Kindle Oasis Buyer's Thread

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by schulzmc

Couldn't disagree with this more. I've owned most of the Kindles since the first version. My main reader (I read a lot!) since it came out has been a Voyage. While the haptic feedback "buttons" were OK... The physical buttons on the Oasis are awesome (sometimes my finger would slip from the button area on my Voyage and turn the page backward) and the balance of the battery in your hand instead of spread out across the reader are fantastic. The Oasis is WAY out in front of the Voyage in my opinion. Definitely the best eReader ever.

Based on your limited experience, the most you can claim is that you consider it the best kindle ever; not best ereader ever.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

My initial impressions are similar. I think my Kindle Voyage is a more premium device than the Oasis. I miss the light sensor and the haptic buttons. I also like the origami style cover better. However I've only spent a few hours reading on it so maybe my assessment will change with more time.

I saw one live myself at my friend's house. I had my Voyage with me in order to compare. I cannot believe the money they are asking for that device. I agree that the whole R&D may have cost a lot but the leather cover (I saw the Merlot one) is crap, it really feels more like cardboard than anything else, the contrast of the display was evidently better on my Voyage, and the display also had color clouding. I admit that the form factor and the haptic are nicer than I expected, but not that fantastic either, and the price difference to the Voyage seems even more exaggerated to me after having had one in my hands.

My friend was bitterly disappointed and his Oasis is going back to Amazon. He likes the form factor and the lightness, and the buttons, he hates the cover feeling, and he is furious at the display quality. Amazon offered him a replacement.. in September. That added insult to injury for him I guess, so the device is going back and he is not ordering a new one. I tried to have him order a Voyage, but he was so furious at Amazon that I'll let that lay still for while before trying again.

[Bookworm_Girl]

The cover is thin and stiff with sharp edges so that's probably why it reminds you of cardboard. I wish it folded flatter along the edge. The inside material is also starting to collect dust easily, but it does feel nice to touch.

[nurseshelly]

Originally Posted by aceflor

My friend was bitterly disappointed and his Oasis is going back to Amazon. He likes the form factor and the lightness, and the buttons, he hates the cover feeling, and he is furious at the display quality. Amazon offered him a replacement.. in September. That added insult to injury for him I guess, so the device is going back and he is not ordering a new one. I tried to have him order a Voyage, but he was so furious at Amazon that I'll let that lay still for while before trying again.

I almost didn't get one at all because I was so upset at Amazon with the changing of shipping dates and no good explanation. I mean if the shipping date is May 7th, that's the shipping date. Something must have happened to change it to August and they gave me some line of bull about customers ahead of me in line. Well, those customers were ahead of me in line a week prior and it said May 7th for all of that time, then suddenly it changed on 4/27 from May 7th to August 1st. I personally think they forgot to put the 3rd party vendors in the line for orders or something like that and then they put them in front of everyone who ordered after a certain date. It made me so angry I almost didn't order from them at all and changed to a different brand.

[odamizu]

As luck would have it, I ended up with two Kindle Oases thanks to a sweetheart husband who ordered one for me as a surprise, not knowing I had ordered one for myself

Screen:

Oasis A: On quick glance and when immersed in reading, the screen's lighting and color is an even yellowish-white with no light cones or shadows. If I look for it, I can see a slight color shift from yellow-white to yellower-white, but it's not noticeable to me while reading.

Oasis B's screen is disappointing. Obvious light cones and shadows that are immediately apparent, and color splotches of yellow and green.

My Voyage (which I love) has even lighting, no light cones or shadows, but it does have a color shift from creamy white to pinkish white. However, the shift is gradual and even, so it doesn't bother me, unlike the splotchy color on Oasis B.

With the light set at 0, the text on all 3 Kindles is equally crisp and clear. But when the light is turned on, the text on both Oases become a little washed out and foggy. It seems the light layer, when activated, has an adverse affect on clarity and contrast. The Oasis screen is still good, but when put side-by-side with the Voyage, there is a small but noticeable difference.

Overall, Oasis A has the most even lighting and color, but the Voyage has the crispest, clearest, sharpest, darkest text. I also prefer the creamy-white/pinkish-white color on the Voyage to the yellow-white on the Oases, but that's a personal preference.

Form Factor:

I love the light weight and ergonomic balance of the Oasis. I love the tiny overall size, while still maintaining a full-size screen. Next to the Oasis, the Voyage looks clunky.

I appreciate the wedge-ledge on the Oasis that gives you a little place to rest your fingers, making the Oasis easier to hold. The assymetrical shape appeals to the quirky side of me, but I can see how it would bother those with a penchant for symmetry.

I am not a page-button person, preferring to tap the screen, but these page-turn buttons have a nice feel when pressed and I may start using them more. They are perfectly placed for people who like turning pages with a button. For me, they kind of get in the way as I haven't figured out exactly where on the bezel to rest my fingers without accidentally pushing a button. The click is surprisingly loud (for someone who has grown accustomed to silent page-turns).

