Amazon announces Kindle Oasis

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Before I'll pay a premium price for an ereader, Amazon needs to add both waterproofing and a flexible substrate. Not one, but both.

I'd like to see both as well.

Waterproofing shouldn't prove too difficult, but I'm not sure if they can offer a flexible substrate yet. Last I'd seen eInk was only making Mobius screens available in 13.3" for the big Sony device (& now the new Onyx & Netronix ones) and in a small sub 2" size for smart watches and stuff. Until eInk gets their Mobius screen manufacturing to where they're offering 6" screens in that format (& in quantity) it would seem we're stuck with Carta screens. Unless Amazon starts developing their own screens in a tech similar to eInk or moves to a different screen tech I think 300ppi Carta is the best available right now.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Not for my Kindle 7; only the Paperwhite.

Before I'll pay a premium price for an ereader, Amazon needs to add both waterproofing and a flexible substrate. Not one, but both.

How much are you willing to pay for that, Tubemonkey?

[yegon]

Had we heard ahead of time nothing about the device, just that it'd be starting at £269.99 (UK pricing) I would have thought "Oooh baby, what's coming down the pipe?!" . I'm quite willing to spend big on premium devices.

Instead we got a disappointing device leak and a frankly exorbitant price for what it is.

And no ambient light sensor, which I quite appreciate on my Voyage - can't recall the last time I manually changed brightness.

Quite like the asymmetrical design though.

Heyho!

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by latepaul

Quick question: who on this thread has experience of design and manufacture of electronic devices, especially ones with complex circuit boards (phones, tablets etc)?

I just need to know who to take seriously when they talk about it being "easy" to put the same set of components in a smaller case.

For one, you can't take anyone serious that says adding the wedge is easy. Well, I take that back. Adding the wedge is easy, if it wasn't for thinning out the other side. It is no surprise that the thicker part is thicker than the Voyage.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Why is Amazon calling this a premium reader? With phones or tablets premium usually means better build materials, better resolution, better processor, more memory and more storage.

It's a pretty different device from a phone or a tablet.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by Jason90

The UK price is the reason its borderline criminal,$270 does not equal £270!

Not even apple is that obnoxious

Well, no, it doesn't. However, UK prices are, by law, quoted inclusive of VAT, 20% in this case: so the ex-VAT price that goes to Amazon (from my receipt) is £228.32: factor in the likely cost of a case of this quality, using the Voyage and PW figures (~£50 + £10 VAT) gets you ~£170 as the ex-VAT cost of the device itself.

US prices are generally quoted ex sales taxes, making direct comparisons without adjusting for this invidious.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I'd like to see both as well.

What are the advantages of a flexible substrate and who else offers one?

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by NullNix

Well, no, it doesn't. However, UK prices are, by law, quoted inclusive of VAT, 20% in this case: so the ex-VAT price that goes to Amazon (from my receipt) is £228.32: factor in the likely cost of a case of this quality, using the Voyage and PW figures (~£50 + £10 VAT) gets you ~£170 as the ex-VAT cost of the device itself.

US prices are generally quoted ex sales taxes, making direct comparisons without adjusting for this invidious.

Look at the price in the € Amazon stores though, it's €290, that includes VAT and is roughly £230, add another €10-15 for delivery to the UK so the Oasis would be yours for £240 all in or thereabouts - £50 isn't a bad saving. In comparison, with the Voyage you'd only save £10 or so if ordering from a € Amazon store once p&p is taken into account

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Shane R

What if the added weight and price would have cost them sales?

Added weight? The Oasis is 2.1 oz heavier than the Voyage, since the case is required to get comparable battery life.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Shane R

It's a pretty different device from a phone or a tablet.

Of course it's different. I was just saying what is considered premium on a different gadget, and I would consider the same things to be premium on an ereader. It doesn't even have the premium things that the Voyage does so I just didn't understand how it could be called premium. Especially more premium than the Voyage.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Shane R

What are the advantages of a flexible substrate and who else offers one?

This is what happens when the substrate breaks. When turned off, you'd never know that the ereader was broken. Plastic/flexible avoids that and makes the device more outdoor worthy.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Added weight?

There's a comment earlier in this thread that quotes a Kindle engineer (from a podcast) as saying that waterproofing would have added weight, so it was left out.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

This is what happens when the substrate breaks. When turned off, you'd never know that the ereader was broken. Plastic/flexible avoids that and makes the device more outdoor worthy.

So how much is a outdoors (waterproofed and flexible substrate) Kindle worth to you?

(Kindle Campfire?)

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Shane R

How much are you willing to pay for that, Tubemonkey?

Somewhere in the Aura H2O to Voyage range.

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by Shane R

(Kindle Campfire?)

With that name, I'd expect it to roast marshmallows too