Kindle (2014)
Company: Amazon
Price: $79
The digital age of book reading has been great for me, a voracious reader since the age of seven. To be able to find, download, and begin to read a book within a matter of minutes is nothing short of amazing. When it happened, I could not make the switch from paper books to the digital variety fast enough.
I purchased my first Kindle years ago. While I enjoyed reading books on it, the screen left much to be desired. Amazon’s early Kindle operating system was faulty in that it didn’t always recognize input when touching the screen. The new version for 2014 has rectified many of those issues, while maintaining its very small form factor, but it has not all together eliminated the touchy OS problems. There is still a notable lag when pressing a button on-screen, and there is also a delay in showing text while typing on the virtual keyboard. None of these or other minor flaws takes away from how great the Kindle is.
The latest Kindle sports a 6-inch non-glare screen, in a very thin, small form-factor that is perfect for people who dislike bulky tablets. It has Wi-Fi, plus a 20% faster processor than the Kindle from 2013. A speedier processor means pages are redrawn faster on screen, giving an even more “like a book†feel to the Kindle.
The improved battery lasts, and lasts, and lasts. From the time I started testing this Kindle to when I needed to plug it in for a charge was almost two weeks. Two weeks! Amazing.
It is, however, not easy for me to recommend the standard Kindle priced at $79 when you can move up to a Kindle Paperwhite for less than twice the price. The KindlePaperwhite has a back-lit, or glowing, screen, meaning you can read it in a dark area. Not so with this basic Kindle review unit, which needs exterior illumination.
While the text is not as crisp as I would like, it is still easier to read long-form than on a tablet, thanks to the E-Ink display. I get eye strain from looking at my iPad for long periods of time, but never with the Kindle.
In the context of contemporary devices that do everything, it’s nice to have a purpose built Kindle that is designed to do one thing and do it very well: let you read! The Kindle family has seen many changes over the years, and keeps getting better and better. For the price, the Kindle is an easy choice to buy. If you use Amazon, and are a Prime member, there really is no excuse not to have a Kindle. Just save for the superior Kindle Paperwhite.
MyMac.com review rating: 8 out of 10
I’ve never been able to get into reading a digital book. I still prefer the paper pages and holding the printed copy. I’ve read several on my iPad and tried a Kindle. It just isn’t for me.