Paperwhite 3 First Impressions

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I've seen the Bookerly font on e-ink, but I think it was meant for the Fire. In any case, the base font was too light for my tastes, but the bold version was nice. But very similar to caecilia.

Have to disagree on your taste for liking fonts bolder on eink. I am quite happy with Baskerville on my Voyage now that the resolution is high enough to make even the smallest sizes readable. How does Bookerly compare to Baskerville concerning appearance of thickness on eink? Also, does Baskerville look nice on smallest size on PW3? Only thing I have heard is that the Voyage appears sharper if compared side by side with the PW3. That doesn't mean that it is unuseable (on the PW1 the smallest font sizes are all unuseable, IMO).

[rashkae]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Have to disagree on your taste for liking fonts bolder on eink. I am quite happy with Baskerville on my Voyage now that the resolution is high enough to make even the smallest sizes readable. How does Bookerly compare to Baskerville concerning appearance of thickness on eink? Also, does Baskerville look nice on smallest size on PW3? Only thing I have heard is that the Voyage appears sharper if compared side by side with the PW3. That doesn't mean that it is unuseable (on the PW1 the smallest font sizes are all unuseable, IMO).

Bookerly is about the same thickness as Baskerville, but more even overall. Baskerville at smaller size is deffinately much improved on PW3 from PW2. Alas, I can't compare to voyage, since they were never sold in Canada. Either one is a good choice for a stylish font. (Bookerly sacrifices a bit of fancy flair for better readability.)

[DuckieTigger]

Thank you, that is very useful information. Can't wait until the Voyage gets updated. I am afraid I might have to wait until the typesetting is ready as well.

[rashkae]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The Voyage sells extremely well.

You're right, that was a very poor choice of words on my part,, no one can argue the commercial success of any Kindle e-ink reader. I should have said instead, can't compare.... (Unless, of course, you really like Caecilia, as some do... the choice of Caecilia has always been one of function over style, and I have to appreciate/respect how well it does indeed.)

[skyhopper]

Originally Posted by skyhopper

Thanks for the review. Are you happy with it? I will receive mine somewhere next week.
It will be my first e-reader ever.

So last Monday I received mine. I've played a bit with it for the past two days (and read about a hundred pages) and I would like to give some brief impressions

As stated in my first post it is my first e-ink reader ever. Upgrading from an iPad 3th gen, a huge step forward. It's incredibly light-weighted and small in comparison. I've ordered the premium leather cover - limited edition with it. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...f_rd_i=desktop)

Although the cover really adds a quality feel to the PW it also adds a huge amount of weight to it. The weight, both combined, is still very acceptable but the "wow" factor I had the first time I picked up the PW regarding the weight is a bit gone. I doubt it would be any different with other similar cases though.

The screen is amazing compared to a back lit screen. It's very relaxing on the eyes. On the iPad I had to take a break every 30 minutes. With this device I can read on forever. Also the ability to read in the sun is amazing and new to me.
I read about screen inconsistencies and that every kindle is affected with some kind of (minor) defect. Pinholes, unevenly lit, ...
My screen is quite alright. I haven't seen pinholes, dust speckles, my screen is evenly lit. Except at the bottom I can see some very faint darker smudges but only when lit at certain levels. I noticed them only because I read so much about the screen quality of these e-readers and went looking for defects. I certainly not going to send it back in for this, and I'm picky about the quality of my devices. I also played the lottery game with my iPad and it does not make a person happy. I believe this is "normal" for a device lit by leds only on one side.

I had some trouble transferring my purchased books from the ibooks store. But eventually I managed to remove the DRM. So no loss here.

About the Bookerly font... Maybe I'm not as picky as some other users on this board but I like it. I tried the other fonts too but Bookerly was the font I liked the most at first glance. Maybe I have to give Caecilia another try because more people prefer this one?

I bought the PW3 with ads. I did like the ads screensaver at first. I don't think it's that much different compared to the other images you see on an add-free kindle. After using it a whole day I noticed Amazon was only showing me 2 different ads. One about a book and one about buying accessories below $20.
I contacted Amazon on how to remove the ads and they did it for free. The pictures I see now are more esthetic and pleasing I have to admit.

Overal I'm very pleased with this reader and I'm planning on using it until it dies on me. The resolution is great, the screen quality is great, my cover will wear over time (and will look even more beautiful) and is very durable. Enough space to hold enough books. If I ever fill it completely I will happily remove the books I read to make room for new ones.

The only downside I could find is that I need to spend another €119 to buy one for my wife after she saw mine.....

