Amazon announces Paperwhite 3 with exciting new…um…
I love my Kindle Paperwhite 2.
In fact, I didn’t “upgrade” to the top of the line Kindle Voyage because I’m more than satisfied with what I have.
The Voyage is only one of two Kindle models I haven’t owned (the large-screen Kindle DX is the other one).
So, when Amazon e-mailed me to let me know about the new release (pre-order for June 30th) Kindle Paperwhite 3:
All-New Kindle Paperwhite, 6″ High-Resolution Display (300 ppi) with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi – Includes Special Offers (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
I went right to the product page to see what they’ve done to justify a new generation…partially for you, my readers, and partially to see if I might want to upgrade.
Well, my assessment is…this is evolutionary, not revolutionary.
It has a better screen (same 300 pixels per inch as the Voyage…that has to do with how “sharp” it looks).
It gets the new Bookerly font, and a new “typesetting engine”. They feature these elements of that improvement:
- Hyphenation and improved spacing
- Improved character placement (better kerning! ligatures!)
- “Beautiful page layout”
- Large fonts, without compromises
Sure, all of that will make for a better reading experience. For those who use the largest font size, it may be significantly better.
When we see the inevitable questions in the Amazon forum about, “Is it worth upgrading?” my feeling is that for most people, getting rid of a PW2 for a PW3 is probably unnecessary.
However, for people who are getting a first EBR (E-Book Reader), or if you just need to get another one (and maybe your “old” PW2 is staying in the family), you will get more for the money ($119 for the least expensive version…the same price as the PW2).
I know some (but not most) of you have been skimming this article to see if they added text-to-speech (TTS…software that reads a book out loud to you), the answer is no.
Still no audio capabilities (which might have induced me to get the new one).
Comparing the features, there is an obvious question: why buy the
Kindle Voyage (any configuration) (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
for $80 more (which is one dollar more than the cost of the lowest priced Kindle…you could get two Kindles, including one with a built-in light, for the price of a Voyage)?
The Voyage is a bit lighter and smaller, it has light-sensing technology, and it has “page press” (which lets you less intrusively change to the next page).
It’s quite possible they are also going to “refresh” the Voyage, although it will continue to sell because it is the top of the line (that, in and of itself, has a value).
Might they add TTS to a refresh of the Voyage? We have to be honest and say that really adds cost if you are going to have onboard speakers, and changes the use profile considerably (since it would presumably also add music and audiobooks). I think a wearable for music, audiobooks, and TTS is a possibility. No screen for sight-reading, and perhaps Bluetooth for the audio.
I can see that working. I would guess it could even be a ring (people’s wrists are getting busy). Hmm…maybe Bluetooth it to a Fire TV to have a screen interface for complex content management, and voice recognition for the simple stuff (“Read Alice in Wonderland”) or a simple content selection display on the ring. Bluetoothing to headphones (I’d use it with my ARCTIC P324 BT (Black) – Bluetooth (V4.0) Headset with Neckband – Headphones with integrated Microphone – Perfect for Sport (at AmazonSmile*), for example) and speakers would probably also be necessary.
Just to be clear, this is a good thing. You get more for the same price. That will benefit first time EBR buyers, people having to replace an older model, someone buying a gift, or if you are just expanding your fleet of devices.
This is coming out after Fathers’ Day (it can be pre-ordered before), which seems a bit odd. I was going to say that this was likely to be the only EBR announcement before Fathers’ Day from Amazon, and it might be…
Here is the
Bonus deal: one of today’s Kindle Daily Deals (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*) is
The Secret Garden (Michael Hague Signature Classics) (at AmazonSmile*)
for $1.99 (instead of $3.99).
This is a true children’s classic, with a justifiably lauded illustrator.
Remember again (re-remember? ;) ) that you can buy it for this price as a gift, and delay the delivery until the appropriate gift-giving occasion. This might be a great gift for a child…or for an adult who loved it as a child.
It is also available through
Kindle Unlimited (at AmazonSmile: benefit a non-profit of your choice by shopping*)
What do you think? Will this new Paperwhite make you upgrade? Does it make it more likely that you’ll buy one as a gift? How important is TTS to you? What other EBR (or other hardware, besides the Echo) will Amazon introduce this year? Feel free to tell me and my readers what you think by commenting on this post.
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* I am linking to the same thing at the regular Amazon site, and at AmazonSmile. When you shop at AmazonSmile, half a percent of your purchase price on eligible items goes to a non-profit you choose. It will feel just like shopping at Amazon: you’ll be using your same account. The one thing for you that is different is that you pick a non-profit the first time you go (which you can change whenever you want)…and the good feeling you’ll get. 
Shop ’til you help!
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog. To support this or other blogs/organizations, buy Amazon Gift Cards from a link on the site, then use those to buy your items. There will be no cost to you, and a benefit to them.
