Faulty Colorsofts have left some Kindle owners without an e-reader
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There are much smaller companies that offer color e-ink tablets/readers without this many issues. I am wonder how a company with such deep pockets didn't catch this in testing.
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There are better eReaders out there. A shame about Kindle vendor lock-in due to DRM.
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The best eReader is the one that lets you access your books. Lots of readers will continue buying Kindles, not because they release the best device, but because of their eBook libraries (and also access to Kindle Unlimited.)
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I'm curious whether E Ink holdings is just slow to update their webpage or whether there's a connection between this device's display issues and the fact that various B/W kindles and color devices from other vendors; but specifically not the new device appear on e-ink's customer showcase.
Amazon figured they could get better margins from brand X? I've not been able to locate a teardown that positively identifies the panel and vendor and, would not have expected the color one to be the place where you'd boldly go BoM shaving; but the new Kindle is somewhat conspicuous in its absence given the presence of various other kindles and competitor devices.
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Also, there are a fair number of beginning authors that publish only to kindle (Because that gives them the better deal).
I must say, overall I’m happy with my Kindle. The hardware is good. The software slightly buggy, especially the interaction with the store. It’s a bit worse than it was. But still a very convenient way to buy and consume content.
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I don't think there is a brand x for e-ink displays. The company probably only updates their product showcase a couple of times a year.
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Being fair to the Colorsoft yellow edge, with enough time books do the same thing.
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I went through this. Amazon's stance that they "can't" re-issue the 20% off coupon is ridiculous.
Also, customer service was argumentative about how I should just keep the colorsoft because "thousands of people have this issue and it will definitely get fixed in less than a month". Yeah, right.
Eventually they did credit me a $20 gift card, but that doesn't really match the 20% off coupon on a standard paperwhite (which is what I plan to replace the colorsoft with once they process the return.)
One would think a multi-billion dollar company would be capable of replacing a coupon they issued for a first-party product that only exists to get you to buy more stuff from their store. Especially when the product you received was defective.
Also, customer service was argumentative about how I should just keep the colorsoft because "thousands of people have this issue and it will definitely get fixed in less than a month". Yeah, right.
Eventually they did credit me a $20 gift card, but that doesn't really match the 20% off coupon on a standard paperwhite (which is what I plan to replace the colorsoft with once they process the return.)
One would think a multi-billion dollar company would be capable of replacing a coupon they issued for a first-party product that only exists to get you to buy more stuff from their store. Especially when the product you received was defective.
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Dr_EluSivE
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
I would encourage people to look at a Kobo. I have both, (B&W) Kobo, and kindle. the Kobo is the better device by far. I tend to prefer the Kobo store as well, but I keep the paperwhite for "amazon exclusives" only.
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Yet another reason for me to prefer the Boox e-readers vs the Kindles in my household.
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That's not even a comparable device. LCD screens are nowhere near the same as e-ink for reading.
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I haven't done it since the last time I switched from a Kindle to a Kobo, but there's tools to remove the Kindle DRM if you have to buy a book on the Kindle store. Even plugins for Calibre.
I love my Kobo but it's always been more of a price + screen + form factor decision for me than a decision on the particular store (I liked my Forma more than the similar Kindles at the time, and it's still great)
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It’s also that most ebook sales are kindle and it’s hard to justify the time on other platforms with one or two sales to Amazon’s twenty. It is self fulfilling.
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In a more just world, the catastrophic failure of Amazon's new hardware should be a sales boon for capable e-reader alternative vendors, like Kobo.
Unfortunately, in the US, Amazon has such a monopoly on e-readers that the vast majority of impacted Kindle owners would simply respond, "What the f*ck is a Kobo?"
Unfortunately, in the US, Amazon has such a monopoly on e-readers that the vast majority of impacted Kindle owners would simply respond, "What the f*ck is a Kobo?"
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Do we have a picture of the yellow bar? So we can see if it's a functionality-crippling monster or just laugh at bad QA?
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I got my 20 percent off, then once I got the Colorsoft, I sent my old one in and got the gift card. But CS keeps giving different times on when replacements ship.
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I have the Calibre plugin going - all my purchases are safely backed up without DRM. There is a newer format that is more difficult to crack, but it's easy enough to find an older Kindle and attach it to your account if needed. Once you set up Calibre, there's nothing to it other than remembering to download a copy of the book you bought and adding to Calibre.
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They've already confirmed the display is eInk Kaleido 3.
I wish it were Gallery 3 / ACeP though. The Remarkable Pro is showing it is a great display tech and the kinks have been worked out.
But yeah all this stuff is not a good show for Amazon. If you're an avid reader (and you probably wouldn't spend this kind of money on an ereader if you aren't), a month and a half is a long time.
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I’m not sure it has a monopoly on e-readers. It just has so much content that there is no real competition unless you know your authors are in Kobo.
I for one am curious whether the EU will see some of the Kindle author contracts as market-deforming. But even if, it would take ages to have an effect.
