Amazon Kindle Review
Price: Just £89.00 from Amazon!
Verdict: 10/10. This is Our N0.1 Recommended eReader for Christmas 2011!
The new third generation Kindle (built in Wi-Fi) was launched on September 2011 and replaces all of its previous versions. Three major selling points are that it’s 30% lighter, 18% smaller than the original Kindle and it costs around £50 less than the Kindle 3G and Kindle Fire.
You can Buy the Kindle now for just £89.00 from Amazon (free delivery).
The Amazon Kindle Store has more than 1 million books which you can download wirelessly within 60 seconds onto your Kindle. Amazon’s online book prices are very competitive -- more than 80% of their books are available from just £5.99 and you’ll receive a 14-day free trial on every definitely.
In conclusion, the Kindle is definitely the best eReader for under £100.
Size, Weight and Specifications
The Kindle 3 is both smaller and lighter than all of its other existing models, weighing just 170g compared to 240g for the Kindle Keyboard. The dimensions for the Kindle 3 are 166 mm x 114 mm x 8.7 mm.
The really good thing about the Kindle is it has a really comfy, ergonomic design that makes it easy to hold in one hand and read with. It’s really good for children too. The device has buttons to turn the page on either side, meaning you can hold it in and turn pages with just one hand.
It’s small compact design also means you can fit it in your blazer pocket along with your passport and other documents.
The only two other smaller eReaders on the market are the EZ Reader Pocket Pro and the Sony eReader Pocket Touch Edition (PRS-350).
About the 6 inch, E-Ink Display
The Kindle uses the latest E-Ink Pearl technology as the Sony eReader, Nook Touch and the Kindle 3G. The advantage of using the E-Ink display it that it creates crisper, higher contrast text and images than an LCD display which can be read both outdoors and in direct sunlight (perfect for taking abroad with you on summer holidays!).
The other advantages of E-Ink is that it consumes less power than an LED colour display (giving the Kindle a lengthy 1 month battery life), allows you to read comfortably without strained eyes, plus you can read books from a wide range of angles which makes it great for sharing with your kids or friends.
Readability and Menu Features
The Kindle has a small 5-way controller underneath the 6-inch screen, which allows you to change the font type, font size or look up words in the dictionary. The added benefit of a control is that there are no finger marks on the screen itself.
Users have a choice of eight adjustable text sizes which means that if your eyes get tired you can easily increase the text size to make reading easier. You can also look up words and make annotations at the flick of a button.
Other features of the Kindle include wireless web browsing (using the WebKit based browser) and note taking.
Storage Capacity and Battery Life
Battery life on this device lasts up to 1 month based on half-an-hour of reading per day and battery life turned off. This is really good for most people and just as good as both the Sony eReader and Kobo Reader. You can re-charge your Kindle easily by connecting it to your computer or plug socket.
If you’re looking for a longer battery life than you can get the slightly more expensive Kindle Keyboard from Amazon for £109.00, which lasts up to 2 months.
The storage capacity is big enough for up to 1,400 books which should be more than enough for most people unless you’re planning on living on a desert island for 12 months.
Amazon Book Store
Remember that you can download a choice of more than 750,00 books in 60 seconds through Amazon’s shop, plus more than 1 million expired copyright books are available for free.
As an Amazon member, you can also shop and subscribe to magazine and newspapers such as The Times, The Guardian and The Economist, which are automatically downloaded to your Kindle when they come out.
Overall, this is my recommended Kindle device for most people. It’s the cheapest, lightest and smallest Kindle, plus there’s a incredible range great accessories for this product. The only downside is that it doesn’t have a global 3G network.
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