So what's the verdict on K3? - Page 2

HarryT · 08-29-2010, 03:43 AM

My considered opinion: it's good, but not great. For me, at least, the 5-way nav control is too small and fiddly for my fat fingers - I keep accidentally pressing the central button instead of one of the directional buttons. There are many things that have to be done with this nav control that a touch screen would have made much, much easier. Collections are no substitute for real folders, and the process of assigning books to collections is tortuous for large numbers of books. The web browser is extremely "flaky" and causes the Kindle to reboot frequently.

On the plus side, the screen is excellent - the best eInk screen I've seen so far, and of course the process of buying books really could not be easier. The actual "reading experience" is second to none.

Is the K3 the best eInk device on the market? I have to say "no" - I think the BeBook Neo is much better, but it's from a little-known manufacturer and costs twice as much as the Kindle. I'm sure that the Kindle is going to be an enormous success; it's probably the best value for money device on the market.

Prash · 08-29-2010, 09:37 AM

I dont own one yet, but I feel its very compelling, so I voted for Kinda awesome. Lack of memory expansion would be a negative for me, if that feature was present it would've been super awesome.

Update: Let me say this too. This device has slowed down my decision though, I am under a dilemma, this or PRS 600.

nremondelli · 08-29-2010, 09:42 AM

I have owned every iteration of Kindles. I love my K3. It is perfect in every way IMO. Great screen contrast, extremely lightweight and quieter than my K2 when it comes to page turns. I don't think the page turns are as drastically improved as some reviewers lead you to believe, but I have never had a problem with the speed of page turns anyway. It's just as quick than turning a physical page. This Kindle will stay with me a long time.

HarryT · 08-29-2010, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nremondelli

I have owned every iteration of Kindles. I love my K3. It is perfect in every way IMO.

Don't you find the nav control is too small and fiddly? You must have much smaller fingers than I do!

tlrowley · 08-29-2010, 10:20 AM

As I wait (im)patiently for mine to be delivered on Monday, I would love to know what the problems were for the 2 who voted "bad, bad, bad!" Unless I skipped something, I didn't see any really negative comments in the thread.

DianaB · 08-29-2010, 10:20 AM

It's a huge improvement over my old K1. Thinner, lighter, higher contrast, and no accidental button presses. That being said, I'm finding it harder to read one-handed, because the next/previous page buttons are smaller and require more force.

grzzly · 08-29-2010, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Don't you find the nav control is too small and fiddly? You must have much smaller fingers than I do!

I actually don't think so at all either. Maybe it is fingersize...I don't know. I somehow lay it into the center of the 5-way and the just slide in each direction to press the button. Never had a mishit so far.

Maybe I just have unusually small fingers for a man.

fyi: I voted absolutely amazing

HarryT · 08-29-2010, 12:51 PM

Perhaps I just need to develop the right technique for using it.

grzzly · 08-29-2010, 12:54 PM

Or you use one of your gazillion other readers. Do you store one book on each one or why do you need so many? ^^

HarryT · 08-29-2010, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grzzly

Or you use one of your gazillion other readers. Do you store one book on each one or why do you need so many? ^^

I don't need so many; I just have a "gadget fetish"

. I've actually got rid of a few recently - I've sold my CyBook Gen3 and Opus, and two Sony PRS-600s.

Alisa · 08-29-2010, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prash

Update: Let me say this too. This device has slowed down my decision though, I am under a dilemma, this or PRS 600.

If I were still deciding, I'd be inclined to wait to see what Sony announces. There's a pretty credible rumor that they'll be announcing new models soon. Personally, I found the screen clarity on the 600 to be sub-par. If they fix that with the new model, it would make for a much better reading experience, in my opinion. If they get the Pearl screen, that would make it an even stronger competitor.

It's hard to express how gorgeous the Pearl screen is. The first generation was like reading newsprint. The second generation Viziplex was like a mass market paperback to me, but not a new one. The Pearl screen looks as crisp and clean as a fresh hardcover to me. I can read in much lower light and with a smaller font. If Sony gets it for their new line, then good luck making a decision, but you'll definitely have a fine reader either way.

Prash · 08-29-2010, 01:25 PM

There there, the choice gets tougher. Any guesses on the release date for the new readers? I have to wait a lot to get a Kindle, so I would rather wait for Sony 650 instead.

JoeC · 08-29-2010, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't need so many; I just have a "gadget fetish"

. I've actually got rid of a few recently - I've sold my CyBook Gen3 and Opus, and two Sony PRS-600s.

