The newest Kindle, popularly called the Kindle 3, has been described as the “best in its class” and “the one to beat” among e-book readers. This latest incarnation of the Kindle line has had a full year of mostly accolades and is currently an Amazon best-seller with the most 5-star reviews of any product on that site.
For E-Book Newbies
If you’re new to e-book readers (AKA e-readers or e-book devices), there’s some background information you might find helpful. These devices have been around since the ’90′s, but obviously they have grown up a lot since then.
You might be asking, “Why couldn’t I just store the books on my computer and read them?” Well, you could—that’s certainly an option. But one of the reasons e-book readers have become such hot sellers is that they are light, portable, easy on the eyes, and have little to no setup required or programs to install (and trouble-shoot). They are dedicated devices designed to “feel” like a book—lying in a hammock on a sunny day, curled up on the couch during a rainstorm, sitting on a boat with a fishing pole. Try reading some small print on your computer in any of those situations, and you’ll soon discover that you can’t ignore all the technology involved in what should be an engrossing experience.
The only difference is that instead of having to dedicate shelf space to hundreds of books—which, let’s face it, just sit there taking up room once they’re read—you have entire libraries available online at the push of a button. You can buy books, borrow books, find free books—even write and publish your own books for others to enjoy! You can annotate your books (write in the margins), interact with other people who enjoy the same genres, mark your place, make the letters larger or smaller, look at illustrations, search the text…these readers have indeed made the first major improvement to the book form since Gutenberg.
But not every device has succeeded equally in making the book better. Let’s take a look at what the Kindle 3 offers and what it delivers. Then you can decide if all the hype about e-book readers is justified.
Specifications/Features
At-A-Glance
- 6-inch display using e-ink Pearl with improved screen contrast
- 7.5″H x 4.8″W x .335″D
- 8.5 oz.
- 4GB built-in Flash memory, 3.3GB user-accessible; 256MG RAM (not expandable)
- Longer battery life with Li-Polymer 1750 mAh
- Uses Linux 2.6.26 OS
- 532 Mhz Processor
- 8 font sizes, 3 font styles
- Navigation via keyboard and 5-way controller
- Note-taking, highlighting, underlining capabilities
- Text-to-Speech capability
Readability
The Kindle uses an e-ink display, the best current technology to bring eye strain and glare down to levels equivalent to using paper books. With no back lighting, the device can be read as easily as a paperback, whether in bright sunlight or a dim indoors.
Another advantage of e-ink over LCD is that you can read the screen at extreme angles. You’ve probably seen how a computer screen can become essentially blank if it’s tilted too high or low, or you approach from the side. This effect does not occur with e-ink screens.
However, now that Sony and others have come out with touch screens that use Neonode technology on top of eInk, with no degradation of these desirable features, Amazon is going to have to work fast to offer the same no-keyboard functionality.
The Kindle 3 claims to have achieved 50% better contrast over earlier models through the use of the latest e-ink technology, called Pearl. Together with their proprietary font technology, this improved display led Popsci.com to rave that the screen was “just an absolute pleasure to behold.” The matte finish only accentuates the “paperish” quality of the display, making it that much easier to feel as if you’re reading a real printed page.
The Kindle 3 has 8 adjustable font sizes, controlled with the push of a button. For additional customizability, three font styles are provided as well. You might wonder why anybody would want to change the font style, but remember that more than books are available on this and many other e-book readers. Newspaper and magazine articles, PDF files, personal documents—most people are accustomed to seeing a particular font used for a specific type of information, and a traditional book font might be distracting in a different document type.
The Kindle 3 also has smaller, quieter page-turn buttons—less intrusive than before, and less likely to disturb others when reading in bed or on your lunchbreak. The addition of real page numbers makes it easier to let your book-club friends or teachers know where you are in your reading.
The text-to-speech options in this newer Kindle have been expanded. Now, in addition to having your book “read” to you (where the rights-holder granted permission), you can also hear all content listings, menu options and item descriptions.
