Got my new Oasis today, first impressions

[rashkae]

That's weird... when I hold the PW3 next to KOA2, the PW3 has noticeably better contrast... Text is darker and a little sharper. (the blue tinted light however, is harsh, so I wouldn't say this is actually more pleasant... but I was very disappointed in that regards with the Oasis.)

[razashaikh]

Thanks for the review, cleared some of my doubts. Planning to buy it next week!

[Ksane]

Originally Posted by odamizu

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I am also concerned about the added weight of the Oasis2. I know it can't compare to the Oasis1 in lightness (which is a key factor for me), but I'm wondering how the Oasis2 compares to the Voyage when reading in bed, holding it above you.

Any insights greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I can't even hold my empty hand above me laying flat on my back lol Age, arthritis & carpal tunnel....our 50's are NOT the new 20's.

[John F]

What is Amazon thinking with their "demo" mode? I went to a Best Buy to take a look at the Oasis, and it was in a demo mode that allowed me to do absolutely nothing but view a series of changing screens. It was a hugely off-putting. I really wanted to view the lighting and font size/margin changes, and I couldn't. I couldn't even read a book. With no built in light on (or it was very low), the device looks very blah.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by John F

What is Amazon thinking with their "demo" mode?

Precisely what the word "demo" implies: to allow the device to be placed in a display case and run through its capabilities.

There's nothing to prevent a shop from having a non-demo unit for customers to try out, should they wish to.

[John F]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Precisely what the word "demo" implies: to allow the device to be placed in a display case and run through its capabilities.

There's nothing to prevent a shop from having a non-demo unit for customers to try out, should they wish to.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by John F

What is Amazon thinking with their "demo" mode? I went to a Best Buy to take a look at the Oasis, and it was in a demo mode that allowed me to do absolutely nothing but view a series of changing screens. It was a hugely off-putting. I really wanted to view the lighting and font size/margin changes, and I couldn't. I couldn't even read a book. With no built in light on (or it was very low), the device looks very blah.

Yeah, that annoyed me, too. In addition, I also wanted to see how fast it is, given how many comments have been made about it. Couldn't even try the page-turn buttons. Realistically, I wasn't going to buy, but someone on the fence could easily have left the store empty-handed. I had expected to be blown away, but demo mode doesn't do it.

I had just come from Barnes and Noble next door, where I had been able to put the new GlowLight 3 through all its paces.

[Pizza_Cant_Read]

Try a third party kiosk. I was able to play with my original Oasis in one of those tiny airport book stores. They were just sitting around on a shelf.

[beninma]

I just got a new 7" Kindle Oasis a few days ago. I have had quite a few Kindle models over the years and other readers over the years. Kindle DX-G, Nook Glolite (2012 model, still have it), Paperwhite 1st gen (still have it), Paperwhite 2nd gen (don't have it), Voyage (don't have it anymore), and Oasis 1st gen (traded it in on the 2nd gen).

I love it, I think they hit this one out of the park, particularly the bigger screen and overall quality and feel. I think the buttons feel better than the original Oasis and I'm really happy to have the adaptive lighting + cover that can stand again. The Adaptive lighting algorithm is still imperfect but it does work a lot of the time. I am not sure why I bought the leather cover since the fabric one is cheaper and apparently is more water resistant but whatever, I like the color and appearance a lot and I've never damaged an e-reader from water.

The screen on mine is fantastic. But there are two things about screens that I've noticed.

1) I think the plastic matte covering on the Paperwhites might be superior at controlling reflections. I think this might be why so many people think they look better. Under some lighting I think they do as well. The Voyage and Oasis models might have been even better without the glass coating, but the glass coating is probably required for the touchscreen responsiveness with the capacative touch. The raised bezel on the paperwhite models might also reduce reflections in some cases IMO.

2) The new font bolding options make more difference in clarity & contrast than the differences in a bunch of these screens. They should have added this option way back in the early history of the kindle as soon as the hardware was capable of it. I think a lot of the vague comments people make here about one device or another looking better has had a lot to do with fonts over the years. The old Caecilia font was always bolder than a lot of the others and always made your Kindle look better than the other Fonts. IMO B&N always had poor choices for font weights too that made the device look weaker than the Kindle. IMO this is pretty much the best software change they've made in the entire history of the Kindle. I am equally as impressed with this software change on my old Paperwhite, which I used a lot for reading while I waited for the new Oasis.

[Sirtel]

I'm really grateful for the FONT_RAMP hack. I had a slight problem with font sizes on my KO2, just could not find that perfect size. Size 5 was a bit too small, size 6 too big. It's funny, because I've never had a problem with font sizes on any Kindle before. Thanks to helpful people on this forum who posted instructions how to make your own FONT_RAMP file, I now have the perfect size on my new Oasis. Yay!

[ellenoc]

My Oasis 2 arrived a few days ago, and my first reaction after having it only an hour was - It's gorgeous! Below are my feelings after actually using it for days. I'm retired and have already read three books on it.

