The new Amazon Kindle is one of Amazon’s most advanced e-ink screen-equipped e-book reading devices to date. It weighs less than 6 ounces and has an 18% smaller body than it predecessor, yet it offers the same amount of onboard storage space and better performance in terms of usage and battery life. To top it all off, it can be bought from Amazon in the US for only $79. That’s one bargain that’s definitely hard to pass up.
Many have referred to the Amazon Kindle e-book reader as the absolute best e-book reading device there is. It has a 6-inch e-ink Pearl screen, up to 1 month of battery life, and the ability to hold up to 1,400 books so that you can carry your entire library and more with you wherever you go. It also has built-in Wi-FI, which lets users access the digital content they’ve got stored in Amazon’s servers in the cloud, so getting new books in and out of the device is no problem at all. And all of these features are contained securely in a case that’s thin and light enough to carry in your pocket.
This Kindle works with regular USB 2.0 ports and supports a wide range of digital content formats such as TXT, PDF,MOBI, DOC, DOCX, JPG, HTML, and Kindle’s own AZW. The base model is priced so low because it is ad-supported, meaning ads show up on the screen every now and then while reading—though they are fairly unobtrusive. Those who have wanted to purchase and use a no-frills e-book reader that’s easy on the eyes as well as on the wallet have gone with the Amazon Kindle and never looked back.
Need To Know: Amazon Kindle
1. 6-inch e-ink Pearl screen is among the best in its class and really helps users maximize and prolong battery life. (The Good)
2. Built-in Wi-Fi helps users sync their digital content wirelessly any time there is an open Wi-Fi network. (The Good)
3. Lack of microSD card support limits maximum number of books or documents that can be stored on the device. (The Bad)
4. Lack of built-in backlighting mandates the use of cases with lights on them or avoiding reading at night altogether. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Hannah Bouckley, RecombuWith the Kindle Fire on the way - although we’ve yet to have a date of when this will come to the UK. It’s easy to think ‘I’ll hang on for that.’ And if you are looking for a tablet/e-reader that might be a wise move. However if your main priority from a portable device is reading, then the Kindle s...
- John Biggs, TechCrunchAs I said before, the Nook Tablet is an ereader with extras. You’re looking at a nice media device that also displays books. It has a few near-fatal flaws, but those can be remedied by the tech-savvy and ignored by everyone else. As it stands it is a strong and impressive improvement to the un...
- Jen Edwards, TabletPCReviewSince the new Kindle is missing several features that have been hallmarks of the original line since its introduction, notably the physical keyboard, music playback, and text to speech, this model really shouldn't be considered and upgrade for current owners or for students and others who want to ta...
- Andrew Cunningham, AnandTechThis new, low-end Kindle isn’t necessarily designed to be anyone’s first Kindle or anyone’s only Kindle, though its impulse-buy price will ensure that it is purchased as one or both. For that, I would look to the Kindle Touch, which will offer up much simpler and more intuitive nav...
- Stuart Anderton, TechRadarThe Amazon Kindle is small and light, has access to the largest selection of ebooks, and has thoroughly road-tested software in its fourth iteration. It's screen is state of the art and a pleasure to read on, and of course it now costs just £89. If you want a straightforward dedicated er...
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Manuals / User Guides
- Kindle Manual (PDF)
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