Amazon has taken its popular Kindle ereader to the next level with the new Paperwhite model that comes with a new display and a built-in light.
The best things about the Kindle are the e-ink screen that looks remarkably like real paper as well as the ability to carry around all of your books in one device.
But, like real paper, the Kindle needed a reading light if you wanted to read it in low light or in a dark room.
But the new Kindle Paperwhite has an answer to this problem thanks to the device’s patented built-in light.
The device’s light is aimed towards the surface of the screen rather than from behind the screen like a regular tablet’s backlight.
The main advantage of this is that the Paperwhite’s light won’t illuminate the whole room but just illuminate the device’s screen.
This is particularly useful when using the Paperwhite next to your partner in bed.
A tablet or smartphone with their backlight would illuminate half the room and disturb the person next to you.
But the Paperwhite’s light which is guided down into the device only illuminates the product’s 6-inch screen.
The illumination is even and consistent across the screen and the brightness can also be adjusted to suit your surroundings.
The screen has 25 per cent higher contrast than the previous Kindle and displays 62 per cent more pixels so images and text are super sharp and easy to read.
The background is whiter than the previous screen which was predominantly grey.
The new Kindle Paperwhite has a touch screen and there are no buttons to be seen on the front of the device.
To turn a page, simply touch the right side of the screen. The Paperwhite’s screen is divided into sections to allow the reader to navigate the book and also return to the home page and access the menu.
It retains the basic shape and design seen with the previous Kindle Touch. It is only 9.1mm thick and weighs a slender 222g.
On board the device is 2GB of memory which is enough space for up to 1,100 books.
The device Tech Guide reviewed was the Kindle Paperwhite 3G model but there is a Paperwhite Wi-Fi only model available as well.
The advantage of having a 3G connection means users can connect to the Amazon Kindle book store from anywhere in the world and download a book in less than a minute while the wi-fi model requires a wireless network to connect.
There are also a lot of new features built into the Kindle Paperwhite to enhance the reading experience.
One new addition is X-Ray which explores the “bones of a book” and gives a top down view of the characters, places and topics of interest contained within the book.
Time to Read is another new feature which can give readers an idea how long it will take to finish a chapter or the entire book based on their current reading speed.
This is a handy feature when you’re wondering if you have time to read one more chapter or finish off the chapter you’re on.
Users can also share sections, notes and quotes of the book on Facebook and Twitter directly from the Kindle Paperwhite.
And there are the regular favourites like being able to adjust the text size and choose the font.
And the good news about the device is that it also retains its amazing battery life even with the addition of the built-in light. Readers can literally go weeks between charges.
The Kindle Paperwhite is now available to ship to Australia from the Amazon website.
There are two versions of each Kindle Paperwhite – with and without special offers.
The version with special offers is $20 cheaper and will display ads on the screensaver and also along the bottom of the home screen for deals on digital content and other Amazon offers but these ads won’t disturb your reading experience.
If you’re an avid reader and would like to have all of your favourite books with you to read anywhere and without the worry about running out of charge for weeks, the Kindle Paperwhite is an obvious choice.
Kindle Paperwhite
Price: Kindle Paperwhite 3G ($US199, $US179 with special offers), Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi ($US139, $US119 with special offers) plus shipping costs.
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