Originally advice to a friend who asked. She said it was pretty useful and encouraged me to put it out there. So here it is.
If I could, I would get a kindle for everyone in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. It’s so lovely!
The biggest issue for me is:
Unlike the previous model, the Kindle Touch has no landscape mode, which is annoying when the width of your paragraph/diagram is quite wide. You would now have to read it at smaller font sizes or zoom in and keep scrolling from left to right as you read.
However, it seems only sensible that Amazon push out a firmware update some time this year to add landscape mode to the Kindle Touch. This isn’t certain at all but everyone certainly hopes for it.
Another thing to consider is: Kindle Touch (the latest 6” touch screen version) or Kindle DX (9.7”, no touch screen)?
Obviously, it’s wonderful to read on a much larger screen, but you might not need it, I don’t know. But seeing how the Kindle DX is USD$379 compared to the Touch at USD$99, perhaps the question’s moot.
Kindle Touch has Wifi. There’s also the Kindle Touch 3G at USD$149.
Do NOT get the Kindle Fire. It’s Amazon’s hopeless attempt at the tablet market. According to various tech sites, it’s utter crock.
Last thing. Amazon refuses to deliver its Kindles outside of the USA, so you have to use a service like Vpost (for Singapore) or Comgateway, which increase costs a little. I used Comgateway. It’s cheaper than Vpost, I think.
I love the Kindle Touch, even without landscape mode (mainly because I have some confidence Amazon will add that in an update soon. Confidence may be misplaced). Reading in portrait mode means sometimes, the text can be a little bit small.
But, it saves you a lot of shelf space. You can carry almost your entire library on it. E-books are cheaper than real books. And you can highlight and make notes on your PDF’s easily on your Kindle Touch.
It’s great but, it can be greater. Amazon, roll out the landscape mode update ASAP, please!