I'm still enchanted. The screen is perfect. If there is a gradient or other imperfections, I can't see them. One of the things I didn't much care for on the Voyage was the blindingly white screen. The softer cream tone of the O1 is much better for me, and this O2 is like that too. The extra size of the screen is wonderful and to me seems more than kinda sorta or slight. I get an extra 2 or 3 words per line and an extra 3 lines per screen, and I keep mine at the middle setting for line spacing.

I love that there's a setting to make the font bigger on the Home screen (and give the battery as a percentage). The improvements in the last firmware upgrade to the O1 allowing font bolding, etc., were great on the O1 and are here too.

My Fintie case only came yesterday afternoon, so I used the O2 without a case for several days and had no trouble holding it, although I can't hold any Kindle for long periods any more because of arthritis in my hands. It seemed as if for someone whose hands aren't a problem it would be quite comfortable. Didn't seem either cold or too slippery for that to me.

Where it did seem too slippery was when I put it down anywhere except on a totally flat surface like a table. I have a bad habit of putting mine down on the arm of my recliner, and the O2 reacted as if on a ski slope when I did that.

The buttons don't seem loud to me. I held it right to my ear and could hear a faint click on the upper button, nothing on the lower. Admittedly those are my Donald Duck ears, but I had my hearing aids in.

The auto light adjustment works, which it never did for me on the Voyage, but I've turned it off. It seems I like to position my hands in ways that get between the light source and the sensor every so often and don't realize it until my screen starts turning gray. It's easier to turn off the auto adjustment and do it manually than try to break myself of hand movement.

I got the 8 GB model with special offers, which was a mistake. Another half dozen swipes to wake will undoubtedly have me forking over the extra $20 to get rid of the SO. I shouldn't have even pretended to myself I'd be able to stand them for long.

The audio stuff is of no interest to me, so I have no opinion there. Ditto Goodreads integration. I tried the reverse screen just to see what it looked like, and it looked clear and well done, but it's not something I'd ever use either.

It's fast. It seems to me not only faster for things like page turn but that books download faster too, which has to be my imagination because that's up to the wifi, right?

I like the buttons more than those on the OA1, which always seemed unnecessarily high to me.

It is noticeably heavier than the OA1 and the Fintie case makes it even more so. Someone asked for a report on 3d party cases, and I'm going to report on the case in the thread on covers. However, since I don't plan on hand-holding the O2 often or for long the extra bit of weight doesn't matter to me. Also, since I always worry about losing a Kindle if I take it out and about I've never taken my newest and favorite out with me, so the OA1 will now be the one that goes places anyway. I traded my Voyage to Amazon before ordering the OA2.

The original partial charge already on the device when I got it did drain fast, but since then (after a restart and complete charge where it sat for a couple hours after 100% - recommended in a KBoards thread) it seems good to me - better than my OA1 in its cover, but I never timed either one and can't be sure. Maybe if the OA1 didn't start complaining about low battery when the device itself still has hours of charge and only the cover is low, that wouldn't be true.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by ellenoc

I got the 8 GB model with special offers, which was a mistake. Another half dozen swipes to wake will undoubtedly have me forking over the extra $20 to get rid of the SO. I shouldn't have even pretended to myself I'd be able to stand them for long.

I have special offers on mine, and I don't have to swipe more than twice. (I did wonder if Amazon made it intentionally slow so I'd be more likely to actually look at the offer, but I don't always have to do it more than once).

You may not have noticed that this Oasis goes into deep sleep more quickly than other Kindles (or at least, others have commented that it seems to). So you have to wait until bar at the bottom of the screen changes from "Waking Up..." to "Swipe to Unlock Kindle". Maybe that's way it takes so many swipes for you? $20 isn't much, but you may find if you pay it, that your Kindle doesn't open the Home screen any faster than before.

[BenG]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I have special offers on mine, and I don't have to swipe more than twice. (I did wonder if Amazon made it intentionally slow so I'd be more likely to actually look at the offer, but I don't always have to do it more than once).

You may not have noticed that this Oasis goes into deep sleep more quickly than other Kindles (or at least, others have commented that it seems to). So you have to wait until bar at the bottom of the screen changes from "Waking Up..." to "Swipe to Unlock Kindle". Maybe that's way it takes so many swipes for you? $20 isn't much, but you may find if you pay it, that your Kindle doesn't open the Home screen any faster than before.

The original Oasis was the same way. It went into deep sleep quickly to save battery life. So yes you get the waking up message before it shows the lock screen.

[HarryT]

I've just timed it, and when it's asleep it takes a little under 4s from opening the cover to being fully "awake", which seems reasonable enough to me.

[ellenoc]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I have special offers on mine, and I don't have to swipe more than twice. (I did wonder if Amazon made it intentionally slow so I'd be more likely to actually look at the offer, but I don't always have to do it more than once).

I didn't mean I had to swipe 6 times to wake it once. I meant another 6 instances of having to swipe to wake it would aggravate me to the point of paying the $20 to get rid of the SO, and it was probably less than that. My SO bit the dust last night. I don't like the "waking" delay either, but had to put up with it on the OA1, so it's nothing new for me.