Thursday, October 30, 2014

Books on e-readers like the Kindle shown to be less enjoyable – Daily Mail

  • Results of Study Will delight Those Who Refuse to give up paper for digital
  • Found readers of story into physical form were more likely to absorb plot
  • Evenings WhenWriting with a pen and paper we take into morethan typing
  • Believed the slower pace of longhand forces us to pay more attention
  • Computer users more likely to be distracted with emails and viral videos
  • But the short coming of the gadgets’ must be weighed against Their advantages’

They are a must-have for Those Who like to read on the way to work.

But books read on Kindles, iPads and other screens May be less enjoyable and harder to follow.

Similarly , we find it Easier to remember notes made by hand than Those tapped into a laptop.

 A study found readers of an upsetting short story were more likely to'll have empathy for the tale than e-readers

A study found readers of an upsetting short story were more likely to’ll have empathy for the tale than e-readers

The Research Will delight Those Who Refuse to give up pens and paper for keyboards and e-readers.

Evidence That reading on a screen simply is not the same includes a Norwegian study in Which university studies read an upsetting short story in a booklet or on an iPad.

Those who read it on paper experienced more empathy and were more likely to ask ‘Transported’ – or lose themeselves in the story.

A second study from the same team found people who read a mystery story on a Kindle were worse at absorbing the plot than Those Who read the tale on paper.

For instance, they ‘found it more Difficult to put the twists and turns in the right order.

Researcher Anne Mangen, of the University of Stavanger, said this May be Because it is to form a timeline When facts float in front of us on a screen.

When text is read in a book, Memory May be aided by visualising how far down a page Appeared something, or how many pages had’ve been read.

Researchers say e-readers of a story found it more Difficult to put the twists and turns into the right order

Researchers say e-readers of a story found it more Difficult to put the twists and turns into the right order

In contrast, When using a screen, it is more Difficult to know how far through a book you are – or even to flick back to a Particular Page.

Other research HAS shown typing That May be no match for writing .

Work done at the University of California, Los Angeles, Showed That student who Took notes by hand Generally Understood the content of a lecture better and remembered more.

It Is Thought That The slower pace of writing forces people to pay more attention.

And while Those Who Take notes by hand record less, They have taken the time to filter out irrelevant information.

There is overpriced the distraction element.

 Other research HAS shown typing That May be no match for handwriting as computerusers Can Be distracted

Other research HAS shown That Typing May be no match for handwriting as computerusers Can Be distracted

This week’s New Scientist reports: ‘When you’ve got a laptop open in front of you, it’s very tempting to browse the web, check email or watch the latest viral videos.

‘Unsurprisingly, this kind of multi-tasking HAS BEEN shown to degrade performance – and not just for you, but For Those around you who get distracted by your onscreen flitting.’

The magazine says That more research is ‘sorely needed’. But even if digital devices are changing the way we read and write, it May not matter.

It states: ‘Gadgets’ shortcomings must be weighed against Their advantages : portability, economy, access to the world’s knowledge and so on.

‘Screens are not going to go away any time soon And they raise issues that go FAR BEYOND literacy.

‘But our approach to Their use Should not be in thrall to yesterday’s values.

‘Only When We Know Precisely what screens do to us Will we Know Precisely What We Should Do with Them.’

Kindle Review: The cheapest e-book reader worth buying – India Today

Javed Anwer | | New Delhi, October 30, 2014 | UPDATED 15:21 IST

The Kindle Ice World’s Best e- bookreader. This is almost a fact. Even if there are e-book readers That Can surpass it in terms of hardware and software, they ‘can not match the ease of use That it offers. Kindle’s superb integration with arguably the world’s biggest virtual bookstore at Amazon Means it is the undisputed king in the ITS market.

So When Amazon comes out with a new Kindle reader every year or two, the only questions are how much better it ice compared to the previous one and if it is worth the extra money over a Tablet That You May Already Own and Which Can Also be Used to read e-books.

This year, Amazon Launched The New Kindle in India on September 18 This is the seventh generation of the Kindle and Amazon’s most basic model in the new Kindle line-up. It is the successor to the basic Kindle that was Launched in 2012.

So, is it better than the 2012 model? Of course, it is. But is it worth spending money on it even if you alreadycontains definatley tablet? Or is this the right Kindle for you (there are some more in the line-up)? We tell you.