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For some the visual contrast of E-Ink is enough improvement over typical tablets that we prefer an E-Ink e-reader for text. I know I do. I read fiction mostly on my Paperwhite, not on my iPad. Another advantage is battery life. Most E-Ink readers can run for 24+ hours on a charge (depends on front lighting intensity and number of page turns).
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Colored highlights? I'm having negative vib flashbacks to school. I just want a reader for fun, low stress reading. If getting rid of those features lowers the cost, then great.
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For me I love page turn buttons. I don't always use them, but I love the option. When I got a Kobo Libra H2O it was the most economical option with buttons. A small quality of life thing I love about it is that I can slide my finger up and down the left edge of the screen to adjust brightness. Whenever I read with my old paperwhite (2013) I find it adds friction to open a menu to adjust the light intensity.
I used to love the library integration but something broke on the backend for me recently and it no longer automatically pulls books checked out using my phone. I have to check them out directly on my Kobo. Which leads me to the other negative which is a slightly less polished feel. It's similar to an apple vs android paradigm where Kobo is less locked down and Kindle is more polished.
And I just like not supporting Amazon. But at the end of the day the mark of a good ereader is that it gets out of the way and lets me enjoy a book. And while I'm reading I'm not sure I end up caring too much if it's on my Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Paperwhite, or Kobo Libra.
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As I said in a reddit thread, "I appreciate everyone who decides to beta test."
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Dr_EluSivE
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
No ads, Buttons, Feels better built, I like the Ui better, works seamlessly with my local library, and the big one.. Its an Open format, NOT locked to a single vendor.
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This is slightly off-topic but does the Colorsoft also have the power button idiotically placed on the bottom of the device like the Kindle Paperwhite?
Seriously, that's my number one major complaint about the Paperwhite. Who thought that was a good idea?
Seriously, that's my number one major complaint about the Paperwhite. Who thought that was a good idea?
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I’ve been looking. The only b&w e-ink reader about the size of a Paperwhite and the same price range with a Google Play store so I can load other e-book vendors’ apps is the Boox Go 6. But almost all reviews say it is slow as molasses. A demo showed it took about a minute to launch the Kindle app. Others, like the Boox Palma are cute but about double the price.
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I am one of the affected customers. Amazon needs to offer some clarification. As a gesture of goodwill, Amazon should offer:
- Extend the warranty from 1 year to 2 years.
- Customers can request a replacement within the extended warranty period.
- Offer a $20 Amazon gift card or a choice of Wireless Charging Dock or Fabric Cover.
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E-Ink is considerably easier on the eyes than LCD if you do a lot of reading. My optometrist confirmed this. Having said that, let me add another vote for Kobo. Their store (kobo.com) has a sizable selection, if not quite the equal of Amazon - I find about 80% of what I'm looking for on it. There are Calibre plugins for both Kindles and Kobo, so there's no reason not to have your books backed up DRM-free. Also, Kobo supports the ePub format out of the box; last I checked, Amazon requires you to mail your ePubs to a conversion site to get a version that will work on your Kindle (I'm not sure this is still true).
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Shhh! You've talked about the first rule of ebook purchasing, you don't talk about Calibre (and it's many DRM-removal plugins)! Amazon did recently change their software to basically make it much more difficult to unwrap DRM from their ebooks, so it's still totally possible for them to eliminate the older Kindle loophole as well.
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That's why I won't touch a kindle with a 10 foot poll. I am looking at a Kobo color ereader for that reason.
I did read an amusing review of them about "lock-in" and the "lock-in" was that you had to, GASP, plug your tablet into a computer to drag and drop epubs into a folder on your Kobo to "side-load" books! No alternate firmware needed or hacking.
At least a Kobo (nook, etc.) can all "side-load" epubs. Unlike a Kindle.
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Agreed on why I like eInk. That and the ridiculously long runtimes. I only have to remember to plug in my nook simple touch (yes, I need a nicer/newer ereader one of these days) every few weeks if I am not reading a lot on it. About weekly if I am reading a lot. Plus reading under full sun doesn't require maxing the screen brightness and burning through the battery in a few hours, along with screen reflection/glare.
I do wonder, do the newest generation of the eInk Kaleido screens handle lower temperatures better? My nook simple touch refreshes painfully slowly at temperatures below 50F and basically shutoff at low 40F range (too cold for the screen to operate). I understand the operating principle is very different than an LCD or OLED screen. Just wondering if the environmental operating range might be better. I don't need it to necessarily work at -40F artic temperatures, but being able to read on a colder night on a camping trip when it is 40F outside would be nice, rather than needing to just leave it at home if the temps are going to be under 50F (or keep it warm in my sleeping bag and only break it out to read for 5-10 minutes at a time before sticking it back in my sleeping back or inner jacket pocket to warm it back up).
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If you have a lot of books withouut DRM and multiple readers as I do, Kindle is the better choice because Amazon will sync books you didn't purchase from them via the cloud. Kobo and the others don't do that.
Vendor lock-in is a cute talking point, but it doesn't match reality a lot of the time.
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