Kindle Voyage - First Impressions

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by cybmole

time to switch to reading on tablets?

the only negatives are battery life & screen reflectivity, but all the other e-ink issues just go away . I now read nearly always on kindle Fire via epub reading apps, in preference to my "super" e-ink aura HD device.

That's what so great about the new 6" Fire. Great for reading on. Love the size and speed.

But for out of the house, I nearly always take my Kobo Glo. I like it best, in daylight, and it's smaller and lighter.

[Josieb1]

I wanted the Voyage as they said it was lighter and smaller and had a sharper screen. Perfect I thought for out and about. It's expensive but for the 'ultimate' ereader I would pay the price.

This was me nievly assuming they had sorted out all the screen issues as my PW2 is flawless. To find they haven't and it's still a lottery what you get I dcided pre ordering was stupid, best to let others say what they get (in the UK that is) and see it in a store first. Compare the demo model to my PW1 (hubby has now got my PW2) and see if it's worth the price.

Plus now I have the Kobo Aura H20 I really like the Kobo customisations so it will have to be a special ereader that pulls me back to Amazon.

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I have an iPad retina mini that I did read on for commuting for a while but I don't want to carry an iPad mini and an iPhone out with me. The iPad mini is worth 4 times the cost of my new Kobo Glo. Also I don't want to read on a tablet. I like e-ink ereaders. Just ask a fair price for the product your selling and I think the Voyage is overpriced considering all the issues it seems to have.

I get the some folks just don't want to read on a tablet ( tho I suspect some of them have not actually tried it ), and the apple ipads are way overpriced, given the wages they pay for assembling them, but....

...looking only at amazon products, the new 6 inch Kindle Fire is same size as Kindle voyage, twice as powerful(*), yet half as expensive. Something does not compute.

(*) admittedly a crude approximation, but it can do everything that voyage can do ,except run for 2 months on one battery charge, and it can do a lot more besides

I wonder what it costs amazon to actually make each of those devices ?

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by cybmole

...looking only at amazon products, the new 6 inch Kindle Fire is same size as Kindle voyage, twice as powerful(*), yet half as expensive. Something does not compute.

My thoughts, exactly! I am so glad I decided on the Fire 6 instead of the Voyage.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by cybmole

I get the some folks just don't want to read on a tablet ( tho I suspect some of them have not actually tried it ), and the apple ipads are way overpriced, given the wages they pay for assembling them, but....

...looking only at amazon products, the new 6 inch Kindle Fire is same size as Kindle voyage, twice as powerful(*), yet half as expensive. Something does not compute.

(*) admittedly a crude approximation, but it can do everything that voyage can do ,except run for 2 months on one battery charge, and it can do a lot more besides

I wonder what it costs amazon to actually make each of those devices ?

I've edited my comment below.

I tried a Nook HD for 9 months. Reading was lovely, everything else not so. I don't like the Android eco system so for me a cheaper android tablet isn't an option. And I'd never ever consider a Kindle Fire.

I don't want a tablet for reading on, although I think that eventually e-ink ereaders will die out and tablets will be all we are left with, but if I was happy to read on a tablet I have the iPhone plus so I can read on that, then I wouldn't have to carry a second device at all, but I want to read on an e-ink ereader.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by cybmole

...looking only at amazon products, the new 6 inch Kindle Fire is same size as Kindle voyage, twice as powerful(*), yet half as expensive. Something does not compute.

Not exactly. Yes, they are both 6 inches, but they are not the same aspect ratio. The tablet has a little smaller screen area since it is skinnier and longer. It looks a little weird if you are used to eink readers, but can be easier to hold as the device is 1/2 inch thinner.

Don't get me wrong, I am in the process of switching right now as well. Have not touched my PW since I got my new 5.7 inch mini tablet (a Note 4). It is definitely a different reading experience since it looks so different (same height screen, but much smaller width). On the plus side I do like my page turn buttons (volume keys) that make it possible to read without moving a finger - just need to press. Unlike the Voyage I won't need to worry about uneven screen - my new ereader/tablet/phone combo has pretty much a perfect screen.

