Released in Brazil in the second half of March, the Kindle Paperwhite arrives as another option in a market still shy to e-readers and e-books. The instrument most complete Amazon landed here about four months after the company’s arrival to the country with the most basic Kindle, in December 2012. Priced between £ 480 and £ 700, in versions with Wi-Fi and WiFi + 3G, respectively, the major differential Paperwhite a 6-inch touch-sensitive illuminated, allowing the user to read comfortably under various light conditions, even in dark places.
The device
Like other e-readers on the market, the Paperwhite has 2GB of internal memory. But the device Amazon it can not be expanded with cards, for example. According to the manufacturer, this space is enough to store more than 1,100 books, which seems to be sufficient for the typical user.
manufacturer’s website indicates that the battery lasts about 8 Paperwhite weeks under conditions that include 30 minutes of use per day with Wi-Fi off and brightness at level 10. In PC World tests, the battery was close to the end after a full two weeks of use, with Wi-F enabled and the same brightness on the screen all the time – and 3G occasionally used. During this period, the activities included an average of one hour of daily use, resulting in a total of 200 pages read in two weeks, plus occasional web access through the integrated browser and visits the shop e-books from Amazon. It is worth noting that the battery recharging is done via USB cable connected directly to the computer.
Weighing just over 200 grams with only an inch thick, the Paperwhite is extremely portable and easy to carry in many situations. The handset also calls attention to the minimalist design: brings only one physical button to turn on, restart and wake / sleep, which is next to the USB port used for charging. The sober look too pleased. The unit is available in black color and brings back rubber, which makes it easier to hold the gadget with one or two hands.
E-books
Like all other devices of the line Kindle, the Paperwhite only allows access to store e-books from Amazon. According to the company, are currently offered a total of 1.8 million titles here, including 19,000 works in Portuguese – with around 2,500 e-books free.
In comparison, the other e-reader on sale in Brazil, the Kobo is “open” and allows you to read digital books purchased at various locations and in various formats, not only to get stuck a store – but it is not compatible with the Amazon store, obviously. In a quick search, it was noticeable that many works (in Portuguese) have similar price on Amazon and other stores rivals such as Culture and Saraiva Bookstore. However, the store e-books from Amazon in Brazil offers a catalog rather broad, with many works imported not available in other bookstores in the country, which may be a differential in favor to those who usually read a lot in English, eg .
Moreover, the experience of in-store purchase from Amazon was simple and intuitive, with the download being carried out quickly in both Wi-Fi and in 3G – lasting a minute at most both cases. Another feature that deserves attention and makes the experience more enjoyable is the ability to download a free sample of any digital book before deciding to purchase.
Despite only having access to the Amazon store, the Kindle allows you to read documents in other formats such as PDF, Word, HTML, JPG and PNG (but not EPUB, an open standard), among others, through the service of personal documentation. Simply send the file to a supported format as an attachment to the e-mail from the device, which will probably be your e-mail address on file with final@kindle.com. Access the main Amazon.com.br for more information on the appeal.
Reading
The fact is that in two weeks with Paperwhite managed to read more than the routine allows me to paper books and felt less tired too – users of other e-readers, including other models Kindle devices and rivals such as the aforementioned Kobo, said they had similar experiences accordingly. I believe that this is the optimal screen quality (with resolution of 758×1024), which actually approaches the definition of the role, plus the portability of the gadget loaded with many books. Furthermore, the possibility to read in the dark without eyestrain, as in reading e-books on tablets, is also more than useful in day-to-day.
The famous “ghosts” present on page change still there, as well as any other e-reader, but nothing to disturb or serve as a distraction in reading time. The different lighting levels allow a variety of settings by the user and help the eyes to “weigh” less. As already admitted by the Amazon, the Paperwhite displays some small stains on the bottom of the screen when used in dark with the screen with the highest enlightenment, but nothing that interferes directly in reading the content.
The presence of a built-in dictionary that does not require an Internet connection to operate, and a “counter” in real time, which shows the percentage of work already read, count points in favor of the device. Remember that you can also sync your books and readings (markings, page stopped) between your Kindle device and other gadgets with the application of the e-reader, such as smartphones and tablets iOS and Android.
Kindle Paperwhite right and left sheet of paper
Case mandatory
Note that it is essential to purchase a case for the Kindle, since your screen appears to be quite sensitive, especially for users increasingly accustomed to resistive screens of smartphones and tablets with Gorilla Glass. The impression is that any strike or contact with an object, like a set of keys in the purse / bag, the screen Paperwhite may suffer some damage. Might be a good search other compatible models, since the prices of cases “officers” are somewhat high. Ponto Frio, authorized dealer of Amazon, for example, has leather cases for Kindle that cost 150 reais, half the price of the basic version of the e-reader, which costs 300 reais in Brazil.
Wi-Fi or 3G?
After two weeks with a 3G Kindle Paperwhite, the impression is that the 220 dollars more charged by this model are not worth it – to recap, the model with Wi-Fi version costs 480 reais and with 3G goes for 700 dollars. Although the 3G universal free Amazon be useful (and available in more than 100 countries), it only works for downloading e-books. And, in a world increasingly connected and Wi-Fi networks available, this seems a little investment that will return the day-to-day user.
Just download at home, at work or any other location with Wi-Fi, the books of your choice and then move with the device already loaded with content. There is hardly an emergency situation where you need to download a specific title in a place without Wi-Fi to 3G be something really useful to the consumer. Even Paperwhite’s web browser, it should only be used in situations where the user has no other way to access the Internet, only works on WiFi connections
Negatives
It is true that the price of Paperwhite a bit scary, especially compared to the U.S., where it costs between 120 and 180 dollars, being almost 100 dollars more expensive compared to rival Kobo Glo sold in Brazil by Cultura bookstore. The Paperwhite Wi-Fi costs 480 reais against 400 actual Kobo Glo – the Bookstore Culture lowered the value of e-reader at 50 reais at the time of the launch of Paperwhite here.
Another downside is that the Paperwhite can be purchased at very few physical stores, including some quisoques malls in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and a few units of the Village Bookstore in the state capital. Ie, those who live elsewhere in Brazil can not test the product before deciding to purchase.
Although the touch screen has good response for reading and sharing pages, typing must be done slowly so that all the letters are registered in the correct way. Some vehicles complained of the fact that the device does not bring physical buttons to change pages, as in the basic model, but the touch screen responds well to touch Paperwhite for this function and what makes really missing is a physical button for adjusting brightness.
Conclusion
Despite these considerations above, the Kindle Paperwhite is a very good device and probably the best e-reader market. In short, the possibility of reading in different lighting, with a screen pleasing to the eye, added to good resources already mentioned and the fact the Paperwhite be portable and easy to hold with one hand, help to make reading easier and more accessible in day-to-day, be in bed before sleep or on the subway going to work. Moreover, the great Amazon’s catalog combined with the ease of purchasing content make the Kindle Paperwhite a great option for those who want to enter this “world of e-readers.”
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