Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Amazon's New Kindle Is Only $80, Comes In White, and With More Storage

Posted by msmash on from the affinity-for-ereaders dept.

Found the $290 Kindle Oasis too expensive? Amazon has a new, familiar e-reader for you. On Wednesday, the e-commerce giant announced a new, more-affordable Kindle that is pretty much identical to the Kindle Paperwhite, but costs only $80. It comes in white as well as black, and has 512MB storage space (the Kindle Paperwhite sport a 256MB internal storage chip). From an Ars Technica report:In addition to the extra memory, the $80 Kindle will have a slightly thinner, lighter, and more rounded design than its predecessors. It will have a touchscreen display as well, but it won't be the 300 PPI screen that the $120 Kindle Paperwhite has (it will sport a 167 PPI display instead). Some reports also suggest that the new Kindle will come with Bluetooth support so blind readers can hook up a pair of wireless headphones to listen to books, along with a note-sending feature that will let you send yourself messages and highlights, which can be exported as PDFs or spreadsheets.

53 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. Wait by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Funny

    No headphone jack?

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:Wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Nice, lets just start saying that about IoT fridges and toasters too. God knows I can't tell the difference between an 800 dollar TELEPHONE not having STANDARD AUDIO PORTS and the discount version of an e-reader not having them.

    2. Re:Wait by PrescriptionWarning · · Score: 1

      I've never used the headphone on either of my Kindles. I think most people only use them to read, so it makes sense.

    3. Re:Wait by RabidReindeer · · Score: 1

      The original Nook had the ability to play music while you were reading.

      It was a convenient way to drown out distractions.

    4. Re:Wait by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 1

      I've never used the headphone on either of my Kindles. I think most people only use them to read, so it makes sense.

      I've used it sometimes with books with narrations. It is true that it is not a seldom-used function, but if I were a publisher of a narrated book, I'd be pissed at this.

    5. Re:Wait by nogginthenog · · Score: 1

      So did the Kindle Keyboard.

  2. No thanks. by mfh · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'll read PDFs and use audiobooks on devices that won't delete my library whenever they want. That goes for you too, Apple.

    Users > Companies

    --
    The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
    1. Re:No thanks. by dslauson · · Score: 4, Informative

      I read on a Kindle every day, and it's almost entirely content not purchased from Amazon. I use SendToKindle and InstaPaper to send interesting articles to my Kindle, I get books from the public library, Project Gutenberg, or buy them from other DRM-free sellers. Sometimes you have to convert from ePub using Calibre, but if you're already using Calibre to manage your eBooks, it's easy and seamless.

    2. Re:No thanks. by CRCulver · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'll read PDFs and use audiobooks on devices that won't delete my library whenever they want

      I have owned a Kindle now for three years (upgraded to the Paperwhite last year) and have never bought an ebook -- everything that I read comes from pirated ebook communities or Project Gutenburg. Since the moment I took the Kindle out of the box, it has been in airplane mode, so it doesn't connect to anything outside. Kindles have been problematic if you use them to read content purchased from Amazon, but if you simply don't do that, they are great and reliable e-readers.

    3. Re:No thanks. by mfh · · Score: 1

      The world needs more people like you. This made my day. I bet someone at Amazon reads this and starts yelling down the halls about the "airplane mode exploit". So good. :)

      If I were king for a day, I would fine any company found to put their own interests above their customers exactly 90% of their current annum's expenditures. Why this figure? No company is expenditure free and all companies spend money to make money. They all play the game of losses to ensure their shareholders don't make THAT much money, and to reduce taxes to near zero.

      Expenditures are impossible to hide because money that goes into a company has to come out as this number. If a company doesn't spend anything though, and they create policies that hurt users, but the company does nothing... that's okay because the company is probably dormant from not getting any sales.

      They have to purchase new materials and pay their people sometime.

      --
      The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
  3. No Buttons by Luthair · · Score: 1

    No thanks.

    1. Re:No Buttons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I've never understood the obsession with buttons...then again, I've never had one with buttons. I keep my thumb on the front bezel and roll it onto the screen when I need to change pages. If I want to turn the page the other direction, I do more of a swiping motion when rolling my thumb over to the screen. How is this any harder than pushing a button? Also, I have both edges to place my thumb while still being able to turn pages instead of being limited to the one place where the button would be located.

      I know that the button issue has been around for a quite a while and while I've never really understood it, I am genuinely interested in knowing how they're better than the touch screen.

