Kindle Voyage - First Impressions - Page 95

GordonGekko · 01-03-2015, 05:36 AM

Well after using it for more than a week I'm afraid that it must be returned as the slightly pinkish hue on top is too annoying and for $200, I can't justify the lack of quality control from Amazon.

I shall return to reading on the Kindle App on my Macbook and if I feel the need for a portable ereader in the future it will be an Ipad Mini or a similar device as I'm not sure I believe the claims that e-ink is superior to a retina display Ipad.

I also find the automatic brightness feature to have been made by clueless designers, if you are going to allow the user to manually adjust it as to only reflect your preferred lighting range then allow for multiple settings, e.g. user lighting setting#1 and then allow the user to toggle back to a true automatic brightness feature set by the device, the whole point of the feature is to have a computer decide the optimal lighting setting.

But again the main issue is the screen and to those who have no problems and love it, good for you and granted in another way I might not be the optimal user as I am questioning having another device in my life to take up time after shutting down my laptop, to each his own but it is not perfection that I seek, I would like the device to look like and function as it appears on Amazon's website.

JSWolf · 01-03-2015, 11:07 PM

Just as a note... With the Kindle Voyage, what you see is what you get. You cannot jailbreak it with a software hack. The firmware you get is what you get. So if you need or want to change something, it isn't going to happen. So either you can live with it as it comes or not. If not, don't buy.

DuckieTigger · 01-04-2015, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just as a note... With the Kindle Voyage, what you see is what you get. You cannot jailbreak it with a software hack. The firmware you get is what you get. So if you need or want to change something, it isn't going to happen. So either you can live with it as it comes or not. If not, don't buy.

That goes for every piece of electronic. You are foolish to assume that the next iteration of model or firmware, e.g. from Kobo, has means to configure settings that are not meant to be configured by the developer.

HarryT · 01-04-2015, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just as a note... With the Kindle Voyage, what you see is what you get. You cannot jailbreak it with a software hack. The firmware you get is what you get. So if you need or want to change something, it isn't going to happen. So either you can live with it as it comes or not. If not, don't buy.

You should always buy a device for what it will currently do, not what you might be able to make it do.

Personally I find what the Voyage does "out of the box" to be entirely satisfactory.

jscarbo · 01-04-2015, 11:10 AM

I bought my Voyage with an Amazon gift certificate which I received for Christmas and it was delivered to my son in the US a couple of days ago, since I'm currently in Costa Rica. So, although I won't actually have it in my hands for another week or ten days, my son completed the registration to my account, downloaded a couple of books, and thoroughly checked it out. He's an IT professional, an experienced Kindle owner and currently has a PW2 along with several other devices.

Here are his first impressions: "I fired up the new Kindle Voyage and synced it to your account. It works great and is really nice (definitely seems like an improvement over the Paperwhite 2). It was a bit slow to respond initially (I think it was just doing some background startup/snyc for the first 5-10 minutes while I was testing it), but after a bit of time using it, that was no longer a problem at all. It is now as fast or faster than my Paperwhite to respond to touch and refresh the page. The page turn sensors work great and the improved screen resolution is definitely noticeable. I think it's just what you were looking for and you'll love it."

Pangolin · 01-05-2015, 10:48 AM

Well, after some delays I got my hands on mine just before Christmas, having told my father he could have my PW2. And after using it in the afternoon and for a good long read at night, and trying it in the same lighting conditions, same font as my PW2 I just felt the PW2 screen was much better.

The text on the Voyage was, naturally, darker and crisper, but my PW2 has an excellent, soft cream coloured, dead even screen. The Voyage was distinctly blueish and the top was light pink. I could see where, in a sentence, the text went from one background colour to another. There were also two pin holes which didn't bother me much as they weren't in the text area. I just found myself really not wanting to give up my PW2.

The real prob for me was the blueish cast, I definitely prefer reading on a "warmer" screen in a darkened room - which is where I do a lot of my reading. So, back it went. It was a disappointment but I have a very good ereader so I can't complain.

I ordered another PW2 for my father and I have to say that the text seemed less 'milky' than on my PW2. That and the bigger memory made it a good buy.

I may have another 'bite' at the Voyage in a year or so.

Pangolin · 01-05-2015, 11:00 AM

Just to add, I looked at three PW2 screens before finding mine which was just so much better than the previous two I had seen. So certainly for both the PWs (similar experience with PW1) there was a real variation. I think I would have had a stab at another Voyage but I'm travelling for work so much that it is just tricky to get the timing right for receiving and then maybe having to send back.