Cover:

Both Oases have the black cover, which are oddly not the same. I'm not sure if it's just the natural variations of leather, but Oasis A's black cover is thicker with a rich, textured, leathery feel. When I see and touch it, I think "leather." Oasis B's cover is thinner, with less texture and doesn't really seem "leathery." I can see how people who receive covers like this would describe them as "plasticky" or like "cardboard."

Also interesting, Oasis A's cover came out of the box wrapped in white tissue paper whereas Oasis B's cover was in a plastic sleeve.

While the cover protects the screen nicely, it doesn't do much for the back and sides, and I am inclined to slip it into a sleeve for extra protection.

Use:

I've only had a chance to read on the Oasis for about two hours, so I can't comment much. As far as I can tell, the software is pretty much the same as the Voyage, except the Oasis has the Amazon Ember font (which I like more than I thought I would) and the battery gauges in the quick menu show percentages for the Kindle and cover, which is nice.

Page-turns and keystroking were quick and responsive — as good as or better than the Voyage.

I read with the cover off because the ergonomics and light weight are the reason I wanted the Oasis. With the cover on, it's definitely "heavy" in my hand.

Bottom-line:

I think the only reason to get an Oasis is if the form-factor appeals to you.

If you're looking for the best screen, it seems to be a crap-shoot between Oasis and Voyage (and Paperwhite), as individual units seem to vary wildly.

YMMV

P.S. I don't know if this is relevant, but Oasis A came from Amazon and Oasis B came from Best Buy.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by nurseshelly

I almost didn't get one at all because I was so upset at Amazon with the changing of shipping dates and no good explanation. I mean if the shipping date is May 7th, that's the shipping date. Something must have happened to change it to August and they gave me some line of bull about customers ahead of me in line. Well, those customers were ahead of me in line a week prior and it said May 7th for all of that time, then suddenly it changed on 4/27 from May 7th to August 1st. I personally think they forgot to put the 3rd party vendors in the line for orders or something like that and then they put them in front of everyone who ordered after a certain date. It made me so angry I almost didn't order from them at all and changed to a different brand.

That's outrageous! I hope you get your Oasis soon and it's a good one! (You can blame my husband for ordering a duplicate Oasis, though that turned out to be the good one )

[disconnected]

Originally Posted by odamizu

As luck would have it, I ended up with two Kindle Oases thanks to a sweetheart husband who ordered one for me as a surprise, not knowing I had ordered one for myself

Screen:

Oasis A: On quick glance and when immersed in reading, the screen's lighting and color is an even yellowish-white with no light cones or shadows. If I look for it, I can see a slight color shift from yellow-white to yellower-white, but it's not noticeable to me while reading.

Oasis B's screen is disappointing. Obvious light cones and shadows that are immediately apparent, and color splotches of yellow and green.

My Voyage (which I love) has even lighting, no light cones or shadows, but it does have a color shift from creamy white to pinkish white. However, the shift is gradual and even so it doesn't bother me, unlike the splotchy color on Oasis B.

With the light set at 0, the text on all 3 Kindles is equally crisp and clear. But when the light is turned on, the text on both Oases become a little washed out and foggy. It seems the light layer, when activated, has an adverse affect on clarity and contrast. The Oasis screen is still good, but when put side-by-side with the Voyage, there is a small but noticeable difference.

Overall, Oasis A has the most even lighting and color, but the Voyage has the crispest, clearest, sharpest, darkest text. I also prefer the creamy-white/pinkish-white color on the Voyage to the yellow-white on the Oases, but that's a personal preference.

Form Factor:

I love the light weight and ergonomic balance of the Oasis. I love the tiny overall size, which doesn't sacrifice screen size. Next to the Oasis, the Voyage looks clunky.

I appreciate the wedge-ledge on the Oasis that gives you a little place to rest your fingers, making the Oasis easier to hold. The assymetrical shape appeals to the quirky side of me, but I can see how it would bother those with a penchant for symmetry.

I am not a page-button person, preferring to tap the screen, but these page-turn buttons have a nice feel when pressed and I may start using them more. They are perfectly placed for people who like turning pages with a button. For me, they kind of get in the way as I haven't figured out exactly where on the bezel to rest my fingers without accidentally pushing a button. The click is also surprisingly loud.

Cover:

Both Oases have the black cover, which are oddly not the same. I'm not sure if it's just the natural variations of leather, but Oasis A's black cover is thicker with a rich, textured, leathery feel. When I see and touch it, I think "leather." Oasis B's cover is thinner, with less texture and doesn't really seem "leathery."

Also interesting, Oasis A's cover came out of the box wrapped in white tissue paper whereas Oasis B's cover was in a plastic sleeve.

While the cover protects the screen nicely, it doesn't do much for the back and sides, and I am inclined to slip it into a sleeve for extra protection.

Use:

I've only had a chance to read on the Oasis for about two hours, so I can't comment much. As far as I can tell, the software is pretty much the same as the Voyage, except the Oasis has the Amazon Ember font and the battery gauges in the quick menu show percentages for the Kindle and cover, which is nice.

Page-turns and keystroking were quick and responsive — as good as or better than the Voyage.

I read with the cover off because the ergonomics and light weight are the reason I wanted the Oasis. With the cover on, it's definitely "heavy" in my hand.

