Quelle horreur! My old Kindle died a death this weekend, it was purchased in 2009 and I suspect that this was probably a long time coming so I tried not to be too upset about its demise. I failed miserably, of course. I f*ing loved that thing!

It kept freezing and forcing me to reset it, only for it to freeze all over again as soon as I reopened the book – after 2 days of trying to rescue it I just bit the bullet and forked out the £50 to buy a new one. Of course the reason it was £50 rather than £60 was because the new model is due out tomorrow! I’m too impatient to wait and too cheap to fork out any extra money so I just went ahead and ordered this Generation 6 beauty. I can’t say that we have an immediate connection but of course, we’ll have to get over our differences and learn to get along!

I didn’t delay in getting a replacement, as I mentioned on Sunday, my TBR list is getting scary and I know that it’s the one purchase that I can always justify to myself. I’ve become a lot closer to my Kindle since starting this blog as it’s the lifeline that keeps me connected to Netgalley, other blogs and authors.

The other thing that I ADORE about the paperwhite is the screen itself, I would never consider going to something with backlighting after this – it’s even easier on the eye than actual books contrast wise. As someone who suffers from chronic migraines, having something that relaxes my eyeballs is nothing short of a miracle.

 

The Ex

 

Pros:

• Contains hundreds of books
• Battery life lasts forever
• Simple, fewer things to go wrong
• Basic Kindle Store browsing for easy purchases
• Nostalgia value – I read scientific journals on this baby for my final dissertation.

 

Cons:

• Sadly deceased
• Oddly shaped buttons difficult to type at speed
• Very fragile screen, common in the early generations
• PDF files are stupidly small

 

The Current

Pros:

• Contains hundreds of books – never been more glad for the amazon cloud
• Nifty size and shape, easier to hold in one hand
• Touch screen is pretty sexy
• More visual display of libraries and collections

Cons:

• The ads. Freaking hate them, too cheap to pay to get rid of them
• Not particularly intuitive to use, even with the tutorials
• Highlighting is pretty hit and miss
• Demands Wi-Fi access everywhere you go. NO. You will get what you’re given and shut the hell up.
• PDF files are stupidly small

 

So yeah, my ex was less demanding and I think a part of me will always miss him … but my new one does have the benefit of being alive and much more touch sensitive.

Here’s to many more years with a library in my pocket!

I have to say, I’ve never considered getting a non-Kindle e-reader: I like having all of my books connected to the Amazon Cloud so that I can re-download them in the case of emergency as I did this week. What kind of e-readers do you guys use? Any reviews?