My Kindle love affair: Review of the Paperwhite

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Jade
My love affair with the Kindle started in October 2008 when my husband purchased a first-generation Kindle for me. In those days, the Kindle cost ~$350. Crazy, right? That Kindle purchase marked a sharp decline in my purchase of dead tree books. I fell in love with the idea of carrying my entire library in my handbag, and practically overnight, I switched to e-books. My first e-book purchase was Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Acheron.
As the years passed, technology flooded the market. I wobbled in indecision over the iPad (two generations worth of it,) but pre-ordered the first Kindle Fire on the day it was made available for orders. I enjoyed the Fire, but had never intended to use it as my dedicated e-book reader, and in April 2012, I finally upgraded to the Kindle Touch.
Of course, five months later, Amazon launched the Kindle Paperwhite. AARGH!
I’m not the kind of person who constantly upgrades to the coolest, newest toy. I had held on to the first-generation Kindle through at least three evolutions of the Kindle, but the Paperwhite promised the one feature I truly craved…a lighted screen. Does it make a difference? Check out this picture of my Kindle Touch and Kindle Paperwhite. I can now read at night in bed without disturbing my sleeping husband. In addition, the Paperwhite provides fine control over the amount of light emitted, and I’m sure I’ll be able to find a comfortable light setting for any environment.
Let’s talk about some other differences:
Popular Books Listing: The Paperwhite’s home screen is divided into two sections. The top half is your library. If you swipe the top half, it expands into a full screen of your library. The bottom half of the home screen lists popular books, by genre. Swiping through that lower half allows you to see up to 20 books within that genre. Tapping on a book gets you to the Amazon product page where you can read the description and purchase with 1-click. I like this feature (despite its ominous forebodings for my wallet…)
Home page button: Unlike the Touch, the Paperwhite does not have a physical “Home” button. To access the home page, you need to tap on the top quarter of the screen to access the menu, and then tap on the home button. Two steps instead of one; minor annoyance but not that big a deal.
Text-To-Speech: The Kindle Paperwhite does not have text-to-speech (TTS.) I rarely use TTS anyway, so it’s not a deal-breaker for me, but for those who use their Kindles as a cheap version of audio books, the Paperwhite is not for you.
Auto Turn Off (with the official Paperwhite cover): I love this feature. No need to turn off your Kindle. Just close the cover and the Kindle turns itself off. The cover is sturdy, well-made, and fits the Kindle Paperwhite like a glove, without adding much bulk or weight to it. The Kindle is embedded into a tight rubberized grip that runs along all sides of the Kindle (except the small area at the bottom where the charger fits. No unsightly tabs or bands, and the Kindle will not slip out, under any circumstances. (I almost broke a fingernail trying to get the Kindle out of the cover.) The overall effect is seamless. The Kindle and the cover are one, and they look great.
Check out the Kindle Paperwhite and the official Kindle Paperwhite cover.
This entry was posted in Product Reviews and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

16 Responses to My Kindle love affair: Review of the Paperwhite

  1. Christina McKnight says:
    October 5, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    I want one soooo bad! I hate having my night light on to read…disrupts the hubby’s sleep

    • Jade says:
      October 5, 2012 at 4:06 pm

      I’m staying up tonight just to read and revel in my new Kindle. Amazon did a really good job on this most recent incarnation of the Kindle.

  2. Pingback: My Kindle love affair: Review of the Paperwhite | Jade Kerrion – Amazon Discount Kindles

  3. katyasnowqueen says:
    October 5, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Great post Jade, the light to be able to read while hubby sleeps sounds the perfect thing, will have to save up for one, or put it on my wish list

  4. Darlene Jones says:
    October 5, 2012 at 9:03 pm

    I didn’t think I would like a KIndle, but bought one as it’s too hard to pack enough books for 4 months in Mexico and the book exchanges there are terrible. I fell in love with my Kindle instantly. and wouldn’t want to be without it. I gave my first Kindle to my daughter and got a Kindle Fire. After reading this, I think I NEED the Paperwhite!!

    • Jade says:
      October 6, 2012 at 8:32 am

      I definitely support the Paperwhite for reading. The Paperwhite is much more relaxing on the eyes than the Kindle Fire, which is backlit and has lots of glare. The Kindle Fire isn’t great outdoors under full sunlight, whereas the Paperwhite is fully functional under all circumstances. Plus, there’s the issue of battery life. If I have any complaint about the Fire, it is in its lackluster battery life.

  5. rachelleayala says:
    October 5, 2012 at 11:36 pm

    I have the iPad for dark reading and the Kindle for beach and outdoor reading. You actually have 4 kindles? :)

    • Jade says:
      October 6, 2012 at 8:29 am

      Well, technically, there are 4 Kindles in the house and they are all mine. But the 1st gen is officially retired and the Fire is frequently in a child’s hands. Practically, I have two Kindles–the Touch and the Paperwhite.

      My husband gave me a dirty look yesterday when I said I was thinking about getting Amazon’s Fire HD 8.9″ tablet… :-)

  6. Bert Carson (@BertCarson) says:
    October 7, 2012 at 2:25 am

    Jade,
    Thanks for the great review. I’m glad the Paperwhite doesn’t have text to speech – if it did I’d buy one and it would be my 7th Kindle – at least five more than I need.
    Bert

    • Jade says:
      October 7, 2012 at 6:55 am

      Six Kindles? And here I thought I was being so terribly indulgent with myself. :-) You’ve given me, of course, the perfect justification for my Fire HD 8.9″. Keep up with the Carsons!

  7. Julia Kovach says:
    October 18, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    Jade, I’m new to your blog and enjoyed this review a lot. Thanks for some great information. I’m looking forward to reading more of your articles. xo

  8. Pingback: My Kindle fetish: Review of the Kindle Fire 8.9″ HD | Jade Kerrion

  9. Justin Bogdanovitch (@JustinBog) says:
    December 15, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    thanks, jade, I have the first two kindle incarnations and it’s the 2nd-gen where the battery is weakening (the first gen is so cute but it’s time for the assisted living kindle home and a nice retirement playing bingo with the others) . . . I love the idea of the paperwhite and will probably end up getting this sooner rather than later. I also love my first-generation iPad. Don’t like the new er iPad my partner has since it heats up so much and I don’t love holding it for any length of time. I hope apple has addressed the heat factor. cool review and I love your judgement.

  10. Pingback: October in hindsight at JadeKerrion.com | Jade Kerrion