The new PaperWhite snuck out! Incremental update

[Barty]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I'm guessing that Text-To-Speech is still MIA? Kind of strange if it is, as Audible was bought by Amazon and you can now sync your reading between Audible apps and Kindle apps pretty much everywhere except on the last (and maybe this) Paperwhite.

Audible is precisely why you can expect TTS to be gone.

[rem736]

i thought that at the very least, the new kindle paperwhite would be smaller in size than the existing paperwhite. the new kobo aura has a 6" screen and yet managed to be smaller than the paperwhite.

[rkw]

Originally Posted by SleepyBob

Or maybe get some latex "reading gloves".

Lotion & Latex? Am I on the wrong or right :sly: forum?

[LovesMacs]

I think the most promising news is found about a third of the way down on the Kindle Paperwhite page:

Kindle MatchBook

COMING SOON—For thousands of qualifying books, your past, present, and future print-edition purchases will soon allow you to buy the Kindle edition for $2.99, $1.99, $0.99, or free.

[rkw]

about hardware buttons. I am using the Samsung Note 8.0 and still on my l<2 for reading.

What isintnesting is Samsung ADDED ahardware HOME button and many kvetch & whine how horrible it is. Everything from "ugly"(? Huh?) to stupid has been claimed. And here there is a, justified, clamor to return hardware buttons. Just shows we need devices with as many permutations as possible... they just need to be profitable for the manufacturer.

I can live w/o buttons but am so used to them I know I'll miss them in whatever reader I buy when that itch strikes eventually. At least for now I'm over my old Reader Buying Addiction (RBA). For now...

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by LovesMacs

I think the most promising news is found about a third of the way down on the Kindle Paperwhite page:

That's not paperwhite only. Whole thread on it here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=221578

[guspasho]

Originally Posted by djulian

They say that the cases will not be changed in this review: http://gizmodo.com/the-new-amazon-ki...e-k-1245621747

Look in the "Hardware" section for the comment.

Anyone see anything about what software upgrades might hit the current gen PW? I'm loving the "Page Flip" feature.

Thanks! That's good to know because they shipped the case already even though I told them to hold the case to ship with the PW.

[Mivo]

Originally Posted by Tony1988

You will have a long wait. Looks like except for Sony buttons are long gone and they are not coming back.

The Bookeen readers (Cybooks) have buttons too, and I think some/all of the Onxy ones, as well.

[taosaur]

I'm tempted once again, as I was with the original KPW. The PPI is a disappointment, but the contrast claims might make up for it vs. the Kobo Aura HD. The claims regarding the frontlight will hopefully bring it up to par with the Kobo lineup. The KPW2's obvious advantage would be stable software. The Kindle store is a wash--to get full use of anything I purchase there, I'll need to strip and convert it, and to use anything I purchase elsewhere (EPUB), I'll need to possibly strip and definitely convert it. If I decide I'm tired of reading and want to listen, I'll have to at least switch devices if I have the audiobook, or switch devices, strip, convert, and upload to Google Play Books for decent (or any) TTS.

All of the above limitations are artificial, marketing-imposed hogwash, by the way, which make me angry with Amazon as a company and disinclined to spend money with them.

I would love if Barnes & Noble delivered another Android reader this year, with improved lighting and pixel density, and a microSD slot, but I'm not holding my breath. I've been shopping for a worthwhile eInk device for a few years now, and haven't seen one to lure me away from tablets yet. The screens are finally getting there, but they keep getting strapped to deliberately hobbled hardware and software. Manufactured obsolescence has given way to manufactured frustration.

[vugtitan]

Originally Posted by mewmartigan

The Verge has the story about the accidental upload from Amazon.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/3/468...0-availability


EDIT: apparently Engadget had it too and the story is linked in the "Kindle sold out" poll.

no epub.

no memory card slot.


no file explorer.


rubbish.

i will never buy it.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by vugtitan

no epub.

no memory card slot.


no file explorer.


rubbish.

i will never buy it.

Perhaps you mean "it doesn't meet my personal needs"? That certainly doesn't mean that it's "rubbish".

[jlynton]

Originally Posted by vugtitan

no epub.

no memory card slot.


no file explorer.


rubbish.

i will never buy it.

I'll second that!

[tubemonkey]

I'll be staying with my Kindle 4. Nothing in this one to entice an upgrade.

[Fourl29]

Originally Posted by vugtitan

no epub.

no memory card slot.


no file explorer.


rubbish.

i will never buy it.

a. Rubbish. Amazon books are converted into epub in seconds. Calibre.

b. So what? Last I heard of the best selling tablets on the globe, the ipads don't have a memory card slot. I got about 100 books on my kindle and it's got tons of space left.

c. File explorer? What? You see the files when mounted, you can organize them via the kindle app, there's the immense great calibre too, there's cloud storage, send to kindle. Where's the "explorer" missing from?

Utterly vapid post, sorry.

[Fourl29]

Originally Posted by taosaur

I'm tempted once again, as I was with the original KPW. The PPI is a disappointment, but the contrast claims might make up for it vs. the Kobo Aura HD. The claims regarding the frontlight will hopefully bring it up to par with the Aura. The KPW2's obvious advantage would be stable software. The Kindle store is a wash--to get full use of anything I purchase there, I'll need to strip and convert it, and to use anything I purchase elsewhere (EPUB), I'll need to possibly strip and definitely convert it. If I decide I'm tired of reading and want to listen, I'll have to at least switch devices if I have the audiobook, or switch devices, strip, convert, and upload to Google Play Books for decent (or any) TTS.

All of the above limitations are artificial, marketing-imposed hogwash, by the way, which make me angry with Amazon as a company and disinclined to spend money with them.

I would love if Barnes & Noble delivered another Android reader this year, with improved lighting and pixel density, and a microSD slot, but I'm not holding my breath. I've been shopping for a worthwhile eInk device for a few years now, and haven't seen one to lure me away from tablets yet. The screens are finally getting there, but they keep getting strapped to deliberately hobbled hardware and software. Manufactured obsolescence has given way to manufactured frustration.

While you do make some fair points, have you actually tried the kindle with calibre, it's a piece of cake to keep your library in both epub and mobi (and they take very, very little space) and sync with the kindle. I think the vast majority here will attest to that. As far as including text to speech or audible support in the kpw, it's a fair point, and I am with you. I too miss both.

But you see the selling point of eink at the moment is very low price and huge battery life. That's the only things differentiating them from the far more versatile tablets, that and the eink screen of course. I really don't think amazon could come up with a decently priced kindle and add much, much more storage for audio, a much larger battery to make up for the audio playing, making it also heavier and bulkier. I am quite sure if amazon could keep the price point and add these features they would. I think we are not there yet though. But anyway to me, the sync reading from audible is really a gimmick. Just play your audiobook in any player/computer/tablet and read your book on the eink reader and enjoy.

At least at this stage of einks evolution, finally, we have a screen that's really impressive in terms of contrast/fonts/responses. Obviously not only in the kindle.