[DuckieTigger]

The only downside I could find is that I need to spend another €119 to buy one for my wife after she saw mine.....

That happens. Glad you like it. The reason why so many like Caecilia is because the PW3 is the first Kindle to have Bookerly installed. So don't worry about liking it better - it is supposed to look better. Caecilia is great even on very low resolution displays. And that is how eink readers started out - relatively low resolution ...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

That happens. Glad you like it. The reason why so many like Caecilia is because the PW3 is the first Kindle to have Bookerly installed. So don't worry about liking it better - it is supposed to look better. Caecilia is great even on very low resolution displays. And that is how eink readers started out - relatively low resolution ...

I now have Bookerly on the iOS Kindle App, but I still prefer Caecilia.

[rashkae]

Choice of font will also depend on what text size you read at. I'm nearsighted and like to read at a relatively small font size. (Size 2 on the Kinde, which I find is just slightly smaller than your average print book.) Bookerly looks just fine to me on size 3, and all the Kindle fonts come in their own if you like large type text (size 4 and up.)

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by skyhopper

... Overal I'm very pleased with this reader and I'm planning on using it until it dies on me. The resolution is great, the screen quality is great, my cover will wear over time (and will look even more beautiful) and is very durable. Enough space to hold enough books. If I ever fill it completely I will happily remove the books I read to make room for new ones.

The only downside I could find is that I need to spend another €119 to buy one for my wife after she saw mine.....

:

[patrickt]

I like my Voyage and I like my Paperwhite. I prefer reading, by a slight edge, on the Paperwhite. The Voyage is fine it's just a personal preference. I tried the Bookerly font and went back to my favorite, Helvetica. If the typesetting feature coming requires Bookerly I'd consider it again and see if the typesetting package was worth abandoning Helvetica.

[SCION]

Got my PW3 today. I was really hesitant after reading many PW2 owners were dissatisfied with the contrast and brightness, and in some cases the color of the screen. Some call it the Paperbeige, others say the screen is murky.

I guess you roll the dice when you buy one. I must have lucked out because my screen is white, the contrast is great, and it's brighter than my PW2. The Voyage is indeed brighter with a tad darker text (comparing the same font on each device). The increased PPI is very noticeable to me and the Bookerly font is quite appealing. Even though it's thin, it somehow works with the quality display on this particular unit. I haven't bothered to try the standard fonts.

I can finally put my H20 to the side and fully enjoy the Kindle experience again, without complaint. It feels so nice in my hand without a case. The Voyage is a beauty, no doubt, but there's something about the Paperwhite that I find more pleasing to my touch and better ergonomically.

[patrickt]

Scion: "I guess you roll the dice when you buy one. I must have lucked out because my screen is white, the contrast is great, and it's brighter than my PW2."

Well, the variable would either be the devices, and you got lucky and got a good one, or the users. Me? I vote for the users. I haven't seen any studies where engineers have taken a random sampling of Paperwhite Kindles and actually measured contrast and the technicolor displays and so forth. What I see are users who claim that they received a string of Paperwhites that were all defective. And, I received four that weren't. I suppose it could just be luck.

[dordale]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Scion:Well, the variable would either be the devices, and you got lucky and got a good one, or the users. Me? I vote for the users. I haven't seen any studies where engineers have taken a random sampling of Paperwhite Kindles and actually measured contrast and the technicolor displays and so forth. What I see are users who claim that they received a string of Paperwhites that were all defective. And, I received four that weren't. I suppose it could just be luck.

I think that both variations in devices and user perception are factors. There definitely can be differences between e-ink screens for the same model e-readers--I've seen this with my own eyes.

And I'm also certain that some users can see and are bothered by differing shades/tinting more than others. I'm sure there are users that can see differences that others simply don't notice because their eyes don't pick up the difference in hues. Others probably see the varying hues but aren't particularly bothered by them, while still others see and are bothered enough to want to return the device.

[SCION]

Interesting...I got the PW3 with Special Offers and Sponsored Screensavers. I noticed last night they didn't appear when I registered the device. And they haven't shown up yet and it's been connected to WiFi continuously. Just checked my Amazon account under devices, and Special Offers isn't even listed as an option to unsubscribe from. I guess Best Buy received the wrong batch of devices. As far as I know, they don't sell Kindles without Special Offers. The box even says Special Offers. Don't know what else to make of it. Woo Hoo!!!

[HarryT]

That's disappointing to hear if you were planning to save money by taking advantage of the special offers; I know there have been people here who've saved a lot of money with them. Can you complain to the retailer?