The Amazon Kindle Range
There’s no shortage of ebook readers to choose from in Amazon’s recently extended Kindle family. You can even get hold of the new Kindle Fire tablet computer – a full spec tablet that will do everything that you want – but at a price that is well below many of the other tablets on the market.
The entry level Kindle 4 starts at just $ 79, and the top of the range Kindle Fire tablet computer can be yours for just $ 199. With so many Kindles to choose from these days, you should take a good look at what’s on offer before deciding which one is just right for you.
Entry Level Kindle 4
E-ink technology display. It’s like reading text printed on paper.- Enough memory to store up to 1,400 books.
- Battery life approximately one month (based on 30 minutes reading daily).
- Dimensions 6.5″ x 4.5″ x 0.34″ – weight 5.98 ounces.
- Wi-Fi connection lets you download books in less than a minute.
- Choose from “Special Offers” ($ 79) or no Special Offers ($109).
Don’t let the low price tag or the “entry level” tag fool you. The Kindle 4 is a full spec ebook reader with exactly the same e-ink technology display that you will find on the other Kindle readers in the range. It’s actually a very good option if you want to use your ebook reader mainly for reading books.
There’s no keyboard or touch screen facility – but you might not miss those. If you’re mainly reading books on your Kindle then the page turn buttons will probably be all that you need for 99% of the time.
Entering text might be something that you only need to do when you’re choosing a new book. If that’s something that you only need to do once a week or so, the virtual keyboard, coupled with Amazon’s predictive text and personalized recommendations, will probably be fine.
The great thing about the Kindle 4 is the fact that it’s so small and light. It’s great if you want to read on the go or if you travel a lot.
Kindle Touch
Advanced e-ink display with multi-touch.- Memory space for up to 3,000 books.
- Text-to speech, mp3 player and audio book support.
- Choose from Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi plus 3G.
- Borrow Kindle books from your local lending library.
- New X-ray feature lets you get more details on key characters, interesting phrases and historical figures.
- EasyReach touch technology makes left or right handed operation simple and convenient.
- 2 month battery life (based on 30 minutes reading a day).
- Amazon Prime members – borrow 1 book/month for free.
Just another $ 20 will get you the new Kindle Touch reader with Special Offers. Dimensions are 6.8″ x 4.7″ x 0.40″ and it weighs in at just 7.5 ounces.
It’s one of only two readers (the other being the Kindle Keyboard) which has audio support so that you can listen to audio books, mp3 files and, where enabled by the publisher, use Amazon’s unique “read-to-me” function.
Kindle Keyboard
- 6″ e-ink display.
- Physical QWERTY keyboard.
- Memory space for up to 3,500 books.
- Text-to speech, mp3 player and audio book support.
- Choose from 3G or 3G plus Wi-Fi.
- Dimensions 7.5″ x 4.8″ x 0.34″ – weight 8.5 ounces.
- 2 month battery life (based on 30 minutes reading a day).
- Amazon Prime members – borrow 1 book/month for free