Amazon Kindle Models Explained

Kindle Review | Kindle Models Explained

While you’ll find all sorts of technical and detailed product information elsewhere. I decided to list only the fundamental differences here. These are easy for everyone to understand and will assist the non-technical person to pick a suitable product. Who care if it’s go four processors over having two! And what’s a processor anyways? All I want to do is read a book not study techy speak!

So let’s get started and if this is too basic you can always check out the official site.

Kindle (basic)

Weighs in at less than 6 ounces (170 grams), which makes it lighter than a paperback book. It’s so small it fits into your pocket. The screen reads like a regular book and works even in sunlight (smart phone, tablets and Kindle Fire don’t work well in sunlight).

Comes with Wi-Fi for quick, under 60 seconds) download of books. Storage is capable of holding 1,000 books – try putting 1,00 regular books in your pocket!

Dispite being the entry-level model it’s very capable and very portable (light and pocket-sized). The only down side would be the lack of a back-light, which makes requires an additional light source when reading at night.

Kindle Paperwhite

A significant improvement over the entry-level Kindle (basic) with a built-in light for readying at night. Is 30% lighter than an iPad mini which makes it possible to read with one hand!

When the new Paperwhite was announced, I finally broke down, lured by the prospect of the backlight. What a surprise! Now I can read it in any environment, sunlight, lamplight or a dimly lit room. I can even read it in bed at night, without disturbing my family. With the brightness adjustment, you can set it to any ambient preference, so it will never be too bright or too dim.

With the Kindle, I could take hundreds of books in my purse, and it weighed less than one paperback! My world was perfect… I would never need another device. Not only that, but the font is so crystal clear, it truly is like reading a high quality book. One of my gripes with the Kindle Keyboard was the speed… to download about 10 books took as many minutes and a lot of clicking and browsing. This new Paperwhite does the same task in a mere 10 seconds, you just select the items you wish to download one by one and the download takes place entirely in the background. Another new feature I love is the way you can quickly scan through the book without losing your position.

Kindle Paperwhite 3G

For an additional 60 dollars (or UK pounds) the Kindle Paperwhite 3G offers free 3G downloads with no additional monthly fees or annual contracts. In all other aspects it’s identical to the non-3G version above.

Kindle Fire HD (7 inch) Tablet

With the Kindle Fire series you can experience movies, TV and game on a stunning HD display (like the Apple iPad). It comes with an ultra-fast web  browser with built-in Wi-Fi plus email and calendar support for all popular email services.

One really nice feature is the profile and time-limits so you can exercise parental controls.  This is the entry-level Kindle Fire starting at 139 dollars (or UK pounds).

Kindle Fire HD (8.9 inch) Tablet

Identical to the 7 inch model but with a larger 8.9 inch display.

Kindle Fire HDX (7 inch) Tablet

Same features as the HD version with a  higher resolution screen and a faster processor. This Kindle has the Mayday button to get on-device technical support direct from teh supplier 24×7, 365 days a year (call them at midnight on Christmas eve to see if they are open!)

.

Kindle Fire HDX (8.9 inch) Tablet

Same features as the 7 inch but with a larger display and a 8MP rear-facing camera with LED flash plus a front facing camera for use with SKYPE video calls, etc.

Described as a “breakthrough ultra-light design” weighing 13.3 ounces, it’s 34% lighter than the previous generation. With improved performance this a direct competitor to the iPad Air.