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littlefoot59 · 03-12-2017, 01:08 PM

Recently I got bitten by the gadget-upgrade bug and I decided to replace my perfectly fine Paperwhite 2 with a newer model. I ordered a Paperwhite 3, a Voyage and an Oasis for comparative testing. After a few days of deliberation the Voyage emerged as the clear winner. There was no reason to replace my Paperwhite 2 with a Paperwhite 3 just in order to have a slightly crisper screen but no other advantages. And while the bold design of the Oasis might have a lot of appeal for many and I applaud Amazon for finally bringing back mechanical page-turn buttons, I personally don't like the Oasis. And this has nothing to do with the steep prize tag. I don't like the concept of having to separate the Kindle from it's cover in order to take full advantage of the ergonomic rewards, since I have to put it back into it's cover frequently for recharging. And since Amazon doesn't sell the covers without the Oasis I have to take really good care of it. What if I lose it, damage it or simply don't like it anymore? That shouldn't be a problem with the cover of a device. But the cover of the Oasis is almost like a second gadget which I need for operating the reader. And when I use the Oasis mostly with the cover there is not much of a weight difference to the Voyage anymore: the covered Oasis weighs 240g while my Voyage with a selfmade autosleep cover weighs 255g.
For me there isn't much wrong with the Voyage. I like it's sleek and slim design, the crisp and evenly lit screen of my reader and most of all the self-regulating brightness. For me that's one of the main selling point since no other Kindle has got this feature. I'm less enamoured with the virtual page press buttons. It took me a while to get used to them and they are no substitute for well placed mechanical page turners. IMO the Kindle Keyboard is the gold standard here. But after a few experiments I found a way to make good use of the virtual buttons. I use them now in combination with the touchscreen page turners. While the virtual buttons aren't perfect the Voyage is definitely a better device because of them.
While not perfect the Voyage is the best Kindle I ever had in my hands. But everybody has different priorities. The Oasis might be better suited for those who use it mostly at home without a cover. Personally I don't like the look of the naked Oasis because it's so alien an non-book like. But others like exactly that feature. Since none of the three readers I tested is exactly cheap, it's always good to test them personally. Hopefully the Voyage will stay with me for a while.
My wishes for a future Kindle: A reader very much like the Voyage but with real mechanical page turners, and additionally to the selfregulating brightness feature I'd like to see a selfregulating bluelight filter - which other high end readers already have. Personally I don't need a waterproof Kindle. In the bathtub and on the beach I put it in a ziplock bag and be done with it. The Voyage definitely works in a ziplock bag. My next project will be a selfmade waterprotective cover which makes use of a replaceable ziplock bag.
What I don't need: ever shrinking readers. I don't like Amazon's idea of reducing an ereader to a single leaf. It gets really uncomfortable to hold such insubstancial devices. And for a good reading experience I need a minimum of substance in my hands. The bezel of the Voyage is already on the small side for me. I'm more comfortable with the Voyage since I've put it in a light cover of my own design. I can hold it better and the page press system works better for me.

03-12-2017, 01:08 PM	#72
littlefoot59 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Paperwhite2	Recently I got bitten by the gadget-upgrade bug and I decided to replace my perfectly fine Paperwhite 2 with a newer model. I ordered a Paperwhite 3, a Voyage and an Oasis for comparative testing. After a few days of deliberation the Voyage emerged as the clear winner. There was no reason to replace my Paperwhite 2 with a Paperwhite 3 just in order to have a slightly crisper screen but no other advantages. And while the bold design of the Oasis might have a lot of appeal for many and I applaud Amazon for finally bringing back mechanical page-turn buttons, I personally don't like the Oasis. And this has nothing to do with the steep prize tag. I don't like the concept of having to separate the Kindle from it's cover in order to take full advantage of the ergonomic rewards, since I have to put it back into it's cover frequently for recharging. And since Amazon doesn't sell the covers without the Oasis I have to take really good care of it. What if I lose it, damage it or simply don't like it anymore? That shouldn't be a problem with the cover of a device. But the cover of the Oasis is almost like a second gadget which I need for operating the reader. And when I use the Oasis mostly with the cover there is not much of a weight difference to the Voyage anymore: the covered Oasis weighs 240g while my Voyage with a selfmade autosleep cover weighs 255g. For me there isn't much wrong with the Voyage. I like it's sleek and slim design, the crisp and evenly lit screen of my reader and most of all the self-regulating brightness. For me that's one of the main selling point since no other Kindle has got this feature. I'm less enamoured with the virtual page press buttons. It took me a while to get used to them and they are no substitute for well placed mechanical page turners. IMO the Kindle Keyboard is the gold standard here. But after a few experiments I found a way to make good use of the virtual buttons. I use them now in combination with the touchscreen page turners. While the virtual buttons aren't perfect the Voyage is definitely a better device because of them. While not perfect the Voyage is the best Kindle I ever had in my hands. But everybody has different priorities. The Oasis might be better suited for those who use it mostly at home without a cover. Personally I don't like the look of the naked Oasis because it's so alien an non-book like. But others like exactly that feature. Since none of the three readers I tested is exactly cheap, it's always good to test them personally. Hopefully the Voyage will stay with me for a while. My wishes for a future Kindle: A reader very much like the Voyage but with real mechanical page turners, and additionally to the selfregulating brightness feature I'd like to see a selfregulating bluelight filter - which other high end readers already have. Personally I don't need a waterproof Kindle. In the bathtub and on the beach I put it in a ziplock bag and be done with it. The Voyage definitely works in a ziplock bag. My next project will be a selfmade waterprotective cover which makes use of a replaceable ziplock bag. What I don't need: ever shrinking readers. I don't like Amazon's idea of reducing an ereader to a single leaf. It gets really uncomfortable to hold such insubstancial devices. And for a good reading experience I need a minimum of substance in my hands. The bezel of the Voyage is already on the small side for me. I'm more comfortable with the Voyage since I've put it in a light cover of my own design. I can hold it better and the page press system works better for me. Last edited by littlefoot59; 03-12-2017 at 01:21 PM.