Size and weight
The Kindle 3 retains its 6-inch display screen, but packages it in a smaller and lighter overall device—21% smaller and 15% lighter. The entire unit is no thicker than a pencil, and is smaller than most books. Its 8.5 ounces is getting a little heavy compared to recent competitors with similar-sized screens that include wi-fi capability. Users have commented favorably about the new size and layout, with more intuitive buttons, easier-to-use keys, and the unobtrusiveness of navigation for book-reading.
Speed
With an e-book reader, two main speed considerations are in play: page turns and downloads. You don’t want to waste all your battery waiting for books and articles to download; neither do you want to tap your foot while the page you’ve read disappears and the next one displays.
Amazon claims their page turns are 20% faster in the Kindle 3 than in the Kindle 2. There are no figures available for actual page-turn or refresh times, but the earlier Kindle compared favorably with all comers, so this improvement keeps it among the quickest.
In addition, Amazon provides optimized technology to deliver books and periodicals in less than 60 seconds (depending on file size—that statistic is for normal book-sized downloads). The downloads are dead simple—just connect over wi-fi or 3G to the Amazon store and select your book—in less than a minute you can start reading.
Memory
The new Kindle ships with twice the memory of the older version: 4GB (Flash) as opposed to 2GB. Although the memory is not extendable, this is sufficient to store about 3,500 ebooks and exceeds the installed capacity of any other reader available in this class.
Battery Life
Amazon improved the battery life in this model. Based on a half-hour’s use per day with the wireless turned off, you can expect the fully-charged battery to last up to 2 months. If you do use the wireless feature, battery life will vary based on how long it’s up. If you kept wireless on all the time, you’d get about 10 days from your battery.
The unit ships with a U.S. power adapter (100-240V) as well as a micro-USB cable for charging from your computer. It takes about 4-1/2 hours to charge the reader fully using the AC plug-in.
Connectivity
There are a number of connectivity options to consider with this newest Kindle. You can get a machine with Wi-Fi only or a Wi-Fi plus 3G machine. Both have a “special offers” option, where you agree to view ads in non-invasive contexts such as the screen saver and main menu in return for a lower initial price.
If you already have a high-speed internet connection and wireless router set up in your home, the Wi-Fi-only version will save you some money. With this model, you need a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect to the Amazon store to get books, so you can connect at home or at restaurants, hotels, airports and such.
The addition of 3G makes your Kindle as connected as your phone—anywhere you can get an Edge or UMTS signal you’ll be able to download books or connect to the internet.
Here’s how the prices break down:
- Wi-Fi only at $139.00, with special offers $114
- Wi-Fi + 3G at $189, with special offers $139
Web browsing is enabled via an experimental WebKit-based browser. You should not expect a rich internet experience from this device, since the display is black-and-white and the navigation is awkward, but it is nice to have access to the web in a pinch without dragging out other gear when you’re just reading a book. In addition, this feature is not available to some customers outside the U.S.
What’s in the Box?
A new Kindle comes with:
- The reader, with rechargeable battery installed
- A U.S. power adapter 100-240V
- USB 2.0 cable to connect to a computer or to the included power adapter
- Printed Quick-Start guide. (Kindle User’s Guide is pre-installed on the device)
- 1-year limited warranty and service (optional 2-year warranty sold separately to U.S. Customers)
Amazon Kindle 3 VS
vs. Kindle 2
The Kindle 3 compared to the Kindle 2 has been described as evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. The screen size is the same, but the body of the reader has been reduced in size for easier handling and greater portability. While they were at it, they improved the grip and changed some buttons based on user feedback and the new slimmer design, making this a very easy unit to carry, hold and handle.
The keyboard has been improved with slightly higher raised edges to make fingering a little more touch-sensitive. The page-turn buttons are smaller and quieter.
This new Kindle doubled the memory and the battery life over its previous version. It has sharper, cleaner fonts thanks to an upgraded e-ink technology and font-handling programming. The page turns are improved, with Amazon claiming a 20% faster display. Most page turns are a fraction of a second, so to the user this could well be noticeable.
The Text-to-Speech option has been expanded to include menus and item descriptions, and a new PDF reader has been built-in. This improves the display and functionality of PDF files users load into their device, enabling note-taking, highlighting, lookups, and password-protected access.
