A Perk and An Assessment

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My new Kindle Touch. Forgive the sucky picture. It was night,
I was using my iPad camera, and I really take sucky pictures.

I work in digital publishing. So, though I have my own trusty Kindle 3, now being rebranded as the Kindle Keyboard, I was issued today with this new office equipment. Yep, the Kindle Touch. Of course, I did a little happy dance inside.:)

I've been giving the Touch a test run, and here's what I found so far...

The Good:

  • It's smaller and lighter.
  • I can secure it with a numerical code.
  • There seem to be more setting options.
  • It's easier to transfer books into folders or collections.
  • It's touch screen!

The Not-so-good:

  • The screen is deep, so there's a slight shadow on whichever side the light comes from, and it's a bit distracting. (In the picture, check out the shadow on the right edge of the screen. Sorry, I'm a nitpicker.)
  • The keys on the screen are small. Even if the keys on the Kindle 3 are small, too, at least it's tactile so I make less mistakes in pushing the keys.
  • If you have big fingers, the left margin area to move the page back might be too small for you.
  • If your library spans more than one page, you'll have to type in the page number to go to the other pages.

Ok, ok, a lot of the not-so-good things really are nitpicky. I can't really say much yet about the battery life since I just charged it. And truth to tell, I haven't explored everything it can do. But for the record, to everyone who asks why I've always said I prefer this over a Kindle Fire or a Nook Tablet, I reply with one answer: e-ink.

I honestly find it hard the stuff I like to read on backlit screens, such as iPads or any of the other tablets. I do, however, love e-ink because there's no glare and it reads like paper. I'm an old curmudgeon that way. The only things I am willing read on a backlit screen tablet are graphic novels and picture books.

So thank you, makers of e-ink, for being kind to my eyes. And thank you, workplace, for the new plaything.

And now, back to regular programming, which means trying to finish The Sisters Brothers.

Comments

dementedchris said…
I've always wanted to try reading with e-ink. Happy reading, Honey!
January 6, 2012 at 8:43 AM
fantaghiro23 said…
@Chris - Hi, Chris! Thanks.:) E-ink's great. Though I know lots of my reader friends also have no issues reading novels on the iPad. I guess it's really a matter of preference.
January 6, 2012 at 9:02 AM
Monique said…
My husband just got his Touch after his Kindle Keyboard conked out last year, and he just loves this new gadget. He doesn't care much about the keyboard because he doesn't type much (really, he just reads), so the Touch is perfect for him. And oh yes, the e-ink. Awesome technology. :)
January 6, 2012 at 9:58 AM
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