My PW arrived yesterday like the orders of most other Prime members.
I had an unusual first experience with the device. When I turned it on and played around with the light (after suffering through that painful "how to use this Kindle" tutorial), I was slightly disappointed. The cones of light at the bottom were a little too distracting, and the overall experience just wasn't as "magical" as I was expecting. Of course, part of that was my fault for getting swept up in the hype. I compared the device to my Kindle Touch plus lighted cover and felt that I would probably just return the PW and keep the Touch.
However...
I decided to read the PW in bed since that is when I do most of my reading anyway, and my opinion instantly changed. After reading through the latest issue of Newsweek, I was totally sold on the device. The cones almost became invisible, and the Kindle Touch's screen by comparison was far inferior. I think the trick with this device is finding the right level of lighting for the room you are in. I actually kind of wish that Amazon hadn't given us so many levels of lighting options because I'm kind of OCD and I could see myself constantly adjusting and re-adjusting the level of light on the screen.
Plus, the official Amazon case is the nicest Kindle case they have ever produced. I would be tempted to keep the PW over the Touch for just the improvement in the case, frankly.
A couple of negatives:
--I miss the home button. I actually found myself reaching for it several times. I don't like having to tap the screen twice just to return to the home screen. Clearly Amazon is heading in an Apple-esque direction of removing as many buttons as possible, but even Apple hasn't gotten rid of their iconic home button.
--I wish that there was a hardware button somewhere on the device for adjusting the light level. Similar to the home button issue, I don't like having to tap twice to get to the lighting controls, especially since it is such an integral feature of the device.
--Maybe there is a work-around for this issue, but I don't like that only 3 of my books are visible on the home screen. I know I could switch to list view, but I like having the covers. Ideally there would be at least six book covers on the home screen from which to choose.
Overall, I'm quite impressed and I have a feeling that my opinion of the device will only improve with time. Even though it sounds simple, the integrated light really does drastically change the reading experience (at least for me.) The screen looks completely different from any other Kindle than I've ever used, and that will require some adjustment. I actually thought of the Timex Glow watches after I used it for a few hours... and that is not a bad thing, just different.