You can also load and play MP3 audio files on the new Kindle, as well as download library books (coming in 2011), lend books (depending on author approval), and choose from over 50,000 books from Audible.com.
The PDF reader has been enhanced to enable look-ups, markups and notes.
Sony Ereader 650
The Sony Ereader 650 is a touch screen device, which means the designers could do away with the keyboard and a lot of the buttons that make the Kindle a larger, heavier overall unit. The Neonode technology that Sony leases to make the eInk work as intended and still provide navigation by touch is a big point in their favor, and have allowed other manufacturers to leap-frog over the Kindle on this respect.
But if wireless is important to you, there’s very little competition here. For one thing, the Ereader is more expensive than the Kindle, even though it comes with a higher price-tag–$230 compared to $139-$189—and no wireless capability. Its battery life lags behind the Kindle (2 weeks) and its memory is still at 2GB compared to the Kindle’s 4GB.
On the plus side, this device supports the EPUB standard that so many people are clamoring for, and it does have expansion slots for more memory. In addition, if you’re really gung-ho to duplicate your phone’s and tablet’s touch screen interface, Sony has apparently got this one right. The stylus allows markup and highlighting, and the screen is high-contrast with little glare. It uses the newest e-Ink Pearl, just like the Kindle, and offers all the advantages of that technology plus the touch screen.
It is supposed that the touch screen is just more expensive to implement, and Sony could not justify adding wireless capability and remain within this price domain. A lot of people will find it perfectly acceptable to be tied to their computer for the time it takes to download books into the device, and just go from there. But for many others, the lack of wireless access is a deal-breaker when comparing this device with the Kindle.
vs. Nook
The newest Barnes & Nobles’ Nook Simple could just be a “Kindle Killer”, although it is so new it’s too early to tell what Amazon’s response to this threat will be.
Prior to this newest release, the Nook lost out to the Kindle due to it’s low battery life and larger size and weight. It also tried to marry LCD touch screen navigation at the bottom to the e-Ink display up top.
But now the Nook is actually smaller than the Kindle (still a bit fatter) and more than an ounce lighter, at 7.48 oz compared to 8.5 oz. Using the same Neonode technology as the Sony eReader, they’ve done away with the hybrid screen and made the whole display area a touchscreen without sacrificing the excellent contrast and “book look” of eInk Pearl.
The Nook has also been improved by a new battery that claims to have the longest life of any eReader battery—2 months with wireless off. Amazon claims the same for its Kindle, but specifies 1/2 hour’s use per day; B&N does not disclose any such criteria used in its claim.
Although it comes with only 2 GB installed memory, there is expansion capability for up to 32 GB of additional storage.
Offering the same wireless options as the Kindle, the Nook does not have any option for 3G capability. It also does not have any type of web browser and there is no audio support, so no audio books or MP3 music. Although it will support EPUB and PDF files, Barnes & Noble does not offer any conversion service for other popular formats like DOC or RTF. For screensavers, it will accept JPG, GIF, PNG and BMP files.
At $139, the new Nook is a solid contender for the Kindle’s crown for dedicated e-book readers.
vs. Kobo
The Kobo eReader Touch Edition (2011) is a serviceable unit that offers a good value buy compared to others currently on the market. At $129, it’s $10 less than the Kindle and the Nook, and comes with a $10 gift card that you can use to buy a protective case or other accessory.
This reader has the smallest footprint of all, 6.5″ x 4.5″, and at 6.5 oz is the lightest. It uses the same technologies as the Sony and the Nook to deliver a touch screen interface that still retains the best of the eInk Pearl feature, with no glare or distortion and an easy-on-the-eyes reading experience.
It’s battery life doesn’t compare well, however. It gives 1 month with 1/2 hour’s use daily. And it also requires additional memory if you want to store more than about 1,200 books.
