I was maybe one of the early adopters to the Kindle, having got one well before the product was even launched in India. My fascination with a Kindle is the fact that it gives you access to literally all the books in the world, in one way or the other. As an 80s kid who had to walk to a library for the next set of comics and books to consume, this is still a superpower I could not have imagined possible while growing up. The latest Kindle Paperwhite plays on this unlimited access while trying to take the reading experience to a whole new level.
The new Kindle Paperwhite is a bit thinner than the last Kindle I reviewed but has no real change in design. It is now easier to set up as you can use the Kindle app on the phone to find the new Kindle and link it to your account. Amazon is pushing its new frustration-free setup across all devices and it worked like a breeze on the Kindle too. You don’t have to go through the awkwardness of entering your account ID and password on the e-paper display anymore.
Once set up, you have access to all the books you have purchased so far, suggestions based on your past reading habits as well as books that are available for free thanks to your Prime membership. I no longer have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, so this proved a saviour. One of my biggest frustrations with Kindle devices over the years — the inability to buy books easily from the device itself — has been solved to a large extent. I could tap the store button on the homepage, select a book, and pay directly with Amazon UPI. Approve the payment on your UPI app on the phone and you are done.
There is a browser on which you can open websites like indianexpress.com and read articles. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)
The reading experience too has evolved. I felt the pages flip faster and without any ghosting on the next page as is often seen on some ebook readers. The backlighting is also quite bright and was able to keep me occupied at night with no lights in the room — for those who don’t know, the original Kindles did not have backlighting and it came as a feature after a few generations. This warm light can also be adjusted to your preference and this ensures that when you want to doze off after a few pages, you are not struggling as you would after doing the same on a smartphone. I could not help but realise how a Kindle keeps you focussed on what you are consuming, unlike the smartphone which takes you on a Reels trip with every notification.
I also felt that the Kindle has evolved into a device that is more relevant to students and researchers. As I read Wendy Doninger’s On Hinduism, a version that has been adapted for the Indian audience, I could see all the highlights and bookmarks others had added to the book. You can see the popular highlights on the books and get to that segment in one tap. The Go-To tab lets you skim through a book by listing all the chapters on top of the page you are on. Plus, you can see the book’s progress and now also show time on top of the page so that you don’t lose track.
Like before, you can mail yourself PDF and e-book files that can then be consumed on the Kindle. Also, there is a browser on which you can open websites like indianexpress.com and read articles like you would on a phone or tablet. As expected, this browser has limited capabilities, and you cannot load videos or animations — also; there is no speaker on the Kindle. But I loved how you can bookmark pages here and come back to them when you are maybe on a flight.
I have over the past couple of years felt that the Kindle is not as popular as it used to be. Even I don’t use mine as much as I used to before thanks to the smartphone. I use Audible more now, listening to books as I go for my daily walks than sitting down to read like before. Also, there is always the Kindle app on the phone and iPad to turn to. But with this review, I realised how the Kindle might find new ground thanks to how distracting our smartphones have become. Buy the Kindle if you love reading or have to read for a living. You will find all the knowledge in the world as well as all the focus you can muster.
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