My Kindle Kometh!

After only a very short wait, my Kindle Paperwhite and my gorgeous Gelaskins artwork arrived on the same day - oh happy, happy day! How excited was I!

I waited until Iggy was asleep to open up my packages and apply my Gelaskin to the Kindle, and then place my Kindle into its protective cover. Amazon's Kindle packaging has developed in leaps and bounds since I received my first Kindle, and I was tempted to keep the sleek black box after opening it up. Similarly, the texture and feel of the Kindle itself is much nicer than on older models - it just feels pleasant in my hands.

I switched the machine on and started using it immediately, thrilled that it had arrived already charged up.

And my assessment thus far: I absolutely love it! It is everything I hoped it would be and more. It is slightly smaller and more compact than I thought it would be, but with the cover on, the size of it and the substance of the cover still allows me to hold the Kindle just as I would a book - propped open by my thumb and little finger, or clasped in between the fingers and thumb of one hand (see below for illustration of said comfy reading positions). The light is just what I wanted - when the brightness is reduced, it is very easy on the eyes, even whilst reading in complete darkness, and Bibliohubby has told me that it disturbs him far less than when I use my iPhone at night.

The response time of the Kindle Paperwhite is also very good (though it is not as immediate as an iPad, I must admit), and the touchscreen works very well and easily for one-handed page-turning. It took me a little while to get used to the highlighting function on this screen, as it is slightly different to what I'm used to on Apple devices, but now that I know how to do it, it's easy. Yesterday I used the touchscreen keyboard to make a note or two, and found that to be convenient. I have already downloaded a book from the Kindle store and that, too, worked easily and quickly, through the 3G connection. And when it did come time to charge my Kindle for the first time, I was relieved to find that it charges much faster than my old Kindle and the battery power is far better.

I also love the screensavers on this international version - no ads for us in Australia. There are artistic black and white renderings of pen nibs, inkwells, typewriter keys, pencils - for a writer / reader, all very apt and pleasing. The cover is attractive and I love that its magnetic closure automatically puts the Kindle to sleep when it is closed, and wakens it when it is opened.

Essentially I am happy with this product, and delighted with my purchase. It was well worth waiting for and I think I will be using this to read for a long time.

Now, as promised, some photos of my new toy!

This is what the Paperwhite looks like from the front, with Gelaskin artwork applied and one of the Kindle screensavers in place:

This is what my Kindle looks like from the back, with the Gelaskin applied:

How gorgeous is that! You can't see it in these pictures, but the names of the books featured in this artwork are beautifully whimsical - King Pear instead of King Lear, The Merchant of Guiness, A Prune with a View, A Tale of Two Lychees, The Taming of the Cue and so on. There is so much detail here I could gaze at it for ages, and it really does enhance my enjoyment of the Kindle itself.

Here is a picture that gives you an idea of the size of the Kindle Paperwhite, once encased in the custom Kindle cover I bought from Amazon - not too much bigger than my oversized sunglasses, a perfect fit for most handbags:

And here is what I mean when I say the size is just right for my two favourite book-holding positions:



Anyone considering a similar purchase - I say, go for it!