Kindle – Tech Raman

The all new Kindle Paperwhite 2018 Review

Lakshmi Rajan — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 11:31:40 +0000

Its been more than 2 years since I turned paperless with Kindle Paperwhite, and the experience has been great since then. I rarely bought any paperbooks since then and I have been consuming pages on the best selling product in the Amazon’s Kindle range. It worked great through all my travels and my rough uses, though there were few minor uplifts Amazon could do and enter the all-new Kindle Paperwhite 2018. So what is new here? Go ahead read my all new kindle paperwhite 2018 review to find more. Amazon has picked some of the best features from its top end kindle particularly from the Kindle Oasis and introduced them in the new Kindle Paperwhite to make it more feature-rich affordable e-reader.

New features of Kindle Paperwhite 2018

In a nutshell, the new Kindle is:

lighter and thinner
waterproof
supports audio books
has improved hardware
and more importantly, has a flushed screen.

The new Kindle Paperwhite is more flatter

The main element of the new Paperwhite design which is more notable too is the flushed display. The previous generation of the Paperwhite had a pronounced bezel around the display like a photo frame. It was more visible and in 2018 it does look outdated. Many consumers also complained about dirt getting into the edges of the screen. Amazon takes care of that with a flat flushed display. Yes, the bezels are still around there but it is not raised above the screen. Personally, I don’t mind the black bezels around, it gives a good grip plus the hands doesn’t cover the reading content. So the design looks neater, the flushed screen makes it a lot easier to wipe clean and the screen doesn’t trap any micro particles. Since I got both the Kindles with me, side by side it makes lot of visual differences plus the new design is also more practical in keeping the screen in daily use. A minor change but makes more sense. The new Kindle is also marginally lighter and thinner. Otherwise, it follows the similar Paperwhite design. The construction is plastic with a rubberised non-slip finish. The bottom houses the power button as well as the micro USB port for charging. There are no other buttons. The display again is the same with a 6-inches screen size with a resolution of 300 pixels per inch, the resolution which I find to be apt for reading. Though the new Paperwhite has one extra LED totalling five now. The previous generation itself was good in outdoor reading under sunlight, the new one only betters it a tad more. For uninitiated, the Kindle doesn’t use LCD technology but uses Paperwhite display technology with E Ink Carta and built-in light which is soft on eyes, gives an almost similar book paper book reading experience and with the built-in lights can also be used in dark. Do note, the entry-level Kindle does not have the built-in light.

With Waterproof the new Paperwhite 2018 is more durable

Another notable highlight is the new Kindle is waterproof with an IPX8 rating. What does it mean? This Kindle can be dunked under water up to 2 meters for 60 minutes without any worries. Now you don’t have to worry about your Kindle Paperwhite in rain or if you would want to read floating in a swimming pool or tub. Like bathroom singer, bathroom reader anyone?

Now supports audio books

I am not a fan of audio books but for all its worth if you do listen, the new Kindle Paperwhite does support audio books now and is compatible with Audible. Audible is Amazon’s audiobook company and Amazon allows in many cases to buy both readable and spoken book at the same time. WhisperSync feature will allow you to jump from readable format to audio book seamlessly. Kindle Paperwhite now comes with Bluetooth, so you can pair your speakers or headphones with it.

The New Paperwhite offers different profiles

This is a very handy introduction with this Paperwhite which many might appreciate. It gives shortcut access to different profiles. You can choose different fonts, sizes and spacing as per your choice and save them as presets and access them quickly. While this might be a small feature, avid readers will appreciate it.

Store more books on your new Kindle Paperwhite 2018

One great thing about Kindle is you can store a lot of books, a real lots. Now the storage has been doubled for the base variant with an 8GB storage and there is even a 32GB model. The bigger storage means you can store anywhere between 2000 to 8000 books now, allowing you to carry around a mini library with you anywhere. Amazon is a rich platform allowing you to buy books directly or choose various reading subscriptions models. If you are an Amazon Prime member, there is Prime books giving free access to many books and if you want to reach a still wider access there is Kindle Unlimted for pro readers.

And few more changes…

Last but not least there are some refreshes to the home screen layout which now is not static but gives new suggestions from Kindle unlimited, Prime reading and Goodreads along with some fun facts. You can also invert the screen color so the background is in black instead of the text, just in case you prefer that.

Verdict

The new Kindle Paperwhite is a modest update to the already most popular Kindle out there. It adds some few premier elements. Kindle has been a good companion for me last few years, making me to carry my library smartly wherever I go and whenever I want to read. What I really liked about the new Kindle Paperwhite is the flushed display and the waterproof might be welcomed by those who would want a relaxed reading at a swimming pool or in the bath. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is undoubtedly the best e-reader out there and the new Paperwhite adds some refreshing changes to it.]]>

Amazon sweetens the Kindle with Kindle Starter Packs, In case you are planning to buy now!

