My wife bought me a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas. The number one reason I wanted it was to gain at least rudimentary Internet access via the free 3G connection. The other big attraction for the device to me was the E Ink display. After checking it out thoroughly, I returned it. As expected, Amazon.com’s return mechanism worked efficiently and my payment was refunded promptly and in full. My overall impression is that it’s still a beta device. Many capabilities it claims to have or ought to have just do not measure up. If you plan to use it strictly as an eReader, I suppose it’s about as good as you can find. If you were hoping for something more, don’t waste your time.
WiFi
Wireless set up easily for me and worked consistently.
Portability
The device is small enough to handle in one hand and reasonably light weight. It feels solid, with no hint of flexing. It would be nice if it came with some sort of protective case though and an AC charging plug to go with the USB cable.
Support
Support personnel were reasonably knowledgeable and very helpful. See Q&A at the end of this review.
Battery Life
The device seems to be able to run all day without a recharge. I rate the battery life as excellent.
Display
I really wanted to give the display five stars, but because of the artifacts problem on the Internet browser, I had to drop it down to four stars. It remains remarkable technology, and with that one caveat is the best thing going in displays that are easy on the eyes. The artifacts do not seem to exist with reading books or PDF files if you change the settings to always refresh.
Documentation
Although well written, the User’s Guide lacks many details about how to use the device—hence the many questions that I directed to Amazon support.
Input
My best assessment of this is that it is painful. It is possible to send an email, but writing without a cursor and being plagued with wrong characters without a screen touch, makes the challenge not worth the effort. If you just want to turn pages of a book, the device does that fairly consistently, once you understand the operation of zones. Even with that though, there’s a risk of a double-turn.
The lockout power-down feature was also a pain. I read somewhere that you could just swipe across the screen to wake it up. The real way to wake it up is to first press and release the power button and then swipe across the screen.
My Ratings
Here is my star (*) rating (5 best, 1 worst) of the device:
***** WiFi
***** Portability
***** Support
***** Battery Life
***** Return Process
**** Display
** Documentation
** Input
* 3G
Here’s the latest on 3G support by the Paperwhite from Amazon:
Search for “Wireless on Kindle Paperwhite”
“Tip: When using the experimental browser, you’ll only be able to access Amazon.com and Wikipedia using the 3G connection. Unrestricted web access is available by connecting your Kindle to a Wi-Fi connection.”
Search for “Kindle Paperwhite” and select information for the 3G model.
“WebKit-Based Browser
Kindle Paperwhite 3G’s experimental web browser is based on WebKit. It’s easy to find the information you’re looking for right from your Kindle Paperwhite 3G. Kindle Paperwhite 3G enables you to connect to the Kindle Store and access Wikipedia – all over 3G or Wi-Fi. Experimental web browsing on other websites is only available over Wi-Fi.”
Support Q&A
1. How do I adjust touch sensitivity to make it more usable?
No adjustment option is supported.
2. Is a stylus required to make the Paperwhite usable?
No, just use your finger.
3. How can I improve hyper-link touch response?
Not all hyper-links work.
4. Why is there background remnant visible? How do I eliminate the artifacts.
This is characteristic of the device.
5. How do I enable 3G for web browsing?
Not available in U.S. or U.K.
6 When I uploaded a PDF file and then selected my items, the system restarted and then registered it. Is this normal?
No. Try another file.
7. How can I page through a PDF file in landscape mode without stopping at page boundaries?
That’s the way it works.
8. How do I delete a document that I uploaded? Touch and hold on the document. A menu will appear that includes “Delete this Document.”
9. How do I clear the device to factory settings?
Menu, Options, Settings, Options, Settings, Reset Device.
10. If I decide to return it for refund, how is that done?
- log in to the account through which you purchased your Paperwhite
- Move the cursor over the Hello area to the right of the search bar and click on Your Account from the drop-down box
- Under the Orders section, select Return or Replace Items
- Follow instructions as desired
Summary
This is a beta device. So where do I go from here? I’ll keep using my laptop as my portable connection to the Internet. I’m looking at the Lenovo A2107 3G and the Nexus 7 3G tablets. I’m in no particular hurry though, so I’ll likely just wait for more features and lower prices.
Please feel free to use the comments mechanism to add your opinions or ask questions.