Amazon introduces a redesigned Kindle family

(aboutamazon.com)

33 points | by seam_carver 2 days ago

21 comments

  • joshstrange 2 days ago
    Bluetooth page turner is nice but at this point I have zero interest in a Kindle unless I can load KOReader on it. I might buy one of these if they go on a sale and leave it in a drawer until it's jailbroken. I love my PW5 (jailbroken) but I'd buy a Kobo if they had a 7" screen (Clara) since that's easier to get KOReader on.
    • qingcharles 4 hours ago
      $35 for that page turner is insane. I assume you can buy the same thing on Aliexpress for a dollar.
  • alexaholic 8 minutes ago
    Looks nice, too bad it's Amazon. I have a Kindle, but because of the DRM mess, for my s/o we decided to get a Kobo.
  • whatatofu 2 days ago
    Sadly, my next ebook won't be a Kindle. I'm leaning more towards Kobo when it needs a replacement, as I don't really like that Amazon has the ability to delete all my purchased (or non-purchased) ebooks remotely on the push of a button.

    They already deleted my books once so it stays since then in plane mode, and I recovered everything with Calibre.

    • otherme123 55 minutes ago
      I liked my Kobo Clara HD for years. A few months ago my wife wanted an ereader, but she reads a lot less books than me. So she offered to inherit my Kobo, and I bougth a Pocketbook Verse Pro. I like it a lot for the physical buttons, the smart ligth is programable with hourly granularity (both intensity and tone), and you get an email address that forwards ebooks attached straight to the device. It is a bit faster turning pages.

      Kobo had its store on the home page, and while it was unobstrusive, the Pocketbook has nothing at all. Worth a look, if you are interested.

      • TFNA 39 minutes ago
        I have a Kobo and am not quite sure what is on its home page and don't really care, because the device spends all its time in KOreader. I also am not concerned about corporate schenanigans, because I put the device in airplane mode as soon as I unboxed it. I'd say Kobo is a pretty dependable device for people with such concerns.
    • shermozle 4 hours ago
      Unfortunately the Kobo software is terrible.
      • mavamaarten 48 minutes ago
        How so? I really can't relate.
      • BozeWolf 1 hour ago
        Care to elaborate? I have a kobo reader for years and i am very happy with it.
  • glimshe 4 hours ago
    This is basically an ad. They forgot to mention that Amazon doesn't sell books, they only rent you a license. It's gone when they want it to be gone. Bookfinder doesn't have this problem...
  • paranoidrobot 5 hours ago
    Long time Kindle user. I have deeply disliked the touch-only interface since it was introduced - the only reason I switched to them was because the old one with page turn buttons toon a swim.

    The touch interface is great for typing, but for turning pages I find myself either accidentally pressing on the screen or it not recognising the touch at all. Touching in the wrong spot can also result in it clicking links or similar.

    The idea they might be bringing out a case that has the buttond seems great, except it's only for the signature editions.

    Not happy about that one.

  • Ozzie_osman 5 hours ago
    I love my Kindle. Changed my life. I read so much more now. No need to order or go buy books, no need to plan ahead which books to take on a trip, etc.

    That said, it is so buggy (constant freezes, occasional white screen of death) and so slow.

  • Stratoscope 4 hours ago
    I have a nice Kindle Paperwhite, but I hardly ever use it.

    Instead, I read my Kindle books on my S24 Ultra. Why?

    One reason is the classic photographer's question: "What is the best camera?" The one you have with you.

    The other is that I really like scrolling instead of page-turning. I can hold the phone in one hand and use my thumb to scroll up and down just like any webpage or document. This lets me keep my context instead of losing it at every page turn. If I forget the train of thought, I can scroll back a few lines and pick it right up.

    There are two steps to enable this.

    First, open any book and tap in the middle. Select the "Aa" icon at the top. Go to the Layout tab and turn on Continuous Scrolling.

    Now you will have a problem. The selfie camera's circular hole cuts into the scrolling area. To my eyes, it is disorienting and annoying to have everything else scroll but that camera cutout sits there.

    To fix this, go to Settings / Display / Camera cutout. Scroll down to Kindle and change its setting from "Auto" to "Hide Camera cutout". This takes away a few pixels at the top of the screen, but you have plenty of display space available. And no disorienting black circle as you scroll.

    You may still prefer a physical Kindle device, but with these two settings, the S24 Ultra is now my favorite Kindle.

    • eternauta3k 1 hour ago
      I realized my cellphone has a display that's almost as big as my Kindle, is less hassle to load with books, can scroll/zoom PDFs easier, and won't complain about lacking memory when opening big PDFs.
    • skydhash 1 hour ago
      > Instead, I read my Kindle books on my S24 Ultra. Why?

      > One reason is the classic photographer's question: "What is the best camera?" The one you have with you.

      I have a Kobo Libra and while it’s bigger than the basic kindle I had (which I could put in my back pocket), it’s still fairly portable. The nicest thing is that I only need to press the power button to get back to what I was reading. Compare to unlocking the phone, open the app, locate the book and then opening it. Without being distracted.

  • reedf1 5 hours ago
    An e-reader is the only device I've ever actively wanted a big chunky separated bezel. For the longest time my oldest kindle has been the one I actually used despite no usb-c.
  • March_f6 2 days ago
    We're in a post-literate society where most adults can't even finish 1 book a year. The fact that kindles are still a thing is kind of shocking.
    • epihelix 3 hours ago
      Based on polls like this:

      https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/53804-most-americans-didnt...

