Paperwhite Second Gen: First Impressions

[fearindex]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Call it fourth or fifth impression...

Last night my Little Man was struggling to go to sleep. After finishing a level in my video game, he was still crying. I grabbed my PW2 and went into his room. He snuggled his head into my shoulder. I sang a little bit and rocked. As he drifted off I turned on my PW2. The light was far less distracting then the iPad light. He started to become dead weight, I read two chapters. No blobs, pin holes, or any issues. One sleeping toddler, one Mommy who enjoyed the cuddle, felt good for comforting her little man, and enjoyed reading a couple of chapters in her book.

This could have happened with any other front lit e-reader but I have the PW2. Loved it more then ever last night. When the little man was a baby, I would rock him and eventually end up using the iPad. Harder to hold and more light (due to the larger screen size). It would take 30-40 minutes of rocking to get him to fall asleep soundly enough that I could put him in his crib. I wish I had had the PW2 then, it is so much easier to hold and work with.

Yes, I can see how a dimly lit PW2 would be better in that scenario than an LCD or cover-lighted e-ink reader unless it too has an adjustable light.

[Helgetus]

Originally Posted by Belle2Be

Is there a way to change the collections cover?

You can not change the cover of collections. But the cover changed from firmware 5.4.0 to 5.4.2. It looks nicer with the latest firmware.

[jangell2]

Originally Posted by VictoriaP

My experience with Collections on the 5.4.2 update is in the other thread (and over on Kboards). It's not been pretty, but not as bad as some; hence "nuisance".

Which thread is this? I'd like to read about your experience.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by jangell2

Which thread is this? I'd like to read about your experience.

This is the thread. As I am about to post in it, it will jump to the top.

As for this thread's topic: First impression - I loved the PW2. Last impression - terrible. Update ruined my experience. Device is being returned today.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by booklover6

This is the thread. As I am about to post in it, it will jump to the top.

As for this thread's topic: First impression - I loved the PW2. Last impression - terrible. Update ruined my experience. Device is being returned today.

How did it ruin your experience?

[booklover6]

The cloud collections part of the update ruined my experience. I side load 100% of my books, because I run them all through Calibre and edit the formats to my liking. I also didn't have wifi on except once a month. Thus, after the update, I got constant pop up windows about not syncing to the cloud, not being connected to wifi, I couldn't stand it. (Not to mention that it imported every collection I ever had on any Kindle since 2010..4 different devices...hundred or more collections that I didn't need or want). So yeah, it ruined the experience for me.

I could have just not used collections at all, but that was the last straw. I was already annoyed at having to embed my fonts and then open and change to publisher defaults. So like I said, cloud collections was the final nail.

I needed to use collections to put my books in, as my son was reading a book on it and I wanted him to be able to find it. So now he is reading it on my Kobo Glo, which has a home page with recent book cover tiles that I love, and he should be able to find his book right there any time.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by booklover6

The cloud collections part of the update ruined my experience. I side load 100% of my books, because I run them all through Calibre and edit the formats to my liking. I also didn't have wifi on except once a month. Thus, after the update, I got constant pop up windows about not syncing to the cloud, not being connected to wifi, I couldn't stand it. (Not to mention that it imported every collection I ever had on any Kindle since 2010..4 different devices...hundred or more collections that I didn't need or want). So yeah, it ruined the experience for me.

I could have just not used collections at all, but that was the last straw. I was already annoyed at having to embed my fonts and then open and change to publisher defaults. So like I said, cloud collections was the final nail.

I needed to use collections to put my books in, as my son was reading a book on it and I wanted him to be able to find it. So now he is reading it on my Kobo Glo, which has a home page with recent book cover tiles that I love, and he should be able to find his book right there any time.

Your stumbling block was Calibre. From what I've seen here, Calibre users should probably stay away from Kindles altogether.

I have never used Calibre and never will. I am totally satisfied with the Amazon Kindles and their firmware upgrades. ALL my eBooks are purchased from Amazon and fit my Amazon Collections to a "T."

