Kindle Paperwhite 2013 – Review
The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2013 can most likely be crowned king of the eReader. Find out in our review. A different product: this is what I thought when I picked up the Kindle Paperwhite 2013 to test it. Usually do a review of a product I do not take longer than a few weeks of use to be able to better understand and be able to draw conclusions, but with Paperwhite, it took a little more time.
Not because the product is complex in itself, what actually because personally, I never got to try an eReader and write a piece on it. That said after the first initial hesitation, here is the review of the Kindle Paperwhite 2013.
Kindle Paperwhite – Bello, Practical and Light
While the Kindle Touch to your Kindle Paperwhite 2012 Amazon decided to completely change the lines of its ebook reader, with regard to the transition from the 2012 version to the 2013 novelties are really minimal indeed, are reduced to a simple.
Let’s start. With order and analyze the new Kindle Paperwhite from top to bottom: the first thing that surprised in a positive way is definitely the continuity of the material used that makes up the rear bodywork (single continuous element) and that is extinguished where a frame starts a side but always in plastic that gives a feeling of strength to the eye, as if to show how Kindle Paperwhite is a product of shock resistant. The front, finally, is made from another plastic element, this time semi-gloss and partially more slippery, where it makes a display space 6″ diagonal.
The second major element is definitely the mere presence of a single dedicated button to stand by / on waking Kindle. Personally, I found it quite comfortable: it is at the bottom of the device and partially protrudes to be easily traced.
The fact that it is not on the side is not a bad idea, as it prevents accidental pressing while reading. Places immediately to the side of this element are in order from right to left a small status LED, showing when the Kindle is in charge and, at the left end for the note, a microUSB input, dedicated just to recharge the device.
Overall, the sense of uniformity given by this device is not at all bad, indeed! The changes made in this new Kindle from Amazon, compared to the version that now dates back to two years ago (2012), consists in replacing the impression of the Kindle name on the back with the name of the company, or Amazon. As mentioned, the change is really unimportant but must take into account the fact that the new Kindle reached with the previous generation, very good for the point of view of design.
The only negative note, though perhaps a little too personal, going to hit the frame that surrounds the display: for my taste is a bit too thin (although this is now also in the fashion world of the tablet) and the first time to understand what is the best grip is a bit… you know, a bit tricky.
Overcome the uncertainty Kindle Paperwhite become perhaps the best friend of every reader. These are also thanks to other features (many intrinsic displays – which we will discuss shortly) including weight, which stands just over 206 grams. To this, we can combine the data concerning the thickness, which in turn is very limited: just 9.1 mm.
When eInk meets lighting and a processor to scream.
Amazon was one of the most experienced companies in the world of digital reading, there was no doubt but thanks to the introduction of Kindle Paperwhite. The U.S. giant has managed to achieve a degree of quality offering the customer really very very interesting.
The new eReader has been able to offer with its 6″ display also a great upgrade from the version passed. If the dimensions remain the same, to improve the brightness is certainly that, although slightly, we show how improved compared to the Kindle Paperwhite 2012.
The definition of the display remains the same, or 212 ppi, as well as the gray scale tones to 16 which is supported and, which is capable of offering different shades to the pictures in the books. What’s new he introduction of the Charter for the electronic ink technology, designed to improve the yield (personally I have not noticed much difference, so I just report the presence of this new technology) of the sign.
Leaving aside, the comparisons with the older generation, we take this as a new device, which is already out of the box is used to the fullest. The display, which is formed from three different overlapping panels, it is very convenient to use and of right size: the result of a 6 ” is just less than a book in A5 format, with the advantage that, having regard to the definition of the display, we way to adjust the font size (and the same font) according to our needs, to have the best possible reading experience.
The most interesting elements of this display are two: the first is the great readability in direct sunlight, as well as in conditions of maximum darkness due to the presence of a layer that allows the lighting, if the ambient light was very high, we will adjust the display in order to see what we find written. Similarly happens otherwise, or when the external illumination is nothing, and we will be then taken to lower almost to the minimum brightness.
Do not think that raising the brightness when the outside is high and vice versa is a contradiction: to have maximum illumination in complete darkness could really create situations of discomfort but, fortunately, to decide the brightness is really simple thanks to be simplified Kindle Paperwhite.
The second element concerns instead the refresh rate, which is supported by a processor of the latest generation, and that appears to be (according to the data Amazon) equal to 25% more than that of the previous model.
It may seem a silly thing but scroll a page with Kindle Paperwhite is really convenient and fast, reminding us that we are not talking about an LCD display, update the disposition of electronic ink is something that in the past has required much more time. The display is then passed with flying colors both in size, which for brightness, contrast and sensitivity to touch.
Kindle Paperwhite – Battery
For those who are used to being in contact with technological tools (such as this writer), Kindle Paperwhite is really a great news from the point of view of the battery. The speech is much broader than simply ” the battery lasts so much ” as the variables to be taken into account in the analysis phase are varied. The first is the fact that the Paperwhite is not a tablet: compare it to a product of this type would be fundamentally wrong (and this is a mistake that Amazon, long ago, has accomplished).
