Amazon announces new 7" waterproof Oasis with 32GB storage option

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Looking at the pictures of it, it's clearly not like the Kobo H2O, which was waterproof by having a rubber seal over the USB port (which made it a real pain to use!). The Oasis has an "open" port, so clearly water can get inside it to some extent or another. Makes you wonder how much of a problem corrosion is likely to be if you regularly immerse it in salt water!

I was thinking more like people dropping it in a bathtub with dirty soapy water.

[beninma]

I never planned on getting an Oasis last year but my Voyage broke and I decided to try the Oasis. I like the Oasis I have just fine but this one is pretty damn tempting. I had a DX-G back in the day and I know I really enjoy the bigger screen sizes. And this new Oasis seems to have added back in all the things that the Voyage still had as advantages over the first gen Oasis. (Namely the standup cover + adaptive lighting.)

Kind of tempted, even though it's not really that smart. I keep my phones and tablets and such for long periods of time but I've always been attracted to the latest and greatest eReaders. I use them more and they cost less than tablets/phones so it's hard to resist.

[soondai]

Just curious how many of y'all read in landscape mode.

a 6 inch reader in landscape is still over 1/2 an inch wider than a 7 inch screen in portrait at the 4:3 ratio. You turn pages about twice as often, but that's no big deal to me.

Personally, I'll stick with my PW1 til the battery croaks. Do wish it were going to receive the new updated font options tho.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You may perhaps have noticed that Amazon offer you BT headphones when you order the Oasis?

I would have had to have ordered the Oasis to have noticed that. Can you post a link to these BT headphones? I'd like to see if they may be cheapies or good ones.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Of course it's wider. It's a 7" screen and not a 6" screen.

7" inches refers to the diagonal, not the width. Of course the aspect ratio along with diagonal length determines the width.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by soondai

Just curious how many of y'all read in landscape mode.

a 6 inch reader in landscape is still over 1/2 an inch wider than a 7 inch screen in portrait at the 4:3 ratio. You turn pages about twice as often, but that's no big deal to me.

Personally, I'll stick with my PW1 til the battery croaks. Do wish it were going to receive the new updated font options tho.

The firmware is where Amazon botched things. They released many different Kindles that use different firmware. Amazon could have done it such that the same firmware worked on most Kindles. Kobo did it. Amazon could have done it.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I completely agree with you; I was just noting that it has a form of TTS.

And I have been known to point that out as well.

What I haven’t seen here or elsewhere are reports from anyone that they find VoiceView a satisfying substitute for POTTS (excepting those who use it to make the Kindle accessible, and for whom it is a godsend). It’s perhaps ‘adequate’ or ‘better than nothing’..

I think I’m going to get one, but doubt that I’ll use the Audible feature much. And even though I say I want TTS, I probably wouldn’t use that much either. Seems like it will be too much ‘friction’ to carry around a headset or portable speaker, keep that charged up, etc. And I have a Fire HD8 for TTS, a smartphone for Audible, etc. and am rarely without all 3 types of device. A little tinny speaker might have been nice, but would be somewhat at odds with waterproofing.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And do all of you wanting TTS or audiobooks know you'll need a BT speaker or BT headphones?

I actually have a decent pair of Bluetooth in ear speakers that I've hardly used . They cost me over £55 when I bought them so I think they will do.

[wakkaday]

is the new device heavier?
is 7 inch too big?

[tomsem]

The Amazon covers fold out to provide a stand, as they put it in the description, ‘for hands free use’. WTH are they talking about? You have to use your hands to navigate and turn pages, or for that matter, just to keep it from sleeping. . I could see this as useful if you could pair a keyboard and use that to navigate with, but that feature does not seem to be there (short of a hack).

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I was thinking more like people dropping it in a bathtub with dirty soapy water.

If you buy me one, I will test this theory.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Like recent Kindle models, it has "Voice View", which is TTS (in fact it's complete device operation via voice, for the blind).

Oh, I didn't know. I'm even more impressed.

[positively4th]

I really don't understand why anyone would want to listen to audio books on an e-ink reader -- regardless of if it's a built in speaker, wired or wireless headphones/speakers. I never used it, but I can understand the appeal of the text to speech that's been missing since the K3... but audible books? Doesn't every $20+ smartphone made in the last 10 years have an audible app, and in most cases probably more listening options (wired AND wireless, built in speaker, etc)? Really is just a head-scratcher for me. Not complaining that the functionality is there, just confused WHY it's there... The e-ink reader gives me an experience I can't get other places, audible seems out of place.

In my head I'm thinking, audible books on an e-ink reader might appeal to a less tech savvy customer that doesn't own or use a smartphone made in the last 10 years... but that same customer is going to figure out how to pair bluetooth headphones?

Although one interesting thing that crossed my mind, they do still have an Oasis option with free cellular service. I wonder if you can stream all the audible content you want. That might be nice for some folks and I can understand appeal of that.

Also, if they figure out how to add "immersion reading" like the tablets and ios app have, I can see appeal in that... I heard on the kindle chronicles podcast with an interview about it that they haven't really got anything to announce on that.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Like recent Kindle models, it has "Voice View", which is TTS (in fact it's complete device operation via voice, for the blind).

Voice view is, as you say, designed for the blind and really awkward for the sighted to use. I bought the dongle and used voice view twice and now the dongle is in a drawer somewhere.

Sadly, TTS is probably gone for good b/c it isn't lucrative for Amazon. Voice view is just there to satisfy some kind of legal requirement, perhaps. Ironically, the Amazon-bought Ivona's UK Amy voice is my favorite TTS voice, quirks and all. (Naturally, Voice view doesn't use that voice.) Even the newer TTS systems that use fancy deep learning don't sound as natural or pleasing to me, at least not yet.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I would have had to have ordered the Oasis to have noticed that. Can you post a link to these BT headphones? I'd like to see if they may be cheapies or good ones.

Philips ones:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LWJ6EB7/

Half price when bought with the Oasis. Not high-end, certainly, but I'm sure they'll be fine for audiobooks.