Product Review: Kindle Voyage

My original Kindle Keyboard eReader finally died. Kaput. Finito. I had replaced the battery a couple times, but it finally wouldn't hold a charge any longer.

I had owned the original Kindle model for years and was at one time used by my oldest as a way to store his college books. After he graduated college, I snagged it back because I need that quiet, downtime at the end of the day to read something other than email and news sites.

There are those that purport that they don't need a stand-alone eReader device because they have the Kindle reader app on a smartphone or tablet. But, owning an eReader is more about what it doesn't do that makes it a hugely valuable device. Let me explain:

Plainly put: I read more and more often with an eReader. And, that's a good thing. I read the equivalent of hundreds of pages a day just in email and on web sites, but it's not the same. Instead of choosing my own content consumption, email and web sites give me what they want me to read. I love to read, but unless I set aside time to do it, I just won't. And, if I attempt to read on a tablet or laptop, I get easily distracted by the non-stop intrusions. An eReader allows me to unplug completely and gives me the ability to meet the personal goal I've set of reading for at least an hour every night. And, it's a definite de-stressor.

So, with my original Kindle device trash-binned, I had to set off to figure out a replacement. Even though the Kindle Voyage is the more expensive unit, that's what I chose for a couple reasons. And, quite frankly those reasons have almost been completely mooted with the just-announced, new Paperwhite.

The reasons I chose the Voyage over the other models is that it's a tad bit lighter and includes an adaptive light sensor and PagePress buttons. Weighing less means I can read for a longer period of time without a hand cramp, and the adaptive light sensor works to minimize the backscreen light when I'm reading in bed. The Voyage actually senses the amount of light and will automatically dim itself in darkened rooms so that you can read without disturbing your bed partner. It does this incrementally and continues to dim over a few minutes giving your eyes time to adjust.

All current models of the Kindle now have touchscreens, but the Voyage has the capacitive PagePress buttons on each side of the screen. This makes it much easier for in one-handed operation. With the Paperwhite and basic Kindle you have to tap the touchscreen to turn pages, but with the Voyage you just rest your finger on the PagePress button and apply pressure to move forward or backward in the book. This also makes the lighter weight of the device even more important.

I bought the one with special offers, to get a better price, but you can turn this off at any time. Though, if you choose to turn them off Amazon will charge you around $20 to do so. I thought about doing this, but the special offers have turned out to be pretty interesting and valuable. Sure, special offers are actually advertisements, but Amazon has done a good job with them, providing content that is actually appreciated. I've found books of interest that I wouldn't have otherwise.

A couple of unique services provided I hadn't anticipated. Amazon GoodReads allows you to share comments and reviews with other GoodReads participants, and allows you to locate readers with similar tastes in books. I've found a bunch of new reads this way. Word Wise allows me to fill the Kindle with children's books and set reading goals for my youngest. And, I can add other users to the Kindle so they can add their own books, effectively making this one unit the library for our entire family. These aren't specific to the Voyage model, but definitely adds serious value to choosing an Amazon eReader.

Bottom Line

The Kindle Voyage is a fantastic device, but may actually be a bit of overkill for some, particularly since Amazon just announced it is releasing a new version of its Paperwhite reader on June 30. The lowest cost Paperwhite is around $119.

Kindle Voyage - $199 with special offers, $219 without. There's also a free 3G model, but adds about $70 to the total price.

Kindle Voyage Origami Cover – You'll definitely want a cover to protect the device, if you choose the Voyage. The Origami Cover is unique in that it protects the Voyage, but also provides a built-in kickstand which can come in handy.

No matter which model you choose, if you're someone who loves to read, I highly recommend getting a standalone eReader to help unplug and de-stress at the end of a long day or long week.