2014年10月21日星期二

Amazon Kindle Voyage evaluate: The top e-reader is plus the priciest

Amazon Kindle Voyage evaluate: The top e-reader is plus the priciest

As soon as Amazon introduced an updated version of its flagship Kindle Paperwhite end time, it took the at ease way shown -- in imitation of all, tweaked internals, improved software and faintly better lighting make not a thrilling e-reader reach. The 2013 Paperwhite wasn't bad by a few stretch, moral a small piece boring. Straight away, a time presently, Amazon has leave cool a person who reads that's no matter which but. Say hello to the Kindle Voyage.

On paper, the additional Voyage sounds like a at your house run. Slighter footprint? High-resolution screen? Something akin to mean page-turn buttons? Sign me up! It's Amazon's head greatly premium Kindle, but for you count the dodo so as to was the DX, and this instance around the company's catering to die-hard readers. But here's the real question: Does everyone really need a $199 e-reader (with ads, nix less)? In the field of a word, of course.

HARDWARE

The end instance Amazon's higher-end Kindles got a revamp was two years in the past, so it's nix blow so as to the Voyage represents the on the whole dramatic overhaul since so as to instance Amazon gave up on mean keyboards. Vanished is the Kindle's longstanding curvilinear aesthetic: The Voyage borrows considerably from the Kindle Fire's design language, with a new rangy back fashioned shown of magnesium and capped with glossy black plastic. The magnesium, in the role of it turns shown, was a really skilled call. In imitation of a week of tossing the Voyage in the field of and shown of my bag (which is sort of a contraption minefield, to say the least) nearby weren't a few scuffs before smudges so as to a little seconds of furious rasping couldn't take charge of. Alas, the Voyage's dull rear (which is anywhere the power button straight away lives) is a inducement in favor of your greasy fingerprints, so evaluation and ingestion chips is inadvisable if you're stickler in favor of appearances.

So as to magnesium hulk makes the Voyage a trifling lighter, too, which particular of you long for notice new than others. If (like me!) you're the sort of person who grips an e-reader in the field of single pass, with a pinky ration to stabilize things, so as to import reduction makes a surprisingly hefty difference. Oh, you're a two-hander? You probably won't be located able to advise.

New importantly, the 6-inch E Ink flaunt is to conclude flush with the remnants of the Voyage's body. This might not sound like the biggest step up -- it's not like the Paperwhite's recessed screen and raised bezels were particularly incommodious -- but it helps the Voyage feel with a reduction of like a bunch of components cobbled cool and new like a single, interconnected section of kit. Honestly, though, relating the lack of raised bezels and so as to angled back, the undivided matter bears new than a slapdash resemblance to end year's Kobo Aura (I can moral imagine Kobo's Japanese overlords chortling with glee).

I'll be located sincere: I still yearn in favor of the days as soon as the deep, satisfying click of a mean button punctuated the bear of a piece of paper, but individuals days are unmistakably concluded and Amazon's PagePress is in the region of in the role of worthy a replacement in the role of we possibly will contract. (Don't fret, you can still tap on the screen to coins pages.) The undivided matter is trouble-free adequate: Press the extensive vertical line on either quality of the screen to bear the piece of paper, and the dot sitting over it to flip back single. By default, both vibration and sensitivity are regulate to form (which is adequate responsive), but you better believe I cranked both options to extraordinary in the field of search of a new button-like experience. The come to an end consequence? It's still not in the role of tactile in the role of a mean button, but it's awfully close.

Flaunt AND PERFORMANCE

There's nix two ways in the region of it: The Voyage's screen is downright extraordinary (I worry about my pictures don't make it justice). The 6-inch flaunt manages to squeeze in the field of a rotund 300 pixels for each move slowly, bringing it closer to concrete ink on paper than a few other E Ink screen I've seen (Kobo's Aura HD has a superior screen, so the pixel density nearby doesn't quite match the Voyage). I honestly spent the better part of an afternoon moral sort of marveling by the side of it, firing up special books, fiddling with typefaces/font sizes/margins and normally frustrating to attain particular arcane combination so as to made the onscreen text look suboptimal. Nix dice: This matter is a victor, especially as soon as you consider how awful my eyes are.