      This literally isn't true :)

      But more relevant is that if ~20% of adults are reading 10+ books a year, then there's absolutely still a market for eReaders. (Whether or not kindles deserve that market I'll leave for others to argue :)

    • crysin 5 hours ago
      You’re on the internet too much if you believe this.
    • AlotOfReading 2 days ago
      Books are arguably selling better than ever. It's just becoming a hobby people participate in as part of a larger community instead of a universal activity. Breakout successes tend to be things that appeal to women active on social media, a group that has very little overlap with the typical HN audience.
  • syspec 1 day ago
    Not disparaging it, sincerely curious as I see it mentioned in this thread a couple of times... why would you need a blutooth remote for a kindle?
    • jasonjayr 5 hours ago
      Some people read music on an ebook display -- having a foot pedal to advance the page while your playing is a relatively common thing.
    • pkamb 5 hours ago
      Treadmill is a big one. Or under covers in bed with the Kindle propped up or mounted.
    • iamjake648 5 hours ago
      My wife, and nearly all of her friends have one. They setup the kindle with a mount and lay back on the bed or couch.
    • Rebelgecko 13 hours ago
      It's nice having a physical button, touchscreen isn't as ergo or reliable
    • robotresearcher 4 hours ago
      Touch screens are tricky for some people with motor control issues.
  • anotherlab 2 days ago
    Adding page-turn buttons to the cover sounds clever.
    • roryirvine 2 days ago
      Yeah, I ran to find the product page - only to find that it "Fits 2026 Releases Only". Agh!

      Also it only fits the Signature Editions and will only be available in March (in the UK, at least).

      I'm still mourning the Oasis :(

      • unsnap_biceps 2 hours ago
        This finally got me to replace (preorder) my Oasis with a new Kindle. The physical buttons are a must for me.
  • evek 2 days ago
    Just as I’m modding my 2018 Paperwhite to add buttons and a bluetooth remote.
  • gregjw 5 hours ago
    Did they invent a colour here? What is Ube?
    • zerocrates 5 hours ago
      Ube is a purple yam. You might have seen it in Filipino food like halo halo, or various Instagram-worthy trendy ube-flavored purple foods.
    • m463 4 hours ago
      In seattle there is a restaurant downtown called Ludi's that serves ube pancakes that are a giant purple pile of goodness.

      I wonder if there's a connection?

    • marinhero 5 hours ago
      Ube is a purple yam from the Philippines. Sweet and yummy. Naming makes sense here.
  • maherbeg 2 days ago
    These look great! I still have a Kindle Voyage from 2015 that's going strong, though I do wish it had the warmer LED lights. It's nice to have some devices like this and my Fujifilm XT-30 that don't make me feel the constant need for upgrading.
    • hs86 2 days ago
      Weird how there is still no real successor for the Voyage. They somehow refuse to release a 6-inch device with warm light and a light sensor for auto brightness. And with the lack of immersion reading on e-ink devices, I don't think I want to buy another Kindle again.
    • landgenoot 4 hours ago
      I use a voyage as well. Wish it had USB-C, because that's the only device I use regularly that still has micro USB.

      Apart from that it's great, books won't get any better with an upgraded ereader.

  • lbreakjai 2 days ago
    I don't see them on amazon.nl, despite the article saying they're available starting today.
  • lenova 4 hours ago
    This "article" is just an advertisement in disguise.
    • dewey 1 hour ago
      It’s an official Amazon website, how is that “in disguise”?
  • fnoef 2 days ago
    Amazon is a terrible company. Switched away from their Kindle and predatory business practices.
    • gonzalohm 2 days ago
      Do you have a recommendation for an ebook?
      • jcotton42 2 days ago
        I'm not the guy you asked, but I personally switched to Kobo.
      • hiyer 3 hours ago
        Kobo is great. Unfortunately - in India at least - the books are way more expensive on Kobo (often 2x or even more) than on Kindle. So I've found it hard to get rid of the Kindle though I prefer to read on the Kobo.
        • TFNA 37 minutes ago
          Why is the price of books on different stores relevant, when you can get most of what you want to read from the shadow libraries for free?
      • goostavos 2 days ago
        I've been super happy with my boox. Full android, so you can install the Kindle app if needed. But it can natively read just about every format.

        I sync books through Dropbox. Seamless as can be. (And no DRM or "leasing" nonsense)

      • rationalist 2 days ago
        I just switched to a color Kobo from the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite. I like it.
      • fnoef 2 days ago
        I switched to Kobo. Not that I’m a fan of Rakuten, but kobo so far remains open and modifiable should you want that
  • danielfoster 1 hour ago
    Meh. It’s just another Kindle. It would be nice to see Amazon be a bit more revolutionary or daring.
  • hosel 2 days ago
    Give me a new oasis please Amazon
    • juiceland 17 hours ago
      New old stock comes up every once in a while. Last year I bought 2 with cases (both new in box), jailbroke one and put the other in a closet.
  • jmspring 1 day ago
    Not really an Amazon fan, but Kindle Unlimited is something I use a lot. I read 3-4 books a month (sometimes more). Not all great literature, but a way to relax in the evening or on vacation.

    I like the warmth setting of more current paperwhites.

  • juiceland 2 days ago
    It looks like they’ve finally switched over to plant based leather. Good to see them move away from animal products in the accessories. Now if they could treat the humans that work for them better we’d really be cooking.