So what's the verdict on K3?

[xmiyux]

The K3 is my first ebook reader and I vote Kinda Awesome. I actually love everything about it except for one minor complaint and one bigger complaint.

Minor: I really wish I could arrange the collection folders alphabetically.
Bigger: I am not a fan of the five way control pad. I frequently am hitting the center button or otherwise screwing it up a little. This is particularly frustrating because I am a long-time video gamer so it isn't exactly like I'm unfamiliar with a D-Pad.

[danachee]

I gave it kinda awesome. I'm coming from a K1, which I love dearly. The K3 screen blows it away. That part is truly awesome! What loses it the 5 star rating is collections. I had hoped I could rig up a poor man's "collapse author" so that my many books by the same author could be collapsed together. But alas, when sorting by author, my preferred sort method, the collections go to the end, and they don't hide the book that are in them. Oh well, hopefully in OS 3+ :-).

I'm getting used to the 5-way. Since the K1 had a completely different method, its taking a bit of getting used to. I still hit the Back button when I want the down arrow. Oh well, learning curves :-)

[JSWolf]

I know I don't have a K3, but the margins on the left/right side of the screen are just too wide with no real way to deal with it.

[volwrath]

I voted Super awesome because Really freakin awesome wasnt there.

Only things missing are:

number pad (easibly usable with alt key)
whisper sync of non amazon books

Otherwise everything is great, although it is super plasticy as opposed to some other readers

[Williamlk]

Originally Posted by volwrath

I voted Super awesome because Really freakin awesome wasnt there.

Ok, I guess we should consider adding 'Really freakin awesome' to the poll!
It sounds to me, that for the most part, the K3 is definately worth getting.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I know I don't have a K3, but the margins on the left/right side of the screen are just too wide with no real way to deal with it.

Too wide??? They're a quarter of an inch. Perfect!

[AdrianM]

Originally Posted by Skydog

Too wide??? They're a quarter of an inch. Perfect!

Actually, it would be nice to have the option to remove them entirely. I don't understand why there are so few personalisation options actually - like margin resizing for instance.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Skydog

Too wide??? They're a quarter of an inch. Perfect!

1/4 of an inch is too wide. You are forced into those margins. You cannot get rid of them no matter what. That's a problem (IMHO).

And Amazon seems to think wide margins are wonderful. The iPad Kindle app has even wider margins then iBooks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by AdrianM

Actually, it would be nice to have the option to remove them entirely. I don't understand why there are so few personalization options actually - like margin resizing for instance.

Yes, it would be nice to let the user choose how the margins are.

[6charlong]

Reviewing a type of device that I love while still experiencing confirmation bias about buying it is bound to be a bit dodgy but I have been through this before, although not with a Kindle.

I marked "Super Awesome!" For many reasons: the screen is truly "book-like." It makes good reading indoors but when I tried it in direct natural sunlight--eInk's forte--the white was shocking; there are brighter papers but not many. The new Kindle gives you room to get a good hold on it with the added benefit of a helpful non-slip surface. The controls are logically placed and easy to reach without getting in the way. Their response is positive and crisp. The new Kindle zips through tasks like a computer. The search feature is very fast and accurate, and it's easy to use with the little keyboard. I charged the Kindle when I got it and despite many hours of setup, switching Wifi on and off and many hours of reading, the battery is barely showing any drain.

The purpose of book readers is, of course, to read books and the Kindle is all over reading, starting with the price. It's the first of what I hope will be many first tier readers priced so that most people can consider buying it without having to treat the decision as an investment. Everything is there for a book reader. The Kindle store has a better selection of DRM encrypted eBooks than even the combined offerings of that horde of secure ePub stores. Amazon's prices are competitive and probably as good as they can be given agency pricing. Moreover, Amazon is the only place I know where it's possible to send a request to the publisher to produce an eBook version of a book you want with a mere click of the mouse.

There are little odd touches that endear it too, like the "screen saver," that isn't a screen saver (eInk doesn't suffer burn-in) but the pictures the Kindle brings up are incredibly good and the fine line drawings show off that Pearl Screen like nothing else can. I still prefer to buy books with the PC but but after I buy one with my customary Amazon account, the Kindle Wifi downloads them fast and I love using the Wifi to coordinate my reading between the iPod Touch and the Kindle. "Last page read" keeps my reading synced.

I don't know how much of this will bore previous Kindle owners but this is my first experience with the Amazon offering so it's all new to me. And yeah, in my book this edition of the Kindle is totally Super Awesome.

[scgf]

I have owned a few eReaders, then I bought a Kindle 2 and have just received my Kindle 3. The Amazon experience is just so much better than that offered by Sony or the various independent ebook stores. Amazon brings it all together in such a very user-friendly way. I really like the way the page you are on is synched between devices. This comes from someone who is very much into the Apple ecosystem too!

When I had an ePub based reader I was forever visiting ebook stores to find what I wanted, then I would download them to my computer using Adobe software, then I had to transfer them manually to my reader. To top it all, the ebook prices were way more expensive than Amazon. What a palava!

When Apple released the iPad, I bought one. My intention was not to read books on it, but to use it as a portable computing device. It does well in that role. As a book reader it is absolutely awful! Way too heavy to hold comfortably for long, not a good screen for reading and diabolical outside - in fact impossible to read in full sun.

I am so impressed with the Kindle 3. The screen is superb and the ergonomics very good. I just love it!

Do you know my favourite feature? The page forward and back buttons. I just love how tactile they are and the way you are aware of the depression from the other side as they right at the edge of the device. I find pressing them strangely exciting! Maybe I need to get out more!

[mgmueller]

I've got K2 and DX, US versions.
And I've got DX Graphite and now the new one.
Is it K2 Graphite or is it K3?
Whatever the name, I'm a bit disappointed.
The buttons for turning pages certainly have improved.
But I really hate the smaller 5-way-button.
I don't care about the slightly smaller form factor.
The display is great, but I already knew that from DX Graphite.

So, if I compare:
From DX to DX Graphite definitely is a bigger improvement, than from K2 to K2 Graphite/K3.
Would have expected a bit more...
On its own it's a nice enough reader though...

[HarryT]

I agree with you about the 5-way control - it's just too small. That for me is the one significant flaw in an otherwise pretty good reader.

[matt314159]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I agree with you about the 5-way control - it's just too small. That for me is the one significant flaw in an otherwise pretty good reader.

That's a bit disheartening for someone like me, who has big, giant sausage fingers and likes to do lots of highlighting.

[scgf]

I have big fingers too but don't have the slightest problem with the 5-way control. Hadn't even thought of it as an issue. In fact immediately I unpacked the Kindle 3 I could see how much better the control was than the previous version!