Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Amazon Discounts Kindle E-Readers Up To $30 Through 11/28 – Deal Alert – PCWorld

amazon kindle

Amazon has quietly released another good set of deals on its popular Kindle series of e-readers, and this time the discount runs through 11/28 only. The Kindle’s price sinks to $ 30, the Kindle Paperwhite is discounted $ 20, the Kindle Voyage drops $ 30, and the worry-free the Kindle for Kids Bundle is reduced to $ 30 as well.

This story, “Amazon Discounts Kindle E-Readers Up To $ 30 Through 11/28 – Deal Alert” was originally published by TechConnect.

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Friday, December 23, 2016

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (3rd generation) review: The best e-reader for the buck – PCWorld

With its desirable features, pocketable size, and reasonable price tag, Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite has been a safe bet to gift or recommend to voracious readers since 2012. After its most recent design refresh, the Amazon’s mid-range e-reader rivals, the e-readers that cost considerably more.

The third-generation Kindle Paperwhite measures 6.3 x 4.5 x 0.36 inches, and it weighs just over 7.0 ounces, whether you opt for one with Wi-Fi or with both Wi-Fi and 3G. That makes it heavier than Amazon’s pricier Kindle the Oasis and the Kindle Voyage, but lighter than the larger Kobo Aura One or Amazon’s $ 80 vanilla and feature little Kindle. For the first time, Amazon is offering the Paperwhite in white, as well as black. This, along with the a more matte look for the e-reader’s logo and a rubberized back plate are the only notable cosmetic changes this time around.

No matter the lighting conditions, you’ll find the Paperwhite to be infinitely legible. Like its more expensive siblings, the Paperwhite houses a 6.0-inch, 300 ppi E-Ink display. Onscreen text appears as sharp as the text you’ll find in any dead-tree-edition book. The Four side-mounted Led light the display, to ensure that the text is readable in any environment, be it while perusing a book on the beach or reading in your darkened bedroom while your partner sleeps next to you. We found the lighting to be fairly consistent with only a small amount of shading in the top and bottom corners. The Kindle Voyage and Oasis victims more even display lighting, thanks to the presence of more LEDs, but they cost considerably more.

kindle paperwhite vs kindle oasis Seamus Bellamy

The Kindle Paperwhite has the same amount of storage and the same display resolution as the Kindle Oasis, but at a fraction of the cost.

In addition to the clarity that the Paperwhite’s display and lighting afford the, Amazon's type engine ensures that readers who require larger text in order to read comfortably, prefer a different font than the default one their book was downloaded with, or who prefer different line spacing (depending on whether or not the document can support it) are accommodated. It even supports OpenDyslexic—a typeface designed to mitigate some of the issues that can cause dyslexic individuals reading difficulties.

That covers how you’ll read on the Paperwhite. Now, let’s talk about what you'll read.

With 4GB of onboard memory, the Kindle Paperwhite has the capacity to store thousands of books—a definite win for anyone taking a long trip off the grid. Amazon’s collection of available electronic publications is arguably the largest in the world. The bad news is that any book you purchase from the Kindle Store is DRM protected—locking you into using Amazon’s devices and apps in order to read them. The good news is that Amazon makes it possible to share your purchased content with your family members. If your reading habits border on the voracious, it’s also possible to sign up for Amazon’s all-you-can-read Kindle Unlimited service for $ 10 per month. You can also borrow books from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, and Amazon Prime members can read books in the Prime Reading catalog at note additional cost.

As for content from outside of Amazon’s walled library, anyone with a computer can transfer the DOC/DOCX, ePub, MOBI, PDF, RTF, and TXT files to their Kindle via the USB but the reading experience for such documents typically isn’t as smooth as what you’ll get from publications curated by Amazon. It’s also possible to wirelessly download Instapaper clippings to the Paperwhite. Interacting with the service on the device, however, leaves much to be desired.

kindle paperwhite micro usb port Seamus Bellamy

As with many e-readers these days, the Kindle Paperwhite has no physical buttons except the one used to power it on and off.

Navigating between Amazon-purchased materials and other publications is significantly easier, due to the Kindle’s touch-friendly interface. One exception to this is the UI’s on-screen keyboard, which is slow to respond to input when searching your collection, browsing the Kindle Store for a new book, or entering a Wi-Fi password. But this isn’t unique to the Paperwhite. Amazon’s other e-readers suffer from the same issue.