Build Quality

 Kindle is a very utilitarian device. It belongs to an era When The devices were not treated like glittering jewels. Instead, the focus is on packing functionality into a packagethat is cheap to produce So THAT the price Can be kept low. Given That The New Kindle is the most basic (and hence Cheapest Kindle in the updated line-up), the build quality and design the paint touches and Flourish That the more expensive Kindle devices definatley.

It looks and feels a little cheap compared to something like the Kindle Paperwhite. Though the build quality is top notch and better than what you get in a similarly priced tablet. On the front of the device, the Plastic Has a soft-to-touch coating, while on the back it features matte finish. Compared to the 2012 model, it is chunkier – 10.2mm vs 8.7mm – and just a few grams heavier. But the compact size – the screen still Measures 6 inches – Means it is easy to hold the device in one hand and read, even if you are snugly tucked inside a blanket.

Compared to the 2012 model, the big change in the new Kindle is inclusion of the touchscreen. This Means, the physical buttons are no longer there on the tablet. The only physical button is the power button.

Screen and performance

As we noted Earlier, the big change with the basic Kindle this year is the inclusion of touchscreen. Earlier, only the high-end versions of the Kindle came with touchscreens. In terms of resolution, nothing has changed. The Device Still Has a pixel density of 167 PPI.

Given That now we are talking about pixels, it is the best time to talk about the screens That we’ll get into Kindles. Except the Kindle Fire tablets, all Kindle devices come with e-ink screens. They are black and white, just like a book, and do not use backlight to project something on the screen. This Means They are easy on eyes. The text on the e-ink screens look like printed text and That Adds to the charm of the e-reader. The e-ink is overpriced the reason why pixel density of 167 does not look all that bad on the 6-inch screen. Of course, higher resolution screens found in the Kindle Paperwhite show sharper text, but the difference is Barely Noticeable.

 That said, there is a downside to the e-ink. When the screen changes, for example When You flip the page, It has to be refreshed. The normal LCD screens’ll have a high-refresh rate and hence you do not notice When The contents on your display change. But e-ink screens definatley low refresh rate. This Means You Can See The contents of the screen changing in front of your eyes in a slow motion. People familiar with e-ink readers are distressed to this. But if you are first time Kindle buyer and distressed to something like an iPad or Nexus 7, May you feel something is wrong with your e-reader.

Talking of the refresh rate, we found That The New Kindle Comes With Improved Performance. The time a screen takes to refresh is noticeably lower on the new Kindle compared to the Kindle in 2012. In fact, it feels even more responsive and Faster than the two-year-old Kindle Paperwhite.

The screen overpriced looks cleaner and less reflective compared to the one on the 2012 model. Though it lacks the backlight found in the White Paper versions. This Means the basic Kindle Can not Be Used to read something in a dark room, the way you can do on a tablet or the White Paper.

The touchscreen is responsive and makes using the device a better experience. Using Kindle was never Difficult. It Is Designed to do one thing: allo wing a user to read books. So, there is not much to do in terms of setting it. Using Wi-Fi network you-can hook it up to the Amazon server, create an Amazon account and you are good to go. A lot of books, especiallywhen classics, are available for free on Amazon so you-can download them to the Kindle. Or You Can buy books. Once Bought, it is in your Kindle. Tap on it and start reading.

Just like other Kindles, the new basic Kindle too lasts days once .its battery is fully charged. This Is When You are reading something on it. If you are not reading frequently, the battery willlast weeks!

Should you buy it

Do you love books? If your answer is yes, get a Kindle. And the basic Kindle (2014) is the Cheapest one We will suggest. With a price of Rs 5,999 it is more expensive than the 2012 model, Which sells for Rs 4,999 nowadays, but it is worth the extra money.

The touchscreen and aunt performance gives it an edge over the older model . The Kindle is overpriced a much better device to read books compared to something like an iPad. It is a Different Kind Of Experience and while it does not match the feel of a book in hand, it comes pretty close to it. Plus, the convenience of carrying Thousands of books inside the Kindle is unparalleled.

The basic Kindle (2014) is totally worth its price. Our only reservation Is that the Kindle Paperwhite is even better. If you want to read a book after switching off lights late into the night, and Can spend a little bit more, go for the Kindle Paperwhite. The backlit screen alone is worth the premium. Though as a bonus, You also get a device That feels better in hand due to the ITS slimmer design and better quality of plastic.

