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So when do you know to upgrade?
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David
(last edited Aug 16, 2016 10:59AM)
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Aug 16, 2016 10:59AM
I have a first generation Paperwhite (Gen 5) and am thinking about upgrading (not sure if to Voyager or Oasis). How do you decide when "it's time?" If if it is time, any suggestions, other than the high price of the Oasis, to decide between the new models?
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What's important to you in an e-reader? I had a first generation Paperwhite, and I upgraded to the third generation Paperwhite, because screen resolution is important to me but nothing in the Voyage/Oasis (although Oasis hadn't come out at the time) were important to me. Just weight the benefits (subjectively) of the newer models against yours and see if it's worth the price for you, that's all any of us can do.
Well, I decided it was time to upgrade (from an ancient Kindle 2!) when my device nearly died on me on an overseas trip. It had been glitchy for some time, & I finally decided not to risk it any longer. I've been extremely satisfied with my Voyage, and it's nice to have a Kindle that Amazon is still supplying all the upgrades for. YMMV.
I have a Voyage, and my husband has an Oasis. We both were coming from the basic Kindle, so these were significant upgrades for both of us. Personally, I wouldn't spend the extra money for the Oasis. It is a little lighter and ergonomically nice in your hand (when it's out of its cover), but I like that the lighting level on the Voyage automatically adjusts to the light in the room. My husband was adamant about having an actual button to push to turn the page (because he didn't want to swipe or use the haptic "buttons" on the Voyage), but I find the page turning on the Voyage works just fine without actual buttons.
The other big advance in the Oasis is obviously the battery life. I don't read for hours a day (I wish!), so my Voyage's battery lasts a couple weeks. Supposedly the Oasis' battery will last a month or more. Given that I charge my cellphone every day, charging my Voyage every 2 weeks is not a burden for me.
Having said all of that, my husband loves his Oasis and thinks it is far superior to my Voyage. :)
Just my observations from a two-Kindle household. I don't know if it's helpful or not.
As for when to upgrade...if the new ones have features you wish your current one had, and you can justify the expenditure, go for it. I wouldn't upgrade just for the sake of upgrading. My old Kindle was perfectly functional for my needs. I only upgraded mine because we were going to be riding a lot of trains in Europe last summer, and I liked the idea of the lighting adjusting automatically to the light in the room/train.
For what it's worth, I had the Kindle Keyboard for a long time. I bought a cover that connected to the Kindle, with a little light tab you pulled up and out to light the screen. Analogous to one of those clamp-on things. It functioned just fine (and still does when I charge it).I decided I needed something new/fancy, so I got the Paperwhite (pre-Voyage). Hated it. Don't remember why at the moment, so I just gave it away to a member of the family.
Back to KK, and then the Voyage came out. I liked the features, bought it, and couldn't be happier. I bought a nice Incipio cover and carry it everywhere, since I read just about everywhere (waiting for a movie to start, in line at Costco, in a doctor's office, etc., etc.).
I checked out the Oasis features but nothing seemed important enough to let go of a fairly recent investment in the Voyage.
If you have the money for a new Kindle of some sort, go for it.
If you have budget issues, first be sure you need to upgrade (not merely want to), and then decide which version will give you the most bang for your buck over the long haul. Also, if memory serves, you could buy one model, give it a try, and if you didn't really like it, I'm fairly sure you could just return it within the 30-day time frame, and then try another model.
Just my USD .02.
Eric
I had a second edition kindle for a long time and upgraded to a Kindle 3 (can't remember why) but the big jump was to a Paperwhite for the backlight. The next upgrade was to the Voyage simply for the PPI but after a lot of use I came to the conclusion that I hate page press and I find the Voyage really awkward to hold (I find i have to curl my little finger underneath the frame of it to read for any length of time).Due to the issues with the Voyage I've just upgraded to the Oasis which I find fantastic. The asymmetric design has fixed the hold issues for me, it is small and light (i read mostly without the cover) and with the cover it slips easily into my pocket when I'm out and about. Finally I find the physical buttons are far superior to Pagepress or using the touch screen.
I generally upgrade as soon as I see a feature that I benefit from having and simply sell on my old model to cut down the cost of upgrades (like most technology upgrades I suppose).
