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Original poster

Kindle Paperwhite

41 replies

SausageTolls · 08/02/2024 15:22

I have a very old kindle with no backlight, I want to update it to a backlit one so I can read whilst captive in a small child’s room waiting for them to sleep.

Will an old model do the job? What does more money get you? Help me!

OP posts:
icclemunchy · 08/02/2024 22:41

I just tap my screen to change the page. No need to swipe?!

SoupDragon · 08/02/2024 22:43

EffortlessDistraction · 08/02/2024 20:49

I don't find the swiping with my thumb easy at all, somehow it disrupts the reading too much as it's a big movement. Hard to explain. But with the button version you could just rest it on the button and barely move it. Likewise I find the upward swipe on the kindle app far less distracting than the sideswipe on the paperwhite. Mine's been a waste of money TBH.

It's a smaller movement than turning a page.

Personally I hate the idea of a button. I think because books don't have buttons. Although they also don't have built in lights so you can read them at night 🤔 I only bought a Kindle when they introduced the touchscreen.

SoupDragon · 08/02/2024 22:44

icclemunchy · 08/02/2024 22:41

I just tap my screen to change the page. No need to swipe?!

If you swipe you can turn back without having to find the right spot on the far side. That's really the only time I swipe rather than tap.

TheLurpackYears · 08/02/2024 22:45

If you're going for an older model and have a strong preference for cases, check whether you can get wht you want for that version.
I love my paperwhite but after a couple of years it isnhiling its charge for long.

SoupDragon · 08/02/2024 22:46

cardibach · 08/02/2024 20:53

The thing I like about kindle (original) is that it isn’t backlit. That’s the whole bloody point. It’s like reading a book and works in the sunlight/doesn’t give you issues with sleep. Not sure what I’ll do when mine gives up the ghost.

It doesn't give issues with sleep as it isn't that kind of light. It's not really "back lit" I don't think.

DrSpartacular · 08/02/2024 22:52

The lit kindles have exactly the same screen as the un-lit ones. The light is actually most useful when reading under brighter conditions/in sunlight. Extraneous functions are likely for any device these days, none of us use every function on every device!

I especially like the button for changing page as my annoying cat lies next to me when I read in bed and she goes for my finger every time I swipe, whereas the button is more stealthy and protects my hands 😽

EffortlessDistraction · 09/02/2024 07:48

Tap or swipe I just don't like, I have tried both, it's just too big a movement, clearly it's my personal issue. I know it's less big than turning a conventional page but you have to do it far more often. With the kindle app or buttons the movement is barely perceptible.

SoupDragon · 09/02/2024 07:52

The app issue exactly the same movement as the touch screen kindle.

i do agree it's a personal issue - like my aversion to having a button.

As an aside, I've just been reading lying down in bed with my kindle propped up next to me and using my elbow to turn the page 😂

RhubarbFairy · 09/02/2024 07:55

I've got a 2018 Paperwhite. I've had other e-readers, but this one has been the best. It's still going strong!

Rufilla · 09/02/2024 08:03

I have the @£149 RRP one linked above. I’m using it a lot and once I got over the surprise of how small it was (I had an original kindle and then used an iPad mini with a matte screen protector for years) loved the size. I do miss the buttons my old kindle had, though. I like to refer back to things when reading and I find myself going forward when I want to go back or turning the page accidentally when I brush the screen. It’s annoying. Think they do still do one with buttons, but it’s the top of the range one that is far more expensive.

I got mine for under £120 in the Black Friday sales.

MindHowYouGoes · 09/02/2024 08:08

I don’t know why pp are making a fuss about turning the page on a paperwhite - it’s a tiny tap, the merest suggestion of a tap. Much less effort than pressing a button and no swiping required. Fair enough if it doesn’t suit some people but it’s not the big effort it’s being made out to be. Hold kindle in right hand, use thumb to tap very gently and turn the page

Footle · 09/02/2024 09:28

I find my paperwhite a bit large for my hand so I've got a £5.00 stick-on stretchy band for the back. Just slip it over a couple of fingers to hold it easily.

EffortlessDistraction · 09/02/2024 09:51

MindHowYouGoes · 09/02/2024 08:08

I don’t know why pp are making a fuss about turning the page on a paperwhite - it’s a tiny tap, the merest suggestion of a tap. Much less effort than pressing a button and no swiping required. Fair enough if it doesn’t suit some people but it’s not the big effort it’s being made out to be. Hold kindle in right hand, use thumb to tap very gently and turn the page

As I said before, this is my personal opinion, I'm not saying it will be the same for everyone. But for me buttons or the app work far better than the touching and swiping on the kindle screen. Nothing anyone says here will change that.

scarfaceace · 09/02/2024 09:52

I love my Paperwhite, but I've also got a Kobo which I love too. You can download library books on the Kobo, it has buttons and touch screen for turning pages, and you can turn it sideways or upside down (so you can use the buttons with either hand), and it has the light that can be sort of orangy for reading in the dark - it has so much more than the Paperwhite.

Might be worth considering.

Original poster
SausageTolls · 09/02/2024 21:00

My 12+ year old kindle doesn’t have buttons but I find dog/child accidentally swipes, I had a case with a pop up light so I could read at night but that died so now I can’t read at night and need a backlight!

OP posts:
Original poster
SausageTolls · 09/02/2024 21:05

My current one is 3G but with 3G being turned off soon so the new ones have 4G? I can’t see any with buttons either!

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