On average, the reading for a few hours a day with the e-reader’s backlight set at 40 percent, I found that I was able to squeeze around a month out of a single charge of the Paperwhite’s battery. That’s a respectable amount of juice for an E-Ink device.

There’s not much to dislike about the Kindle Paperwhite—it excel at fulfilling its raison d’ĂȘtre. It’s perhaps 80 percent as capable as more sophisticated e-readers—the Kobo Aura One and the Kindle Oasis, for example—which cost far more.

Despite the fact that its display lighting levels are adjustable, the latest Paperwhite lacks the ambient light sensor that would enable it to automatically adjust its luminosity according to ambient conditions. It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re upgrading from one of Amazon’s older Kindle keyboard e-readers, you might be disappointed to discover that the Paperwhite—along with the rest of Amazon’s current lineup of E-Ink devices—lacks the capability to play sound; audiobook lovers need not apply. Finally, unlike earlier Kindles or Amazon’s Kindle Voyage and Kindle Oasis, the Paperwhite lacks physical buttons. To 'turn' a page, it’s necessary to tap or stroke the display. While not a deal breaker, it makes reading one-handed, something of a pain.

Finally, while you can get a Wi-Fi enabled Paperwhite for $ 120, it comes burdened with Amazon’s 'special offers,' a euphemism for advertisements plastered on the device’s lock screen. The only way to avoid the ads is to pay an additional $ 20, either up front or down the road. If you’re offended by this, check out the Kobo Glo. It can’t match the wide variety of paid and free reading options available for the Kindle, but you won’t have to pay a ransom to avoid the ads.

the MSRP for the model we reviewed—with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and without special offers—is $ 210. The same e-reader with special offers and Wi-Fi only is priced at $ 140, while the Wi-Fi model with special offers goes for $ 120.

This story, “Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (3rd generation) review: The best e-reader for the buck” was originally published by TechHive.

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Thursday, December 15, 2016

Amazon Kindle (2016) review: Very inexpensive, but just a little too basic – PC World

You’ll understand its low price tag the moment you sit down to read.

Amazon jammed a number of great features $ 80 entry-level Kindle e-reader ($ 100 if you want to be free of Amazon’s "special offers"). It’s lighter than the combined weight of the company’s Oasis flagship with its battery cover attached, and with no backlight to power, it can run for far longer than more capable e-readers—a month or more, depending on your reading habits. And did we mention its sub-$ 100 price tag? Unfortunately, after spending the last several weeks using one, I don’t believe any of those perks compensate for this new Kindle’s copious shortcomings.

Weighing a mere 5.7 ounces and measuring 6.3 x 4.5 x 0.36 inches, the 2016, the Kindle is light and compact enough to allow for long, comfortable reading sessions, even if you’re holding it with one hand. It feels surprisingly sturdy, too. I love the more-expensive Kindle Oasis for its size and weight, but I live in constant fear of dropping it or discovering that the heavier stuff it shares space in my backpack with has destroyed it. Not so the latest Kindle. It should survive most casual abuse, but be aware that it’s waterproof or even water resistant.

If that’s important to you, check out the Kobo Aura H2O or the Kobo Aura One. The All-New Kindle’s rounded corners make it feel good in the hand, and I appreciate that Amazon has shaved down the thickness of the device. But the slick feel of the plastic that the e-reader is constructed from makes me grateful that it’s as resilient as it is. I have no doubt that sooner or later, I’ll wind up fumbling the thing.

new kindle no backlight Seamus Bellamy

Even in the dim light, the new budget-priced Kindle can be difficult to read, especially when compared to an e-reader with a backlit display, such as the Kindle Paperwhite (left).

The new Kindle has no physical buttons, save one for powering the device on and off. It’s located on the bottom of the E-reader, next to its micro-USB charging/data port. You’ll find a USB cable in the box, but no power adapter to go along with it. That’s one of the ways Amazon reduces its e-reader prices, and makes money on accessories after the sale.

