch-
glowlight](http://www.nook.com/gb/tablets/nook-simple-touch-glowlight)

~~~
baq
i've seen both (the new paperwhite and the 2012 glow) side to side and for me
kindle's backlight crushes the nook's. your mileage may vary.

...also half price sounds like a really nice deal!

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Mithaldu
> I use it more than my smartphone in an everyday basis.

Once i found out that there's an Android Kindle app * my Kindle use has gotten
much less over my cellphone use. I'll still use the Kindle when i don't want
to have my phone around, but where my phone is, i have all my Kindle stuff, so
i don't need the physical device.

* [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.kin...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.kindle)

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grandalf
I love my Paperwhite. My _only_ complaint is that converting PDFs of
programming books (or any books with text formatting or tables) results in
some pretty unreadable code snippets.

~~~
Brakenshire
Are there any e-readers that connect to an app store of some sort? Squashing
an A4 PDF onto a small e-reader screen is a difficult process, and it seems
like it would strongly benefit from competition between different rendering
software.

~~~
Tagbert
Its really more of a limitation of PDF. It is intended as a static format
based on layouts the size of a full sheet of paper. Its internal
representation does not lend its self to layout changes. Most attempt to fit
it to a smaller screen are problematic in one way or another.

It would be better to start with a document format that was always intended to
be flexible, not fossilized.

~~~
Brakenshire
You make a fair point, but on the other hand many pdfs have massive margins,
or multiple columns, or can have text reflowed in a reasonable way. You can't
use pdf readers for all circumstances, but with good software you could handle
80-90% of cases.

------
dilap
I have a Kindle Paperwhite, and while it's great and I use it all the time, I
feel like there are a couple issues with it that I never see mentioned:

(1) The front light is a really weird ghostly blue. Wit the light, the kindle
looks blue; without it, gray. There's nothing "white" about it in my opinion.

(2) Because of the presence of the touch screen (and maybe the light?), the
text is pretty recessed under the screen, and you can quite easily see glare
that highlights the depth the text is recessed. When I use my kid sisters
base-level kindle, I'm always struck by how much more "book like" it is,
because the text sits closer to the surface.

The touch is a wash-up -- it makes navigating and looking up text much easier,
but it can be annoying for turning pages. Also the overall responsiveness of
the system is light-years behind something like an iPad (which is to be
expected with an e-ink display, but I also feel like I'm waiting a lot for the
Kindle itself).

If it weren't for the super-duper convenience of being able to read in the
dark, I would prefer the baseline kindle. (If you're thinking about a kindle
vs no ereader at all, the answer is GET AN EREADER -- overall they are amazing
devices.)

Postscript:

A couple other small gripes that may be deal-breakers for you, depending on
how OCD you are:

(1) Sometimes the screen doesn't turn off for a long time, even after you've
'locked' the kindle, emitting an annoying glow.

(2) You can never turn the light _completely_ off, which can be annoying when
the faint glow is distracting while reading in a low-light (but not low enough
to want kindle-light) environment.

------
ams6110
I don't have either, but have been thinking of getting one. When I compare the
original Kindle to the Paperwhite in the store, the Paperwhite contrast seems
almost too high; I think I would find it hard to look at that brilliant white
background for very long. The original is easier on the eyes.

Is the Paperwhite contrast adjustable?

~~~
sliverstorm
The backlight is what makes the background so brilliant; the backlight is
adjustable. It ranges from "tiny sun" to "faint phosphor glow"

------
codex
I've used a Paperwhite, but for most of my reading I'm switching to an iPad
Retina mini. The battery life is suitable, the screen is gorgeous (326 PPI vs
212: more than double the number of pixels per glyph) and I hope it will be
easier to take notes (possibly even with voice dictation) and fire off emails
and TODOs inspired by what I am reading. Most of all, though, I want fast PDF
and Pocket/Instapaper in full color.

EDIT: I have not yet tried the Retina mini as a Paperwhite replacement except
for an hour in the Apple Store. It's on the way. The in-store experience
satisfied me sufficiently, but there is a chance I will come across a deal
breaker.

~~~
ericcumbee
I've not tried the Retina Ipad mini yet, but from reading on tablets in
general they all feel like I am reading on a tablet. With my paperweight it
actually feels like I am reading a book. Now that said technical oriented
stuff I will take a tablet over a kindle everyday of the week.

Thats 100% subjective, and not having used the new Mini perhaps it really is
that good.

~~~
cpleppert
Ive used the kindle dx and the regular last generation non-touch kindle in
addition to the ipad air. The air is spectacular for reading programming books
and the reading experience is great for anything else, especially when you
need to look something up.

iBooks will sync bookmarks and notes for 'sideloaded' epubs and will
automatically transfer new books onto the air. For PDFs the kindle app is
great because it actually shows the table of contents(!).

------
shill
Does anyone know if the new Kindles are more rugged? My classic Kindle was in
a protective cover when it dropped a short distance from a table to a wood
floor. The screen did not crack but the e-ink display was permanently frozen.

~~~
DennisP
I've dropped my paperwhite at least three feet onto concrete, and a shorter
distance several times onto tile, no protective cover, no problems so far.

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summerdown2
The paperwhite is lovely. The screen is a delight to use, and doesn't annoy
anyone next to you even in low light conditions. It's also really easy to read
in the sun.

