There are few product categories in the tech world which
have become synonymous with the a single product. As far as e-book readers go,
the only product that has the most recall value is the Kindle. Entering its
seventh generation, the Amazon Kindle has had almost no competition in the
space, at least as far as India is concerned. While we are seeing
hyper-competition in other tech product categories, e-ink readers is one
category that is an exception. Is that good or bad? Well, competition is always
good. But Amazon has known to impress with its Kindles, last year’s Kindle Paperwhite
being a case in point. Does the new Amazon Kindle continue the tradition? Let’s
find out.
Build and Design: 7/10
The first thing that will strike you when you hold the all
new Kindle in your hand is the weight, or the lack of it. Weighing in at just
191 grams, it is only slightly heavier than the gen 2 Kindle Paperwhite (206
grams). Unlike the Paperwhite, the edges aren’t rounded, but are slightly
angular. In fact, the plastic back slopes up and you have a flat rectangular
surface with the glossy Amazon logo carved in the top half. This design element
is quite similar to that seen on the Kindle Fire HDX tablets’ rear side.
Instead of the rubberised finish seen on the Paperwhite, there is a matte
plastic finish on the rear side of the new Kindle. Thanks to the fine texture
on the plastic, it gives a good grip. But it does not seem like the sturdiest
of materials.
The top and side edges are clean, whereas the bottom edge
has the microUSB charging/data transfer port, a status indicator and the
power/standby button. There’s no audio jack, so you cannot listen to audio
books. On the front face you have a central 6-inch e-ink display area
surrounded by a smooth plastic bezel. The lower bezel portion has the Kindle
branding and is slightly larger than the sides. One handed operation is easy
thanks to the light weight.
For the review purpose I got the Kindle cover as well, which will need
to be bought separately for Rs 2,399. It has a tough plastic compartment which
houses the Kindle, and the rear cover has the same shape as the Kindle. The
flap has a velvet portion on the inner side. On the outside, the cover has a
textured leather covering.
Features: 8.5/10
Those of you who have been following the Kindle over the years, will
remember that Kindle Touch
was the first touch-enabled Kindle launched two generations ago. Last year
Kindle did not have any update to that. In fact, along with the second
generation Kindle Paperwhite, the entry-level previous generation Kindle had
physical buttons for navigating. The new Kindle ditches all the buttons for an
all-touch experience.
On the hardware front, you have a 6-inch e-ink Pearl display which has a
pixel density of 167 ppi. This kind of display reduces glare and helps with
reading comfortably even in sunlight. It makes use of the neonode infrared (IR)
technology to sense when the screen has been touched.
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