Six inches is a popular size for E-Ink displays these days. Every device in Amazon’s current e-reader lineup has one, as do most of the ones from companies such as Rakuten Kobo, Icarus, and InkBook. The new Kindle is no different. Its six-inch E-Ink display is set into the device slightly lower than the bezel framing it. Without physical buttons for transitioning to a new page or interacting with the e-reader’s user interface, I found it hard to use with one hand. Moving my thumb to touch the screen repeatedly caused me to lose my grip.

You might be able to live with needing two hands to read books on the new Kindle, but your eyes won’t appreciate reading a display that delivers only slightly more than half the resolution of 167 ppi–that pricier e-readers are the victims. The displays on the $ 120 Kindle Paperwhite, the $ 130 Kobo Glo HD, and every device are further up the scale boast a resolution of 300 ppi. The 2016 Kindle’s text is legible enough, but I found that my eyes tired more quickly than they did after reading other e-readers. The device’s janky text can be hard on the eyes, especially in dim light or under the lamp light. And that leads me to my greatest complaint about the All-New Kindle: Its lack of backlighting.

kindle 2016 fonts Seamus Bellamy

The 2016 Kindle’s responsive touchscreen makes changing the fonts and other functions easy to do.

One of the great joys of owning an e-reader is that it makes reading possible almost anywhere. Books weigh a ton, making it undesirable to carry more than one or two on a vacation or even across town. The new Kindle can store thousands of books that you can read at a moment’s notice. It shares the same operating system and has access to the same seemingly endless array of free and for-purchase books as the rest of Amazon’s reading devices and tablets. It can also open PRC, MOBI, TXT, and PDF files, although not always to good effect.

Unlike an LCD tablet, you can read the text on the new Kindle even in broad daylight; reading in the dark, however, is just about impossible because there’s no backlight. That can make reading in bed difficult, especially when the person next to you is trying to sleep and objects to your using a bedside lamp, and it can be even more problematic if you’re on a train, plane, or bus. Sure, you could spring for a lip-on reading light, but if you’re going to spend another $ 20 to $ 40 for that, you might as well step up to the latest backlit Kindle Paperwhite.

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Tuesday, December 13, 2016

5 Best Black Friday Tablet Deals; iPad, Kindle, Surface Book & More – Forbes

As Black Friday looms on the horizon, and the professional bargain hunters to sharpen their elbows and practice their aisle sprints, why not beat the madness by checking out some of these deals first? I’ve scoured the internet, spoken to retailers and collated a list of the best – in my opinion – Black Friday tablet deals available today.

Remember, do be careful out there, Black Friday can be as much of a scam as it is a sale. Deals are often cheaper at other points of the year, and many non-brand products simply aren’t worth it.

Also, don’t forget to check out my Black Friday hacks article for tips on how to get double discounts and cash back.

Best Buy has some huge Surface Pro discounts.

Best Buy has some huge Surface Pro discounts.

  • Target’s discounted iPad Pro 9.7″ now starts at $ 449, saving $ 150.99. A good saving considering this is the latest generation of tech.
  • Huawei's 2-in-1 Matebook gets a $ 189 discount at Amazon.
  • Walmart has $ 150 off the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7″ 16GB tablet, bringing the total price down to $ 149.98.
  • Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4, complete with Signature, a Type Cover, now sells for for $ 599.99 (saving a total of $ 400) at Best Buy.
  • On the Windows Store, the Surface Book (256GB, Intel Core i5) gets a $ 400 price cut, bringing it down to $ 1499.

Notable mentions

  • All iPad Air 2 models get a $ 125 price cut, now selling for $ 274 at Target
  • Amazon’s very capable Kindle Paperwhite gets a $ 20 discount at Amazon and Target, now retailing for $ 99.99. There’s no sign of a discount on the latest Kindle, the Oasis, which still sells for the stupendously high $ 289.

More on FORBES

Black Friday: How To Get Cash Back & Double Discount

the Microsoft Surface Book Review

5 Best Black Friday Phone Deals; Samsung, Apple & More

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Which Kindle should I buy? Amazon Kindle, Paperwhite, Voyage and Oasis e-readers compared – BT.com

Amazon has unveiled the latest addition to its range of e-readers, the Kindle, the Oasis. It’s the eighth-generation Kindle and the technology giant claims it’s the most advanced edition of the device to date.

The launch of the Oasis takes the number of Kindles in Amazon’s range to four, not including the older devices that are still available second-hand.