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by cybmole

time to switch to reading on tablets?

the only negatives are battery life & screen reflectivity

That may be the "only" negatives but as far as I am concerned that's a deal-breaker. I read for at least 4h a day and when I'm on holiday, it's easily 10+ hours a day. And I also like to be able to read outdoors!

[judith009]

Isn't weight another negative of the tablets? Or are the smaller ones close-enough in weight to the KV?

[jbcohen]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Not exactly. Yes, they are both 6 inches, but they are not the same aspect ratio. The tablet has a little smaller screen area since it is skinnier and longer. It looks a little weird if you are used to eink readers, but can be easier to hold as the device is 1/2 inch thinner.

Don't get me wrong, I am in the process of switching right now as well. Have not touched my PW since I got my new 5.7 inch mini tablet (a Note 4). It is definitely a different reading experience since it looks so different (same height screen, but much smaller width). On the plus side I do like my page turn buttons (volume keys) that make it possible to read without moving a finger - just need to press. Unlike the Voyage I won't need to worry about uneven screen - my new ereader/tablet/phone combo has pretty much a perfect screen.

Obviously duckie you can keep yourself on track a lot better than me, if I used a tablet to read ebooks I would probably spend 10% of the time actually with the ebook and the other time on the web or reading email. I need to stay with the dedicated reader to keep myself on track. I need to keep myself focused on the book at hand.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Obviously duckie you can keep yourself on tractk a lot better than me, if I used a tablet to read ebooks I would probably spend 10% of the time actually with the ebook and the other time on the web or reading email. I need to stay with the dedicated reader to keep myself on track. I need to keep myself focused on the book at hand.

That's my problem too which is why I stopped reading on my iPad mini.

I will admit though that I hadn't realised Amazons cheapest Fire the 8GB HD is only £79 which is £30 cheaper than the PW2 and £90 cheaper than the Voyage and the official case is half the price of the Voyage cases as well

I can see which way Amazon is going and I'd even bet that 5 years from now they won't even do a e-ink Kindle

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Originally Posted by judith009

Isn't weight another negative of the tablets? Or are the smaller ones close-enough in weight to the KV?

Ipad mini is more than 50% heavier than an Aura HD. The Voyage even more so.

Both my iPad mini Retina and Nexus 7.2 are great for reading on as far as clear screen, good lighting, dark and sharp text. I never see the battery as an issue since they can only be read indoors and it is easy and convenient to keep them charged. But the catch is that they are heavier and bulkier than eInk readers, and forget about using them outdoors during the daytime. I almost said they are more expensive too, but the Nexus 7.2 and Kindle Voyage are both $200 USD.

The screen ratios are different on most Android tablets I've seen as they tend to have a 16x10 or 16x9 ratio and are really designed for landscape use. The Kindles have always had 4x3 in landscape but have been designed for 3x4 portrait use. The iPads are 3x4 as well. The narrower and more elongated 16x10 is okay on a 7 inch tablet, but it is too narrow on a 4" smartphone screen.

Most of my reading in the past year has been on LCD devices: Mostly my iPad mini Retina. But it would be nice to have the versatility of an eInk reader to compliment the tablets, especially for outdoors and traveling.

[David58117]

I have my iPad Air which I use to read on - after hours of reading though my eyes would begin to tire.

I can go much longer with the voyage and it's much easier to hold or lay down with.

[aceflor]

I have both the Voyage and the Fire HD6. I love both of them, but the Voyage is for long reading sessions much better. The fire is great to have in a bag, but it is heavy for an e-reader and anything but thin, so you would not want to read hours with it.

The voyage is tiny too, but also super thin and light. I read 6 hours with it on a flight last night, with the lighting on at 9, it was heaven. the guy sitting on tbe other side of the aisle was reading on a PW. I could see him staring at my Voyage, but not daring to ask. Just before landing he finally said "wow, that new Voyage looks much better than I have read" Ha !

I also have an Aura HD but I could never managed to read hours on it, the format is jut not pleasant to my hand.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Skydog

Eink ereaders do NOT have pixels. Eink devices use microcapsules containing ink or some other substance. Apples and oranges.

Just what is it that you think pixels are?

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel

"In digital imaging, a pixel, pel,[1] or picture element[2] is a physical point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable element in an all points addressable display device; so it is the smallest controllable element of a picture represented on the screen."