Time magazine editor Harry McCracken
had a chance to give the
new Kindle Paperwhite V2 a spin. His verdict: that it's an "ultra-refined version of what was already the most refined product in its category."
On the hardware side, McCracken experienced that the built-in light works indeed better than in the previous Paperwhite, without the unevenness of the light along the bottom edge of the screen. He cites Amazon saying that the flashing effect while flipping pages is reduced to "as rarely as once per chapter". Unfortunately he doesn't say whether he can confirm this statement in his hands-on test. He does confirm though that the touch screen is more responsive when opening books, turning pages, and performing other touch tasks.
Software-wise, he mentions what we've already learned, the Smart Lookup via X-Ray feature allowing you to learn more about the books that you are reading, the Vocabulary Builder that lets you review previously looked-up words, and the new Kindle Page Flip, easing the process of skimming through the book:
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A neat new navigational option lets you scrub backwards and forwards in a book to see other pages without leaving the one you’re on. That’s the closest thing I’ve seen yet to a digital equivalent of one of the most pleasing things about paper publications: how easily they let you flip back and forth between two places. Footnotes also pop up in place now on the page they reference rather than forcing you to bop around.
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What's not yet available in the current firmware is the Kindle FreeTime feature, allowing extra restricted profiles for your kids, and the GoodReads integration. Both features McCracken said are aimed to become available in a firmware upgrade by Thanksgiving.
Owners of the first Paperwhite can rejoice, as at least some of the new software features may come to your device as well:
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And current Paperwhite owners who do covet the new model’s goodies may eventually get some of them: Amazon says that it hopes to release a software update for the original model, giving it new features that aren’t contingent on the latest model’s upgraded hardware and faster processor.
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Related:
All-New Kindle Paperwhite V2 (accidentally) unveiled. So what's all new?