Well, I'll be!
Quiet Amazon just released a new Kindle Paperwhite model, at the same price as the 2nd Paperwhite.
I'll be referring to this as the
Paperwhite 3 or Paperwhite 2015. (UK Paperwhite 3 is
here.)
Things that stand out from the press release:
•
300 Pixels per Inch for Laser-Quality Text
This one has
double the pixels of the Paperwhite 2, matching the premium (higher cost) Voyage model at 300 pixels per inch now.
This should make reading of the smaller fonts much more doable.
Those who reviewed the Yoyage, with the same resolution, tended to write that it is more like looking at a physical book page and that the words just pop off the screen as a result. With smaller fonts that are very readable, you can view more text on a page.
The ability to read smaller fonts much more easily also means you can fit more words on each page.
•
New Bookerly Font and Typography Features
Amazon explains that they created "an exclusive font designed from the ground up for reading on digital screens ... [and] is hand-crafted for great readability at any size. It introduces a lighter, more graceful look and outperforms other digital reading fonts to help customers read faster with less eyestrain."
See examples and more information + new typesetting and layout features
here.
There's also a subpage that shows the
Bookerly font compared with Palatino and Caecilia fonts, and it details what the details or improvements are.
Even with these two popular fonts, Bookerly looks less like a typewriter than the others do.
•
Release date is June 30. Preorders are being taken, of course.
Those wanting to receive it ON that day can just "Select "FREE Two-Day Shipping" at checkout."
The $119 price for this upgraded Paperwhite means that I'll finally upgrade from my Paperwhite 1, which was good enough for me, relative to the Paperwhite 2.
Note that you can get this with 3G cell phone network capability added to the usual WiFi, for $189, which is still $10 less than for the basic
Voyage ($199) without 3G.
The Voyage with 3G is $269 currently. (The prices quoted are with the Special Offers default for the lock screen image. If you prefer not to see Special Offers. you can always opt later for No Special Offers, for $20 additional, in the eReader setup options.)
Update 1 - Many are not aware that with the e-Ink 3G e-Ink Kindles, you have
24/7 free 3G access to Wikipedia wherever there is a cellular network tower. That's a big plus for people who like to look things up but either don't have a smartphone or tablet or prefer to not spend data charges on that -- and this way they don't have to rely on finding a WiFi hotspot or password to a friend's network. [End of Update 1]
How is it different from the Voyage?
The Voyage is thinner and it has the PagePress feature which uses sensors on the bezel area so that you can apply a bit more pressure (in the right spot) to turn the page without having to lift a finger to do this on the text display. That is probably most appreciated by those standing on commute trains or buses. The Voyage also has a built-in adaptive light to change brightness automatically to what it calculates is ideal. This works well for some and not for others. I turn auto-brightness off on my phone and tablets but don't know how well the Voyage would adjust for my taste.
I'm including in this blog article most of the press release, directly below, so that you can see the full particulars as presented by Amazon today. Also, those new to the Kindle can see a list of regular features that are less known.
_______
From Amazon's Press Release _______
"
Amazon Introduces New Kindle Paperwhite: The Most Popular Kindle, Now Even Better—Still Only $119
New 300 ppi display—unsurpassed resolution with twice the pixels for laser-quality text and images
All-new typography and layout features help you read faster with less eyestrain—new Bookerly font is crafted from the ground up for digital reading
SEATTLE—June 17, 2015—(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today introduced the all-new Kindle Paperwhite, updating its most popular and best-selling Kindle with the highest resolution Paperwhite display, the exclusive Kindle font Bookerly, and a new typesetting engine for more beautiful pages. Meet the new Kindle Paperwhite at
www.amazon.com/paperwhite. [ UK Paperwhite 3
here.]
“We love inventing for readers,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “The new Kindle Paperwhite obsesses over the details that matter most to readers—we’ve added our highest-resolution display so the words are crisp and clear on the page, a new font that is crafted exclusively for reading Kindle books, and a new typesetting engine that makes pages beautiful. Together, these details help you read faster and with less eyestrain, so you can lose yourself in the author’s world.”
New, Highest Resolution Paperwhite Display—300 Pixels per Inch for Laser-Quality Text
The new Kindle Paperwhite adds our highest resolution Paperwhite display, delivering the same 300 pixels per inch that readers love about the top-of-the-line Kindle Voyage. With unsurpassed resolution and 2x the pixels as the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite, the display delivers laser-quality text, making it easy to read comfortably at any font size, including at smaller fonts so you can fit more words on each page. Even with the new higher resolution display, Kindle Paperwhite delivers battery life that is measured in weeks rather than hours.
New Bookerly Font and Typography Features—Read Faster With Less Eyestrain
Kindle Paperwhite now offers Bookerly, an exclusive font designed from the ground up for reading on digital screens. Warm and contemporary, Bookerly is inspired by the artistry of the best fonts in modern print books, but is hand-crafted for great readability at any size. It introduces a lighter, more graceful look and outperforms other digital reading fonts to help customers read faster with less eyestrain. See Bookerly:
www.amazon.com/bookerly.
