MarknDC "MarknDC" Say: Kindle - Wi-Fi - 6" E Ink Display
Great product but..., 2011-10-16
This review is for: Kindle - Wi-Fi - 6" E Ink Display
I have been a kindle owner for years and currently own the Kindle with Keyboard. I thought replacing the KwK for the new $79 version would be a no-brainer but after having lived with the $79 model for a few weeks I am returning it. Here's why:I won't go into all the positives since there are plenty of positive reviews already, but for me the best things about this model was its light weight and price.The negatives that led me to return it are these:1) Lack of 3G. I use my kindle for newspapers and so it needs to update every day. And true, most places have internet but I have been in several hotels recently that don't have wireless so it is a pain to have to pull out the laptop and do a manual transfer. Also, when I visit friends or relatives for the weekend, I want to get my newspapers but I don't want to bug them for their wireless password and spend the time setting it up. So the KwK's free 3G was a huge part of the decision.2) Button placement: I am right-handed and the KwK's square button is located right where my thumb naturally sits. Made for easy reading and navigation. With the $79 model's button located in the middle, I have to stretch my hand and/or turn the kindle at an angle to comfortably change pages. It makes a big difference when reading a newspaper which requires more button pushing than when reading just a book.3) Page turning buttons: The KwK has flat tabs on either side of the Kindle. Very comfortable to press. I settled in to read last night with the $79 kindle and its page turning buttons (which are more of a "corner" instead of a tab) made my fingers a little sore after a couple hours of reading. Also, they require a little more pressure to press than the KwK which is a little distracting.4) Keyboard. From a functional perspective, the lack of keyboard didn't bother me at all. I was able to shop and search with the $79's virtual keyboard just fine but the KwK's keyboard does make it a little easier to type in my searches. BUT... the kwk's keyboard adds an extra inch to the length of the kindle so when I lay on my bed with the kindle on my chest, that extra space props up the kindle to the perfect height for easy reading. The $79 model is so small (which is great in its own way) but requires that I sit it on a pillow on my chest to prop it up to the right height for easy reading. LOL- I know it sounds weird but when I settle in to read for a few hours, I like to be comfy! :)A few non-issues:I thought the ads would be annoying but they ended up being more interesting than the same old Agatha Cristies on the KwK. I took advantage of a few of them during the couple weeks I owned the $79 model and if I replace my KwK, I'll get the ad version with no hesitation.I don't use the Kindle for notes or any of the social networking features.I never used any of the audio features on either model so they played no part in my decision.I thought storage space would matter but even when I loaded up a few hundred books, they barely took up much space on either model. I don't use it for pdfs or personal docs so that didn't matter either.Oh - one thing that surprised me was that it seems like the more books you load, the more sluggish the screen refreshes. I saw this on both models. It seemed to help when I put books into collections but when I initially loaded all the books and had 73 pages to flip thru, performance was noticeably sluggish. (PS - I wish we could manage our collections on a computer... it is a pain to slog through screen after screen adding books to collections using the kindle interface.)Anyway, I love my kindle... even though I have an ipad, I still prefer to read on the kindle. Keep up the great work! :)Quick update:I forgot to mention that I did like the lack of flashing during page turns on the $79 kindle but it wasn't enough of a benefit to keep it in place of the KwK. Also, upgrading to version 3.3 seems to have boosted overall kwk speed and fixed the sluggishness I mentioned earlier.

J. Ts Say: Kindle - Wi-Fi - 6" E Ink Display
Facts to Consider when Buying This Kindle Instead of Others, 2011-09-29
This review is for: Kindle - Wi-Fi - 6" E Ink Display
First off, I received my new Kindle this morning. I previously owned the Kindle Keyboard, but actually really didn't like the keyboard or the way the buttons were pressed together. I'm not a fan of touch screens so I bought this one.There are a few things to know about this particular Kindle that can help you decide if it's right for you...Here is a list of things to know about this Kindle.1. You'll be using an onscreen keyboard with the 5-Way Controller. This is not a problem for setting up WiFi and a little writing but if you are an avid note-taker or do a lot of writing with your Kindle, you might want to opt for the Kindle Keyboard.2. NO AUDIO - If you are planning on listening to audiobooks, Mp3s, or Text to Speech on your Kindle, this is not the device for you. There is not even a headphone jack, so there is absolutely no audio support.3. 2GB! This device has 2GB of storage, which is half of all the others... if you seriously need to keep over 1,400 books or so on your Kindle, you should opt for one of the others, all of which have 4GB. I only keep a hundred or so books on mine and the rest are up in the Amazon Cloud waiting for convenient download.4. There's no 3G version but the WiFi works just fine.5. There is a shorter battery life. Amazon reports the battery life is only one month of reading, compared with the others that clock in at two months. If you are going to be away from electricity for over a month, first of all RESPECT!, second of all, you may want a Kindle that has the 2 month battery life.6. It's lighter than all the other versions. It weighs in at just under 6oz (170g). The closest competition is the Kindle Touch which is about 7.5oz.7. It has 5 buttons on the face at the bottom. In the middle is the big 5-Way Controller button as found on other Kindles. There are two small buttons on either side of this. On the left side, from left to right are the "Back" button and the "Keyboard" button. The "Back" button is the same as on other Kindles. The "Keyboard" button calls the onscreen keyboard onto the screen. On the right side of the 5-Way Controller are (again, from left to right) the "Menu" button, and the "Home" button. The "Next Page" and "Previous Page" buttons are the same as on other Kindles.8. Because of the above 5 buttons, I find it much easier to use than the Kindle Keyboard. On the Kindle Keyboard, the "Back" button was right below