I can totally relate. I have two Sony 500s, a Sony 505, and two ebookwise books to get rid of. The Kindle 3 and iPad will cure my gadget lust... for a little while.

pboss · 08-29-2010, 03:45 PM

I am still waiting to receive my K3 but once I finally get it I'm going to vote super awesome.

Ben Thornton · 08-29-2010, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Collections are no substitute for real folders, and the process of assigning books to collections is tortuous for large numbers of books.

Is Calibre able to manage this on the PC and then synch, as you can with the Sony readers, or is this not possible? Could another tool do it?

Although I think that the fiddly keys won't be as good as a future touch screen, I can see why they made that trade-off with technology as it is. It's the organisation of content that need not be a problem (and so often is with these readers for some bizarre reason - how difficult are folders to implement, really?)

I think that we often over-rate the functions other than the reading experience - which the reviews often focus on, because watching a video of someone reading is dull. But that seems to me to be the key feature: a clear screen and practical page turns. Is the Neo better for that, much the same, or not as good as the pearl screen?

View Poll Results: How good is the Kindle 3?
Super Awesome!	131	63.59%
Kinda awesome	55	26.70%
Just Good	17	8.25%
Not what I expected, bad, bad, bad!	3	1.46%
Voters: 206. You may not vote on this poll

08-29-2010, 09:37 AM	#17
Prash Zealot Posts: 102 Karma: 387 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore, India Device: K3W, LG OG-E970, Utopia Apad	I dont own one yet, but I feel its very compelling, so I voted for Kinda awesome. Lack of memory expansion would be a negative for me, if that feature was present it would've been super awesome. Update: Let me say this too. This device has slowed down my decision though, I am under a dilemma, this or PRS 600. Last edited by Prash; 08-29-2010 at 09:39 AM.

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08-29-2010, 03:43 AM	#16
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	My considered opinion: it's good, but not great. For me, at least, the 5-way nav control is too small and fiddly for my fat fingers - I keep accidentally pressing the central button instead of one of the directional buttons. There are many things that have to be done with this nav control that a touch screen would have made much, much easier. Collections are no substitute for real folders, and the process of assigning books to collections is tortuous for large numbers of books. The web browser is extremely "flaky" and causes the Kindle to reboot frequently. On the plus side, the screen is excellent - the best eInk screen I've seen so far, and of course the process of buying books really could not be easier. The actual "reading experience" is second to none. Is the K3 the best eInk device on the market? I have to say "no" - I think the BeBook Neo is much better, but it's from a little-known manufacturer and costs twice as much as the Kindle. I'm sure that the Kindle is going to be an enormous success; it's probably the best value for money device on the market.

08-29-2010, 09:42 AM	#18
nremondelli Zealot Posts: 122 Karma: 52 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: none	I have owned every iteration of Kindles. I love my K3. It is perfect in every way IMO. Great screen contrast, extremely lightweight and quieter than my K2 when it comes to page turns. I don't think the page turns are as drastically improved as some reviewers lead you to believe, but I have never had a problem with the speed of page turns anyway. It's just as quick than turning a physical page. This Kindle will stay with me a long time.

08-29-2010, 10:20 AM	#20
tlrowley Quilt Geek Posts: 472 Karma: 91775 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lancaster, PA Device: Kindle	As I wait (im)patiently for mine to be delivered on Monday, I would love to know what the problems were for the 2 who voted "bad, bad, bad!" Unless I skipped something, I didn't see any really negative comments in the thread.

08-29-2010, 10:20 AM	#21
DianaB Voracious Reader Posts: 23 Karma: 70000 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kindle Voyage	It's a huge improvement over my old K1. Thinner, lighter, higher contrast, and no accidental button presses. That being said, I'm finding it harder to read one-handed, because the next/previous page buttons are smaller and require more force.

08-29-2010, 12:51 PM	#23
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Perhaps I just need to develop the right technique for using it.

08-29-2010, 12:54 PM	#24
grzzly Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 12 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Germany Device: Kindle 3	Or you use one of your gazillion other readers. Do you store one book on each one or why do you need so many? ^^

08-29-2010, 01:25 PM	#27
Prash Zealot Posts: 102 Karma: 387 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore, India Device: K3W, LG OG-E970, Utopia Apad	There there, the choice gets tougher. Any guesses on the release date for the new readers? I have to wait a lot to get a Kindle, so I would rather wait for Sony 650 instead.

08-29-2010, 03:45 PM	#29
pboss Evangelist Posts: 408 Karma: 646 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	I am still waiting to receive my K3 but once I finally get it I'm going to vote super awesome.