Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story • Hacker News Board

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#31

Post by ekianjo » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 2:42 AM UTC

Johnythree wrote: post #8

Totally agree with this article, but I'm surprised he doesn't mention the train wreck of the touch screen on the Paperwhite. For a start it's incredibly flaky. Sometimes the slightest accidental touch will cause it to jump randomly to somewhere in the book. Other times I can press it hard or rub furiously and still nothing happens. Then sometimes it will pause for a few seconds, then do something incomprehensible. If…

> I love my Kindle, but I hate the touch function.

I don't know, I read a lot on the Paperwhite and I got used to the touch screen. It's quite comfortable, even though I would probably prefer some actual buttons. In any case I was won over. I was reading a lot of paper books before and I am finding the experience of reading with an ereader to be superior in almost every way.

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#32

Post by ekianjo » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 2:44 AM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #11

sliverstorm wrote: post #7

To replicate the experience of the Kindle Voyage ‘button’ find an immovable surface in your house: a marble kitchen countertop will do. Place your thumb upon the surface, then press down – deforming your thumb. Not pleasant, is it? I don't follow. It feels like I'm pressing down on something. Of all the things I can think of that would cause an RSI, pinching a pressure-sensitive button seems low on the list. I also d…

I own a voyage, but can't come up with the answer to one simple question. In what way are those stupid little touch strips actually BETTER than real buttons? Since there's no actual physical feedback you can't tell how hard you have to press. They've tried to fix this by letting you set sensitivity levels, but that doesn't work great. Then I thought it would be a good idea to add a pager motor to fake physical feedba…

> absolute top-of-the-line device the software feels half-baked.

Install alternative reading software on the device (see the other post in this thread).

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#33

Post by bduerst » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 2:44 AM UTC

jayvanguard wrote: post #23

This person seems extremely picky. I have pretty much every generation of kindle and they just keep getting incrementally better. Resolution, backlight, multiple dictionaries, x-ray, etc.

Yeah, it reads like no matter what would be done, this person would find something wrong with the product experience.

I use a paperwhite and read to fall asleep. The white-tinted light isn't as much of an issue as people or f.lux make it out to be.

If the paperwite were tinted, this person would probably be complaining that it makes them fall asleep rather than stay alert while reading.

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#34

Post by MBCook » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 2:46 AM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #30

I was fortunate enough to get a Kindle DX. It's the best of the Kindles. The second best is the Kindle 3. I have some other Kindles, but I always go back to the DX and the 3. No, I don't like touch screens. The buttons are much better. The Kindle 3 nailed it. The only thing it is missing is a backlight.

That's why I moved from a keyboard up to the voyage. The back light is really nice, as is the much higher resolution screen.

The touch screen isn't bad, but the software doesn't make good use of it. The fake touch that's why I moved from a keyboard up to the voyage. The back light is really nice, as is the much higher resolution screen.

The touch screen isn't bad, but the software doesn't make good use of it. The fake touch buttons are acceptable.

If they had used real buttons, or actually polish the software, it be a pretty great device. As it is, it's just okay.

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#35

Post by pnathan » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 2:51 AM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #30

I was fortunate enough to get a Kindle DX. It's the best of the Kindles. The second best is the Kindle 3. I have some other Kindles, but I always go back to the DX and the 3. No, I don't like touch screens. The buttons are much better. The Kindle 3 nailed it. The only thing it is missing is a backlight.

The Kindle DX is a great device. I have one; it's the Kindle made for serious readers. It needs overhauling and improving though. Sigh.

I don't know of any good ereaders through.

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#36

Post by MBCook » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 2:52 AM UTC

ekianjo wrote: post #31

Johnythree wrote: post #8

Totally agree with this article, but I'm surprised he doesn't mention the train wreck of the touch screen on the Paperwhite. For a start it's incredibly flaky. Sometimes the slightest accidental touch will cause it to jump randomly to somewhere in the book. Other times I can press it hard or rub furiously and still nothing happens. Then sometimes it will pause for a few seconds, then do something incomprehensible. If…

> I love my Kindle, but I hate the touch function. I don't know, I read a lot on the Paperwhite and I got used to the touch screen. It's quite comfortable, even though I would probably prefer some actual buttons. In any case I was won over. I was reading a lot of paper books before and I am finding the experience of reading with an ereader to be superior in almost every way.

