E-Tablets: Amazon Kindle in review: Good but not necessarily better

Amazon equips the new Kindle: A touch screen, double space and a cheaper price. All this makes the new basic model of the Amazon eReader Although attractive, but not necessarily better than its predecessor. Lest in our test, which is why.

Kindle 2014

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Kindle 2014

The case of the Kindle somewhat clunky and reminiscent of the design of the Amazon Fire HD tablets.

In the midst of Amazon’s current offensive is the quiet little Kindle ( 2014). The basic model for people who want to just read without a lot of frills, brings with from now on a 6-inch Pearl e-paper touchscreen and a new 1GHz processor. But we beat the book rather from the front.

A bit more contrast please!

The most important enhancement in comparison to the last Kindle is mentioned Touchscreen . This provides 16 shades of gray and a pixel density of 167 ppi. Instead of the E-Ink technology Carta, as it is used as the Kindle Paperwhite second-generation Amazon Kindle which uses the new Pearl e-paper technology. This ensures that the contrasts are indeed sufficient in very bright environment to enjoy some reading in schummrigeren light in the evenings in the living room, the writings are to me but slightly separated enough from the background.

The advantage of eReaders compared with tablets is not new and is obvious: By e-Enk technology helps more light on the additional matte display for Leserbarkeit, instead of being reduced by reflections into the impossible. Unstable viewing angles are the Kindle a foreign word.

The display plugged in, slightly to the inside, in a 169 x 119 x 10.2 mm plastic housing that the design of the tablets Fire HD 6 and Fire HD 7 oriented. Here, the Kindle weighs 21 grams more than the last model on the scale, but what stands out best, while the one-handed use and in direct comparison. The surface, however, feels a bit cheap and also the often advertised comfortable reading in the hammock / on the couch with the Kindle over the face, it lacks the roughened plastic to grip, which would allow the device to safely dwell on the one-handed blades in hand . Who is in more conventional positions in reading, however, has no problems, because the screen is divided into several areas: a narrow area near the left edge scrolls back, while the larger right district goes by. A contact at the upper end turn displays the menu.

With the new touch-screen functionality, the former music keys have been rationalized on the case. The only hardware button is the power switch at the bottom, which is located next to the USB port. With it, the Kindle is put into sleep mode (in the most favorable version offered “with special offers” for 59 euros you see in the lock screen advertising to new eBooks, who does not want 20 euros more must make loose). A long press turns the unit off completely, what in regards to the minimum power consumption of the E-Ink displays little but useful. If you want to really save power, the constant wireless connection disable using the airplane mode and turn off power again, you want to buy a new ebook or synchronize data

Kindle. What’s behind the “book cover “

at a ebook reader hardware Although it is not nearly so important as for a tablet, but that the new 1-GHz processor for really slick leaves ensures that mention is . Also by freezing the menus and browsing the browser is still in beta, go for a really eReader zügug of the hand. Amazon has the Kindle also brings twice as much memory. Although the previous 2 GB were sufficient already for several hundred books and through the cloud storage online dealer anyway for bookworms almost immeasurable, but who gladly invites own data on the Kindle, will be pleased with the additional capacity.

In addition to the in-house formats AZW and AZW3 the new Kindle is quite open to other formats. So you eReader shows the images in JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP format, HTML files, documents (DOC, DOCX, PDF and TXT) and unprotected MOBI files and the native PRC format. To load the data to your Kindle, you can take this as usual simply send it by mail to the device or the app “Send to Kindle” take to help.

Useful functions of the Kindle

You read a book and do not know what a term means to understanding important? With the Kindle you can simply highlight a word and look up its meaning or its context in relation to the book by using “X-Ray” or look up in Wikipedia. In addition, make notes in certain places or you can place looked-up words to the vocabulary trainer exercise to expand your vocabulary. All the notes can be synchronized with other Amazon Kindle devices or apps. With Amazon Unlimited, the company has recently also in Germany a book flat rate, however, is likely to be worthwhile only for really passionate bookworms, the selection for this target group is in turn less interest.

Also, the Kindle dominates Free Time, which enable users to define learning objectives in the form of reading minutes for children and which are checked from time to time. Also, you can limit the selectable content. So who has a penchant for erotic trashy novels, can prevent the Junior title á la “waves of passion” recited. Whether all this is now a gain in contrast to the old Kindle, determine the requirements of the buyer to a eReader.

Conclusion

gizrank 35 stars

Who is in search of a new eReader, commits the current Kindle is certainly no bad buy. At just 59 euros it is a real bargain and I personally do not interfere placed on the lock screen advertising in such a way that I would spend 20 € more ready. The entrants touchscreen opens up for the entry-level model determines new customers, while others will probably miss the key operation – this is a matter of taste. At least the unit can be very convenient operation and surfing more fun than one might assume in advance. This is also the 1 GHz processor is responsible.

Something is a pity the lack of backlight and the contrast is not quite as high, they remain the Kindle Paperwhite reserved. A 3G functionality is due to the low price, it is only in more expensive devices. At least from the handling now includes the basic Kindle on the White Paper. Ultimately, he invents the wheel is not new, but who has a lower income, can now choose from two control options, after all. Who can afford it, we recommend that the leap to the Kindle Paperwhite or even Kindle Voyage, because this is almost twice as high pixel density, cost but 189 euros.

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