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Old 03-18-2017, 10:27 PM   #1
Amiieey
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Older Kindles- still worth getting?

Hi guys,

I've always wanted one of the older Kindles- 3rd generation with the keyboard, or 4th generation with the buttons to go back and forth, etc.

If anybody here uses either of these and has a newer e-reader, how do you like the older Kindle? Is the screen resolution a drastic difference from newer e-readers? I only ask this because I have a Kobo Aura H2O and I'm not sure if it's a huge step down, especially with screen size.

I'm also afraid of the software being very slow. I just love the physical turn buttons but cannot afford a high-end Kindle that has the buttons.

I would love to hear any advice or information. I know it's a vague question, but anything helps. Thanks.
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Old 03-18-2017, 10:39 PM   #2
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All I have is older kindles. I still love them.
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Old 03-19-2017, 10:31 AM   #3
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I'd suggest trying to see one before you buy. I don't think you'd find it noticeably slower (how fast does a reader need to be?) but you'll certainly notice the difference in screen resolution. At the 167dpi screen resolution of the older devices you can see the pixelation of the letters on the screen; whether that'll be an issue is something that really only you can decide.
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Old 03-19-2017, 10:43 AM   #4
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I got the Voyage and the Oasis about a year ago. Before that I had two 4th generation Kindles with buttons and a 7th generation basic Kindle. I have to say that I stopped using all my older Kindles after getting the newer ones. The screens of the basics just weren't satisfying any longer. So I would guess that going from a H2O to an old Kindle could be somewhat disappointing. But with very good ambient light, especially bright daylight, the difference might not be all that huge. In daylight the older screens still look pretty good.

Also, the 4th generation Kindles are indeed noticeably slower, but that's only if you load several hundred books on them. If you keep only a handful of books on them, they're pretty snappy.
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Old 03-19-2017, 10:46 AM   #5
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Also, the 4th generation Kindles are indeed noticeably slower, but that's only if you load several hundred books on them. If you keep only a handful of books on them, they're pretty snappy.
The only thing that gets slower with more books is (as you'd expect) the time taken to do a global search. Reading a book certainly doesn't slow down.
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Old 03-19-2017, 10:54 AM   #6
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The only thing that gets slower with more books is (as you'd expect) the time taken to do a global search. Reading a book certainly doesn't slow down.
Well, going to the home page on my old 4th generation basic takes several seconds, for example. But there are 600-700 books on it.
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Old 03-19-2017, 10:57 AM   #7
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Well, going to the home page on my old 4th generation basic takes several seconds, for example. But there are 600-700 books on it.
Yes, OK, it'll take longer to display the library list for a large library. Fair comment.
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Old 03-19-2017, 11:05 AM   #8
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The one with buttons...

Hi

The first Kindle I bought was the Kindle 4 - the first kindle that came out without a keyboard, with the directional selection button at the bottom middle. I still have it (now have a Voyage) and use it when on holiday etc. The clarity is generally fine, but you can see a lack of clarity when compared to the Voyage. That said, I think the "colour" of the screens of the older Kindles in better - the Kindle 4 has a pale grey screen, the newer Kindles have whiter screens due to the lighting, but when this light is off the screens seem more of a beige/pale cream.
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Old 03-19-2017, 05:19 PM   #9
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Living here in this retirement home with neighbors with all sorts of Kindles, beginning with the first one, I see all of them from time to time when they need help. Well, there are a couple of models no-one has but I see most of them. I use a Voyage personally.

To me there's one huge difference from old to new and that's the front light. I really think that's the biggest improvement since Gutenberg's press. Compared to that all the other differences are minor.

I recently got a Kobo Mini, unlighted of course, for someone here. I set it up and then spent half a day reading on it. I really do like that thing. If it had a light it would be my reader of choice, simply based on it's size and weight and convenience. But it doesn't so off it goes to it's owner.

A few neighbors have Kindles 4's and I deal with a couple of those quite a lot. Other than the light I think it's a perfectly good reading experience. But it needs a light. I don't care about buttons but they're not that bad.

I just don't think there are any major differences from one to another except the light. And that's like (ooh I can't believe I'm about to say this) night and day!

