Praise for the Kindle 4

[spindlegirl]

I have always appreciated the simple things, and Bookreaders are no exception.
I've tried many book readers which I since have passed on to relatives who like them. Not that they are bad, but they were too much of one thing and not enough of another.

I like the basics. I like being able to just stick books on a reader and read.

I bought my Kindle4 non-touch nearly a month ago, and I happily let go of my fancier e-readers in favor of this one. It's just so basic and does the jobs I want it to do! To me, it's my Holy Grail of e-readers!

While the newer models of Kindles keep things current and add new features and such, I really hope they keep with the simpler ones, too. Not only do they meet the budgets of those who have pondered e-readers as a "good idea" but couldn't justify the costs of some of them, but they are blindingly easy to use. I also very much prefer that a non-touch model stay, (one that can remain available in Canada such as the one I have now)

I think it's the only reader where registering wasn't a big song and dance, loading books onto it can be done in multiple ways, and it's just perfect for the basic needs of people who prefer the function of reading over everything. There are many people who aren't looking for "new features" and I am one of them. I like steady and reliable, and this is the first reader I have absolutely zero complaints about.

So I do hope the Amazon company will keep things going for the best of both worlds, the tried and true, and the new features which keep companies fresh and alive. There is a market for both.....

[ndixon]

I'm fairly happy with my Kindle 4 too. I like having physical buttons, and it's very light.

The comments around this forum suggest that the current Kindle Touch is a little too trigger-happy, to the point of being unusable, but I've not experienced any page-turn quirks with the K4.

I've shown my 11-year-old the new Kindles, including the Paperwhite, but she says she'd be happy with something more like mine (i.e. the newer darker-bezel Kindle NT).

The only improvements I'd like to see with the K4 would be better fonts and improved contrast - some of which they've done with the new non-touch model - the usability with the 5-way controller and page-turn buttons is perfect for me. Darkening the bezel is a smart move too.

I may upgrade to the illuminated model later, but the ideal would be a non-touch Paperwhite.

I had a K4 for several months. It is a really good basic reader. I would recommend it to anyone. Actually, it was easier to hack for fonts and margins than the K5 (Kindle Touch). Not sure if the new black version for 2012 will be as hackable.

[~Kate]

Same here.

My cheapie K4 with special offers is the one I use for 90% of my reading (after having purchased the K2, K3 Wifi/3G, and Kindle Fire).

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ~Kate

Same here.

My cheapie K4 with special offers is the one I use for 90% of my reading (after having purchased the K2, K3 Wifi/3G, and Kindle Fire).

I use my K4 for 90% of my reading too. I have a feeling that will change soon.


Edit:
Wow I was just informed there is some misinformation or mixed up here. Amazon has posted that the 69 Kindle and the K4 uses the same the Firmware. So how on earth can it be unless we are being misdirected.

If this is the case the New Kindle's only change is it's Bezel.

[Vmurph]

Originally Posted by Blossom

The $69 Kindle will be better than the K4!

• Black Bezel
• New Fonts (New darker, hand-tuned fonts)
• New Text technology
• 15% percent more Faster
• 2GB of Storage
• Same Form Factor

I've been wondering about this. I haven't been able to find anything confirming that the new black K4 has any hardware improvements over the silver one. Are we sure Jeff Bezos' comments during the keynote weren't referring to the K4's recent improvements in general, ever since the 4.1 firmware update?

Didn't the 4.1 update give us improved fonts...darker, sharper, and "new font technology" would be the KF8 support (embedded publisher's fonts). And I could've sworn the page refresh rate was improved as well, resulting in slightly better speed. Bezos's comments sounded rather general to me. He didn't actually compare the new one against the original.

Also, I just checked the specs on the new black K4 and the original silver K4 and both are identical. And the tech support guy I spoke with said that both models are running the same version firmware. And he wasn't aware of any hardware differences between the two.

Oh and FYI, both old and new K4's have the same amount of storage. The original K4 has always had 2 GB. However, the firmware takes up about 750 MB of that, leaving 1.25 GB for the owner's use.

If you look at the specs for both models on Amazon's website, they both read, "2 GB internal (approximately 1.25 GB available for user content)."

I'm not trying to be argumentative. I'm just trying to find out for sure whether the new one really is better than the original.

---------

EDIT: Blossom, I just saw the edited portion of your post. So, in light of the storage info found in Amazon's specs, that means the ONLY difference between the two models is the color! LOL :-D

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Vmurph

I've been wondering about this. I haven't been able to find anything confirming that the new black K4 has any hardware improvements over the silver one. Are we sure Jeff Bezos' comments during the keynote weren't referring to the K4's recent improvements in general, ever since the 4.1 firmware update?

Didn't the 4.1 update give us improved fonts...darker, sharper, and "new font technology" would be the KF8 support (embedded publisher's fonts). And I could've sworn the page refresh rate was improved as well, resulting in slightly better speed. Bezos's comments sounded rather general to me. He didn't actually compare the new one against the original.

