New Kindle Voyage

[miguel1626]

I'd really like to get a Kindle Voyage, but for this price my 1st gen Paperwhite is stil good enough for me. $199 is too close to tablet territory for a dedicated device. They'll probably discount this price in a few months anyway...

[kacir]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's shipping on 4th Nov, which is only about a week after the US shipping date. You can pre-order it (on Amazon UK, at least) now.

You can also pre-order on Amazon DE. With the same shipping date, November the 4th.

[mandy314]

The ever smaller, thinner, lighter isn't for me. First thing to do with a Voyage would be to put it in a "hefty" protective cover - so that's that.
Must see the light and the page-turn sensors in action to have an opinion on those.
The manual - linked in this thread (thank you for that) - doesn't show the Aa menu. So we don't know about font/margins etc options yet. The new chapter navigation looks nice though, hopefully the old Goto Menu is still there (support for more than two levels for nested TOCs would be nice).
For me the 300 dpi resolution is the main/only reason to take a closer look at the new Amazon reader. Perhaps with 300 dpi (plus anti-aliasing) the font-rendering has reached some kind of saturation point, and there wouldn't be much improvement with 350 or 400 dpi.
That said I will wait at least till beginning of next year to update my Kindle PW1. And - someone should tell Amazon that they could sell more ereaders and earn more money at a lower prize-point .

[quisvir]

Originally Posted by mandy314

The manual - linked in this thread (thank you for that) - doesn't show the Aa menu. So we don't know about font/margins etc options yet.

Looks the same as the PW2's, with one added font size:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-vZqmdwWSo#t=25

[soulfuldog]

I'm relieved at the higher price, as it means I won't be too tempted to upgrade from my PW2.... at least in the short-term! An improved screen and the new page turns, are far more tempting to me than the slightly bigger screen of the Kobo Aura H2O. But not at £50 more than the current PW and, more importantly, £30 more than the Aura H2O.

[frogette]

Originally Posted by Zeebra

The price saddens me. Also not in Canada yet.

This so much. I wonder what makes it so darn expensive. Also, at this price, if you break it it becomes a huge deal. And these things don't take shocks well (from someone who has sore memories of busting her kindle keyboard).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by frogette

This so much. I wonder what makes it so darn expensive. Also, at this price, if you break it it becomes a huge deal. And these things don't take shocks well (from someone who has sore memories of busting her kindle keyboard).

There are extended warranties available if you're prone to breaking things.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by soulfuldog

I'm relieved at the higher price, as it means I won't be too tempted to upgrade from my PW2.... at least in the short-term! An improved screen and the new page turns, are far more tempting to me than the slightly bigger screen of the Kobo Aura H2O. But not at £50 more than the current PW and, more importantly, £30 more than the Aura H2O.

Well that's a nice way to look at it....I wanted to get one if it was $150, but not for $199. I would definitely get the Kobo H2O for $179 before I'd pay $199 for the Voyage. So I'll be waiting for sales. Maybe by March I can have a Voyage.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by mr_nihilism

Having a light sensor seems a little strange given that people have varying comfort levels/eyesight. It's one of those things I always turn off on my tablet.

The first thing I thought was: this light sensor is going to be useless. I have one in my notebook, TV, and both computer monitors, and all of them are either too bright or too dark.

The other thing I'm wondering about is the touch buttons; can they be pressed, or only be touched? If it's the latter, do they work if I use a cover that covers the bezels, like I now have on my Kindle PW1? I don't like the snap covers, as they often have protrusions or clasps to put the magnets in that keep them shut. I would only use a snap cover if the e-reader itself has the magnets built into the corners, so the cover can be shut without any protrusions or clasps. (This is how the Sony T3 works, for example.)

edit: the (temporary?) manual posted above says that you can set the required "squeeze pressure" for these page buttons. That would be very nice, if the Kindle reacts to actual pressure on the bezel, even through a cover. If that is so, it would mean that I don't have to move my thumb to touch the screen. Not that this is a great bother or anything, but having the option to just keep a hold of the Kindle in one single position is nice.

I hope they'll also add some more fonts and customizations. For some reason, I'm never completely satisfied with any of the fonts supplied. I like Baskerville and Palatino, but they are too thin. I'd like a bit fatter version, but not as fat as Caecilia...

[missimpossible]

Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but does anyone know if the Family Library feature is going to be rolled out across all the readers or just this one?

[nynaevelan]

Originally Posted by missimpossible

Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but does anyone know if the Family Library feature is going to be rolled out across all the readers or just this one?

I'm guessing it will be on their 2014 and maybe their 2013 devices. Though just guessing on the 2013 part.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by missimpossible

Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but does anyone know if the Family Library feature is going to be rolled out across all the readers or just this one?

Nobody knows of course, but what tends to happen with features like this is that they appear in one device, and then get added to other devices in firmware updates. My guess would be that this is what will happen with this.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by tamborine

I paid $19 for my PW2 - it was a lightning deal. So I figure the money I saved on that makes up for the cost of the Voyage.

So, what you are saying is that you are willing to pay ten times for a Voyage what you paid for a Paperwhite 2?
Wish I had that kind of cash in my cookie jar.
I can see the appeal, but my Kindle has to reach puberty before I replace it again. Not that I'm not tempted.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Sure is nicer than my first couple of eInk devices that were in the $300 range back in the day.

My first Kindle, the K2, was $250. I got it as a birthday present from my wife in January 2010. Back then, tablets were a lot more expensive than the Kindle. Today, not so much. Amazon just introduced a 6" Fire Tablet for $99. I think most people will see the Voyage priced at $199 and opt for the tablet instead. I don't think the Voyage is going to sell very well.

[soondai]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

I think most people will see the Voyage priced at $199 and opt for the tablet instead. I don't think the Voyage is going to sell very well.

I suspect you are right, but I also expect that Amazon has a pretty good grasp of what they'll sell at this price (in a way that they did not with their phone)

Kinda weird seeing them head into "luxury model" territory, but I think we're there.

I wonder if my PW1 will be my last dedicated e-reader. I'd definitely buy a 8 inch 4x3 tablet for 200 dollars before I'd spend it on a reader (I don't read outside very often.)