I know, I'm a bit late to the game.
But it only came out today in Germany and I'm rarely ordering from overseas anymore just to gain a few weeks but risk warranty and such.
Anyway...
As always, Amazon did deliver exactly as scheduled.
First impressions:
Wow, the package really is small.
And, I think, it's the first time ever I've got any of my Kindles in a "real" box, not just some practical shipping box.
It's no box on the design level of Microsoft or even Apple, but it's a nice and unexpected touch. Gives the impressions, owning the most "valuable" Kindle so far.
Another Wow:
The reader itself is heavy.
On the good side, as in "great build quality".
In that regard, it really blows Kobo H2O out of the water.
In direct comparison, it beats Paperwhite 2 as well.
Not by much, but there are some nice albeit minor design details. The bezel looks kind of "futuristic" and at a glance promises some special features.
Bezel and housing are even (=same height), no gaps or steps.
The power on/off button is on the back. The back in general obviously is inspired by Kindles Fire HDX. I'm not a fan of the slope on Fires HDX, but on Voyage's small size it's absolutely okay.
As always, Kindles come (more or less) fully charged.
Turning it on for the first time.
So far, I don't see anything bothersome in the light or background.
The boot-up screen is the same as on Paperwhite 2.
Kind of a "bleeding" display.
It's a gimmicky and eye-catching display, but I'm not sure whether it's a clever decision.
On Paperhwite 2, for a moment I thought my display would be damaged...
As always, I bought the 3G version.
I absolutely love this feature.
Someone in another thread some time ago said: "It's not free, you pay for it".
Yes, you pay a one-time uplift. But, in my opinion, that's for the hardware.
Same difference as on iPads for example.
But then the usage is for free.
I simply don't want to use my own SIM card in a reader. In a multi-functional tablet it's fine. But I wouldn't want to "waste" a SIM card on a reader when using 3G maybe 50 times per year only.
And I don't want to bother about WiFi in every hotel or on each train I use.
But being able to buy and load an eBook, whenever and wherever I am: Absolutely fantastic!
As always, my Kindle comes pre-configured = already linked to my Amazon account and named as I defined weeks ago in my account.
Nice detail:
I'm adding my Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The email address already is entered, I only have to add my password.
My email address for the Kindle has been pre-configured by Amazon:
xxxxx10@kindle.com.
I guess, it's my Kindle #10 then. I have to count, but it seems about right:
Kindle 2, Kindle DX, Kindle DXG, Kindle 3, Kindle touch, Kindle Paperwhite 1, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD8.9, Kindle Paperwhite 2, Kindle Voyage. Correct, that's 10.
And each a nice evolution to the one before.
None a disappointment so far.
Consider me a fan of Amazon and Kindles, obviously.
Now comes the well known introduction.
So far, I don't see any new features. Fine by me, I hadn't been missing any feature on Paperwhite 2.
Stop, I've been to fast: Auto Brightness is new. I didn't really miss it, but might be helpful and certainly doesn't do any harm.
Ah, now I see another new feature: "g" on the main screen, obviously linking to Goodreads.
Of course they mention Prime.
I have it, of course. But mainly for the faster shipment and for a few weeks now for Fire TV.
I want to own my books, not rent them. (I know, I only own a license, not the book itself). But of course it's a spectacular feature and, at least in Germany, frightening lots of competitors.
Just confirmed to use "Auto Brightness".
Very interesting.
I've had my Paperwhite 2 on brightness 10 all the time: Bright enough at night in the bed, not bothering me in broad daylight.
Auto brightness now reduced the brightness (1pm) and of course readability improves. Not drastically, compared to my setting of 10. But noticeably.
You can set the amount of pressure needed to turn pages when using the buttons. I'll try low (else it offers medium and high).
The buttons even can give feedback. I set it to "off". After all, I should see the page turn...
For now, I love it!
With one exception: I've hated this on all my Kindles so far = building my library for the first time.
On Kobo I simply would use "download all".
No such feature on any Kindle.
I manually (!!!) have to decide, which of my 933 books (all purchases from Amazon) I want to download.
Well, if the internal storage allows for it, I would like to download them all. In the order of most recent read.
I'll only have to do this once, but it really is annoying and unnecessary.