Tablets allow you to do just about everything, while an ebook reader, no matter how advanced, still offers a specific service and this has even been restricted from Amazon with the Kindle Touch to switch from Paperwhite, who has lost the ability to play audio content (not bad from my personal point of view).
Why is this premise? Simply, to explain that, despite the battery is really outstanding, the type of computation that must be performed by Paperwhite is really low and therefore not comparable to that of a completely different device, such as a tablet. But moving beyond this point, it is definitely amazing to know they can get your hands on a product of just 206 grams of weight that offers a battery life that far exceeds the week of use.
Amazon has clearly tried to make an average, but the only thing that I found to be ” in favor of life ” is the brightness, which I usually use to a level equal to 3/4. For everything else, on average I was fortunately able to read for the longest time and the Wi-Fi or 3G module (this is the version we got to review) are turned on and then consume battery.
Overall, to get to the point, so I had to find out how the average battery life of the Kindle Paperwhite 2013 to be approximately ten days, that life is really very interesting, and it will not let you walk while reading.
Kindle Paperwhite – The Menu interface
The graphical interface is very simple and has been high on a status bar that displays information such as time, battery level, the type of connection used and the name of the device. Just below, in the main menu, there is another bar where they placed several buttons that allow you to access the various functions.
The first is the Home button, which replaces the key physical features of the consideration in this older generation of Kindle. Immediately, to its right there is a back button arrow-shaped, button-shaped bulb (which allows us to adjust the brightness), a key-shaped basket to access the Kindle store, a button in the shape of the lens to access the search content both online and offline and a key to access the option’s menu.
At the bottom of the screen take up space all of our books, as well as those recommended us directly from Amazon (portion that can be disabled and used as a library like the one above it). For every book, we are shown the progress, as well as the cover, to allow a more immediate recognition. For those who prefer, you can also turn the display list instead of icons, which definitely shows a greater number of books ” per page “.
Thanks to the internal memory of 2 GB, the Kindle Paperwhite can hold up to 1100 books, which can be categorized, in order to improve tracing. For all the books that they found space on your Kindle. Amazon cloud offers a space where there are all your purchases, which you can access whenever your connection is active.
Kindle Paperwhite – The reading interface
Once you open one of the books in our library, we naturally begin to leaf through it. It is very nice, especially when the books have diagrams, pictures or a certain type of formatting different from the standard one, see how the Kindle can provide the same kind of experience that you might have on the paper version of a book.
At the opening of the book, of course, 99% of the occupied space on the display is dedicated to the contents, and footnotes, there are two really useful information: on the left, the position within the book (by executing a touch on it, we may decide if it appears to show the remaining time to finish reading the chapter the performance of current reading, as well as time at the end of the book) on the right a percentage roughly shows us where we are positioned within the book.
To access additional information, just do a touch in the top center of the display: at this point, it reappears (slightly modified) that we saw the menu in the main menu of Kindle. At these functions adds a new line of possibilities, including changing the font on the basis of size, font used, line spacing and margins, and the ability to access a menu-speed highway, the ability to share on a social network what we are reading and the ability to add a bookmark, which can be added more quickly (in menu closed) simply by performing a touch in the upper right of the display.
Even at the bottom brings up a dialog that shows the information mentioned earlier in the reading time and the location in the book, we can also be accessed from here to a new ” menu “, a window through which we can scroll speed to a page without losing the sign of what we are reading.
A little as when, on school books, you look at a page, and you will be sent to this concept chapter ago and do not want to miss the sign: rather than placing a finger on a page, in this case, we just start this menu, also accessible by simply scrolling from the bottom to the center of the bottom of the display.
This feature is also very useful, for example, if we have a book that puts the notes at the end of the chapter, and at some point we feel the need to read for a better understanding of the meaning of a specific part.
In this way in a short time be able to navigate from one part of the book in great simplicity. If you select a word or a sentence, finally, we will highlight them and keep them in mind, rather than receive (in the case of a single word) also meaning. Of this, will be discussed shortly in a specific paragraph.
Kindle Paperwhite – Settings
Let’s take a step back and look at what are the settings that the Kindle Paperwhite makes available to us: the first, and perhaps most importantly for traveler who often frequent the plane is the homonym modality, ie Airplane Mode, which disables all the internal antennas so as to allow the use of the Kindle during a flight that is not allowed to keep them lit.
Then there is a second voice that gives us access to different WiFi networks that are nearby. We have then a voice recording, which allows us to register our name in a device (usually Amazon sends its customers a device already set up the account with which you made the purchase).
There are also several options about the device, such as the customization time, of a code block, rather than the language and dictionaries. Finally, there are also the options of reading, which allow you to activate enrich your vocabulary, you add the data relating to their social networks and to determine the settings of notes and highlights.
Functions ” Web ” : Wikipedia, downloading content and experimental browser.
For Amazon ” read ” does not mean ” just read ” but to have a whole range of tools that can help you improve your understanding of what that surrounds and have the ability to be open to not only present content on the Kindle Store.
