Review - Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

I’ve had an Amazon Kindle for quite some time - almost 4 years.

When I first got it, I was a little apprehensive.  I love books.  I love the smell of fresh pages, and the tactile feel of holding the book.  I have always been a reader; with a broad range of genres.

I was concerned that I wouldn't have the connection that I love.  I worried that holding a piece of plastic would take away from the pleasure reading a book gives.

I was wrong.

However, this applies only to the Kindle device (and other specific e-reader) as the screens are designed to make reading easy and less of a strain.  Using the Kindle app on a tablet or laptop does not have the same “je ne sais quoi”!  The glare from a high definition screen or monitor makes it hard work, and less of a pleasure.

The Kindle itself offers a matt screen, which means it can be read in strong sunlight without glare.  It also means, like any other real book, it needs light to be able to see the words.  It’s not backlit, so is useless in the dark.

Roll forward a couple of years, and Amazon released the Paperwhite.

Similar in size, this has a touchscreen (for turning pages and accessing the menu and settings) and an adjustable backlight.  This means that books can be read in any light, at any time.

I upgraded to the Paperwhite during an offer period, and it was simplicity itself in setting it up.  Indeed, it arrived already assigned to my Amazon account, so all I needed to do was turn it on and login to the wi-fi.  My books were instantly available.

I set up my “collections”, which act like a folder system, organised however I like.  I have one for unread books, and the others are set up for authors, or genres.  You can add books to as many collections as you like.  Of course, once I've read a book; I remove it from the “unread” collection!

With Wi-Fi turned on, you can access the store, and if you’re a Prime member, there’s a wealth of books available to “borrow”.  Which means that you can read one book per month, for free, before returning it.  You don’t have to return it, but you can’t borrow another until you do.

There’s a whole host of settings you can adjust; from font size, to brightness and orientation. There’s also the built-in dictionary and the ability to find more about the characters in the books.#

With Wi-Fi switched off, the battery lasts a good few weeks (depending on the brightness setting) but this isn’t affected too much when it’s turned on.

The reading experience itself is quite pleasant.  As I mentioned earlier, the matt style screen means the pages can be read in any light condition, without the glare reflecting (and also not seeing myself reflected in the screen!)  

Whilst reading, it’s possible to see how far into a chapter you’ve gone, how much is left to read, and, this is quite clever, how long is left in the chapter or book - I guess based on how quickly you turn the page?  I’m not completely sure what algorithm is used to calculate this, but at least it’s possible to see if there’s enough time to read to the end of the chapter.

Of course, one of the major benefits of an e-reader, is the ability to carry numerous books with you.  This is a boon for students, who can have all their text and reference material in one place (and saves on heavy bags) but also for people like me, who may want a change from the current book, depending on mood.  Need something light and humerous - dive in and find a comedy.  Murder mystery - where’s the Agatha Christie section?  It also means that I can pre-purchase books and have them ready and available.

Whether an e-reader is right for you, depends on how much you read; but I can guarantee that once you use one, you’ll wonder how you managed without.

Review - HTC One m8

I have an HTC One M8…. Oooh, I hear you cry.  We thought you were a BlackBerry guy?  You wrote all those reviews for BlackBerry apps.  So what changed?

I wrote about this here, so I won’t repeat myself.

This post is my review of the HTC One m8 - my first foray into Android.  It took me ages to make the decision, and I watched loads of YouTube videos, and read lots of other reviews, and comparisons.

Comparisons? Between which phones?  Well, I couldn't decide between the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z3 or HTC One m8.  I looked at each one.  Held each one, and to be honest, the HTC is not the lightest of them; but, and this was the deal-breaker for me, I didn’t want any bloatware.

That software the manufacturers load onto the device, thinking it will improve your experience.  It happens with laptops and PCs; and it happens with phones.  But, to me, that's just a distraction.  I wanted something that was as close to the vanilla Android experience available; and the HTC does just that.

As mentioned, this isn’t the lightest device, but that’s mainly due to the metal body.  There’s not a lot of plastic on show here.  It feels good in the hand; with it’s brushed metal finish - but it is VERY slippery to hold.  So much so, that even HTC include a generic case to use.

This is a shame, as the phone shouldn't be hidden away.

The build quality is great.  It feels solid, all the buttons remain in place; there’s no ‘give’.  There’s a single mini-usb port on the bottom, for the charger, and a headphone socket located next to it.  On the side is the rocker button, for volume control.  On the top, the power button.

Some people have mentioned the physical size of this phone.  It’s taller than its counterparts; making one-handed operation less easy.  However, this isn’t  show-stopper and you should not worry about this unless you have really small hands.

Once it’s switched on (and, let’s face it, it’s incredibly difficult to turn a phone off these days!) the 5” screen blazes into life.  It’s crystal clear and easy to read.

I use a PIN to unlock my phone, and the only gripe I have with this, is that I need to press OK to continue, once I’ve tapped the 4 digits.  Why can’t it automatically unlock when I press the last number?  It’s a small thing, but would make a huge difference.

I’m not going to go through all the specs - there are plenty of other sites more suited to that; but I will mention the main functions; starting with the camera.

This has been given short shrift in some quarters, because it boasts 4 Utra-pixels.  What this means, in reality, is that in low light, this camera is amazing.  In daylight it’s also very good.  Colours are vibrant, and the number of settings and modes are, like others, too numerous to mention.  Suffice it to say; I am not disappointed with this camera.  It’s not a 35mm, and zooming in does lose quality.  But, and this is the main point, for everyday, social media use, it’s ideal.

Even the video camera works well; and includes additional software for slow-mo recording.

Speakers.  HTC boast Boomsound in their promotional blurb.  There are two, front facing speakers, which quite frankly are superb.  They live up to their expectation and give great audio quality; whether for video or music.

Battery life is amazing.  In fact, I have been constantly impressed in the way I can make it through a working day, with more than 20% of the battery remaining when I return home.  I don’t use it particularly heavily, and I do listen to music on my commute, and use Twitter and Google+ quite heavily.  There is a battery saving mode; but I’m not convinced that it does anything - maybe I should persevere with it; although I currently don’t see the need.

The transition between screens is seamless; and the integration with Google services is, well, bang on…  it’s one of the main reasons I moved to Android.

I should add that I am running Lollipop - the latest version of Android.  I’m loving the new notifications and I haven’t noticed any lag or issues running apps or using the phone.  I know there is a 5.0.1 on the way; but I’m not crying out for it.

HTC has been touted as the “underdog” in relation to smart devices; with Samsung leading the way with Android.  I have to say, this is an unfair, and inaccurate, position.  HTC, with the one M8, and their Desire range of handsets, has a strong following in the market.  Already, people are excited about the M9!

So, for this relatively short review; based purely on my experience using it as a daily driver, I am very happy that I chose this over the Samsung or Sony.  If HTC continue with the build quality, and refrain from adding bloatware, then I can see myself staying with them as I continue my Android life.