I open WiFi every time I read on a Kindle and look forward to all their upgrades.

Usage of Calibre seems to be a hobby unto itself and its users have far different needs than non-Calibre users.

Those, who use Apprentice Alf, as well, should probably stay away from Kindles. Those users are in a totally different world than are conventional Amazon eBook buyers.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by booklover6

The cloud collections part of the update ruined my experience. I side load 100% of my books, because I run them all through Calibre and edit the formats to my liking. I also didn't have wifi on except once a month. Thus, after the update, I got constant pop up windows about not syncing to the cloud, not being connected to wifi, I couldn't stand it. (Not to mention that it imported every collection I ever had on any Kindle since 2010..4 different devices...hundred or more collections that I didn't need or want). So yeah, it ruined the experience for me.

I could have just not used collections at all, but that was the last straw. I was already annoyed at having to embed my fonts and then open and change to publisher defaults. So like I said, cloud collections was the final nail.

I needed to use collections to put my books in, as my son was reading a book on it and I wanted him to be able to find it. So now he is reading it on my Kobo Glo, which has a home page with recent book cover tiles that I love, and he should be able to find his book right there any time.

I hear you, and you have valid concerns, but to be perfectly honest, the issue is not with Kindle, but you trying to side load books and using Calibre; nice software but certainly not designed by Amazon. Amazon's intentions are actually clear, you getting or buying books from them. Any deviation of that may break whatever customized experience you may have now. Kind of reminds me previous Nooks, when people start complaining that B&N patches broke their readers! after installing custom ROMs.

I also had some "ghost collections" from previous Kindle devices. I just deleted those once and that fixed the issue. They no longer appear on my newer Kindles.

I've read the other thread and the people that are complaining are basically because one of these two reasons, or both :

-They shared same Kindle account
-They side load content and barely use or buy Amazon books

Which again, valid concerns but maybe they should stay away of Kindles altogether and get a more "international" type of reader, like a Sony or Kobo.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by jocampo

I hear you, and you have valid concerns, but to be perfectly honest, the issue is not with Kindle, but you trying to side load books and using Calibre; nice software but certainly not designed by Amazon. Amazon's intentions are actually clear, you getting or buying books from them.

I call bullshit. A reader should work work without any connection to the internet. If I disable the reader's network, it should (IMHO) automatically disable all functionality that needs online access, instead of starting you to nag to connect.

If there's one thing that makes me abandon software, then it's nagging and trying to try and force things upon me.

I have a KPW1, and it already nags quite enough when inadvertently hitting a button that starts a function that needs web access, such as Wikipedia. If the KPW2 nags even more while using the device, that might prompt me to look into other readers in the future.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I call bullshit. A reader should work work without any connection to the internet. If I disable the reader's network, it should (IMHO) automatically disable all functionality that needs online access, instead of starting you to nag to connect.

If there's one thing that makes me abandon software, then it's nagging and trying to try and force things upon me.

I have a KPW1, and it already nags quite enough when inadvertently hitting a button that starts a function that needs web access, such as Wikipedia. If the KPW2 nags even more while using the device, that might prompt me to look into other readers in the future.

Definitely, you should buy a Kobo or Nexus. Kindles are not your cup of tea.

Kindles are designed to capture the entire user experience and forces them to use Amazon to buy their eBooks and/or music. WiFi is a necessity unless one has bought a Kindle with 3G.

As I stated earlier, if you insist on making side loading, Calibre management and stripping DRM with Apprentice Alf, you need an eReader FRIENDLY to those functions. Amazon is NOT friendly to those functions.

That is why the posts of the Calibre users here and non-Calibre users are so different in this Forum. We are living in different worlds.

Finally, Apple iPads and iPhones also try to force users to the Apple store. They may also not be friendly to Calibre users. Apple devices also seem to be more expensive than their competitors. They rely on brand loyalty to trump price.

