Book Reader
by Volker Weber
I am currently reading my books on a Windows 10 Yoga Book, but next year I want to try switching to a Kindle Oasis. Does anybody have any experience with this rather pricey device?
Comments
Yes. I love it, but I use it as one of a few "tools" for reading and carrying around a lot of reading material. Amazon continues to make iterative improvements to their Kindle devices (I'm specifically referring to the B & W screen devices - aka paperwhite). It is easier on the eyes and more print-like for reading than any LCD/OLED display. The caveat is that materials like magazines and newspapers are better formatted for an iPad or your Yoga. Whoever sets the design specifications for the Kindle paperwhite devices and rendering newspapers or magazines doesn't seem to spend a lot of time on usability or understanding how people actually interact with said devices. You can also forget illustrations on the B & W Kindles. There is no comparison to an iPad/Tablet - color screens are simply better suited for photo and illustrated materials.
One other point that I'd like to make: I would consider the *new* Oasis. There are subtile improvements beyond the screen size that I like better and find more usable. It is odd, because I can't quite explain why, but page turning and hold-ability are examples of things that are much improved. The increased size is also a positive. I read a lot and the little things make all the difference.
love love love it. I have the Oasis 1 (not the new one that came out this year). This is totally a splurge device, but if you are a big reader & have the dough to spend, the size & weight of this thing is so handy (along with the actual buttons to turn forwards/backwards). The new one is bigger & it has the battery in the device itself (like traditional Kindles), so it's bigger. The one I have has 2 batteries - one in the device and a bigger one in the case that comes with the Oasis. The case battery is used to charge the battery in the device. I like this system a lot because I can read without the case and the Oasis is super light. When I put the case back on, it charges the battery in the device. It's very light even with the case, but without it, it's ridiculously light & great for holding in one hand.
That should say "heavier" rather than "bigger" the second time in this sentence: "The new one is bigger & it has the battery in the device itself (like traditional Kindles), so it's bigger"
I have the same model Amy has - and I also love it. I strongly suspect that it would have won the "editor refuses to give it back" award.
I love it. Nothing beats physical keys for page turning. Especially if you use it one-handed it provides a much better reading experience than a real paper book.
It's all about the platform though. You can only recommend it to Amazon people or to geeks (who use Calibre to convert .epub books from all other sources to Amazon's format).
I have had both versions of the Oasis. It's a killer device. IMO the voyager or paperwhite are good enough for people except: you care about reading it in places where direct sunlight and things like water will impact your reading (i.e. pool side) or you are really sensitive to backlighting and warm spots. I wouldn't give mine up, but the premium tax is pretty brutal for those two changes.
I used the new Oasis for several weeks. I exchanged it for a Voyage and I am not looking back:
- the battery would only be good for hours of reading, not days. I was using several generations of paperwhites for years, they would have a very long battery live, same as Voyage now. Maybe mine was faulty.
- it would crash and reboot while reading. Big killer. See above.
But worst of all and the reason why I would not try another one: To me, it felt uncomfortable to hold. I can not really explain, why, but it seems not to be built for my hands.
If you find it comfortable to hold, however, you may be getting a great device with a slightly wider panel than the rest.
