Fine price for a kick-around “paperback” of an e-reader, all things considered, but the paperwhite is a revelation compared to the touch and well worth twice the price.
This is truly the low end of the Kindle family. The Kindle keyboard has more memory and text to speech/audio support, while the paper white has a light and a faster processor. Personally, I think the Kindle keyboard is still the clear winner for it’s text to speech ability (makes every book an audio book, good for long drives) and you can pick one up on ebay with a case for less than this.
I got this model to replace my Kindle Keyboard, the last time it was up. I love it. I did have a problem after about four months when it thought it wasn’t registered and then would lock it. After consulting with a Kindle rep, I did a complete reset which fixed the problem.
That said, like the Kindle Keyboard, this model has all the experimental features, including text to speech! For those who do know, prior to the kindle Fire, all kindle e-ink ereaders had experimental features: text to speech, mp3 playing and web browsing (the web browsing is awkward but works and allows a few cool tricks). When the Kindle Fire came out, all the emergency features became part of it’s functionality and disappeared from the e-ink e-readers.
Anyway, that’s why some of us early adopters of the Kindle are avoiding the newer models. While I would love to have the clarity of the Paperwhite, I am not willing to give up text to speech or the ability to play mp3 files and audiobooks. When I am at work, I can listen to music, real audiobooks or have the Kindle read to me (boring, mindless cubicle job).
I highly recommend this model if you are looking for a kindle with TTS and mp3 playing.
You must not have used one, then. The ads are only visible when you’re not using the reader and at the very bottom of the main book list page.
Like Woot deals, Amazon has weakened the greatness of the Kindle offers over the years, but the feature still shouldn’t be viewed as a deal breaker (and they can be turned off for a fee).
Yes, this is the bottom of the line old model no backlight no color Kindle. And it’s great. For the price of two hardback books, you can carry 3000 books around with you in a very small light device. For some situations, the simple models are better. And no stressing out over an expensive tablet or e reader. For just reading books, this is a great purchase. And as was said, the ads are really no big deal.
Don’t let it be a dealbreaker, if you’d otherwise want one. I have 2 kindles (one of this model and a paperwhite), both with the ads, and it’s easy to ignore completely (though once i noticed an ad that was actually for something i wanted - a free coupon to get the mp3 version of an album i wanted for like $3 - and got it). It’s not a hindrance to normal use at all.
I wouldn’t worry so much about a screen protector, but a case is quite useful. I don’t have this model, but I do have the paperwhite and the keyboard (plus an HDX). All the protection I needed was provided by the case.
Does anyone know how well this particular model works on beaches or in bright sunlight? Is the paperwhite a better option for that situation or will this model suffice?
Okay, I’m tempted. I already have a Nook Simple Touch, but it doesn’t have the text-to-speech. What else about this Kindle Touch should tempt me to go in for one… or should I just stick with my Nook?
I bought one of these from Amazon about a month ago as one of their lightning deals. I’ve never had a Paperwhite so I can’t compare the two but this is a great little reader. As others have pointed out, this does have the text to speech that the Paperwhite models lack and is very lightweight with a nice form factor. One of the biggest cons for me is the inset screen. Apparently this uses infrared for the touch screen so the screen is inset from the border. After a month of heavy use I haven’t had any issues with crumbs or other small things getting stuck in the edge but I could see that being an issue down the road. Overall though I would buy it again at this price for sure.
OK after reading all the views here and the extras this has over some of the other readers I am in for one. My niece has one of these I think and she lovers hers. thanks again for a useful item Woot
We have a Kindle Keyboard, a (plain) Kindle and a Paperwhite. The Paperwhite has the nicest screen but its biggest advantage is in low-light situations. There is no issue at all with the 1st or 2nd generation Kindle screens in bright sunlight and any of them is 100 times better than an LCD tablet.
My wife recently got a Paperwhite kindle. She could not be happier. She used to use Kindle for PC on her laptop. Not any more. She loves the portability and the backlight for reading in bed.
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