Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Kindle - Fire vs Paperwhite vs Free App

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Hi!

"I'm thinking of getting a Kindle, what one would you recommend?" - this is a question I get fairly often, so I put together this post to show you the differences between the ones we own.



I just deleted 3 paragraphs of technical nonsense - I was confusing even myself. Here's it broken down:

Kindle Fire HD
The Fire is available in three screen sizes. The 7 inch (£35 for 8GB, £45 for 16GB), 8 inch (£90) and 10 inch (£170).

I have an older version of the 7 inch, mine doesn't have a camera. My son has the most recent version, his has a camera, can record video, and has a slot for an SD card. Both are 8GB (the operating system takes up the guts of 3GB of that), which seems small but is enough for hundreds of books especially if you make use of the cloud (move a book to the cloud when you're done reading it). On his, he has a handful of books, Minecraft Pocket Edition and a couple of free games. On mine, I've a couple of hundred books, Candy Crush, Netflix, a GSAM Battery Monitor, Borrowbox for library books, Goodreads, some Social Media apps.

Just a note on security - parents can assert full control over a child's tablet, it can be linked to your account and it can be password protected, limited, and monitored. You can choose what to allow and what to limit. I have my son's set so that it automatically stops working at 9pm, and he doesn't have any internet or download access (it's password protected) so if he wants a download I have to do it.

Kindle Fire HD7 Current Generation

PROS:
Easy to set up and easy to use.
Slim, not heavy to hold.
Has a backlight so can be used at night.
Can be used for Netflix and other apps.
Works with standard Android chargers.
Can be used for Audiobooks.
Can be used with Borrowbox to borrow library books straight to the tablet.
Attractive colour display, great graphics.
Good value for money.

CONS:
Battery life is short (7-8 hours if using constantly).
Internet can prove a distraction.
Screen is hard to see outside.
Screen gets grubby easily.



Kindle Paperwhite
The Kindle Paperwhite has a 6 inch display and works with either Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G. I chose the Wi-Fi only version and paid £110. The one with 3G is £170. There is an experimental internet browser on mine, but it's nowhere near good enough to surf comfortably.

Kindle Fire HD7 3rd Generation & Kindle Paperwhite Current Generation

PROS:
Has a backlight.
Has a 300ppi display - the highest display currently available on Kindle, akin to real paper.
No glare.
Works comfortably outside.
Works with standard Android chargers.
Very light to hold.
Battery lasts weeks.
No distractions - solely designed as an e-Reader.
Holds thousands of books.



CONS:
Can't be used with Borrowbox so can't borrow library books.
Black and White display can be boring.
Can't be used for games or social media.

Thank you Amanda (Go Book Yourself) who also made the (excellent) point that because the Kindle Paperwhite is lit from the front, it doesn't cause glare or eye fatigue. The Kindle Fire is lit from the back, so it can cause eye fatigue. I have to admit I prefer the Paperwhite in bed over the Fire, probably unconsciously because of that difference!

Free App




I also have the free Kindle app on my phone, it's available for PC, iOS and Android.

PROS:
If you've left your Kindle at home, you can access your Kindle books on your phone by signing in to your account.
Free.
Available on other tablets, iPads, laptops, computers - not just on phones.
Amazon's entire Kindle book selection is immediately available to purchase directly to the app, no need for a separate device.

CONS:
Can be a bit headache-inducing to read on the phone.

I do love the colour display on the Fire, but it's a nuisance that it doesn't work great outside. I also hate that the battery life is so short. If you're after a good eReader with a good backlight, I'd recommend the Paperwhite. It's a little smaller than the Fire but it's like reading off paper and it works great outside. Plus, mammoth battery life and no internet worth talking about to prove as a distraction.


If you have any other questions, just shout!






1 comment:

Talk at me!