Kindle 7th Generation Basic Review (2014)

by Tony Thomas

After enjoying my Kindle 5th generation for a few years, I decided to upgrade to the new 7th generation basic Kindle. I needed a device with more memory and at only $79 with Special Offers and $99 without, it seemed to be a decent reader at an affordable price. 

I went on quest to search for one locally. Staples was a no-go. They only had the previous gen models and a well-worn display.  Fortunately, Best Buy was right next door. Best Buy also had a beat-up display, but alas there was a lonely 7th gen basic with no tagging or price. If I hadn't recognized it from pictures I had seen, I would have probably missed it.

Note to Amazon: You really need to improve your merchandising. Best Buy now has a Apple store, Samsung store, Windows store and Sony store.  How about a Kindle store?

Anyway, I finally got it home and opened up the typically minimalist Kindle box. Inside, there was only the Kindle, a basic instruction card and a USB cable.  No power adapter. That will cost you an extra $15-20 for the Amazon version.  

Fortunately, I still have the charger from my old 3rd gen Kindle "keyboard" model.  Reportedly, you can also charge the device in about 4 hours from your computer's USB jack.

Compared to my 5th gen, the new basic Kindle seems to be less sleek and more boxy.  The beveled back breaks up the otherwise bland and utilitarian design and makes the device easy to hold.  It is slightly thicker than the old version and a tad wider and longer as well. It offers a wider bezel and a bigger "chin". The design is reminiscent of the first generation Kindle Fire which leads me to believe that Quanta may be behind this build. There are no buttons other than the power button at its usual location next to the USB port at the bottom. 

That's right. No buttons. This is the first basic Kindle to offer touch control. It uses an infrared (rather than capacitive) 6" touch screen featuring Pearl e-paper technology with 167 ppi resolution. It is capable of 16 levels of gray and is not back-lit. The contrast seems to be similar to that of my 5th gen and text is dark and easy to read.  Photos can look a bit washed out, however.

5th gen vs. 7th gen Kindle Basic

New features include:

• Goodreads and social media integration.
• Enhanced "X-Ray" feature that allows you to see the structure of fictional works. 
• Integrated vocabulary builder with flash cards. 
• Kindle "FreeTime" to encourage young people to increase their reading. 

Features coming soon include:

• "Family Library" to allow you to link to your spouse's account.
• "Word Wise" to allow you to read selected challenging books more easily.
• Enhanced search capabilities incorporating info from Goodreads and the Amazon site.
• "About the Book" for more detailed author and book info.

The new 7th generation Kindle basic comes with 4GB of memory--twice as much as my 5th gen--and enough to store thousands of average-sized books.  In addition, as with all other Kindle devices and software, you also receive free cloud storage for your books and documents.

Using the new 7th gen is pretty easy.  The only snag is that, when you hit the power button, nothing seems to happen.  However, if you look closely, you will see a message at the bottom of the screen to swipe to unlock your Kindle.

Also, the infrared touch screen works much better than I expected. It is very responsive and flawless in operation.  You just tap on the right to advance a page, on the left  to go back a page, and on the top of the screen to view the menu and other information.  I found it almost as enjoyable to use as a capacitive screen, despite its lack of multi-touch capabilities.

In addition, the device allows you to view the covers of the books or just the text of the titles.  As with previous Kindles, there is an experimental web browser that is poky and awkward to use, but it may come in handy in a pinch. I guess that is why it is still experimental.

All in all, the 7th gen basic Kindle is a solid performer with long battery life (weeks, not days, in many cases), great readability and ease of use, small footprint and light weight.  If you are looking for a non-backlit e-reader that can hold a library full of books, it is a great choice.

For more info: 

Amazon Website

E-Reader or Tablet -- Which Is Best?

I am asked frequently whether I favor a dedicated e-book reader (like the B&W Kindle or Nook) or a tablet device for reading. Since I own and use both, I thought that I would compare the advantages and disadvantages of both types of devices as e-book readers.  Let’s look at six important areas:

1. Size and Weight: The e-book readers win, hands down.  They are very small and light, unlike most tablets.

2. Versatility: Here, tablets rule.  Not only can you read books, you can surf the net, play games, check your e-mail, watch movies, listen to music and much more.

3. Readability: E-Book readers have a decided advantage here.  The non-reflective e-Ink displays of the Kindle and Nook allow for reading booth indoors and outdoors and in varying light conditions.  Their high-contrast, high-resolution B&W screens are hard to beat.  Tablets have the advantage of superior graphics, the ability to display items in color and reading in low light.

4. Battery Life: The e-book readers crush tablets in this area.  A Kindle or B&W Nook is good for 3+ weeks of reading without a charge.  Most tablets can only provide 6-10 hours of juice.

5. Speed: Tablets trump readers in this area as most of them have fast processors (even dual-core) and superior UIs.  If you have to jump around a book or need to consult multiple sources while doing research, they are far better than the dedicated readers.

6. Price: The B&W e-readers are easy on your wallet weighing in at less than a Benjamin and a half.  By contrast, most tablets are in the $300-600 range.

The pendulum definitely swings towards dedicated readers for pure book reading, while tablets are capable of a lot more.  If you are looking for a device that gives you the best of both worlds, check out the Nook Color.  It is an inexpensive tablet that is designed for book reading.

K is for Kindle

I bought an Amazon Kindle 3 WiFi on a whim back in February.  Since then, it has become a daily travel companion.  Why?  First of all, over 3500 books can live in this diminutive device.  That means that I no longer have to tote a bunch of dog-eared paperbacks, bent magazines, or heavy hardbacks around.  And, as the TV ads say, the 6" non-reflective E-ink(tm) screen is amazing, even in bright sunlight.  The contrast-ratio is much better than the Sony Reader that I used to carry.  The ability to change the font-size means that you can go from small to large type in seconds.  It is also sips electricity.  You can read for a month or so without a recharge.  Try that with an iPad or other tablet.

Getting new books into this device is dead easy.  Since it has built-in wifi and Whispersync(tm) technology, you can purchase a book and start reading it in less than a minute in most cases.  One thing that I didn't know before I bought it is that each Kindle comes with a unique, modifiable, e-mail address that allows you to send books, PDFs and other compatible files to it via e-mail.  You can choose which e-mail accounts it will receive data from, so you don't have to worry about spam.

Kindle books are usually cheaper than paper books and many are free.  The money that I have saved in buying paper books and paying shipping costs has made the Kindle a real bargain for me.  Plus, with the Kindle software, I can also read my books on my computers, iPod Touch, Galaxy Tab and Blackberry.

Other features include built-in stereo speakers, a headphone jack and a built-in mp3 player.  That makes it easy to listen to music or Audible (tm) audio books on the go.  Some books allow text to be read aloud using a computerized voice.  This isn't something that I use but it is a great feature for the visually impaired.  It also has a built-in dictionary that allows you to look up definitions while you are reading and an experimental web-browser.  I recommend the browser only as a last resort as it is slow, has a monochrome screen and does not always display pages correctly.

The Kindle 3 sells for $139, but you can also buy a 3G version for $189 if you want to be able to download books or magazines away from a hot spot.  There is also a subsidized version for $114 (Kindle with Special Offers) if you don't mind reading ads.

There are rumors that Amazon is planning to introduce an Android tablet this fall.  I hope that it doesn't mean that the Kindle 3 is a goner, as its E-ink(tm) screen, light weight, low-cost, and amazing battery life make it a more appealing reading option than heavier tablets.

www.amazon.com