  4. Get the facts right please by MarcAuslander · · Score: 5, Informative

    It has 4G if storage just like the paperwhite.
    It does NOT have a screen light so it's not just like a paperwhite at all.

    https://www.amazon.com/All-New...

    1. Re:Get the facts right please by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 2

      I recommend the Kobo GLO, 6", touch interface and light. Micro SD slot.

      It runs _linux_ not Android, is easy "hacked". I find it convenient. Most of my books I read on it and not on my iPad.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    2. Re:Get the facts right please by aliquis · · Score: 1

      It has 4G if storage just like the paperwhite.
      It does NOT have a screen light so it's not just like a paperwhite at all.

      So, no back-light and lower resolution?

      Yeah.. I see how that's exactly the same! Like in.. both are e-readers from Amazon!! ...

    3. Re:Get the facts right please by Lacrocivious+Acropho · · Score: 3, Informative

      Kobo rarely even gets mentioned in ereader discussions, but it is better than any other device on the market for myriad reasons, chief among which are that: (1) it reads just about every format ebooks have ever used; (2) It is arguably more easily independent of any vendor lock-in, walled-garden BS than any other ereader; and (3) it *functions* better than most ereaders in the first place.

      Combined with Calibre, nothing can touch it. I have the Kobo Aura H2O with well over 1000 hours use and that device has definitely qualified among the 'cold dead fingers' realm of my possessions. Note that I avoid all non-locally-controllable anything like the plague, especially including walled-garden, proprietary-diseased clouds and their ilk, where I am supposed to trust some third party -- who holds my wellbeing in the lowest possible regard -- to act in my best interests. No thank you. The Kobo line is as close to Open Hardware ereaders as we are likely to see in the near future.

      --
      Twice as crazy as I would be if I was half as crazy as I am.
    4. Re:Get the facts right please by dbIII · · Score: 1

      That on is good, I'd also recommend the pocket Kobo but it's not on sale new anymore, which is a pity since it is very compact and very cheap.
      Real linux as mentioned and Kobos can even boot Debian if you don't like the linux that comes with it. Some hang glider folks even hacked the pocket Kobo to use as a display for various things they wanted to know while in the air.


      The downside of the pocket Kobo is that its Micro SD slot is internal (not that it's hard to get the back off) and has the OS on it instead of being pure storage. That can be an advantage when hacking it since you can have the modified system on a different Micro SD card and just swap them over instead of changing the base system at all.

      With an unmodified Kobo side loading books is just as easy as copying stuff to a USB drive. Just dump them on there and after it spends a few seconds adding them to the database they show up in the main interface as recent files.

    5. Re:Get the facts right please by dbIII · · Score: 2

      The Onyx Boox and a few others are very open but don't have the integration with a "store". None of them are as cheap as the ones that are associated with a "store" so the Kobo is a midpoint with "enough control" for the user. The ones where you buy a device outright and do what you like without any attempt to tie you into ongoing costs are very expensive, but they exist. The eink patent holders really screwed over the small players.

  5. please, editors by dabadab · · Score: 5, Informative

    So, to get this right:
      - it's an update of the basic Kindle
      - the "memory" referred to in the summary is the system RAM, the storage space probably remains 4 GB (but Amazon is not very good at supplying exact specs for the Kindle line)
      - its screen has nothing to do with the Paperwhite's, it remains the same old 167 ppi, unlit screen of Kindle 4 vintage
      - the touchscreen was introduced by the 2014 update, it stays the same
      - the price also stays the same, $100 or $80 with ads
      - it actually got a little lighter and smaller

    --
    Real life is overrated.
    1. Re:please, editors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      If you go to the page on Amazon for this or the other devices and click on the "Technical Details" link, it will display exactly how much storage is on the device, which is 4GB for all the Kindle e-readers.

    2. Re:please, editors by dabadab · · Score: 1

      Thanks, I have missed it.

      --
      Real life is overrated.
    3. Re:please, editors by stasike · · Score: 1

      It has 512MB RAM, instead of 256 the previous model had, because it needs them for the VoiceView interface. You do not even need a dongle for VoiceView, it has built-in Bluetooth.

    4. Re:please, editors by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      You should work here!

      --
      -Styopa
    5. Re:please, editors by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      You have a point.
      Morning adrenaline rage at some stupid /. post is cheaper than Starbucks plus no snotty barista.

      --
      -Styopa
  6. Pretty much the same ... by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Informative

    "Pretty much identical to the kindle paperwhite. "

    Except for the backlight
    Oh and half the screen resolution (same as the one from 5 years ago)
    And no 3G

    Yeah so pretty much identical except for lacking all the features of the more expensive model.