Traditional e-readers arrange in no way been ideal in favor of images, but the Voyage (generally) handles them with gusto. Consider the humble graphic novel: Thumbing through Bryan Lee O'Malley's Seconds wasn't bad by the side of all on the Paperwhite, with lovingly crafted images and text boxes development through unmistakably. It wasn't until I leave it after that to the Voyage so as to I realized I beg your pardon? I was missing -- details so as to were smooth concluded on the Paperwhite were at ease to smidgen on the Voyage's high-res flaunt. A menu so as to appeared smudgy and hazy on the Paperwhite came through with surprising clarity on the Voyage; I possibly will advise Katie's restaurant was serving "smoked cornish hen, buttermilk mashed tubers & whipped pork fat and pickled asparagus," and so as to was facing I zoomed in the field of. Sincerely, digital comic die-hards be supposed to invest in the field of a skilled tablet, but the Voyage is nix slump. Particular would argue so as to frustrating to force new pixels into an E Ink screen is overstatement. Amazon unmistakably doesn't purchase so as to argument, and in favor of so as to I'm very indebted.

Surprisingly, the screen feels a trifling special too, since Amazon chemically fixed the come out to reduce glare. So as to enhanced wineglass diffuses light well, but the effect isn't in the role of pronounced in the role of I'd hoped -- the Voyage dispenses with glare simply faintly new effectively than the Paperwhite does. Doesn't sound vast, I know, but I've in no way had an deliver as soon as too much sunlight threw a wrench into my afternoon evaluation devices. Speaking of lighting, the Voyage has a additional trick up its casing: It straight away has an ambient light sensor so it can adjust backlighting level certainly. It mechanism, albeit a trifling slothfully, taking a little seconds to adjust to your surroundings. You might think all these lighting tweaks would arrange particular sort of contact on battery life, but the Voyage seems in the region of in the role of efficient in the role of the remnants of its family connections. Amazon says you'll be located able to squeeze in the region of six weeks shown of a single charge... Assuming you're simply evaluation a partially hour a date. My week of hard and evaluation has been way new rigorous than so as to, though, and the Voyage is still execution in the field of nearby with in the region of 30 percent gone.

Since an e-reader's flaunt is so intrinsically joined to how well it performs overall, let's dig a trifling deeper into how the Voyage runs at this point. Amazon isn't satirical on conversation in the region of I beg your pardon? Kind of central processing unit hums away inside so as to shell, but overall it's adequate snappy... Especially compared to the elder Paperwhite I had on pass. Whirling pages, popping back to the at your house screen and poring through the Kindle warehouse on the Voyager were normally way closer than on my 2012 Paperwhite, though the infrequent full-screen refresh evened the people from time to time. Interestingly adequate, particular things -- like whirling the screen on and inedible -- took all but the same amount of instance.

If you've in no way used a touchscreen e-reader, you be supposed to know E Ink's natural slowness course you'll need to juggle around with how you act together with procedure like the Voyage. You'll arrange to resist the temptation to type in the role of fast in the role of you make on a smartphone, in favor of single. It's a tough tendency to shake, but you don't arrange a top-notch. Let's say you're frustrating to peck shown "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the come to an end of the humanity." The touchscreen is thin-skinned adequate to register all individuals taps (you can go out with the piano lighting up in the role of proof), but move too quickly and you'll wind up with gibberish in the field of your search box. And in the role of much in the role of I have the benefit of individuals PagePress controls, the remnants of the Voyage lets individuals trifling guys down a small piece; if you're in the field of a dash something off flipping through pages, you'll notice so as to not each press/vibration corresponds to a piece of paper bear. PagePress aside, these are issues so as to plague moral in the region of all touch-friendly e-readers. We're still a extensive way inedible from the e-reading holy grail -- a digital evaluation experience that's in the role of immediate in the role of thumbing through a real volume -- but all things considered, the Voyage is a step in the field of the proper direction.

In imitation of living with the Kindle Voyage in favor of a rotund week, two unquestionable truths befall perceptible. Head, it's the top e-reader you can purchase proper straight away. Moment, it's plus the on the whole expensive, and therein mendacity the rub. Who exactly does Amazon expect long for compensate $199 in favor of single of these things? In the role of far in the role of I can advise, the individuals in the field of Seattle are gunning in favor of citizens like me: Choosy purists who care for in the role of trifling compromise in the role of viable. We adore books (sometimes to a fault), and we'll cease by the side of nothing until the line relating the screens we bring and the tomes we adore is indistinguishable. Here's I beg your pardon? It boils down to: If you're an e-reader buff (we exist!) before a bibliophile who yearns in favor of paper in the field of a humanity that's fast leaving it behind, purchase the Kindle Voyage. It doesn't take much to go up in price I beg your pardon? The Voyage brings to the board, but it does take a some kind of drip to look by the side of single and decide it's worth the same amount of money in the role of a without a glitch skilled Paperwhite in favor of manually and a vital Kindle in favor of mom.
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