To Cover or Not to Cover

Along with the new Kindle, Amazon HAS overpriced Launched cases for it. Both plastic and leather cases are available. We tried the plastic case with our review unit. The build quality of the case is very good though we found .its edges a little too sharp. But once the Kindle is snugly fit inside it, the edges would not bother the user. The Case Has a soft velvety feel to it.

While it is nice to’ll have, we did not feel That the case is something of a musthave accessory. Also, with a price or Rs 1,999 it is rather expensive for a device That costs Rs 5,999.

DESIGN 7/10 DISPLAY 7.5 / 10 SOFTWARE 8/10 PERFORMANCE 8 / 10 BATTERY 9.5 / 10 VALUE 8/10

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Voyage Kindle Review: Amazon’s e-reader is too good to be Merely a White Paper 2 – PCWorld

 Kindle Voyage

  •  Amazon Kindle Voyage Amazon Kindle Voyage $ 199.00

    Amazon Already had the best e-reader on the market with the White Paper. Amazon raises the bar with the Voyage, but pumps up the price tag at the sametime.

The Kindle Voyage ? The name makes no sense, but I Understand why Amazon did not call .its latest e-reader, the Paperwhite 2. It’s good enough to deserve a name all .its own.

The Kindle Voyage is stuffed with new features and meaningful improvements over the Paperwhite. I’ll cover the Most Important ones first. The Voyage’s screen delivers higher resolution than the Paperwhite: 300 pixels per inch. The Paper White’s 221-ppi display looks very good, but You Can Discern jagged edges in fonts if you look competetive. With the Voyage, You Can not see jaggies even with the aid of a magnifying glass.

 Amazon Voyage Michael Brown

jaggies are a thing of the past, Thanks to the Voyage display’s resolution of 300 pixels per inch.

The Paperwhite Introduced a front light That made the ITS E-Ink display readable in any lighting conditions. The Voyage keeps this feature but Adds a Light Sensor That Automatically adjusts the brightness in response to the level of ambient light. This not only Eliminates the need to adjust the brightness everytime you start reading, it Should overpriced Increase the Voyage’s battery life. Enable the “nightlight” feature, and the screen brightness Will Gradually dim as your eyes adjust to a darkened room.



Smooth as ice cream

For me, the next biggest improvement is the texture of the Voyager’s ice cream. That Might seem like an odd thing to put so high on a list of improvements, but the Paperwhite’s ice cream HAS this grainy, almost pebbly texture That literally rubs me the wrong way. In viscerally dislike the way it feels under my thumb or fingertip When I stroke the cream to turn a page or touch the screen to call up a menu or a definition. It just feels weird, even if it was not bad enough to drive me back to my first-gen Kindle.

The Paperwhite still delivers the better price-to-performance ratio

The Voyage’s ice cream as smooth as the glass on any laptop or smartphone I’ve distressed, and there’s no transition between the bezel and the display. And the Voyage’s new page-turn buttons are just as Important as the texture of the ITS ice cream. Amazon embedded four surface-mount buttons (Amazon calls Them Page Press sensors) on the Right and Left Bezels That husband turning pages even Easier: A slight squeeze on the vertical lines on either side of the bezel advance pages, and the same action on the dots Those lines above reverse pages.

This Means You Can Hold The Voyage in your left or right hand, and the buttons work even When The e-reader is the ITS case (more on That lateralis). In addition to the obvious visual cue of the page refreshing, the Voyage Provides a bit of haptic feedback When you’ve applied enough pressure to effect a page turn. You Can fine-tune the Amount of pressure needed to activate page turns, too.

 Amazon Voyage Michael Brown

The screen on the Voyage (left) is brighter and whiter than the one on the White Paper (right).

For me, the buttons are big improvement over stroking or tapping the glass (Those page-turn methods are Retained in the new Kindle). In gripping my Paper White with four fingers on the back and my thumb in front, so I turn pages by stroking the ice cream with my thumb. A mild case of arthritis in the base of my thumb joints renders this exercise Not exactly painful, but uncomfortable enough to be distracting. I can squeeze the page-forward button without moving my thumb at all, and I need to slide it up just about an inch to reach the less-frequently Distressed page-back buttons.

