Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg
Newer, generally more expensive ones have some advantages -- thinner -- and disadvantages -- worse optics -- making, for me, no interest in changing.
I'm not saying progress doesn't occur. But newer isn't automatically better. The Kindle is superior to the Palm devices I previously used for eReading. I just don't see giving up something I like -- the keyboard, and the music player -- for something I don't need.
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I do most of my reading on my Voyage. I also have the original Paperwhite. My neighbor has a Kindle 4 and my other neighbor has a Kindle Keyboard, which was also my first Kindle. I'm always helping them with theirs so I do get to use them a bit and compare.
Newer doesn't always mean better, as you say. In this case it does. If you have a real need for the keyboard and the lack of a light and the poorer constast doesn't bother you then the Kindle Keyboard is probably a better choice for you. However, if you were to read on a new front-lit Kindle for a week you'd probably never want to go back.
When I was using the Kindle Keyboard I was always accidentally hitting a key and taking myself out of the book. Yes, that was me and I'm a bit clumsy but it was always taking me out of the book. I rarely did searches because it was just so much trouble. I'm an avid dictionary user but I found it easier to keep a dictionary handy than to run that silly cursor all over the place to look words up.
Now when I want to look up a word I touch it and the definition appears. There are no buttons to take me unexpectedly out of my book. Bookmarking is far easier and more efficient. Finding the book I'm looking for is trivial with the touch screen. Everything except actually reading the words already on the screen is far far easier with a touch screen.
As for those words on the screen, they call it a Paperwhite for good reason. The text is dark and the background is white, not the gray on the Kindle Keyboard.
That's not to say there's anything wrong with reading on a Kindle Keyboard if that's what you choose. I just spent an hour showing my neighbor how much nicer the Paperwhite is than the Kindle 4 since Best Buy has the Paperwhite on sale today. No dice! She agreed with every point I made but she's happy with what she has. I have no argument.
However, taste is one thing. Better is another and in this case newer is better.
Barry