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Just got a Kindle.

Babbylonian said:
I can't access Amazon on this PC (dumb work machine policy), but it shouldn't be a problem. First, since the touch functions are infrared-based, it doesn't need the touch of a conductor like a capacitive touchscreen. So, breaking the IR plane through the plastic of the Ziploc should work just fine. Also, and this is the part I can't verify from the sites I've seen so far, it looks like there are hardware buttons on either side of the Kindle Touch.
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Don't think there are. There is a brief mention that there is a way of turning a page other than "swiping" which for reading with one hand is useless. That to me is a deal breaker if I can't hold the Kindle touch in one hand and turn the pages it is pretty much a useless device.
 
Darat said:
Don't think there are. There is a brief mention that there is a way of turning a page other than "swiping" which for reading with one hand is useless. That to me is a deal breaker if I can't hold the Kindle touch in one hand and turn the pages it is pretty much a useless device.
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Page turning on the Touch is by 'Easy Reach'. Basically, most of the screen will activate 'next page', a strip down the left side will activate 'previous page' and the top section will bring up the toolbar.

zooterkin said:
They've also just launched a new e-ink Kindle, smaller and lighter, and cheaper. Or has this been out for a while in the US?

ETA: Just noticed why it is smaller; no keyboard. That would reduce its usefulness as a backup web browsing device! Also, wifi only, no 3G.
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There is no hardware keyboard, but there is an on-screen keyboard that you navigate with the 5-way.
 
Worm said:
Page turning on the Touch is by 'Easy Reach'. Basically, most of the screen will activate 'next page', a strip down the left side will activate 'previous page' and the top section will bring up the toolbar.

...snip..
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Yeah saw that and there's a picture floating around that shows how the screen is split (ETA: http://1876.voxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/dd2cbbe2-25b7-48d2-a312-0c23bc6cbe9b.jpg) . However that is still probably no good for me because I swap hands when I am reading so some of the time I'll have to reach across the screen to go forward rather than a tap. (Obviously I'd have to hold one to see if this is the case.)

ETA 2: Looking at it the new cheaper Kindle seems to be the more worrying one as that has lost the page buttons on the side, so how do you hold it in one hand and turn pages?
 
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Darat said:
Don't think there are. There is a brief mention that there is a way of turning a page other than "swiping" which for reading with one hand is useless. That to me is a deal breaker if I can't hold the Kindle touch in one hand and turn the pages it is pretty much a useless device.
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The only pictures I was seeing looked like there were indentations on the sides that may have represented buttons.

Anyway, that's a real shame. The most annoying things about the Nook Color was the lack of hardware next/previous buttons, but B&N put them back with the Nook Touch. Still, it was pretty easy to read on the NC with either hand - when holding with the right hand, a simple thumb tap on the screen advanced the page and my thumb (admittedly, I've got large hands) could manage a swipe for going backwards; both reversed when holding in the left hand.
 
A fellow at work has pre-ordered the new Fire thingy. I'll post a review if he lets me play with it!
 
Darat said:
You are right! Good - we wanted another one, damn you Amazon making me spend my money!
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They do have less storage and a shorter battery life, though. I don't think I'm anywhere near filling mine up, however; still 2,867 MB free.

Worm said:
There is no hardware keyboard, but there is an on-screen keyboard that you navigate with the 5-way.
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Yes; ok for occasional text entry to search for things, but not so good if, like me in the USA earlier this year, you're using the Kindle to send email or post to the forum.

I wonder if they will keep 6 basic Kindle models, or drop the keyboard versions?
 
Darat said:
You are right! Good - we wanted another one, damn you Amazon making me spend my money!
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Honestly, I don't see any good reason to jump from a Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard Kindle) to the new cheap Kindle. It's got the same screen, same memory, etc. It is an ounce lighter, which is nice, and slightly smaller in XY, but not Z dimensions. If I were buying a Kindle today, I would likely go with the new cheap one, but I'm not feeling compelled to "upgrade" from what I've got.

The Kindle Fire is, to me, just another tablet, and one that's gimped by Amazon's branding. I'm not in the market, but if I were I'd probably go ahead and spend more to get one that's not so Amazon-specific.

Of course, what I STILL want to see is a splash-proof semi-rugged Kindle with some sort of built-in light system for reading at night.

Does anyone here actually use the speakers or headphone jack on their Kindle?
 
JSFolk said:
Honestly, I don't see any good reason to jump from a Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard Kindle) to the new cheap Kindle. It's got the same screen, same memory, etc. It is an ounce lighter, which is nice, and slightly smaller in XY, but not Z dimensions. If I were buying a Kindle today, I would likely go with the new cheap one, but I'm not feeling compelled to "upgrade" from what I've got.

...snip...
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Oh I wouldn't be dumping my beloved Kindle, we want another one in the house.
JSFolk said:
Of course, what I STILL want to see is a splash-proof semi-rugged Kindle with some sort of built-in light system for reading at night.
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That really would be nice.
JSFolk said:
Does anyone here actually use the speakers or headphone jack on their Kindle?
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Only when I first got my beloved Kindle.
 
Darat said:
Oh I wouldn't be dumping my beloved Kindle, we want another one in the house.
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Ah, very well then. Buy Kindle and Carry On.

I was asking about the speaker because I think it would be pretty easy to make an ebook reader in a waterproof cover. All you need is a different kind of on/off switch than the Kindle, hardware buttons, and inductive charging (like a Powermat). With those things, you would never have to take it out of the cover, and it could be completely waterproof. I rather like the idea of a rugged reader with waterproof cover as then you could replace the cover if it got scuffed, torn, etc.

And... you know what? I just found out that Powermat makes a little add-on dongle thingie that will connect to a Kindle. So now all we have to do is to make a waterproof cover that incorporates space for the inductive antenna, and we're SET.
 
Darat said:
Don't think there are. There is a brief mention that there is a way of turning a page other than "swiping" which for reading with one hand is useless. That to me is a deal breaker if I can't hold the Kindle touch in one hand and turn the pages it is pretty much a useless device.
Click to expand...

Why would swipe make it necessary to use both hands?

On the iPad, I can swipe with the thumb of either hand, anywhere on the screen, left-to-right for forward, right-to-left for backward. If the iPad weren't so heavy, I could hold it in one hand, and still easily swipe for page-turning (actually, I CAN do it, just not for long and comfortably, but it's not the swiping motion that makes it uncomfortable, but the torque from it's weight. I DO use left and right hand swiping when reading in bed, when I can support the iPad on my chest). People with arthritis or carpal tunnel problems may have some more problems with the swipe, though.

Doesn't the Kindle do it the same way? The iPad swipe works in the Kindle iPad App...

The way I understand it, on the new Kindle touch, you can use your left thumb and tap on the screen a bit farther away from the left edge to turn forward, reaching over the strip that turns the page back, which is something the iPad does not do.
 
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