Tuesday 11 February 2014

Kindle Paperwhite - Review

I was lucky enough to receive the new Kindle Paperwhite this Christmas. Whilst I absolutely loved the thoughtfulness of the gift - I always complain about carrying books around with me to read on the tube - my joy turned to hesitation. I love to read, so shouldn't a printed book be enough? Was the introduction of technology into something so simple as the printed word on a page, something which already gave me so much enjoyment, really necessary? And, most importantly, was I ready for it?

I can safely say that after two months of using it I am smitten - I absolutely love it! And as an added bonus I'm reading more than ever! The ability to have any book to read at the touch of a button (and the lower cost of an eBook vs a real book) means endless hours of pleasure at my fingertips. It’s so lightweight it lives in my bag without me even noticing, ready for me to pull it out whenever I have a spare second … tube journeys, lunch breaks, or if a friend is running late.

This is helped by the incredible battery life, I have only charged it once so far … in two months. Yes, two whole months of reading indulgence satisfaction before a screen popped up to remind me to give it some more juice. For anyone who has their iPhone glued to their side, the idea of not having to charge something at least once a day, if not more, is astounding. In addition to this, the front lit screen enables me to read in every type of light without any eyestrain as it is easily adjustable at the touch of a button.


However, the Kindle Paperwhite does have a few downsides. The touch screen sometimes gets a little confused if I don’t swipe it properly or press it too hard, often trying to highlight and define words (a good feature when you need it) when I want to turn the page. And yet, a quick tap on the screen and this disappears and the page is blank again, waiting eagerly to react to my next command.

I also find myself wanting to do other things on it from time to time – in a world where your smartphone can do a million different things and make a phone call, I find it quite limiting that it only allows me to read. I guess that’s probably a personal flaw rather than a product drawback and if you do want a broader range of options there is always the Kindle Fire tablet.

I would recommend the Kindle Paperwhite for anyone who loves to read and finds the notion of being able to read whatever you want wherever you are truly exciting. Initially I was on the fence and, to be perfectly honest if it wasn’t a gift I would never have bought one – oh how wrong I was. To anyone that’s thinking of buying one, take the plunge! You won’t look back I promise!


xx

2 comments:

  1. Thats a great gift indeed! xo
    Anastasia
    http://natbeesfashion.blogspot.co.uk

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  2. What an amazing gift!!
    The idea of having less books to carry seems great.
    I've always preferred physical copies over ebooks but this post has swayed me a little xo

    Saki
    http://www.chiczilla.blogspot.co.uk

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