Adrian wrote: "I had a second edition kindle for a long time and upgraded to a Kindle 3 (can't remember why) but the big jump was to a Paperwhite for the backlight. The next upgrade was to the Voyage simply for t..."How/where do you sell your older model?
I upgrade tech very frequently, be it phones, laptops, tablets etc. Many friends, family and colleagues ask to buy my old devices when I upgrade as I generally take very good care of them. Failing the friends and family network, i generally sell on a local pre-loved facebook group or the Craigslist equivalent over here.
Usually amazon will let you know when an upgrade is available
Thanks everyone. I ended up upgrading to a Voyage. The display is night/day difference from my Gen One Paperwhite. Much easier on my eyes to read, and it is much faster as well.
David wrote: "Thanks everyone. I ended up upgrading to a Voyage. The display is night/day difference from my Gen One Paperwhite. Much easier on my eyes to read, and it is much faster as well."Good to hear, David! I really like my Voyage. Happy reading!
Now, does anyone know if Goodreads has a mini marketplace or something? I have a perfectly good Paperwhite G1 for someone to use cheap. I don't want to just post it in the discussions and get in trouble. I just hate to see it gathering dust in a drawer.
I use the Kindle app on my iPad Mini and like it far more than the Kindles. It syncs with my phone which I used to read at lunch, so I'm happy.
To each his own, but I could never read for extended periods on a tablet or phone screen. The Kindle e-readers also sync, btw.
I've still got the original Kindle which I was bought as a Christmas present. It works well, so I guess I'll only upgrade when it goes kaput!
Had a Kindle Keyboard, with lighted cover. Loved it for 5 yrs, then it died. Moved to a Paperwhite. Hate it. I was fortunate to receive a KK with lighted cover from a family member, who seriously hardly used it at all. My Paperwhite is now collecting dust. I'm nostalgic, as long as KK keeps working, it will be my device of choice.
That's interesting, I went from a KK to PW myself and never looked back. What did you hate about the PW, exactly?
I went from a borrowed KK to Voyage because I didn't want to swipe, or put unnecessary fingerprints on the screen; even dust bothers me so I clean the screen often. The Oasis came out with actual page turn buttons that I might have chosen but I already had gotten a sale price on the Voyage and the option to make 5 interest free payments to spread out the cost. I could not be happier with the Voyage. I have used the newer Kindles and Paperwhite since then, given as gifts, and am really glad I chose the Voyage for the adaptive lighting and haptic page turning. I don't leave mine online between downloading books so the battery life is pretty good, reading 4 or more hours a day I charge probably once a week which isn't a big deal to me.
Doug wrote: "I went from a borrowed KK to Voyage because I didn't want to swipe, or put unnecessary fingerprints on the screen; even dust bothers me so I clean the screen often. The Oasis came out with actual p..."My Voyage, on which I immediately turned off the PagePress button, does not show finger prints, except, ironically enough, in the black border where the PagePress button are located. That drives me crazy
@Tobias, it was the missing page turn buttons that I disliked the most. Also I had to adjust to back lighting (it can give me eye strain). And the KK still has audio capability. I still use the paperwhite for some reading, just not the majority.
Capricorn1 wrote: "@Tobias, it was the missing page turn buttons that I disliked the most. Also I had to adjust to back lighting (it can give me eye strain). And the KK still has audio capability. I still use the pap..."The Paperwhite does not have backlighting, no e-ink Kindle has backlighting as they are all front lit as described in this bit from the product page of the current paperwhite:
"Won't tire your eyes in the dark
Kindle Paperwhite guides light toward the surface of the display with its built-in front light—unlike back-lit tablets that shine in your eyes—so you can read comfortably for hours without eyestrain. Adjust your screen's brightness for great reading in any light."
Resurrected old thread but still interesting. I pretty much only upgrade when I think something is on the verge of dying, I'm not a new-features addict. I keep my KK in the kitchen, along with an easel-type stand designed for a cellphone that holds it just fine, so I can read while eating alone. (Not with family or guests, we have a no-devices rule.) I have a Paperwhite by the bed and it doesn't get read much. I like it just fine (although I do prefer the page-turn button of the KK). But most of my reading is done on the Kindle app on my phone. The small screen size doesn't bother me (I know it does bother a lot of people) and the Kindle would be just one more thing to overload my purse with. lol Whereas I ALWAYS have my smartphone in reach, so whenever I am sitting and waiting, I have something to read.
