Amazon's Kindle Voyage Is Their Thinnest, Lightest E-Reader
Hot on the heels of the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader which featured a brighter display and thinner bezel, the Kindle Voyage is the latest iteration of the popular Kindle e-reader from Amazon.
This latest Kindle is 179 grams, 28 grams lighter than its predecessor, the Kindle Paperwhite. The 300 pixels per inch for higher resolution on the 6-inch display and other improvements that are bound to please book and magazine readers. The 162 x 115 x 7.6 mm dimensions indicate that the reader is thinner than ever too.
The intention behind the Kindle product line is to get a digital e-ink reader as close to the feel of paper as one can. The monochromatic screen now has press-based page turns where you touch the sides with a little pressure and page turns for you. There is even some haptic feedback to give the person holding the Kindle Voyage some idea that the page is about to turn and avoids accidental double page turns.
Display
The e-ink display is said to reduce eye strain even for people who read later at night in low light conditions. The 300 ppi is a jump up from the previous 212 ppi and this shows with sharper text. The display also is adaptive this time around with an ambient sensor to adjust brightness levels automatically.
Reading Formats
PDF files can also be viewed, but it depends how they are formatted as to whether they will be very readable on the small 6-inch screen; PDF files cannot scale up or down the text size, only zoom in which leads to much scrolling left and right to see the full page.
EPUB files are still noticeably absent from the list of accepted digital reader formats. Owners of a Kindle will be forced to use a PC or Mac to convert their EPUB books to the unencrypted MOBI format that is native to the device. An extra hassle for people who have a digital collection with many EPUB books already.
Software Improvements
The dictionary features have been boosted with the Word Wise feature which has definitions hovering near words that you're reading. The number of definitions displayed can be adjusted so that the screen doesn't become cluttered.
The GoodReads site acquisition by Amazon has meant some extra functionality incorporated into the latest Kindle by making it easier to include purchased books on your GoodReads shelf and to share your reading interests with friends on the GoodReads site. GoodReads is no small player with 30 million signed up members and millions of personal book reviews.
Communications
A Wi-Fi only and 3G cellular version are available. It is possible to do limited web browsing on the device but this is less than perfect on a 16-greyscale display. It has always been a question of how useful the more expensive 3G cellular version is with a Kindle. Does a Kindle owner also own a laptop or a color tablet as well? Book updates can be performed over Wi-Fi, so in this day and age of internet-connected smart phones it is doubtful that 3G is even needed. Similarly, the lack of a 4G LTE option is not really a let down either although one is being suggested as a future model launch.
Conclusion
The Kindle e-readers that use the e-ink display instead of the color Android-based tablets of Amazon's FIRE range are a bit of an odd bird. They came before the FIRE tablets and well before smart phones grew significantly in display size. Today there is, of course, the Kindle reader app available on numerous formats as well as the Amazon Cloud Reader option over the web. As such, their e-ink reader cannot be classed as necessary even for avid readers.
On the other hand, owners swear by the benefits and pleasure of reading using the e-ink display instead of the bright and colorful Android-based tablets, even the FIRE tablet from the same company. The light and thin design is also an attraction for readers who don't want to be holding up something heavier or larger than a paperback book in order to read; something that cannot be said for a 10-inch tablet.
For people who are outside of the country of issuance, they may also have difficulties downloading their book collection to the Kindle due to licensing restrictions on where they can be read. Sometimes Amazon changes the location of the account while people travel which can prevent them from buying books that are available in their home country but not licensed for Asia Pacific or Latin and South America.