  7. Say wha? by wkwilley2 · · Score: 1

    I was initially disappointed because I just bought a Kindle 6" last week, but seeing as though the new Kindle only has 512Mb of storage, it makes me feel good about the 4Gb of storage on my old Kindle.

    Tell me how that's progress?

    --
    Have you ever fallen asleep at the keybhanusdiog?
  8. No EPUB - No Thanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Not interested until there is native support for EPUB (and don't force me to convert it through Calibre or other ways).

    1. Re:No EPUB - No Thanks by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Same for me except instead of EPUB I want it to display DOC format.

      Seriously, WTF? Turn in your nerd card. Calibre is free and works well. If you really hate that route, you can also jailbreak the Kindle and install an EPUB reader.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    2. Re:No EPUB - No Thanks by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      You can jailbreak the ereader kindles or did you mean the kindle tablets?

    3. Re:No EPUB - No Thanks by maeka · · Score: 1

      The e-ink Kindles can be jailbroken and run little apps, including epub readers.

      But doing that, IMHO, throws the baby out with the bathwater.

      My favorite feature of the Kindles is that I can send books to them via Calibre and Wifi as they have their own dedicated email address solely for delivering books.

  9. I love reading on the Kindle by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

    But I also prefer the page turn buttons - which means my only option, if I want to replace my aging-and-somewhat-dog-chewed third-gen Kindle, is to spend a lot more money. And so, given how silly it seems to me to spend that much money basically on buttons, I'm thinking why bother spending so much on a single-purpose device?

    So, in the end, my next "Kindle" will probably just be a new tablet. I already read on my iPad Mini sometimes, and it's not a bad experience. Plus I can play SpellSpire on it.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:I love reading on the Kindle by dbIII · · Score: 1

      The Onyx Boox is a nice eink tablet with buttons if you are prepared to carry something as big as a iPad around. They are not cheap, especially the large ones, but the useful life is likely to be quite a few years.

    2. Re:I love reading on the Kindle by dbIII · · Score: 1

      The Amazon one doesn't come close to what the poster above was asking for especially since they said nothing about contrast.
      The pocketbook one on the other hand has a lot going for it. The only reason I recommended the Boox over it is because I've never used the pocketbook.

    3. Re:I love reading on the Kindle by rcharbon · · Score: 1

      I'll never use a tablet for ebooks until it can match the month-long battery life of my e-ink device.

    4. Re:I love reading on the Kindle by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      Thank you - that's a great idea.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  10. Does not has microSD by Trachman · · Score: 1

    Does not has microSD, as such usage possibilities are limited.

    I am not even considering buying it no matter what the price is. They just want you to believe it that the sneaker net, empowered by microSD cards, are just obsolete like 3.5 mm audio jacks.

    I will stick with Samsung tablet.

    1. Re:Does not has microSD by rossdee · · Score: 1

      I don't think Amazon believe in microSD
      or any other external storage
      youre meant to store your books in the cloud.
      Fortunately books don't take up much space
      Anyway I bought a PaperWhite a while ago, I was very disapointed. It didn't do white text on black background which is what I prefer (I have vision problems)

      I now use a Fire HD 6
      and it does have a headphone jack (for when "the barking of dogs is loud on every side")

    2. Re:Does not has microSD by GuB-42 · · Score: 1

      As much as I want microSD on my phone, I don't really care about it for e-readers.
      A typical novel is about 1MB, it means that you can fit about 4000 of them in your typical 4GB eReader. Unless you are into manga, you are unlikely to ever run out of space.
      If you are concerned about sharing, USB-OTG is the think to have. This way, you can just use a USB key, or connect 2 e-readers together using a USB cable.

  11. Calbre is Awesome by CrashNBrn · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was extremely surprised and impressed with Calibre. I tried at least a half-dozen different applications to just be able to "view epub's" on a PC.
    Microsoft's Store was useless. Over half of the apps listed weren't even epub readers. You can't install even or download a "windows store" app without activating a Microsoft Account.
    The included "pdf" viewer can't read epubs.
    Every single other native-windows (non-Windows Store) app that I installed required an account to be setup with them - just to manage LOCAL files.

    Then finally, ok lets try Calibre. It just works.

    Then... I realize (after "Inspecting") epub|mobi is freaking just HTML.

    Even FF requires a 1MB extension add-on to view epubs. W-T-F.