The new Kindle Paperwhite also offers an all-new typesetting engine that lays out words just as the author intended:
-
Hyphenation and improved spacing—Kindle Paperwhite adds hyphenation to break words at the right place, creates paragraphs with consistent lines, and adjusts the space between words. This results in more natural word spacing and more words on each page, which allows for faster reading with less eyestrain. See an example:
www.amazon.com/hyphenation.
-
Improved character placement—New kerning and ligatures automatically adjust character spacing to make it easier and faster to recognize words at any font size. Similar to a typesetter formatting a print book, Kindle Paperwhite will look at neighboring pairs of letters in context and adjust the character spacing to suit the word, removing distracting whitespace between letters and making the shape of the word more beautiful to help with word recognition speed. For example, in the word “quietly”, the tail of the “y” loops under the “l” to make the letters of the word fit better together. In the word “first”, the “f” and “i” are drawn together to make a ligature. See an example:
www.amazon.com/characterspacing.
-
Beautiful page layout—Print books often use drop caps to add emphasis and beauty to the first page of a chapter. In eBooks, this is challenging to replicate given the ability to adjust font size and line spacing. The new typesetting engine presents drop caps, text, and images on Kindle just as the author intended, and dynamically adjusts the layout as the reader changes the text size. See an example:
www.amazon.com/dropcaps.
-
Large fonts, without compromises—One of the benefits of reading on Kindle is that you can customize the font size based on personal preference—over half of Kindle customers take advantage of this feature and use a font size larger than the default. As you increase the size of a font, fewer words appear on each page, often creating distractions like large white space or broken sentences. Now, Kindle Paperwhite automatically adapts when a reader chooses the largest font sizes, customizing the margins, columns, indents, nested lists, borders, and drop caps to keep the page easy to read. See an example:
www.amazon.com/largefonts.
The new typography and layout improvements are available on over half a million books, including many best sellers, with thousands more being added every week. The features will be delivered as part of a free, over-the-air software update in the coming weeks.
Lose Yourself in a Book
Unlike tablets and phones, dedicated e-readers don’t distract you with social media, emails, and text messages. They don’t beep at you or tire your eyes when you read for hours at a time. By design, e-readers are purpose-built for reading and create a sanctuary so you can lose yourself in a book.
All the Features Readers Love about Kindle
The new Kindle Paperwhite includes all of the features that have made the Kindle family the best-selling e-readers in the world for seven years running:
- Weeks of battery life—Battery life is measured in weeks, not hours.
- No set up required—Kindle arrives pre-registered so you can start reading immediately.
- Whispersync—Saves and synchronizes your last page read, bookmarks, and annotations across all of your devices and Kindle apps, so you can always pick up where you left off.
- Worry-free archive—Automatically backs up your Kindle books in the cloud, so you never need to worry about losing your books—re-download your books wirelessly anytime for free.
- Goodreads—Kindle is integrated with the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations, with over 40 million members, 1.1 billion books added, and 43 million book reviews.
- X-Ray—Explore the “Bones of the Book”—see all of the passages across a book that mention relevant ideas, fictional characters, historical figures, places or topics of interest.
- Word Wise—Available on many popular English language titles, Word Wise makes it easier to enjoy and quickly understand more challenging books. Short and simple definitions automatically appear above difficult words, so you can keep reading with fewer interruptions.
- Family Library—With Kindle and Kindle reading apps, you can access not only your own books, but also books from the Amazon account of a spouse or partner.
- Kindle FreeTime—Gives parents a simple, engaging way to encourage kids to spend more time reading. Hand-select books for your kids to read, and achievement badges are earned when they hit reading milestones.
- Time to Read—Tells you how much time it will take to finish a chapter or a book based on your personalized reading speed.
- Kindle Page Flip—Skim page-by-page, scan by chapter, or jump to anywhere in your book, all without losing your place.
- Vocabulary Builder—Compiles words you look up in the dictionary into an easy-to-access list. Use these lists to quiz yourself with flashcards and instantly see words in context.
- Share your favorite passages—Share book recommendations, highlighted sections, and meaningful quotes with friends via Facebook and Twitter
- Smart Lookup—Integrates a full dictionary definition with other reference information via X-Ray and Wikipedia.
World’s Best eBook Store
Kindle e-readers come with instant access to the Kindle Store, which includes:
- Massive selection—Millions of books, newspapers and magazines, including the latest best sellers, Kindle Singles, and more.
- Kindle exclusives—Over 800,000 books are exclusive to the Kindle Store.
- Lowest book prices—Over a million titles are $2.99 or less, over 2 million are $9.99 or less.
- Kindle Unlimited—Enjoy unlimited reading of over 800,000 books and unlimited listening to a selection of thousands of audiobooks for just $9.99 a month.
- Kindle First—Access new Kindle books a month in advance of their official release date. Customers can choose one of the featured books each month for $1.99, and Prime members can make their selection for free—yet another benefit of Prime membership.
The new Kindle Paperwhite is $119. It is available for pre-order around the world and will start shipping June 30. Order now at
www.amazon.com/paperwhite [UK Paperwhite 3
here.]
[ End of Amazon Press Release attachment ]
Software update to v4.9 for Kindle for iOS and Kindle Fire devices