The similarity of the devices in the Kindle range can be confusing, so we’ve reviewed the four Kindles in the turn. Lower down the page, we’ve drawn up a table showing the main features of each of the devices so that you can compare the differences.

We’ve only focused on Amazon’s Kindle range here, and note the its Fire tablets.

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle 2016

Priced from £59.99, the cheapest entry into the Kindle range has just been updated, so it has twice the memory, and is slimmer, lighter and more comfortable to hold with rounded edges.

It lacks some of the functionality of the pricier models, but includes some interesting features. It’s the first Kindle with Bluetooth audio, allowing visually impaired users to listen to the content, while the Export Notes lets you easily share notes and highlights from books via email.

The touchscreen’s resolution is adequate, but isn’t quite as sharp as the others and there’s no built-in light for reading in the dark.

Connectivity options for wirelessly downloading books from the Kindle Store are limited to wi-fi note 3G, so if you want to download books away from home you’ll need to find a wi-fi hotspot.

The battery lasts for four weeks, slightly less than its two closest siblings, but more than enough for most people.

Best for: The price-conscious

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 3rd gen

Starting at £109.99, the Paperwhite costs a bit more than the basic model but comes with a significant feature upgrade, namely a higher-resolution screen (meaning sharper text), and a battery life of six weeks.

There are two connection options. Wi-fi only and wi-fi/3G version, which lets you download books worldwide without worrying about connecting to a wi-fi hotspot.

There’s a backlight for reading at night, but unlike with the next version up – the Voyage – the light doesn’t adjust depending on the light.

Best for: Upgrading from older models. A versatile choice for most people

Amazon Kindle Voyage

Amazon Kindle Voyage

The Voyage, priced from £169.99, matches the Paperwhite for battery and screen sharpness. But the built-in screen light is adaptive, which means it will adjust automatically depending on the light in the room, brightening in dim light and getting darker when it’s lighter.

Using the Kindle and Paperwhite you tap the screen to turn the page, but the Voyage’s PagePress technology lets you turn the page by putting pressure on sensors on either side of the bezel – the plastic frame outside the screen.

Best for: Those who read at night and day

Amazon Kindle Oasis

Kindle Oasis 2016 front

The lightest and thinnest Kindle to date has the best battery life too, giving up to six weeks of power on one charge.

The design of the £269.99 Oasis is significantly different to its stablemates, with a thicker bezel on one side, designed to make one-handed reading more comfortable.

It comes with a book-style case that both protects and charges the device, and there’s also a brighter backlight for reading in low light.

Best for: Avid readers who traveller and need long battery life

Model

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle

Paperwhite

Amazon Kindle

Voyage

Amazon Kindle

Oasis

Price:

£59.99 (with ads)

£69.99 (no ads)

£109.99 (wifi with ads)
£119.99 (wi-fi no ads)
£169.99 (3G with ads)
£179.99 (3G, no ads)

£169.99 (wi-fi)

£229.99 (wi-fi/3G)

£269.99 (wi-fi)

£329.99 (wi-fi/3G)

Website: Amazon Amazon Amazon Amazon
Screen size: 6 inches 6 inches 6 inches 6 inches
Screen resolution: 167ppi 300ppi 300ppi 300ppi
Screen light: No Yes Yes Yes
Glare free screen: Yes Yes Yes Yes
Page turning Touchscreen Touchscreen Touchscreen, PagePress Touchscreen, physical buttons
Wi-fi only: Yes Yes Yes Yes
Wi-fi/3G: No Yes Yes Yes
Battery life: Four weeks Six weeks Six weeks Eight weeks
Formats Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion
Dimensions: 160x115x9.1mm 169x117x9.1mm 162x115x7.6mm 143x122x3.4-8.5 mm
Weight: 161g

205g (wi-fi)

217g (wi-fi /3G)

180g (wi-fi)

188 g (wi-fi /3G)

131g/133g (wi-fi/wi-fi and 3G)

238g/240g with cover (wi-fi/wi-fi and 3G)

Colour:

Black, White

Black, White Black Black, Merlot, Walnut (case)
Case: No No No Yes

We’ll keep this page updated with information when the Amazon release new devices into the Kindle e-reader range.

Do you have an Amazon Kindle? What do you think of it? Let us know in the Comments section below.

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