Barry
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Old 03-19-2017, 05:35 PM   #10
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Very true, Barry. Front lights completely transformed the reading experience for me, and made my Kindle into a 'read anywhere' device, rather than one that could only be used in good lighting.
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Old 03-20-2017, 10:21 AM   #11
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...To me there's one huge difference from old to new and that's the front light. I really think that's the biggest improvement since Gutenberg's press. Compared to that all the other differences are minor...
I followed e-readers from when I first saw one of the Sonys. But what finally prompted me to jump in the game was the first Nook that had a front light.
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Old 03-20-2017, 02:18 PM   #12
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I had problems reading on my old Kobo Touch back in the day, and it was 800x600 for 167 ppi. I upgraded to the Aura HD for the greater size (6.8") as much as the greater resolution.

My main concern with a user e-reader would be the battery.
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Old 03-21-2017, 08:35 AM   #13
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OK, I'll give you my experience. I have no experience with Kobos, but I have had Kindles 3rd, 4th and modern generation.

Kindle 3 vs Kindle 4: I thought I would miss the physical keyboard, but I didn't. I preferred Kindle 4th without physical keyboard. I basically use the keyboard when I do a search, and that doesn't happen very often, so the keyboard on screen controlled by the buttons of the Kindle 4th is adequate. The smaller size of the Kindle 4th (with the same screen) makes it more comfortable to hold, and otherwise the reading experience is similar. I prefer Kindle 4th.

Kindle 4 vs Kindle Touch 8th generation: I much prefer Kindle 4, so much that I returned the Kindle Touch. I'll compare the experience:

1) Light: None of them have lights. They are like paper books, you need external light to read. Of course, if light is important for you, you'd need to go Paperwhite. However, read on, because what I say below about the Touch applies to the Paperwhite too.

2) Touch screen vs buttons: looking up definitions or choosing a book from the list is a easier with a touch screen. You don't have to scroll using the buttons to get to what you want. That's a minor annoyance of the Kindle 4. However, passing pages is better for me with the physical buttons of the Kindle 4. I like to hold the Kindle with one hand, and I was always accidentally passing pages as my fingers brushed the edge of the screen accidentally. I guess that I would get used to it with time, but it's really an annoyance. Buttons are better, and the Kindle 4 has buttons for page forward and page back on both sides, so no matter how you hold the device it's easy to pass the page. Also, and that's just me, I prefer not to be touching the screen of the Kindle all the time. Fingers leave a small amount of grease on the screen which can be visible at certain angles and make me want to clean the screen (this is minor, though, and probably not an issue with Kindles with backlight).

3) Software: it's similar. The software of the Kindle 4 is not slower. With the older software you don't get to integrate your Goodread account with the Kindle and things like that, but honestly I have no use for that. I just want to use the device to read. The speed of both kindles is adequate.

4) Screen/fonts: this is the dealbreaker for me when it comes to the modern Kindle Touch, and it's the same for the other modern Kindles. Kindle 4 and Kindle Touch have the same number of pixels per inch, less than the paperwhite, but I don't really notice the difference with the Paperwhite for everyday use. Maybe for images, but really, it's not an issue for me. However, the fonts... you understand, Kindles offer you a limited choice when it comes to fonts. You can't upload your own fonts (well, in modern kindles you can embed a font in a book and use it, but only for that book). The Kindle 4 only offers 3 fonts, while the modern Kindle offers more, but to read comfortably an eink book you want a reasonable serif font. The regular font of the kindle 4 works really well for me. That regular font is actually the Caecilia font, which is also offered in modern Kindles. However, in Kindle 4 the fonts have more weight (which means they are slightly bolder than in the modern Kindle). The fonts of the modern Kindle have too little weight to read comfortable on a eInk screen. The difference is subtle, but if you put them side to side with a similar font and font size you notice that it looks as if the Kindle 4 has more contrast and it's easier to read. That, for me, was the dealbreaker. I returned the Kindle Touch and bought a second hand Kindle 4.

I understand that the Kobo allows the user to adjust the weight of the fonts. That's a big improvement, in my opinion, at least if you don't like the font weight Kindle forces on you.

Last edited by db105; 03-21-2017 at 09:54 AM.
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Old 03-21-2017, 10:10 AM   #14
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The fonts of the modern Kindle have too little weight to read comfortable on a eInk screen.
That depends. I've always read exclusively with the Helvetica font and found it satisfying on both old and new Kindles. Of course, it's sans serif, so not to everyone's taste. It's true that all the other fonts on newer Kindles are a bit too light, but not Helvetica.
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Old 03-21-2017, 04:42 PM   #15
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Font weight is very much a matter of personal taste. The Kindle's fonts seem absolutely fine to me. I've had Kindles since the Kindle Keyboard, and haven't noticed any difference in font weight between the older and newer models.
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