The most open devices seem to be Nexus and Kobo. If I was a dedicated Calibre user, those are the devices I would seek to use. The Google Play store also seems to be the most open store for apps. Both Amazon and Apple seem to force alteration of the apps to fit their own branded devices exclusively.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

Definitely, you should buy a Kobo or Nexus. Kindles are not your cup of tea.

As I stated earlier, if you insist on making side loading, Calibre management and stripping DRM with Apprentice Alf, you need an eReader FRIENDLY to those functions. Amazon is NOT friendly to those functions.

That is why the posts of the Calibre users here and non-Calibre users are so different in this Forum. We are living in different worlds.

You actually hit the nail on the head! My Kobo and Nexus 7 are both perfect for use with Calibre, while the Kindle never really was, though there were some things that worked well. I told myself not to buy the PW1 but got it anyway. Then exchanged it for the PW2. But for use with Calibre, my Kobo Glo and Nexus 7 are superior in every way. So no more Kindles for me. Hopefully I won't get sucked into their slick advertising again.

[Josieb1]

In my view the Cloud Collection problems have nothing whatsoever to do with side loading books. It's forcing all kindles attached to one Amazon account to display ALL collections created on ALL devices, and ALL the books in those collections on ALL devices, even if they aren't actually downloaded to the device.

If hubby wants to read War and I want to read Romance why should we both see each other's collections and books. It clutters up our personal Kindles and ignores the Cloud/Device marker that previously worked for books.

Amazon allows multiple Kindles to be attached to a single account so why release an update that works against that.

That is the issue, not side loading.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

In my view the Cloud Collection problems have nothing whatsoever to do with side loading books. It's forcing all kindles attached to one Amazon account to display ALL collections created on ALL devices, and ALL the books in those collections on ALL devices, even if they aren't actually downloaded to the device.

If hubby wants to read War and I want to read Romance why should we both see each other's collections and books. It clutters up our personal Kindles and ignores the Cloud/Device marker that previously worked for books.

Amazon allows multiple Kindles to be attached to a single account so why release an update that works against that.

That is the issue, not side loading.

Complaining about Amazon won't solve the problem. You have three choices:

1. Set up 2 Amazon accounts with different collections.
2. Design your Collection into two parts: Hubby , Wifey.
3. Investigate whether Kobo, Nexus, Sony or Apple have better Collection firmware.

Using workarounds beats feeling bad about a situation every time.

My Collections looks like this:

01-Husband
02-Wife
03-History
04-Biography
05-Bible Study
06-Fiction
07-Active Content
08-Documents
09-Guides

We keep eBooks in two places: 1 - either Husband or Wife; AND Collections 03 through 09.

We only keep eBooks we are actually reading currently in Husband or Wife. We delete them from that Collection when done.

Maybe that would work for you.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

Definitely, you should buy a Kobo or Nexus. Kindles are not your cup of tea.

They are the only e-readers with a usable dictionary as far as I've seen, and the only e-readers that don't cause problems. Every time I go into the Kobo forum, I see crap with regard to EPUB formatting, bugs in the firmware, and crappy customer support. I do buy books from Kobo, because they are cheaper than Amazon when using coupons.

If I didn't stumble on a gazillion bugs each time I check the forum, I might actually try a Kobo reader because of all of its customization options that the Kindle doesn't have.

In the end, I want an e-reader, not a storefront. Maybe I should start looking into stuff created by Bookeen, Boox, or Pocketbook or something.

The Nexus 7 is out. It's not an e-ink device and therefore hard to read in bright light, and I don't like the 16:9 aspect ratio for reading books.

[booklover6]

Good point about dictionaries....so I decided to turn the wifi on my Kobo Glo on and download one. Eek. It's downloading 86 books, everything I've bought over the last few months, since I never turn on wifi. Hopefully it won't update the software while it's at it. Whenever it's done, I'll see what the dictionary looks like. There are three pages of dictionaries to choose from, I just checked one to download.

And my device is frozen.