The All-New Kindle Paperwhite is the Best E-book Reader
I've been using the original Paperwhite for over a year, and the latest one since a month, but honestly I couldn't notice any difference for a while.
The All-New Kindle Paperwhite is a progressive update of the best-selling Kindle Paperwhite which delivered great battery life, huge catalogue of books that you can buy, and an excelled reading experience under any kind of lighting conditions. The look and feel is also similar, and the only cosmetic difference I discovered was that the latest one had the Amazon logo on the rear while the previous generation one had a Kindle logo.
However, soon I realized, that while there is no new groundbreaking feature, the evolutionary updates make for a great list. The e-ink display is now brighter and the lighting is more uniform. Amazon claims that the latest Kindle Paperwhite offers better contrast and there is no patchy lighting towards the edges found on the previous generation. The improved processor lends well to page flipping as it is quicker and smoother, limited only because of the e-ink display technology.
The software additions add a lot of value though. The new Page Flip feature enables readers to flip through pages or sections to peek at what's coming next without losing the current position. The window-in-window display allows you to flip through by pages or chapters.
The very useful Lookup feature is improved as well. When you select a word, you don't just get the dictionary but also the X-Ray that shows where else the word has appeared in the book as well as its corresponding Wikipedia search result. A great addition is a vocabulary builder, especially for readers who intend to increase their language skills as they read. The feature automatically adds all the words you might have looked up in one place and provides flash cards to help you remember them.
Then there's FreeTime, a feature that allows parents to create a separate profile for their kids where parents can load up specific books for them and even set reading goals for them. The vocabulary builder and FreeTime are very useful additions, and might interest parents to buy a Kindle for their school-going kids now.
The All-New Kindle Paperwhite is available at the same price as older generation. You can get the Wi-Fi only version for ₹10,999 and the Wi-Fi+3G version for ₹13,999. While it is great to have free 3G connectivity globally, but unless you are an impulsive book shopper on the move, you might be good with the Wi-Fi only version. While you can choose from a zillion cases or sleeves for the Kindle available in the market, the leather smart cover from Amazon compliments the device nicely. Priced at ₹2,399, it features a magnetic strip that switches on and off, fits the device nicely, and looks great.
The All-New Kindle Paperwhite has done well to take the e-book reading experience a notch above the original Paperwhite. If you've still been thinking of taking a dive, the latest Kindle Paperwhite offers you a good reason to. Although, if you already own the earlier generation one, you might want to skip this one.