What this unit lacks is a “zippy” interface to compare with the Sony and Nook, and the effortless shopping experience of Amazon. In fact, you have to download some “desktop” software from Kobo to even start using your e-reader to download books over wireless. The device does have a basic web browser, but no support for audio books for music. It will accept formats EPUB and PDF, as well as HTML and document formats like TXT and RTF.
A couple of things the Kobo does offer that the others don’t is more font styles (17), more colors (lilac, blue, silver and black), and multiple languages. It’s also got a soft, quilted design on the back that feels good, and its small size makes it easy to hold.
Supported File Formats
Probably the biggest disappointment to users when the Kindle 3 was announced is that it does not support the EPUB format that seeks to become the standard for textual display on multiple devices. However, Amazon has such a huge inventory of books available already (950,000) in their own format, plus the almost 2 million free, out-of-copyright books that are supported by the device, there doesn’t seem to be much to complain about here.
In addition, Amazon has pledged to enable free lending library capability by the end of 2011 for the Kindle 3.
Here’s a quick look at the file types the Kindle 3 will accommodate, whether directly or via conversion with the Personal Document Service Amazon maintains:
No Conversion
Documents
Kindle: AZW, AZW1
Text: TXT
Unprotected (no DRM) Mobipocket: MOBI, PRC
Audible
Audible: AA, AAX
Music
MP3: MP3
Conversion Necessary
These can be combined into a ZIP file which the conversion service will automatically open and convert.
Documents
DOC/DOCX, HTML/HTM, RTF
Graphic
JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP
Conversion Optional
You can download PDF files directly to your device, but to use the enhanced PDF functionality (zoom, notes, searching), you’ll need to let Amazon convert them first.
Screen Quality
The screen quality of the Kindle 3 is unarguably good. The text is clean and sharp, and the fact that it is not a touch screen might actually be considered a benefit, since you never need to deal with the “fingerprint” issue while you’re reading. Page-turn buttons on the side of the box mean you don’t have to resort to the keyboard to actually read—in fact, you don’t need to adjust your grip at all to proceed through your reading.
But all the competitors have implemented or are moving to the same eInk Pearl technology for their screens, and adding touch screens to boot. So whether the Kindle comes out on top basically depends on whether you feel lost without a touchscreen.
Another Kindle plus that’s not strictly related to screen quality is the matte finish on their case. This provides a nice low-contrast complement to the screen itself, in effect hiding the fact that you’re reading anything other than pages on a book. The Wi-Fi version comes only in graphite, while the 3G + Wi-Fi offers a white case itself.
As with all eInk screens, you will need a light to read at night, and Amazon has the best case available with a built-in LED light. Very clever design, but expensive at $59.99.
Build Quality and Design
The quality of the Kindle is very good. It feels solid and durable–”single state” comes to mind for some reason, although that might just be due to the color and the keyboard.
All e-book readers are vulnerable to shock, so a protective cover is a must. Curiously, none offers a cover in the box. There are many styles and providers to choose from, however, so make sure you factor in the cost of a suitable cover.
There are a few quibbles with the keyboard, such as some navigation keys being a little tight for error-free use, but a modicum of care and growing accustomed to using the keyboard should alleviate that.
The Good
The increased memory and battery life, along with the switch to eInk Pearl for the display itself, make this newest Kindle a better version than its predecessor. The price is a big improvement, too, although everyone is waiting for the first e-book reader under $100 to show its face soon.
The Bad
A non-replaceable battery and non-expandable memory will put some people off the device.
The Bottom Line
Meeting competitors’ challenges, like supporting lending library downloads and adding Wi-Fi connectivity, bodes well for Amazon’s willingness to keep making improvements that customers demand in order to stay on top. This probably means that a touch screen version will be coming soon, so if you really don’t like the physical keyboard on this model—but really appreciate the size of the Amazon library and the ease of ordering, downloading and keeping track of your purchases, it might be worthwhile to wait before ordering a Kindle. But if you don’t mind or even prefer the keyboard, this is the top-of-the-line e-book reader currently available.
Most Kindle 3 review articles are pretty positive — and for good reason: the Kindle 3 is a lovely device on the whole. If a touch screen is not a big deal, we say just go with the Kindle 3 as your ebook reader.