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 11:04:29 +0000

In case you are planning to buy the all new Kindle or Kindle Paperwhite, this might be the right time. Amazon has spiced up the deal with attractive disccounts and also thrown some starter packs to get you covered with what they call Kindle Starter Packs (KSPs). The Kindle Starter Packs encompasses device-accessory-content bundle. Here is the deal. The pack consists of a Kindle e-reader (All-New Kindle or Kindle Paperwhite), a premium black Kindle case by NuPro, free 2-Year Kindle Total Protection Plan from Cover Plus (Ingram Micro) and 80% discount on any Kindle eBooks up to maximum discount of INR 1,000 for All-New Kindle and INR 2,000 for Kindle Paperwhite.

Kinder Starter Pack for the all-new Kindle

The KSP for the all-new Kindle costs Rs 6,998 and the pack includes the Wi-Fi version of the new kindle reader, a black slim leather cover by NuPro worth Rs 999, discounts up to 8-% on purchase of ebooks up to Rs 1000 and two-uear protection plan worth Rs 1,199 from Cover Plus by Ingram Micro.

Kinder Starter Pack for the Kindle Paperwhite

The Starter Pack for Kindle Paperwhite costs INR 12,298 and includes the Wi-Fi version of Kindle Paperwhite, a black NuPro SlimFit leather cover worth INR 1,299, a two-year protection plan worth INR 2,199 from Ingram Micro and 80% discount on all eBooks upto a maximum discount of Rs 2,000.

The Total Protection for Kindle details

The 2-year total protection plan covers the device against all forms of damage at no additional cost. The protection plan is in addition to the manufacturer warranty and provides full device replacement in case of manufacturing defects, accidental damages such as damage to screen and liquid damages caused by water spill up to two years from purchase. The plan is pre-enrolled with the plan when you buy from Amazon India and for any damage assistance in the first year the user can reach out to Amazon customer care and after year the warranty partner can be reached out in case of any accidental or manufacturing issues In case you are sold out on Kindle and want to know why? Take a little time to know My Kindle Experience.]]>

Amazon opens up Kindle Instant Previews in India

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 26 May 2016 05:46:01 +0000

Last year Amazon announced Kindle Instant Previews a convenient mode for Kindle users to share quotes, excerpts from eBooks with non-kindle users without having to sign-in or install the app. This also becomes convenient for publishers and authors to make their work more visible on various social network platform and blog posts. It also helps bloggers and websites that review books to integrate the preview experience by embedding a widget on their sites, blogs or apps. When the link is embedded, the book cover images changes to a free sample of the book and gives a seamless experience within the site. The new experience shall be an immense, enriching tool for book review platforms. The Kindle Instant preview can also be tied to the Amazon associates program, so the bloggers and publishers can earn an advertising fee from the sale of that particular book which the user discovered through the URL. Here is how Kindle Instant Preview works.

From a Kindle book, easily share quotes, highlights, and recommendations with specific friends.
Share via popular mobile messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as email, texting, and more.
Share directly from Kindle for Android, Kindle e-readers and other devices.
Instant reading without having to sign-up, sign in or app installation

Ever since it was introduced in US, it has seen significant adoption, and Amazon hopes to replicate the experience in Indian context too. Westland Ltd, a leading publisher and authors like Chetan Bhagat, Jaya Bhattacharji Rose, Yashodhara Lal are some of the early adopters who have implemented the Kindle instant previews. For more on Kindle instant previews,visit: amazon.in/kindle-instant-previews]]>

Kindle Oasis, the Thinnest, Lightest and also the most Expensive Kindle Ever Made

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 10:38:33 +0000

It also is the thinnest and smallest Kindle in the product line up but the new design also adds up some extended bezels on the side where the bump is. Kindle Oasis weighs just 131 grams and is just 3.4 mm at its thinnest point—30% thinner on average and over 20% lighter than any other Kindle. This without the new cover, yes there is a new battery cover that can extend the battery life of the Kindle. With the battery cover, the Kindle Oasis is now powered by a dual-battery. When using the Kindle with the cover, the battery in the cover starts recharging it automatically. Both the battery cover and the build-in battery pack of the Kindle can charge simultaneously when plugged in together. A new hibernation mode is also introduced when the cover is attached and it puts the e-reader after one hour of inactivity into a doze with bare minimum of power used in the background. The battery cover is made of high-quality leather and is available in three colors – brown, black, and red. The PaperWhite display has 300 dpi, the same seen in the latest Kindle Paperwhite and the Voyage. The display has 60% more LEDs and offers more range in display brightness levels. With the new e-reader, the Kindle product line up starts at Rs 5,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 23,999 with this Oasis. If you have not yet used a Kindle, you could read my experience of Kindle PaperWhite when I started using it recently. ]]>