Also, no printer at home so getting the returns labels sorted on Christmas eve was a real hoot. I walked around trying local shops and eventually a kind restaurant owner was good enough to print them out for me - lovely place, Hop and Vine in Brighton, go go and eat

I ended up spending four hours looking for a Santa hat for his kiddie as a thank you. All totally odd, but strangely fun.

ryuji35 · 01-09-2015, 02:04 AM

Will receive my Voyage tomorrow. I am actually scared since mine's been shipped internationally. I didn't know that this model have so much issues that people are anticipating to return them for a replacement. What if I get a unit with the issues mentioned? $199 + Shipment and taxes are a LOT of money to receive a not-so-good unit. This is depressing!

el.jeffe58 · 01-09-2015, 09:04 AM

I am very happy with my Voyage. I have not a complaint about it. I am very pleased with the texture of the screen, the new no-ish bezel, the auto adjust light (once you understand some of its idiosyncrasies), its weight and size, and simplicity similar to other Kindles (not HDX) that I have. Hats off Amazon.

HarryT · 01-09-2015, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryuji35

Will receive my Voyage tomorrow. I am actually scared since mine's been shipped internationally. I didn't know that this model have so much issues that people are anticipating to return them for a replacement. What if I get a unit with the issues mentioned? $199 + Shipment and taxes are a LOT of money to receive a not-so-good unit. This is depressing!

I wouldn't worry about it too much - most people like it a lot. Eg of the 461 reviews of the Voyage that are currently on amazon.co.uk, 388 (84%) are 4- or 5-star ratings.

ryuji35 · 01-10-2015, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I wouldn't worry about it too much - most people like it a lot. Eg of the 461 reviews of the Voyage that are currently on amazon.co.uk, 388 (84%) are 4- or 5-star ratings.

Just got mine a few minutes ago. The first thing I checked was that lighting discoloration and I am so glad I don't have it. Perfect white, I can't even compare it to my Kobo Glo! The screen is fantastic (however, not as perfect as I expected it to be. It's crisp. Very crisp actually if you compare it to Kobo Glo, but not 300ppi crisp that I imagine it to be. I wonder what they'll do on the 2nd Gen Voyage)

But for now, perfectly happy!

ryuji35 · 01-10-2015, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just as a note... With the Kindle Voyage, what you see is what you get. You cannot jailbreak it with a software hack. The firmware you get is what you get. So if you need or want to change something, it isn't going to happen. So either you can live with it as it comes or not. If not, don't buy.

I have the Voyage without Ads. I was under the impression that if I bought this one, I can customize the screensaver. But I can't seem to find the option in the settings. Am I stuck with the "stock" screensavers? Can I at least opt for the screensaver to be the book that I am currently reading just like in Kobo?

patrickt · 01-10-2015, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryuji35

I have the Voyage without Ads. I was under the impression that if I bought this one, I can customize the screensaver. But I can't seem to find the option in the settings. Am I stuck with the "stock" screensavers? Can I at least opt for the screensaver to be the book that I am currently reading just like in Kobo?

Odd. I never see the screen saver on my Kindle. The Kindle leaves the screensaver as I open my case and the screensaver doesn't return until the case is closed. I suppose I could open the case, turn the Kindle off, then turn it back on and sit and stare at the screensaver but it doesn't interest me that much.

dordale · 01-10-2015, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryuji35

I have the Voyage without Ads. I was under the impression that if I bought this one, I can customize the screensaver. But I can't seem to find the option in the settings. Am I stuck with the "stock" screensavers? Can I at least opt for the screensaver to be the book that I am currently reading just like in Kobo?

Unless Amazon has changed the behavior between the PaperWhite and the Voyage (which I don't think they have) you're stuck with the stock screen savers--unless you want to jailbreak, which currently if possible at all isn't easy on the Voyage. As Patrick pointed out--if you have a sleep cover, you probably won't see the screen saver much at all anyway. The only time I see mine on my Paperwhite is when the PW has went to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity because I got distracted or fell asleep myself.

The big plus for me to having an ad-free Kindle is that when I open the sleep cover, the Kindle goes immediately to where I am in the book. Before I paid the extra $20 to turn off the ads, I'd have to swipe on the screen to dismiss the ad to get to my book.

ryuji35 · 01-10-2015, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dordale

The big plus for me to having an ad-free Kindle is that when I open the sleep cover, the Kindle goes immediately to where I am in the book. Before I paid the extra $20 to turn off the ads, I'd have to swipe on the screen to dismiss the ad to get to my book.

Hmm... sounds like a very liveable "hassle" to me. I can't believe they charge $20 for that.

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01-03-2015, 05:36 AM	#1411
GordonGekko Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 954 Join Date: Oct 2014 Device: None	Well after using it for more than a week I'm afraid that it must be returned as the slightly pinkish hue on top is too annoying and for $200, I can't justify the lack of quality control from Amazon. I shall return to reading on the Kindle App on my Macbook and if I feel the need for a portable ereader in the future it will be an Ipad Mini or a similar device as I'm not sure I believe the claims that e-ink is superior to a retina display Ipad. I also find the automatic brightness feature to have been made by clueless designers, if you are going to allow the user to manually adjust it as to only reflect your preferred lighting range then allow for multiple settings, e.g. user lighting setting#1 and then allow the user to toggle back to a true automatic brightness feature set by the device, the whole point of the feature is to have a computer decide the optimal lighting setting. But again the main issue is the screen and to those who have no problems and love it, good for you and granted in another way I might not be the optimal user as I am questioning having another device in my life to take up time after shutting down my laptop, to each his own but it is not perfection that I seek, I would like the device to look like and function as it appears on Amazon's website.

