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littlefoot59 · 03-19-2017, 07:56 AM

While the Paperwhite 3, the Voyage and the Oasis have the same screen size, the same resolution and nowadays the same software, they are indeed very different and instantly reckognizeable devices. Looking at their respective screens produces the same reading experience - although most users agree that the Voyage has the sharpest screen. But the difference becomes obvious when you handle the devices. The Voyage feels definitely sleeker and lighter than the Paperwhite, the page turning can be done differently if you wish to use the page-press sensors, and it doesn't have a sunken screen any more. And the Oasis is design-wise altogether in it's own league as far as handling is concerned. So, what unique feature has each device? IMO you get a super Kindle for a fairly reasonable prize if you decide to go for the Paperwhite 3. Even my Paperwhite 2, which is still in a very good condition after more than three years of intensive use and traveling, sold within hours at ebay when I put it up for sale. The Voyage was the perfect upgrade for me - mainly because of the sleeker and lighter shape and the different illumination system, which produces a crisper screen. The page-press sensors are somewhat useful but aren't a subsitute for mechanical page-turn buttons. But the auto-brightness feature is unique in the kindle-verse. And the Oasis' shape and handling is different from all other e-readers.The mechanical page-turn buttons are great. If you dig this shape and the solution with the mostly external battery, then you have a great to handle device which also makes a great fashion statement

So, I don't think that Amazon made a mistake at all with it's three high end readers. They differ considerably in very important points - shape, size, illumination system, handling and prize tag. Therefore they have appeal for different customer groups. There are even a lot of reasons for owning all three of them: the Paperwhite 3 is for those who just want to have a great reader with light and a touchscreen but who rather want to invest their money in books and not so much the gadget. It's also a reader you might give the kids in the family. The Voyage is indeed great for travelling and as a carry-on reader because it's lighter and smaller, offers a choice of different page-turning systems, and the auto-brightness is especially useful when you move around a lot and the illumination changes constantly. And while people definitely carry it around, IMO the Oasis is most practical at home, when you don't have to worry about recharging and keeping track of the cover. You can use the device freely without it's cover in order to enjoy the unique ergonomics. Interestingly the Oasis in it's cover is also not the most practical shape for fitting it into my smaller bags. While it is shorter than the Voyage and the Paperwhite, it's also broader (almost square), and in it's cover it's also thicker than the other Kindles. So, if I should ever have the desire to own one, I would mostly use it at home. I would be tempted if they will offer a model with auto-brightness and blue-light filter.
As we have discussed above, it's a bit of a mystery why the Oasis doesn't have auto-brightness like the Voyage. Maybe, it's really a marketing thing. As I have tried to analyse, there are good reasons for owning all three devices

And the basic and cheapest Kindle - now with a touch screen but still without light - offers a low-budget option for those who want to spend as little money as possible for the Kindle itself or who just want an inexpensive reader for going to the beach, where you certainly won't need illumination. It will be very interesting for Kindle users into which direction Amazon will move in the future. I can see more models with real page-turn buttons in the future. And I'm sure that a self-regulating blue-light filter will come eventually, since some other e-readers offer that feature already. I have installed a blue-light and brightness regulator app on my Samsung tab and it's a revelation. I love it! When you switch it off after having gotten used to it, the glaring blue light really hits you squarely, and it's a very unpleasant experience. The blue-light problem isn't nearly as pressing with front-illuminated e-readers because they emanate only a small percentage of light in comparison with computer screens, laptops or tablets. And the Voyage's auto-brightness feature gradually reduces the brightness in darker condition at night. But a blue-light regulator definitely creates a more cosy and relaxing reading experience at night. Right now I mighg try to experiment with blue-light filtering glasses, when reading in bed.
So, Amazon definitely has room to work on the illumination of their devices. Especially since most complaints concern the uneven and for some people distracting lightning of the screen. So far I was lucky and my Paperwhite 2 and my Voyage are as good as it gets (the Oasis which I tested was less perfect but at least for me tolerable). It shows that it is definitely possible to produce a good front light Kindle. And since neither the Paperwhite nor the Voyage or the Oasis are cheap, customer are entitled to get a good device. I can imagine that it must be very frustrating to exchange devices constantly. It would be interesting to know how high the percentage of exchanges because of uneven illumination really is. The problem is of course that unsatisfied customers tend to be far more vocal than satisfied customers. Also, optics and illumination is processed differently by each individual.. Some are more sensitive and register faults where others see near-perfection. Others see slight faults initially but don't notice it anymore after a very short while. My hunch: the majority of customers are probably content with the illumination of their Kindles and for Amazon it would be more expensive to set up tighter quality control than exchange and liberally replace the devices for those who complain.
Except for my antique first e-reader (the Sony PRS-505) I've only used Kindles. As far as I know the quality problem only cropped up when the first illuminated e-reader (the Paperwhite 1) was introduced. Looking back, I think Amazon made a terrible mistake when they named the model "Paperwhite", since it conjured expectations which simply couldn't and still can't be met. Even my Voyage with a very even and crisp screen is never "paperwhite". Question: Are other front illuminated e-readers also plagued by uneven light and/or this quality lottery? Or is this Amazon-specific? I couldn't get a clear impression by searching the net, but the at least the quality lottery seems to be mostly Amazon-specific. Or are Amazon customers pickier for some reason?