So let’s start by talking about the download of content: This feature is very interesting and allows, by sending an e-mail to your Kindle e-mail, read some compatible file types (eg PDF – unfortunately not ePub are supported) directly to your eReader. Clearly, not all e-mail sent to this address will be displayed and, in addition, there is a mail client.
We must therefore set the addresses enabled accounts to send email (for example, I enabled the reception by two of my various mailboxes) and only what is sent from these addresses will appear, by connecting directly to your library.
All this is very handy, for example, if you think there comes along a PDF via email on your smartphone and you prefer to read it on a larger screen while you are traveling. This way you can quickly share the file and open it directly from the Kindle Paperwhite.
The second function that I would like to pay attention is the browser test: a small built-in web browser that allows browsing of the internet. Unfortunately, for those who buy the WiFi version of 3G, when connect to different pages from the store Amazon is not possible except by WiFi network, making the 3G useful only under certain synchronization functions.
Scrolling through web pages is clearly not as fluid as on a computer or on a tablet, but for those few, claims may be acceptable for a quick reference. Sure, you can surf the 3G there would not be displeased, also saw that the connection is no charge, visa agreements that Amazon has made with various mobile operators worldwide.
Last and interesting Features is instead a direct connection to Wikipedia: this is an introduction that came with the latest Kindle Paperwhite and allow, at the time of reading a book, find a word directly from the largest online encyclopedia in the world. Simply hold down on a word that you do not know or a name of a place, you will have access to the portal and discover the features and details.
Kindle Paperwhite – Enrich your vocabulary.
Another added feature this year enriches your vocabulary: thanks to long press on a word besides being able to access Wikipedia to find out the details, we can make up vocabularies directly to Amazon, which provide the meaning of the word from dictionary.
In addition, at the time of prolonged pressure, it will be saved in a personal dictionary that is added to the home page. In it are placed all the words in your query, so as to allow the consultation on multiple occasions.
When you are sure that you have learned the meaning of a word, you may want to remove it from the dictionary. The function, which may seem obvious, it really can be great, especially for those who, in very specific fields such as medicine, you may not know all the meanings of the words that are placed in front.
Is also interesting to remember that the dictionary can also be used in language, or allows use even as we read texts in different languages. In this case, the function is very useful as it allows us to understand the meaning of a word without having to leave the reading page and then be able to see again at a later time.
The dictionary (it must be said) is not bilingual and monolingual but this move, at least in my view, is really good, as it allows a better language learning through the use of synonyms or paraphrases, certainly more useful than a mere translation.
Kindle Paperwhite – Conclusions
So here we come to conclusions. As mentioned at the beginning, it was not a simple review, but in the end, slowly, we were able to analyze this product for what it is and for what it offers, being able to draw conclusions about him. But let’s recap briefly. What are the main characteristics of this product for Amazon?
Kindle Paperwhite 2013 level of design has not undergone substantial changes over its predecessor, and the real novelty is given by the presence of a better processor and a few more features that have been implemented in the software. As you have noticed, we really much in his hands when gripping a Kindle Paperwhite and not just a book. Its display is truly stunning, as well as its battery and the services offered.
Kindle Paperwhite 2013 is available in two versions, or only Wi-Fi and WiFi 3G. The second, which is what we have tried, but it seemed so relevant from the functional point of view. Let me explain: the experimental browser does not work with only the 3G connection to surf the Internet freely and the only real function allowed with this type of connection is timing, which can also occur due to the use of your smartphone as a hotspot (of course if you have this feature).
So if you have a smartphone that can share its Internet connectivity, maybe spend $60 more could be an expense is not too sensible. If you need to stay connected to sync your progress, and you do not have a smartphone to use as a hotspot (though no doubt it is more convenient to use the internal 3G rather than having to go through the phone), then maybe the 3G version is the one that’s right for you.
Personally, I do not think it is essential, but it is clearly a personal matter, and every buyer needs to understand what their needs actually are. The speech connection we refer directly to the speech battery: if you remember, when we talked about the battery, we told you that Amazon had estimated by calculating an average duration to have Wi-Fi turned off.
Essentially, without this connectivity present in a continuous manner, it becomes much more cumbersome for the user to synchronize your progress with the cloud, that is why the Wi-Fi is to be considered as always on.
That said, since I have you bored, not just with these eternal conclusions, let’s talk about prices: the 2013 version of Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi only costs $119, all in all a very affordable price! The Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi version 3G has a price of $189, which of course is dedicated to covering the costs of the antenna and agreements tight from Amazon with the various operators.
Also in this case is not an outrageous price, but once again, I advise you to properly evaluate if the 3G really serves (maybe it will be more useful when the browser allows you to surf the Internet more or less freely, even if only for a certain number of MB per day).
Our Opinion
PROS : Cloud-based collections, Goodreads integration, and robust parental controls. Bright, even edge lighting. Ebook store.
CONS : No memory card slot or headphone jack.
- Design
- Display
- Performance
- Battery