I have the one generation back paperwhite, and it's the best ereader I've ever
had. My only critique of the new version (and it's a minor critique) is I've
heard it's really hard to hack, which is a pity because I love having the
jailbreak on my paperwhite that lets me add my own screensavers.

------
skriticos2
I have a Kindle paperwhite and my partner has an older Kindle touch.

I love my paperwihte and it is much better than the previous generation. I
read about two hours every day on it on my commute in the train. Resolution
and display lightning are great for readability and I always find something to
read in the shop for fair prices (some of the self-published books on Amazon
are amazing and the rating system shows where to look).

------
cypher543
I still have an original Kindle, but would like to upgrade to the Paperwhite
at some point. Normally I would say that a full tablet like a Nexus 7 or Nexus
10 is more worthwhile, since Android has a perfectly capable Kindle app. But
in my case, the Nexus 10 gives me terrible headaches. So I still carry a
Kindle around for extended reading.

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CWIZO
Just checked amazon.co.uk and it says "Usually dispatched within 13 to 14
days.", for the wifi only model. Huh? Does that mean they are selling them as
hot cupcakes or what?

And I don't understand how the old model is only 10 quid cheaper? Surely
everyone will go for the newer one at that price?

~~~
InTheSwiss
I have found that Amazon tend to be a little over the top with the "usually
dispatched within N days" line. It is clever as it makes it look like they are
selling loads and so if you don't order NOW you might have to wait even longer
than 13 to 14 days if you order it next week (OH NO!!!!). However when I have
ordered all my previous Kindles they came in a few days (not next day but
always within 5) even with the two week notice. They are not actually flat out
lying as they use the word "usually" but it is a little misleading. Then again
it is all part of the marketing.

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kertof
The answer to the question is YES, but the article is inaccurate on the main
features of the Paperwhite. Unlike smartphones and tablets like the iPad, the
Kindle Paperwhite isn't back-lit, but front-lit, which make all the difference
in the world for your eyes.

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lnanek2
Seems inaccurate. He says it is backlit, but it is front-lit according to
amazon: [http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Paperwhite-Touch-
light/dp/B007O...](http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Paperwhite-Touch-
light/dp/B007OZNZG0)

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joosters
I am loathe to upgrade from my trusty Kindle Keyboard, just because of the
free worldwide internet access. Although recently, it has failed in a few
countries that I've been to. Perhaps Amazon won't support it for much longer?

~~~
BostonEnginerd
This is the other reason that I bought a new Kindle Keyboard. The free
internet access has saved my butt a few times travelling in foreign lands.

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lennel
The main question is do you need the the back light. For me it is essential, i
tend to wake around 3 am every morning and read for an hour, without
interrupting my wife, which is worth the extra money.

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nodata
Most people are answering the question "is it better?", but the question is
"is it worth it?"

i.e. "Is it worth 2.5x the price of the standard Kindle?"

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kiddz
The best discontinued feature is the experimental browser on 3G. Traveling
abroad and being able to pull up nyt or gmail is like a permanent tether to
home.

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dustingetz
mediocre for programming books - you have to be in landscape mode and still
code snippets will wrap often. Books with terse code (like functional
programming books) work mostly well, but books with less terse code are
unreadable even with smallest font in landscape mode. EmberJS in Action comes
to mind as totally unreadable on my paperwhite.

A++++ for regular books of all types.

~~~
tzs
Similar for math books in most cases. Equations will often be rendered as
images, so they do not scale when you change the type size.

Fantastic for most novels.

Also pretty good for chess books. I've got a book of 1001 tactical problems
[1] on it. They formatted the e-book version of this so that each problem
starts on a new screen, with the solution starting on the next screen so you
don't risk a spoiler. This is basically my default book--I usually put the
Kindle to sleep with the next problem open, so that any time I have to kill a
little time (commercial while watching TV, bathroom break, and so on) I can
grab the Kindle, open it, and have a go at the problem.

My only complaint with this would be that the dark squares in diagrams aren't
as dark as I would like. It makes the diagram look a bit faded. It wasn't
anything I couldn't get used to.

I've also got FCO [2] on my Kindle. The only problem I've had with this is
that sometimes I want to compare diagrams a few pages apart, and that is
awkward on Kindle. With a paper book, it is faster to flip through to find a
page visually, and when you have two or three pages you want to rapidly switch
between it is easy to mark them all with your fingers.

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/Tactics-Chess-Games-Everyday-
Players-e...](http://www.amazon.com/Tactics-Chess-Games-Everyday-Players-
ebook/dp/B009TBYA7U)

[2] [http://www.amazon.com/FCO-Fundamental-Paul-Van-Sterren-
ebook...](http://www.amazon.com/FCO-Fundamental-Paul-Van-Sterren-
ebook/dp/B009YOM2L8)

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tsironakos
OP here. Yes, you're right about the front-lit screen. Sorry about that,
corrections where already made.

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alexeisadeski3
Just to clarify - the Paperwhite does NOT have a backlight!

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Kiro
What does front lit mean?

~~~
tzs
It means the light source is in front of the screen [1]. There is a
transparent light guide covering the screen. The lighting comes from 4 LEDs at
the bottom edge of the screen, and enters the light guide. It exits the bottom
of the light guide all over the area of the screen, reflects off the screen,
passes through the transparent light guide, and out to your eyes.

[1]
[http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/lig...](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/light-
reading.html?_r=0)

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thisispete
Yes