03-19-2017, 07:56 AM	#83
littlefoot59 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Paperwhite2	While the Paperwhite 3, the Voyage and the Oasis have the same screen size, the same resolution and nowadays the same software, they are indeed very different and instantly reckognizeable devices. Looking at their respective screens produces the same reading experience - although most users agree that the Voyage has the sharpest screen. But the difference becomes obvious when you handle the devices. The Voyage feels definitely sleeker and lighter than the Paperwhite, the page turning can be done differently if you wish to use the page-press sensors, and it doesn't have a sunken screen any more. And the Oasis is design-wise altogether in it's own league as far as handling is concerned. So, what unique feature has each device? IMO you get a super Kindle for a fairly reasonable prize if you decide to go for the Paperwhite 3. Even my Paperwhite 2, which is still in a very good condition after more than three years of intensive use and traveling, sold within hours at ebay when I put it up for sale. The Voyage was the perfect upgrade for me - mainly because of the sleeker and lighter shape and the different illumination system, which produces a crisper screen. The page-press sensors are somewhat useful but aren't a subsitute for mechanical page-turn buttons. But the auto-brightness feature is unique in the kindle-verse. And the Oasis' shape and handling is different from all other e-readers.The mechanical page-turn buttons are great. If you dig this shape and the solution with the mostly external battery, then you have a great to handle device which also makes a great fashion statement So, I don't think that Amazon made a mistake at all with it's three high end readers. They differ considerably in very important points - shape, size, illumination system, handling and prize tag. Therefore they have appeal for different customer groups. There are even a lot of reasons for owning all three of them: the Paperwhite 3 is for those who just want to have a great reader with light and a touchscreen but who rather want to invest their money in books and not so much the gadget. It's also a reader you might give the kids in the family. The Voyage is indeed great for travelling and as a carry-on reader because it's lighter and smaller, offers a choice of different page-turning systems, and the auto-brightness is especially useful when you move around a lot and the illumination changes constantly. And while people definitely carry it around, IMO the Oasis is most practical at home, when you don't have to worry about recharging and keeping track of the cover. You can use the device freely without it's cover in order to enjoy the unique ergonomics. Interestingly the Oasis in it's cover is also not the most practical shape for fitting it into my smaller bags. While it is shorter than the Voyage and the Paperwhite, it's also broader (almost square), and in it's cover it's also thicker than the other Kindles. So, if I should ever have the desire to own one, I would mostly use it at home. I would be tempted if they will offer a model with auto-brightness and blue-light filter. As we have discussed above, it's a bit of a mystery why the Oasis doesn't have auto-brightness like the Voyage. Maybe, it's really a marketing thing. As I have tried to analyse, there are good reasons for owning all three devices And the basic and cheapest Kindle - now with a touch screen but still without light - offers a low-budget option for those who want to spend as little money as possible for the Kindle itself or who just want an inexpensive reader for going to the beach, where you certainly won't need illumination. It will be very interesting for Kindle users into which direction Amazon will move in the future. I can see more models with real page-turn buttons in the future. And I'm sure that a self-regulating blue-light filter will come eventually, since some other e-readers offer that feature already. I have installed a blue-light and brightness regulator app on my Samsung tab and it's a revelation. I love it! When you switch it off after having gotten used to it, the glaring blue light really hits you squarely, and it's a very unpleasant experience. The blue-light problem isn't nearly as pressing with front-illuminated e-readers because they emanate only a small percentage of light in comparison with computer screens, laptops or tablets. And the Voyage's auto-brightness feature gradually reduces the brightness in darker condition at night. But a blue-light regulator definitely creates a more cosy and relaxing reading experience at night. Right now I mighg try to experiment with blue-light filtering glasses, when reading in bed. So, Amazon definitely has room to work on the illumination of their devices. Especially since most complaints concern the uneven and for some people distracting lightning of the screen. So far I was lucky and my Paperwhite 2 and my Voyage are as good as it gets (the Oasis which I tested was less perfect but at least for me tolerable). It shows that it is definitely possible to produce a good front light Kindle. And since neither the Paperwhite nor the Voyage or the Oasis are cheap, customer are entitled to get a good device. I can imagine that it must be very frustrating to exchange devices constantly. It would be interesting to know how high the percentage of exchanges because of uneven illumination really is. The problem is of course that unsatisfied customers tend to be far more vocal than satisfied customers. Also, optics and illumination is processed differently by each individual.. Some are more sensitive and register faults where others see near-perfection. Others see slight faults initially but don't notice it anymore after a very short while. My hunch: the majority of customers are probably content with the illumination of their Kindles and for Amazon it would be more expensive to set up tighter quality control than exchange and liberally replace the devices for those who complain. Except for my antique first e-reader (the Sony PRS-505) I've only used Kindles. As far as I know the quality problem only cropped up when the first illuminated e-reader (the Paperwhite 1) was introduced. Looking back, I think Amazon made a terrible mistake when they named the model "Paperwhite", since it conjured expectations which simply couldn't and still can't be met. Even my Voyage with a very even and crisp screen is never "paperwhite". Question: Are other front illuminated e-readers also plagued by uneven light and/or this quality lottery? Or is this Amazon-specific? I couldn't get a clear impression by searching the net, but the at least the quality lottery seems to be mostly Amazon-specific. Or are Amazon customers pickier for some reason? Last edited by littlefoot59; 03-19-2017 at 08:00 AM.