the 5-Way Controller, and I accidentally hit it on more than one occasion.9. On the bottom there is only the mini-USB port, the charging light, and the On-Off Button.10. There are not a whole lot of covers available for this Kindle yet. (Amazon's won't be available until the end of October.)As for reading, and as a pure reading device. It is awesome... in fact, without the keyboard, audio, and other features I don't need. This is actually the best one for someone like me who just wants to read.I've already successfully transferred my library, downloaded books over WiFi, and borrowed library books through the Overdrive Library eBooks System. My only small point of dissatisfaction is that there are so few good covers and accessories right now (though there ARE some available that look pretty good).All in all, I believe this is the BEST of all the Kindles currently available. Only consider others if you:a. Really want the touch screen version.b. Need audio.c. Need 4GBd. Need a big Kindle DX.e. Take a lot of notes or do a lot of writing that requires a keyboard.f. Prefer the design of another version.g. Need more than a month's battery power.Hope this helps someone make a good decision!(Brief update: I love this Kindle, but right now the scarcity of good, inexpensive covers for it is a little troubling. The Amazon made leather one with light won't be available until November or so and there are currently no inexpensive ones to use in the interim. I'll just have to use it gently for a month or so.)Update on cases:I mentioned this in the comments section, but I'll repeat it here for people who can't yet find a good case -Checking the specifications for the Kindle, Nook Touch, and Kobo:Nook Touch6.5 x 5 x 0.5 inchesKobo Reader6.5 X 4.5 inchesKindle (4th Generation)6.5 x 4.5 x 0.34 inchesIt looks like the Kobo is about exactly the same size and the Nook Touch is slightly longer. If you need a case but can't find one that you like yet, it may be worth a little hunting to see if a nook or kobo case or cover might fit the bill.

Michael Gallagher Say: Kindle - Wi-Fi - 6" E Ink Display
Outstanding Value and Perfect Price Point, 2011-09-29
This review is for: Kindle - Wi-Fi - 6" E Ink Display
I am writing this from the perspective of being a long-time Kindle user vs. someone brand new, and have updated this review on October 9, 2011, after using this version of the Kindle for a little over one week.From an overall perspective, considering the pricing at $79 vs. close to $200 for the "regular" Kindle with 3G ("K3G"), this Kindle with Special Offers ("KSO") one is a hands-down bargain. If you have wanted to get your kids a Kindle to encourage reading as well as sharing of books but hesitated because $200 is a lot of money to risk with a child, maybe at $79 this is your price point. From a size standpoint, it is 1/3 of an inch less in width and 1 inch less in length than my K3G I've had for about a year now, and while noticeably thinner than the K3G I can't tell you how much as I can't see the well enough to count the millimeter lines - take my word for it, it is noticeably thinner: I believe the dimensions as listed on each product page say they are the same, maybe it is because of the tapered edges on the end of the KSO. And lighter.Opening up the box, the only thing that is included is the KSO, a USB cord, and a one-page instruction sheet that shows you what the various buttons do. One noticeable difference I like (so far) is the on/off control is a button vs. a switch. Let's see how that holds up for durability. The right and left page turn buttons are on both sides of the Kindle which is pretty handy, and the only other buttons you have are the five way controller, back, menu, home, and a new "keyboard" button to activate the keyboard. One thing that is a little annoying is with the included USB cord - there is no adapter plug to charge it into a wall socket: you either supply that yourself or plug it up, for example, into your computer to charge. I guess they had to cut 25 cents out of the manufacturing costs somewhere, and that was one of the places.The display is crisp and dark. Looking at the display side-by-side in the same location of an eBook against my K3G, the text on the KSO is much darker. Considering the K3G after a year of use is still darker than my Kindle 2, I think that is saying something - you want to be able to read what you're supposed to, right?As mentioned above, you press a special key to activate the keyboard. To change letters or numbers, you need to move the 5-way controller and individually pick your letters and numbers. I find that to be a little bit of a pain in the neck as you click a bunch of times to pick, for example the letter "l" then click a bunch more times to pick the letter "a." I don't use the keyboard very much, but that may bother some people who use the keyboard frequently. With this method, however, you run away from the graphite K3G issue of letters constantly being rubbed off and not being visible. I don't know why, maybe because of the lack of a keyboard, but you can't use the interactive games like Scrabble on this KSO like you can with the K3G - I am glad I cured my Scrabble addiction or I would be a little bummed.If you like the text-to-speech feature of previous Kindle models or listened to music with your previous Kindle, please be aware there are no speakers nor is there a plug for headphones.Web surfing speed with the wireless only on with my K3G is about the same as with the KSO - my test was hitting the main pages of the mobile websites of Fox News, CNN, and Google. I pushed "go" or "enter" at the same time on each and did not see a visible difference in the load speeds start to finish. I did try to check one of my Google email accounts on both but it crashed on both - that has been a continuing problem checking email with your Kindle for some time now.One last thing to point out - if you order one (or have ordered one), you probably saw the option to add a cover. The "official" Amazon cover is not available for about a month, but there are some available from third parties. I didn't order one because of the ship date, but I sure would like one as I like the feeling of thinking I am actually holding a book.Reading over this review, it might seem a little negative - that is not my intention at all, but more of a comparison of what I am used to vs. what we have with this version of the Kindle. I actually love it, and think it will help explode the ebook revolution even further as they get in more people's hands. If you have not purchased a Kindle before due to price, and this one is in your price zone, I would strongly recommend this one!