Buy Tablets: September 2016

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Amazon Kindle 2016, First Take: Affordable, but the backlight-free – ZDNet

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Amazon’s latest Kindle is being presented as the company’s most affordable e-reader ever. At £59.99 (inc. VAT, or £69.99 to remove ‘special offers’ which are essentially advertising and sponsored screensavers), it’s considerably cheaper than any of the current lineup. The next most expensive model, the Paperwhite, starts at £109.99, while the Voyage costs from £169.99 and the Oasis that I recently reviewed starts at £269.99.

This new model replaces the previous entry-level Kindle, and is relatively basic. Certainly, having used the top-of-the-range Oasis for a while now, reverting to the Kindle in 2016 felt like a big step backwards. That said, what you you get here is perfectly adequate for general e-reading — with one big caveat: the lack of a backlight.

The new entry-level Kindle has a 167ppi E Ink screen, compared to 300ppi in the more expensive Paperwhite, Voyage and Oasis models. It also lacks a backlight.

Images: Amazon

I found this really debilitating. It’s irritating to have to find a light source as the natural light fades, and remarkable how much I’ve got used to the presence of a backlight since getting my first Paperwhite.

The build quality isn’t the greatest. This is a reasonably slim and light e-reader, measuring 115mm wide by 160mm deep by 9.1 mm thick, and weighing 161g. But the plastic material feels a little bit low grade. Amazon emphasises the new Kindle’s rounded edges as an aid to grip, but it’s hardly a ground-breaking advance.

The technical specifications — apart from the lack of a backlight — are all good enough. There is 4GB of internal storage, which is enough to hold thousands of books. Usability is fine: tapping the screen for page turns and to access settings felt speedy enough. The Text is clear enough on the 6-inch 167ppi E Ink screen, although I did miss the 300ppi resolution found across the rest of the line-up.

A quick comparison between this Kindle and the Oasis suggest that options and settings are the same on each. For example, there are nine fonts and eight text sizes on both devices. The One big difference between this and other Kindles is the absence of 3G connectivity: there’s only wi-fi for downloading new books, which might prove a turn-off if you like to refresh your library while you’re out of the home or office.

As far as battery life is concerned, Amazon claims the same longevity for the new Kindle as the Paperwhite and Voyage models — “weeks on a single charge”. Obviously this will depend on usage, and I find that turning wi-fi off by going into Aeroplane mode really helps conserve battery life on any Kindles. It does take a while to charge, though, and will need four hours to go from flat to full.

If you have yet to try an e-reader and want to do so for relatively little outlay, this new Kindle should deliver a perfectly acceptable experience. However, it could also be worth looking at what’s available second-hand. I found Paperwhites available for a similar price, and these models have that all-important backlight.

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Monday, September 26, 2016

Amazon Kindle Books Sold Offline? Boston Bookstore Might Bring Back Paper – The Inquisitr

the Amazon Kindle books might not be going back to paper, but a bookstore is set to open in Boston. The idea behind this is that Amazon feels there is still life left in stores that sell a written work printed on paper.

Some older readers might consider this a positive step back to basics, as many feel that the tangible paper just feels more personal. Paper had been the standard for the average work of fiction or nonfiction for centuries, beginning with the scroll in the early days. The most hardcore readers often felt that the hardcover novel was the best format available, a hearty weight scenes that as a true fan, you put about twice as much money into it than with paperbacks.

The trend continued into the early 2000s when we saw the emergence of electronic books (aka ebooks). The major competitors between these formats were the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook, the latter of which proved to be pricier. Add in the fact that Amazon allows independent authors the option to publish for free, and you have the ultimate winner among the hipster crowd.

However, as more and more readers found a box full of paperbacks and hardcovers to be a bit unwieldy, the popularity of the actual book fell. With Amazon Kindle books, you could literally have your entire library right on your Kindle, Android, or iPhone device, and there was nothing additional to carry around. If you didn’t have room for the ebook due to memory problems, you could simply remove the Amazon Kindle book from your device and download it again later.

The Boston Globe says that the company began to experiment with the idea of a brick-and-mortar store in late 2015 in Seattle. A bit larger than your average hole-in-the-wall Amazon bookstores, it offers options for visitors. You could purchase a hard copy right there in the store, order it sent to your home, or buy it for download on your Kindle device or mobile app for smartphones.

The physical stores are expected to be built not only in Boston, but also in San Diego, Portland, and possibly Chicago and New York. They will sacrifice not only the physical books once again, but they will also have Amazon devices on hand, including the Echo speaker/microphone. The bookstores are currently hiring managers and retail associates, possibly looking to rival Apple’s iPhone stores with a crowd who prefers to read more.

This would certainly be an example of Amazon going back to its roots, as the online store originally only sold books. They eventually expanded to sell everything from PlayStation 4 consoles to metal bed frames, making the site a one-stop place to shop for just about anything. The system of reviews and ratings also helps sellers gain a reputation as being better than those who simply drop the item in a box and shove it out the door as a used seller. There will allegedly ask the kiosks that offer the same option, where you can look up reviews on the Amazon Kindle books you might want to purchase.

After having gone from a simply online bookstore to an international market for almost anything, Amazon seems to be attempting a comeback as what Barnes and Noble used to be. Just don’t expect to pick up a set of tools or a 4K HDTV while you’re there, since books and the Amazon brand-name products will be the focus.

Are you planning to visit one of the stores and see what the Amazon Kindle book selection has to offer in person?

[Featured Image by SEASTOCK/Shutterstock.com]

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Amazon Kindle Books Sold Offline? Boston Bookstore Might Bring … – The Inquisitr