At Rs. 16,499, this is probably the most expensive e-reader you can buy. So, is it any good?
This, literally, is my first voyage with an e-reader! You see, I’m a magazine publisher – i.e. a print publisher – so you can imagine my partiality to the actual printed page. And while the printed page may actually survive this digital revolution, it certainly won’t thrive. So, as sacred as the act of turning the page may be, it was time to try out an e-reader for the first time. So, why not start with the best?
The Kindle Voyage is the gold standard amongst e-readers. Well, to start with, like other Kindles, it gives you the option of choosing between 2 million books – which means that you shouldn’t really have any trouble finding that book you’re looking for. Although, much to my surprise, there was one particular book that I searched for on Amazon that didn’t have a Kindle version. So, you may just have to resort to the printed page after all…
But back to the Kindle Voyage. For starters, it’s the perfect size. Considering I’m on a flight every week, it’s such a relief to be able to have just the Kindle – in all its packaging glory – in my carry-on luggage rather than a heavy, cumbersome book. Secondly, it’s an incredibly ergonomic device. Our Kindle came with the ‘Origami’ cover, which not only does an incredible job of protecting the device, but it also allows it to stand upright. It’s literally like a second skin, and I wouldn’t buy the Voyage without it.
But perhaps the most incredible part of the Kindle Voyage is the screen – with its 300ppi (pixels per inch) and self-adjusting adaptive light sensor. There’s simply no glare to speak of no matter what environment you’re using it in, and the adaptive light adjusts the screen brightness to your environment – so the screen is never jarring. Of course, there’s a manual override so you can reduce the light even more if you want to read in the dark while your significant is undisturbed. Another huge plus of an e-reader versus a traditional book! The best part of the display, though, is the fact that it reads very much like an actual book. It almost had me reaching towards the bottom right edge to flip the page on occasion.
Of course, to flip the page all you have to do is tap the screen. But the Voyage also has what Amazon calls PagePress – areas on both sides of the bezel that allow you to press to turn the page in either direction. It also provides haptic feedback so you don’t turn more than one page at once. This is great if you want to read with just one hand.
And it’s really these two features, the PagePress and the adaptive light sensor, that separate the Voyage from the Kindle Paperwhite, which is significantly cheaper (Rs. `10,999 versus 16,499). Sure, the Paperwhite is slighter larger and heavier (205 grams versus 180), but it shares the 300ppi display. So, really, if you find the cost of the Voyage slightly offensive, go for the Paperwhite. But if you want all the bells and whistles, there really isn’t a better e-reader in the market than the Kindle Voyage. Consider me a convert…