Also, I just checked the specs on the new black K4 and the original silver K4 and both are identical. And the tech support guy I spoke with said that both models are running the same version firmware. And he wasn't aware of any hardware differences between the two.

Oh and FYI, both old and new K4's have the same amount of storage. The original K4 has always had 2 GB. However, the firmware takes up about 750 MB of that, leaving 1.25 GB for the owner's use.

If you look at the specs for both models on Amazon's website, they both read, "2 GB internal (approximately 1.25 GB available for user content)."

I'm not trying to be argumentative. I'm just trying to find out for sure whether the new one really is better than the original.

We are discussing this in another thread. We are pretty sure it's misinformation. That the K4 only change is the Black Bezel if the old one has 2GB. I just watch the Press conference. He did say they improved it. He was being vague. So alot of people have taking the PowerPoint slide to be fact. This seems to be not the case because the firmware is exactly the same on both devices.

[spindlegirl]

the 2 GB of space will make my bookshelf a little less "cozy", but it honestly doesn't matter to me. Having hundreds of books to choose from at any given time is nothing to sneeze at, IMO, but hey, if they want to give me more space, I'm not complaining.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

the 2 GB of space will make my bookshelf a little less "cozy", but it honestly doesn't matter to me. Having hundreds of books to choose from at any given time is nothing to sneeze at, IMO, but hey, if they want to give me more space, I'm not complaining.

No it's another thing Amazon changed. It has the same storage as the one you own. They just changed the specs from the K4 that said 1.25 to 2GB to make it look like more.

The only difference we are finding out is the new one has a black bezel.

I had the old specs up next to the new specs yesterday. I should of caught that.

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by Blossom

No it's another thing Amazon changed. It has the same storage as the one you own. They just changed the specs from the K4 that said 1.25 to 2GB to make it look like more.

The only difference we are finding out is the new one has a black bezel.

Ahh, the bezel is a cosmetic change that is nice, but not a 'drop everything' change. I have a cover for it, and am making a couple of new ones soon for myself just for fun, so the color of the bezel is a moot point. Nice for those who are getting it though

As far as the new K4 goes, lets just say Amazon used a LOT of clever marketing rhetoric! Amazon might not tell you an outright lie, but they can certainly tell you the truth 5 or 6 different ways. Unless you want a black K4, there is absolutely no reason to upgrade as far as we can tell.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

Ahh, the bezel is a cosmetic change that is nice, but not a 'drop everything' change. I have a cover for it, and am making a couple of new ones soon for myself just for fun, so the color of the bezel is a moot point. Nice for those who are getting it though

Yeah there is alot of misinformation going around. People are going to think they are getting a improved version when it's just the Bezel.
I watch the conference so I can see why we all thought it was improved.

[Cooling1978]

I'm glad that they are keeping the entry-level model with page-turn buttons for those who prefer them. I actually bought a K4 before my Kindle Touch and I ended up returning it because it was just a little TOO small/hard to hold and I found the page turn buttons awkwardly placed. For my hands, the beefier Kindle Touch was a welcome change. I just rest my right thumb on the edge of the bezel and then kind of pivot slightly to change pages. I actually found that more comfortable than the old page turn buttons since you have the freedom to touch anywhere. My point in bringing this up is that I was completely against the touch interface until I tried it, and now I can't go back. I love being able to simple touch a word and have the definition pop up.

Do we know for sure that the new 69 dollar Kindle is in fact that same as the K4 but with a different bezel? I thought it was slightly improved with greater contrast and faster page turns... or maybe that was handled via the most recent firmware update. ?

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by Cooling1978

I'm glad that they are keeping the entry-level model with page-turn buttons for those who prefer them.

I cannot agree more. I have had a Kobo Wifi, Kobo Touch, Sony T1, and when I bought the Kindle4 last month I thought I was downgrading.

Little did I know how much I would <3 it. So much I gave my very beloved T1 to my daughter, who is delighted with it.

The punchline was on me, that my real innate needs are simple. This is the ultimate simple reader.

Originally Posted by Cooling1978

I'm glad that they are keeping the entry-level model with page-turn buttons for those who prefer them. I actually bought a K4 before my Kindle Touch and I ended up returning it because it was just a little TOO small/hard to hold and I found the page turn buttons awkwardly placed. For my hands, the beefier Kindle Touch was a welcome change. I just rest my right thumb on the edge of the bezel and then kind of pivot slightly to change pages. I actually found that more comfortable than the old page turn buttons since you have the freedom to touch anywhere. My point in bringing this up is that I was completely against the touch interface until I tried it, and now I can't go back. I love being able to simple touch a word and have the definition pop up.

Do we know for sure that the new 69 dollar Kindle is in fact that same as the K4 but with a different bezel? I thought it was slightly improved with greater contrast and faster page turns... or maybe that was handled via the most recent firmware update. ?

Afraid so, but that is based on the info from their web page for this model. I guess we won't know for certain until they ship.