> ... and I am finding the experience of reading with an ereader to be superior in almost every way.

That's what keep sneezing or Kindle. Not having to fiddle and accidentally leave my place if I set the book down, being able to get a new book almost instantly, being able to look up words I don't know keep using the Kindle despite all the software/hardware faults. Not having to fiddle and accidentally leave my place if I set the book down, being able to get a new book almost instantly, being able to look up words I don't know.

But the absolute best is progress syncing. I don't bring my Kindle in less I know I'm going to need it, but anywhere I get stuck I can pull out my phone and pick up the book I was reading right at my last position. When I get back to my Kindle it already knows how much further I read. It's like hav when I get back to my Kindle it already knows how much further I read. It's so much more convenient than carrying a physical book around.

Especially large/long books. I read King's The Stand last summer. I'm glad I didn't have to struggle with the 1,200 page physical edition.

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#37

Post by epochwolf » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 2:54 AM UTC

jayvanguard wrote: post #23

This person seems extremely picky. I have pretty much every generation of kindle and they just keep getting incrementally better. Resolution, backlight, multiple dictionaries, x-ray, etc.

I came here to say this. I absolutely love the device and have never been bothered by fully justified text. (My major complaint along that path is books can still override the font settings. Grrr. )

I also wonder if the author knows there is haptic feedback on the buttons and that the activation pressure can be adjusted. With minimum pressure and maximum feedback there is no strain on my fingers even after 8 hours of continuous reading. I do have strain issues with my fingers so I should have had a problem with it if that was the case.

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#38

Post by moe » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 2:56 AM UTC

Johnythree wrote: post #8

Totally agree with this article, but I'm surprised he doesn't mention the train wreck of the touch screen on the Paperwhite. For a start it's incredibly flaky. Sometimes the slightest accidental touch will cause it to jump randomly to somewhere in the book. Other times I can press it hard or rub furiously and still nothing happens. Then sometimes it will pause for a few seconds, then do something incomprehensible. If…

I think you might have a defective unit, the touchscreen on my Paperwhite works reliably.

That said, even when it works perfectly it remains inferior to the simple shoulder buttons that the older kindles had. I hope Amazon brings them back on the next Kindle.

And those "touchstrips" on the Voyage are indeed infuriating. If anyone is in the market for a kindle then by all means save your money and stick with the Paperwhite.

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#39

Post by karmajunkie » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 3:03 AM UTC

bduerst wrote: post #33

jayvanguard wrote: post #23

This person seems extremely picky. I have pretty much every generation of kindle and they just keep getting incrementally better. Resolution, backlight, multiple dictionaries, x-ray, etc.

Yeah, it reads like no matter what would be done, this person would find something wrong with the product experience. I use a paperwhite and read to fall asleep. The white-tinted light isn't as much of an issue as people or f.lux make it out to be. If the paperwite were tinted, this person would probably be complaining that it makes them fall asleep rather than stay alert while reading.

Its not just the wavelength of light that affects the sleep question. Backlit devices like the iPad are far more likely to affect your sleep than a device like the kindle, which has both lower levels of light and the light is reflected rather than shone directly into your eyes.

Re: Voyage to Nowhere: The Amazon Kindle Story

#40

Post by epochwolf » Mon, Apr 13, 2015, 3:04 AM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #15

nether wrote: post #3

I really pity the author. He's lost the ability to enjoy a book and throws a fit when typesetting is flawed. A sure path to disappointment and unhappiness is to demand only "the best" in everything. He should just learn to read his books as they are.

Have you used a Kindle? It's not small nitpicking, sometimes they layouts it makes are laughably bad and hard to read. Basic stuff that anyone who has read a book would notice at some point and it hasn't been fixed in YEARS.

I use my Kindle Voayge daily. I have no issues with strain on the buttons. I did need to adjust them to the lowest pressure and highest feedback before I was happy with them.

As for full justification, I don't really mind it. It's not a pain point for me. If I wanted to be picky, I could come up with a list of minor issues.

The problem is the Kindle is the best reader out of a category of really shitty products.