Kindle 3, a tasteful evolution to the most popular e-book reader, and now it fits in your stocking. The redesign of the Kindle adds a stylish new graphite finish. Meaning it no longer looks like a comically large second generation iPod had a bastard child with a PDF reader. It features a new 6.5″ E-Ink display with 50% better contrast than the Kindle 2. Images are crisp and sharp, blacks are deep and rich. At the same time it had a 15% reduction in size, and a 21% reduction in weight at only 8.7 oz. Page turn is now 20% faster although still a little laggy. A new rubbery finish was added to the back, which really lends itself to one-handed reading, and keeps your palms from sweating.
Although the redesign is far from revolutionary, it has some notable physical changes, besides proportions and color. The top row of numbers has been removed, and transferred to the symbol menu. The directional rocker now lays nearly flush with the body. Which may be a disadvantage to users with larger, sausage like fingers. A new sliding power button, volume buttons, micro usb port, and headphone jack were relocated to the bottom of the device. The headphones hag more comfortably. The side buttons used to turn pages have been flattered, and moved to the sides. Some people complain they are now easier to miss if you're buried in your book. I, personally, find them incredibly natural, and they make a satisfying nearly inaudible click when pressed. Advantageous if you're reading in bed while your partner is sleeping.
They've also doubled the storage space to 4GB, roughly 3,500 books, and doubled the battery life to 4 weeks (without WiFi disabled.) Just as the past model boast free 3G coverage so does this one but the $189 model also has WiFi capabilities. Including but not limited to transferring Audible audio books without the use of a computer. This leads me to the experimental features which are secondary not necessary.
Have you ever wondered what the interweb would look like as a silent film? Wonder no more sweet citizen! The Webkit delivers the internet in glorious (hilarious) gray-scale. Kindle 3′s browser, (as lackluster as it may seem) is a massive improvement on the previous generations. Full page view, now with photos! and page load speeds comparable to any smart phone. Article mode, which is supposed to change articles into text only format, leaves a lot to be desired. We've encountered no instance where it does anything significant at all, let along improve readability. It mainly just causes issues with margins and leads to a lot of scrolling. The new webkit can however zoom, display sites in actual size, or fit to device.
Although it doesn't support EPUB,(booooo) because of DRM issues, it does however support PDF with a cursor for highlighting text, and 6 new contrast options. You can also email PDF's directly to your kindle, and download them via WiFi.
Other new features include a microphone, download monitoring, full screen mode, 2 dictionaries, The Oxford Dictionary of English, and The New Oxford American Dictionary. Also Alt-Del combination for clearing text.
What We Like;
+ Light and thin ( highly portable)
+ Bright crisp display
+ Price $139, $189
+ 450,000 titles (30,000 are public domain)
+ Readable in direct sunlight
+ Archive, collections, create notes & bookmarks, as well as clipping articles
+ Callibre application to convert books to Kindle-friendly
+ Quality options such as text-size, type face, etc
+ Incredibly simple interface
+ Whispernet(over 100+ countries
+ Battery life!
What We Dislike (Or would've liked to have seen)
- No color
- No EPUB
- No video support (We wanted B&W youtube)
- Not great for text books or manuals (Sorry engineers)
- Board Games would be nice (Chess or Sudoku)
- Price $189 ( $99 would really make it a must-have)
- No back-lightingRecommended Accessories:
Kindle Lighted Leather Cover, Comes In 7 Colors
$59.99 (A little expensive but completely takes care of the back-lighting issue) available at Amazon.com and most places that sell the Kindle.
The Competition:
The Nook - Barnes & Noble $199
How it Outperformed:
+ In-house-support
+ Browsing with full text examples
+ More titles 100,000,000+ (and over 500,000 free)
+ E-Ink visplay LCD color display
+ LendMe- free book rentals for 14 days
+ EPUB, PDB support
+ Virtual keyboard
+ In-store discounts
+ Free wifi from AT&T at Barnes & Noble
+ Replaceable battery
+ MicroSD card slot
+ SonyReader library can be transferred
+ Sudoku and chess
+ Runs on Android
How it Underperformed:
- Smaller display - 3.5″
- Weight 12 oz
- Battery life 10 days (without WIFI)
- 2GB storage
- Price $199
- Screen contrast
- No text-to-speech
- No microphone
- No stereo speakers
- No Audible audio books (only mp3)
- No.txt,.doc,.docx support
- Slow and insensitive touchscreen (basically useless)
- Illogical and nonfunctional interface (Seriously I'm not trying to be mean but it's as if a blind person made it)
- Very buggy
- Horrid page refresh rate
We personally think the Kindle 3 blows the nook away. The aspects in which it performs better are overshadowed by it's faults. Which are distracting and frustrating, not lending to a proper reading experience. Which is the point of an e-book reader right?
The iPad - Apple - $486 $788
How it Outperforms:
+ Larger, color, capacitive touch screen
+ Video support (but no flash bawwwww.:[ Yeah I said it. )
+ iTunes
+ 1 GHz processor (no refresh rate issues here)
+ 16, 32, or 64GB storage
+ Bluetooth
+ Great for magazines and papers, technical manuals, and text books (due to color display)
How it Under-performs:
- Price $458 - $788
- Pay for 3G
- Weight/Size
- Battery life
- Oh you try to read in the sun, I dare you
- No notes, not even on the Kindle app
- Less titles (only 60,000 on iBooks for iPad)
- Books are more expensive
- Distractions while reading (Facebook, Twitter, etc)
I could sit and break down comparisons about who has more storage or a better screen all day. The real issue at hand is what do you want out of it? What do you need the e-reader for. If you want bright, bold, color pages, magazine articles, and YouTube videos. Then cough up the extra money and buy an iPad. If you want color display but don't care that the user interface may or may not have been coded by the mentally disabled. Then pay the extra $10 for the Nook. Barnes and Noble does have a broader selection of books. But if you're like us and you want a hand-held device because you like reading, not the bells and whistles. (Don't get me wrong who doesn't like toys.) Then the Kindle 3 is the cream of the crop, an avid readers dream of their entire library in the palm of their hands, in a package that weighs as much as a single paperback book.
All technical specifications were found on their respective companies websites. For more reviews like this, hot deals, coupons, news on gadgets and more visit. http://www.pixelsreview.com
Pixel is a professional blogger, and technology critic.
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