Kindle Voyage

The new Amazon Kindle Voyage is their flagship e-reader, and costs a reasonable chunk of cash too, but is it worth it?

This is the new Kindle Voyage. Costly, but a worthwhile update?
This is the new Kindle Voyage. Costly, but a worthwhile update?

Having previously loved my Kindle (keyboard version) I was looking forward to getting this. After donating my Kindle to my girlfriend’s father, I had been having to read my e-books via my phone and the Kindle app – not a comfortable experience…

Install

Installing the Kindle was simply a matter of connecting it to my Amazon account, and all my books were instantly available, as well as the progress I had made through them – an extremely useful reminder of what I had/had not read.

Features

  1. High-resolution 300 ppi display — reads even more like the printed page
  2. Reinvented page turns — PagePress enables you to turn the page without lifting a finger
  3. New adaptive front light — provides ideal brightness, day or night
  4. Our thinnest Kindle ever, with new flush-front bezel design
  5. Battery lasts weeks, not hours
  6. Kindle Unlimited, read as much as you want, choosing from over 650,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks. Try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days. Learn more

Review

I tend to forget what I have read and have found that suddenly I remember about ⅓ of the way in; and as I’m dyslexic and read particularly slowly, this can run to a few days!
I can’t say how much I love this little box!

Having missed the reading experience on my previous Kindle I was anxious to get this in my hands and relax in the bath with a beer and a good book. I have to say (after dropping the Kindle in to a waterproof case) – mission accomplished!

There are a couple of features I feel are a great improvement over my previous Kindle, namely the light, ‘x-ray’ and the ‘reading progress’ indicator.

The light [3 above] is marvellous – no longer do I get complaints from my other half during those sleepless nights, trying to read by (an all “too bright”) lamplight, the light glows rather than glares so is apparently ‘acceptable’.

X-ray is a feature that helps you with the structure of a book and it’s contents; for instance if you have forgotten who a particular character is, you can use X-ray to get more details on them. Highly useful with a book of many characters!

The ‘Reading progress’ is a software feature that shows the time to the end of the chapter or book at the bottom of the page. This works by simply analysing your reading speed and working out the time to the next point, so I can gauge how whether or not I have time to get there, or what to say when asked – No more guesswork = less trouble to get in.

The page turning features [2 above] manifests as two symbols at both sides of the Kindle – a vertical line and a dot – squeezing the line on either side turns the page forwards, the dot goes back. You can also press on the screen to turn the page, right for forward, left for back. This means that you can comfortably read with one hand.

The resolution, at 300 ppi [1 above] is apparently the same used for printed books so it’s as good as looking at a real book (or so the marketing people will have you believe). To be honest I didn’t even notice, it’s simply comfortable to read with.

The ‘Kindle Unlimited’ feature sounds good, though I have quite a few books to get through so I haven’t ventured there yet.

Quite simply I love it – 9/10
(10 if the page turn was instant)

 

Written by

Simon Rochester is an IT geek, with a passion for all things tech. Over the years I have worked for companies large and small and have been running Rochester & Associates Ltd for over 15 years. I like various things in life, including cycling, reading and learning about my beloved technology.