When Amazon introduced their Kindle e-reader in 2007, we couldn’t help but wonder if they fully grasped the magnitude of what they had just done. With a single device, they completely revolutionized the way we read, and over the past nine years they have continued to improve their design and product.
Although other companies have followed suit, Amazon is still the undisputed king of the e-reader, and their All New Kindle E-reader (2016 edition) is sure to live up to their stellar reputation and provide the quality that we’ve come to expect.
Kindle 2016 Overview
Contents
The 2016 Kindle Touchscreen is priced at about $80 with special offers. While this does not represent a price change, we wanted to point out that Amazon has made a concerted effort to keep their devices reasonably priced, in order to be affordable for everyone. And if you think about it, it’s a small price to pay for a device that holds thousands of books. Try to imagine buying thousands of books at the bookstore.
The new Kindle is also lighter and thinner than the previous version, and is now available in two colors–black and white.
Design Features
With a body that is 11% thinner and 16% lighter than its previous version, the 2016 Kindle Touchscreen is easily held in one hand for a comfortable reading experience. And since the Kindle emits no light, there is no blue light to mess with your melatonin levels and whack out your sleep–meaning this is the perfect bedside companion!
The Kindle uses actual ink particles and hand-built fonts to create a reading experience that is as close to real paper as…well…real paper! And unlike a tablet, which has multiple functions, the Kindle is a dedicated e-reader, meaning that you won’t be interrupted by email notifications, Facebook videos that you have to like in order to save a small, starving puppy, or news stories that give you a crazy headache. It’s just all books, all the time.
Key Features
Page Flip: This feature allows you to page through a book without losing your place. When you swipe to a new page, your device saves the current page at the side of the screen, so you don’t have to flip back through and try to remember where you were.
Export/Share Notes: This new feature allows you to export notes and highlights from a book directly to your email, meaning you can save them onto another device or email them to a friend with ease. Notes can either be received as a PDF or in simple text, meaning you should have no trouble accessing them no matter where you are.
Word Wise: Word Wise allows you to read more challenging materials and expand your reading abilities. Short definitions automatically appear above difficult or challenging words, and tapping on the word will bring up a card with alternate definitions, synonyms and more. And words that are looked up in the dictionary are automatically added to Vocabulary Builder to encourage retention and expand your knowledge base.
About this Book: Provides a short summary of the book, insights into the characters, other books by the same author and other books in the series.
X-Ray: Allows you to see relevant characters, events, historical references and more in an easy-to-use timeline format. A great tool if you are rereading a book and want to remember the main idea and key players.
Family Library: Allows you to access not only your own books, but also those of a spouse or partner who has a linked account.
Kindle 2016 vs. Kindle Paperwhite 2015
In general, the Paperwhite is thought of as the more “sophisticated” of the e-readers. It comes with a 300 dpi high resolution screen, is backlit, and, generally, has a longer battery life. That being said, it’s rare these days for us to be very far away from an electrical plug, so unless you are planning on an extensive wilderness hiking trip or getting ready to sail around the world in a sailboat, chances are you won’t run out of battery before you are able to plug your device in.
The Paperwhite is slightly heavier (7.2 oz. vs. 5.7 oz.) but in general, we can’t imagine that such a small difference in weight would be the tipping point (no pun intended) one way or the other. Read the detailed comparison with Paperwhite here.
The Paperwhite does have 3G access as an option, while the Kindle does not, which means that if you are not connected to WiFi, you will not be able to download new books on the Kindle. That being said, you do have free access to AT&T hotspots across the US, so if you can find one, you’re golden.
So…why do I need one of these?
If you own an older model Kindle and have been considering an upgrade, this might be a good time to jump on it. Although this is Kindle’s lowest-priced model, it comes with features that definitely make it worthwhile. It is small enough to fit in a purse, pocket or backpack. It is small enough to fit in a purse, pocket or backpack, has an insanely long battery life, and holds thousands of books. It provides the ability to both send and receive documents in PDF format, allowing you to use it for a business presentation where you don’t want to drag along your computer.
That being said, if you are looking for a device with backlighting, 3G access or gaming capability, then this probably isn’t the best model for you. While you are able to connect to WiFi and access email and social media, the interface will be a little rough and you would be better off looking into a tablet such as the Kindle Fire. In general, though, customers seem very satisfied with this latest offering from Amazon. It’s definitely worth a look.
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