One Thing I Should Point out, Especially for people like me who do not take enough time to read a user manual: You need to press down slightly on the buttons to Make Them Work. Tapping, as You Might do with the trackpad on your laptop, will not work-at least not Reliably.



Thinner and lighter, but only a little

Kindle Voyage Michael Brown

Here’s how the Voyage Origami cover works.

Compared to the White Paper, the Kindle Voyage is slightly thinner (0:30 inches versus 0:36 inches) and slightly lighter (6.3 ounces versus 7.3 ounces). Amazon moved the power button to the back of the device, Which makes it Easier to Find and manipulate than the tiny button that’s on the bottom of the White Paper. It still relies on a micro USB cord for charging, and Amazon still includes a USB cable but requires you to buy the power adapter separately.

I do not know how much profit Amazon makes on the Kindle Voyage, but they ‘must be making a killing on protective covers at $ 45 a pop ($ 60 if you want leather). The cover is brilliant, though, Consisting of a tray with strong magnets That Hold The Voyage it into a very tight grip (the e-reader’s rear panel is fabricated from magnesium), and a thick flap That Protects .its display.

A set of strong magnets in the flap holds it Securely to the Voyage’s front bezel When closed, and to the magnesium Back When you flip it over the top to read. Push up in the middle of the bottom edge of the flap, and it folds origami style to make a prop-stand for reading. That’s a whole lot better than leaning it against a coffee cup.

Kindle Voyage Michael Brown

The ingenious, but pricey Voyage “Origami” cover Can be folded into an easel for easy hands-free reading on a table top.

Cover the screen When you’re done reading, and the ambient light sensor Immediately plastering the Voyage into sleep mode. Open it back up, and the device comes fully back to life before you’ve completed the exercise. There’s really never any need to push the power button. Third parties are offering less-expensive covers, Which I have not reviewed, and I imagine the price of Amazon’s covers Will Drop As The Voyage’s newness wears off (although That Could be a while. This review was written on October 23, and Amazon’s website indicates it will not’ll have units in stock Until November 24).

Should you buy one?

The only other significant criticism I can muster for the Kindle Voyage ice to gripe about its price tag. Comparing Versions with Amazon’s “Special Offers” (ads That pop up When You’re not reading), the delta between the $ 79 Kindle and the $ 119 Kindle Paperwhite is $ 40. You’ll pay twice That premium to move from the Paperwhite to the $ 199 Voyage. It costs an additional $ 20 to Eliminate the ads, and a cool $ 70 to get 3G connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi.

I’ve always scoffed at the idea of ​​paying so much more to get 3G connectivity; but now that I’ve experienced it with the Voyage, it’s pretty easy to want. Getting rid of the ads and claen 3G elevates the price of a voyage all the way to $ 289. You Can buy a 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX for $ 179, but I’m a bit of a purist When It Comes To Reading. I want the most book-like experience I can get. The Paperwhite comes very close, but the Voyager knocks it out of the park.

Having saidthat, I think the Paperwhite still delivers the better price-to-performance ratio bothering for someone buying an e-reader for The First Time, and for someone upgrading from a stock Kindle. The Voyage is the best e-reader on the market, but Amazon HAS hung a price tag commensurate With that position.

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Amazon Is Turning Into New Kindle Reader-Author Talent Scouts – Business Insider

Learn more about Amazon’s Business Strategies from Jeff Bezos at IGNITION: Future Of Digital. Reserve your seat now
kindle Jeff Bezos Gus Ruelas / Reuters Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Amazon HAS unveiled a new scheme thatwill see Kindle readers turn into new-author talent scouts.

 

TechCrunch Reports That The New Kindle Scout Program Lets Amazon Customers vote on unpublished books. After a series of voting rounds, the most popular titles Will Be selected for publishing by Amazon.


 

Here’s the exciting thing: The readers who Prove to Be The most skilled book scouts, spotting the most titles that go on to be published, I will be rewarded with free book credits, as well as e-book versions of the titles they ‘ previewed and voted for.


 

This is not a long and drawn-out process, as withpublishing a hardback book. Instead, Amazon says the entire path, from submission to voting to publishing, takes no more than 45 days.


 

So why would authors want to publish Their Book with Amazon? The tech giant Has a generous set of benefits for authors, Including a $ 1.500 advance, 50% royalties, and in-built marketing support.

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider staff through his investment company, Bezos Expeditions.

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