    1. Re:Calbre is Awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A whole megabyte? Can't you upgrade your 720KB floppy to a newer 1.44MB model and solve that issue?

    2. Re:Calbre is Awesome by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Then... I realize (after "Inspecting") epub|mobi is freaking just HTML.

      Even FF requires a 1MB extension add-on to view epubs. W-T-F.

      Well, the HTML is split up into different files, so not so easy to read in a standard browser.

      In our days it is normal that plugins are in MB sizes. It is a drawback of 64bit architectures and ofc the libraries linked into the plugin. Probably XML files for the GUI etc.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    3. Re:Calbre is Awesome by CrashNBrn · · Score: 1

      Aye. I may have to.

    4. Re:Calbre is Awesome by CrashNBrn · · Score: 1

      Yeah but the extension is pretty non-functional for a "local" program.
      EPub Reader:
      * Can only drag one file to the "ePub Catalog" at a time.
      * Can't open a folder of ePub's.
      * Doesn't support additional tabstops (metaTag fields).
      Unless your workplace wont allow program installs, there's absolutely no reason to use the Firefox extension over Calibre.

    5. Re:Calbre is Awesome by CrashNBrn · · Score: 1

      Actually I'm wrong. With Firefox's EPup Reader, you can "Inspect Element" and get a full-fledged Dev Tool, instead of the crippled Dev Tool "Inspect" in Calibre.

  12. Re:What decade is this by MightyYar · · Score: 2

    RAM, not storage. It's only displaying some text and the occasional black-and-white image. Half a gig is overkill - this thing isn't doing anything that your $2000 486 couldn't do in 16MB.

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  13. Re:Wrong Specs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The other news articles are wrong. Amazon clearly shows that it has 4GB of storage.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017JG41PC/ref=ods_gw_d_h1_eink_eb_launchwht?#tech

  14. For the blind? Really? by BlueCoder · · Score: 1

    Have to make everything handy cap enabled? Think about it first please. An app on a blind persons smart phone would be more appropriate. Speaking of which is there a blind version of android? What do you know there is.

  15. What I want is a bigger kindle. by pjv936 · · Score: 1

    I would love a Kindle with a 8x11 display, page size. And more storage so I can save more books on it. And the ability to display PDF files in larger fonts and warp it to fit the display.

    1. Re:What I want is a bigger kindle. by dbIII · · Score: 1

      Onyx Boox does all that. Very nice, but you need a love it a lot to pay the price it comes at. It runs the Amazon and Kobo android app as well as it's native readers (including FBreader) for PDF, ePub etc. More storage is a matter of putting in a microsd card of whatever size you want.

    2. Re:What I want is a bigger kindle. by dbIII · · Score: 1

      That one too if you can get it. The newer 9.7 inch Onyx Boox with Android does have less battery life than the previous linux model but the hardware is also different (eg. faster processor and it has bluetooth etc). Battery life not such a massive deal when the one with less life can still last a few days between charges - eg. reading ten hours plus per day over a wet long weekend without needing a charge. Wifi chews through battery so there is room for improvement if the device is being used for web browsing, although I've noticed with reading long pages (eg. web fiction) it loads the page and then tends to disconnect the wifi to save power if you have been on the same page for a few minutes.

  16. Re:What decade is this by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

    this thing isn't doing anything that your $2000 486 couldn't do in 16MB

    I hate to be "that guy," but this set of specs sounds a bit off. In the heyday of 486's, if I remember correctly (and this was a long time ago), 4 MB or less was standard. 8 MB was quite big. 16 MB was almost unheard of until 486's were on their way out in favor of Pentiums. And when 486's were most popular, RAM was nearly $100/MB, so your 16 MB rig would've cost a LOT more than $2000. (Just from a quick search -- Dell's top-of-the-line rig in 1993 was a 486, 8 MB of RAM, and 320 MB hard drive for $4,400.)

  17. Re:What decade is this by MightyYar · · Score: 1

    I only had a Mac back then, so I was pulling numbers out of my ass. My Centris 650 with a 68040 had performance roughly equivalent to a 486, had 8MB of RAM, and cost around $3000... I was giving the PC a discount :)

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  18. Re:What decade is this by dbIII · · Score: 1

    It's overkill unless you want to do something like display PDF files in which case some are so badly formatted that you need that sort of memory to cache stuff and render them early so it's quick enough with page turns that you don't take a coffee break between each page. That's a factor with the ten inch readers. With this little one it's text to speech that is apparently the memory hog.