01-03-2015, 11:07 PM	#1412
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,144 Karma: 148951761 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Just as a note... With the Kindle Voyage, what you see is what you get. You cannot jailbreak it with a software hack. The firmware you get is what you get. So if you need or want to change something, it isn't going to happen. So either you can live with it as it comes or not. If not, don't buy.

01-04-2015, 11:10 AM	#1415
jscarbo Addict Posts: 220 Karma: 1075434 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Costa Rica Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle PW2, Nook HD+, Nexus 7	I bought my Voyage with an Amazon gift certificate which I received for Christmas and it was delivered to my son in the US a couple of days ago, since I'm currently in Costa Rica. So, although I won't actually have it in my hands for another week or ten days, my son completed the registration to my account, downloaded a couple of books, and thoroughly checked it out. He's an IT professional, an experienced Kindle owner and currently has a PW2 along with several other devices. Here are his first impressions: "I fired up the new Kindle Voyage and synced it to your account. It works great and is really nice (definitely seems like an improvement over the Paperwhite 2). It was a bit slow to respond initially (I think it was just doing some background startup/snyc for the first 5-10 minutes while I was testing it), but after a bit of time using it, that was no longer a problem at all. It is now as fast or faster than my Paperwhite to respond to touch and refresh the page. The page turn sensors work great and the improved screen resolution is definitely noticeable. I think it's just what you were looking for and you'll love it."

01-05-2015, 10:48 AM	#1416
Pangolin Pangolin Posts: 204 Karma: 1243880 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Brussels, Belgium Device: PW 2	Well, after some delays I got my hands on mine just before Christmas, having told my father he could have my PW2. And after using it in the afternoon and for a good long read at night, and trying it in the same lighting conditions, same font as my PW2 I just felt the PW2 screen was much better. The text on the Voyage was, naturally, darker and crisper, but my PW2 has an excellent, soft cream coloured, dead even screen. The Voyage was distinctly blueish and the top was light pink. I could see where, in a sentence, the text went from one background colour to another. There were also two pin holes which didn't bother me much as they weren't in the text area. I just found myself really not wanting to give up my PW2. The real prob for me was the blueish cast, I definitely prefer reading on a "warmer" screen in a darkened room - which is where I do a lot of my reading. So, back it went. It was a disappointment but I have a very good ereader so I can't complain. I ordered another PW2 for my father and I have to say that the text seemed less 'milky' than on my PW2. That and the bigger memory made it a good buy. I may have another 'bite' at the Voyage in a year or so.

01-05-2015, 11:00 AM	#1417
Pangolin Pangolin Posts: 204 Karma: 1243880 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Brussels, Belgium Device: PW 2	Just to add, I looked at three PW2 screens before finding mine which was just so much better than the previous two I had seen. So certainly for both the PWs (similar experience with PW1) there was a real variation. I think I would have had a stab at another Voyage but I'm travelling for work so much that it is just tricky to get the timing right for receiving and then maybe having to send back. Also, no printer at home so getting the returns labels sorted on Christmas eve was a real hoot. I walked around trying local shops and eventually a kind restaurant owner was good enough to print them out for me - lovely place, Hop and Vine in Brighton, go go and eat I ended up spending four hours looking for a Santa hat for his kiddie as a thank you. All totally odd, but strangely fun.

01-09-2015, 02:04 AM	#1418
ryuji35 Zealot Posts: 146 Karma: 1571384 Join Date: Apr 2012 Device: Kobo Clara Color, Kindle Basic 2022, Samsung Tab S6 Lite, Samsung A9	Will receive my Voyage tomorrow. I am actually scared since mine's been shipped internationally. I didn't know that this model have so much issues that people are anticipating to return them for a replacement. What if I get a unit with the issues mentioned? $199 + Shipment and taxes are a LOT of money to receive a not-so-good unit. This is depressing!

01-09-2015, 09:04 AM	#1419
el.jeffe58 Vocophorian Posts: 61 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Chicagoland, U.S.A. Device: Fire HDX7, Voyage, PW2, Touch 3G, Fire TV	I am very happy with my Voyage. I have not a complaint about it. I am very pleased with the texture of the screen, the new no-ish bezel, the auto adjust light (once you understand some of its idiosyncrasies), its weight and size, and simplicity similar to other Kindles (not HDX) that I have. Hats off Amazon.