Kindle Oasis Buyer's Thread

[disconnected]

When I decided to order the first Oasis, late on the day it was announced, I intended to get a wifi-only with a merlot cover. By then the estimated dates for both the merlot and walnut had been pushed out to June (I didn't want black so didn't check it). The walnut 3G was still on schedule so I decided to pay the extra seventy dollars and ordered that one.

At that point I was still in my starry-eyed, optimistic stage of new gadget lust and had no thought of ordering more than one. By the time I heard of availability at Best Buy I'd started to see a few pictures and negative comments about the screen. Best Buy had the model I originally wanted, the wifi-only merlot, so I ordered it, figuring I had a couple of days to decide if I wanted to cancel the Amazon order.

I waffled for a day or so but by then I'd seen and heard enough that the decision came down to choosing to keep the two orders or to cancel both. I'm now definitely looking forward to having two to compare.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by Kolja

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.

I did not like reading on Oasis B. The light cones were too distracting.
When my husband told me another Oasis was on the way, I told him to cancel the order as I had decided to stick with my Voyage. But when he tried to cancel, Amazon said it was too late as it was already being prepared for shipment. They said we could either refuse delivery or return the items for a refund when they arrive. I honestly didn't expect it to be better, but when it arrived, I decided to open it and was really surprised. I hope you get a happy surprise as well!

[mrbjr]

I got my Oasis from Best Buy day before launch day... with all the fooling around with setup and installing new FW,playing with all the different settings.. I have read three 500 plus page books... the latest being Inferno by Dan Brown, in my opinion 3 stars at best..Anyway my oasis has 90% and the cover is at 54%... I like it better than my Voyage...could be new gadget syndrome.... I enjoy the page turn buttons much more than I thought I would, also being able to read with either hand turns out to be fantastic as I have a 5# chihuahua that insists on curling up in the crook of one arm or the other and her comfort means more than my own, so that alone makes it a keeper...

[Mr. Goodbar]

Got my Best Buy unit today and happy to not have any color gradient or light cone issues. Pretty impressed with the device overall. Feels very well made and the new design balances really well in the hand. The buttons have a very good level of tactile feedback, not mushy and not too clicky. Would love to see them make this same design with an 8" screen.

[disconnected]

My Best Buy Oasis (wifi/Merlot) has arrived.

I can see a slight color shift but it's not as pronounced as that on my Voyage. Also, for me, a side-to-side shift is a lot less distracting than a top-to-bottom shift. The other day someone suggested testing that by putting my Voyage into landscape mode and even on the Voyage I was less disturbed by the shift in landscape mode.

In a dim room I can tilt the Oasis enough to see where the light is coming from, although it appears more like a continuous very narrow strip than separate lights. Also in some lighting conditions I can see a slight shadowing near the light source. I have to look hard to see any of this; it's not something that I'd normally be conscious of.

If I put the Oasis next to my Kobo Glo HD, the Oasis is more of a blue/gray white and the Kobo is more of a yellow tone. I slightly prefer the yellow. (I definitely prefer Kobo's software/customization options; it's one thing that really annoy me about Amazon.)

I'm ok with the merlot cover. I wouldn't guess it was leather; it's very thin and seems like cardboard with a coating of something or other. From some angles I can see a few marks that look sort of like scuff marks. I could also live without the giant Amazon logo but at least they resisted the temptation of gold lettering so it's not too intrusive. So, not a great cover (I guess the high cost is due to the battery and electronics rather than the leather) but ok.

I didn't like the buttons on my Voyage so I disabled them right away. The Oasis buttons seem more natural to me and I think I'll come to like them after I learn to stop pressing them accidentally. I haven't been able to find an option to disable them in any case.

I obviously didn't need another reader and the Oasis doesn't really add anything that I've been missing up until now but it's sufficiently different and intriguing that I'm happy to add it to my collection.

I've also decided not to push my luck. I registered this one (and removed the special offers) and was in time to cancel my Amazon order. That one was 3G (only because it was all that was available) so I've saved seventy dollars.

[Shinytop]

I received my Oasis today. Set at the same brightness as my Voyage the screen is noticeably brighter and whiter. I took out a magnifying glass and still could not see the infamous cones of light. Admittedly my eyes are getting older but if I can't see them they are not there!

The Merlot case is darker than I expected and I am glad. It's a dark burgundy with a premium feel and even smells like leather.

Good job Amazon.

[Neil]

Just received my Oasis from Amazon and am very impressed. If the cones of light thingies are there then my eyes are not good enough to see such and, to me, the display looks more even than my Voyage. My main reasons for upgrading to the Voyage was the battery cover and the buttons. Long ago I had a Kindle DX and loved the hardware buttons on the side. The sensory style buttons on the Voyage, to me, were an annoying feature in that I always missed them and would have to somewhat break concentration on reading to use them. These are real, tactile buttons and there's no such problem. A most welcome change! Just started reading and so far I think the display is dynamite and a few extra LEDs seem to go a long way. I'm glad I upgraded. (Not as glad as my daughter who will not get my passalong Voyage!)

[nurseshelly]

Originally Posted by odamizu

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 )

Thank you! I hope it's a good one too ... I can't wait for tomorrow

[soulfuldog]

Its good to hear some people are getting 'good' units, long may it continue. I really didn't think Amazon would make a mess of things with the Oasis, but it's been very hit and miss so far.

[sneakyspider]

I really hope I get a good one. Mine is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, so I'll know then. I'm very excited for it to arrive.

[Strether]

The screen on mine is excellent and I really like the page turn buttons. The patina on the walnut cover makes it look like it's a hundred years old--the best looking cover I've had with any of my e-readers.

Jim

[badgoodDeb]

Huh! Is the walnut cover a "fuzzy" sort of cover? We've seen videos of brown ones that are, but maybe there are two types ..... I didn't know you could get a patina on a fuzzy cover? Care to explain a little bit; describe it further? And/or post a photo of the cover?

[selianth]

My Merlot-covered Oasis from Best Buy is waiting on my front porch for me to come home. I'm itching to leave work early and go pet it. I mean check out the screen for cones. And then maybe some slight caressing.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Huh! Is the walnut cover a "fuzzy" sort of cover? We've seen videos of brown ones that are, but maybe there are two types ..... I didn't know you could get a patina on a fuzzy cover? Care to explain a little bit; describe it further? And/or post a photo of the cover?

It is definitely a fuzzy cover and I am no leather expert but I don't think fuzzy leather patinas over time.

Take a look at 1:05 onwards on this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFyFGLtepzk

I like the walnut colour, but as far as the finish goes it is not my preference at all. It would drive me crazy having to 'smooth out' the streaks on the cover all the time.

I also think Strether might be employing the wrong word here. A patina by definition requires the passage of time to develop, and unless Amazon has been ageing their leather in vaults for years in preparation for this, the covers do not ship with a patina.

[Strether]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Huh! Is the walnut cover a "fuzzy" sort of cover? We've seen videos of brown ones that are, but maybe there are two types ..... I didn't know you could get a patina on a fuzzy cover? Care to explain a little bit; describe it further? And/or post a photo of the cover?

Pictures are beyond my capability, but the case is not fuzzy at all, which isn't to say that it doesn't have texture--it's not slick. It's dark brown on both sides, but slightly lighter on the spine. It registers usage--you can scratch it easily enough, but if that bothers you, which it doesn't me, the scratch can easily be rubbed out by your finger. It looks like something that someone ages ago would have had to cover a slim book of poetry. Completely different in every way from the Amazon cover on the Voyage.

Jim