Finally, I'm not sure if this is relevant, but Oasis A came from Amazon and Oasis B came from Best Buy.

YMMV

Thanks for posting comparisons, verifying the lottery-like process of acquiring an ereader. The cover differences are interesting. It never occurred to me that they would vary as much as the screens but it does explain some of the differences in the various reviews/comments, ranging from sumptuous to cheap and cardboard-like.

I also have two coming -- a merlot wifi from Best Buy on Monday and a walnut wifi/3G from Amazon still scheduled for Wednesday. I was feeling a little guilty for ordering two with the intent of returning at least one but I'm now thinking it's almost necessary to order two or more just to have a decent chance of getting an acceptable one.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by disconnected

I also have two coming -- a merlot wifi from Best Buy on Monday and a walnut wifi/3G from Amazon still scheduled for Wednesday. I was feeling a little guilty for ordering two with the intent of returning at least one but I'm now thinking it's almost necessary to order two or more just to have a decent chance of getting an acceptable one.

As long as you're aware that this is behaviour which can and does lead to Amazon closing people's accounts. Returning something because it's faulty (the intended purpose of Amazon's generous return policy) is completely different to buying something with the deliberate intention of returning it.

[disconnected]

Originally Posted by HarryT

As long as you're aware that this is behaviour which can and does lead to Amazon closing people's accounts. Returning something because it's faulty (the intended purpose of Amazon's generous return policy) is completely different to buying something with the deliberate intention of returning it.

I've returned maybe four things in ten years so I'm not too worried. And, from an ethical standpoint, if Amazon is ok with doing no quality control and sending out wildly different examples of a nearly four hundred dollar ereader then I feel no guilt in doing a comparison before deciding.

My Voyage screen is very bad. I thought I'd get used to it and I do hate to return things so I kept it. It sits on a shelf and I've been kicking myself for keeping it. Not going to happen this time.

[tovare]

Mangling the numbers a bit. The average amazon review score is the same for the Oasis and Paperwhite, but the distribution is different.

Kindle Oasis (4.5): 75% gives it 5 stars, while 22% on 1,2 and 3 = NPS 53
Kindle Voyage (4.3): 67% five star, 17% on 1,2,3 = NPS 50
Kindle Paperwhite (4.5): 73% five star, 12% on 1,2,3 = NPS 61

The ratio of those who are really happy (5 stars) and those who are somewhat unhappy is very different. From this perspective the difference between the voyage and oasis is smaller.

My Oasis is held up in customs, and I find myself obsessing over not having it yet, instead of just enjoying my good old Paperwhite. :-) Most common complaints are ergonomics and price, so the odds are good that I´ll be in 5-star bliss tomorrow afternoon.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by disconnected

I've returned maybe four things in ten years so I'm not too worried. And, from an ethical standpoint, if Amazon is ok with doing no quality control and sending out wildly different examples of a nearly four hundred dollar ereader then I feel no guilt in doing a comparison before deciding.

A valid reason for ordering two and only keeping one.

[Shinytop]

Ordering two and keeping the better is a good strategy for getting one you can read for years. Just do not complain about the price. They cannot resell the return at full price so will have to keep raising prices for those that buy many and return them.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Shinytop

Ordering two and keeping the better is a good strategy for getting one you can read for years. Just do not complain about the price. They cannot resell the return at full price so will have to keep raising prices for those that buy many and return them.

It doesn't have to be that way if Amazon had better QC. In this instance, Amazon bears fault.

[Yolina]

If QC weren't so sloppy, they wouldn't have as many returns...

This is starting to look like a repeat of the PW1 screen saga I'm glad I'm not buying an Oasis, I wish all those who do luck - may you get a good screen at the first time of asking.

[Kolja]

Originally Posted by odamizu

Oasis A: On quick glance and when immersed in reading, the screen's lighting and color is an even yellowish-white with no light cones or shadows. If I look for it, I can see a slight color shift from yellow-white to yellower-white, but it's not noticeable to me while reading.

With the light set at 0, the text on all 3 Kindles is equally crisp and clear. But when the light is turned on, the text on both Oases become a little washed out and foggy. It seems the light layer, when activated, has an adverse affect on clarity and contrast. The Oasis screen is still good, but when put side-by-side with the Voyage, there is a small but noticeable difference.

Overall, Oasis A has the most even lighting and color, but the Voyage has the crispest, clearest, sharpest, darkest text. I also prefer the creamy-white/pinkish-white color on the Voyage to the yellow-white on the Oases, but that's a personal preference.

I ordered a second Oasis shortly after receiving the first because I wasn't happy with the screen. My Oasis sounds like your Oasis A with yellowish-white coloring with a slight color shift, but mine also has slight cones from the LEDs. It's not a bad screen but compared to my Voyage it looks inferior. I agree that with the light off both screens look the same, but with the light on the Voyage has darker text with better contrast and is much easier on my eyes. I was reading with the Oasis last evening for about an hour and when I went back to the Voyage it was a relief. My second Oasis is due Wednesday so at least one will be returned and if the second isn't better than the first, probably both. I would be happy to just keep and use my Voyage with it's good screen and useful Origami cover.