[Erin524]

I got my new Kindle (third generation) today. Thought I'd post a little review on it for some of the other MSers that might like (or hate) it's new features.

What I wanted to see was the upgraded Text-to-speech (TTS), and the audio menu.

The TTS is a lot better than the TTS on the K2. I played the TTS on my K2 and compared it with the K3's. It comes on faster, responds faster to the control buttons (spacebar to stop it) and it sounds so much better than the K2's. The voice is a lot clearer and doesnt sound as computerish. The K2's TTS kind of reminds me of the computer from WarGames. ("Would you like to play a game?") The K3's TTS speech is more like the TextAloud program that I have on my laptop that has Natural Voices (special audio voices that sound more human) My computer is having problems with the TextAloud program lately, so now I'll just put the Kindle on the side table and listen to that to fall asleep at night.

I like the audio menu a lot. What it does with that, is you can turn on the audio menu and it'll read out to you where you're at on the menu screens. So, if I'm on the Home screen (where all your books and collections are listed) it will tell me what books I have on the Home screen. When you go into the menus, like the Settings screen, you can choose what settings you want to change because it'll tell you what setting you're on.

The audio menu is a great added feature.

I thought it had male and female voices, but I havent been able to figure out how to turn on the female voice. (the K2 had male and female voices)

The text on the screen is much sharper than the K1 had or what the K2 has. The screens refresh a heck of a lot faster when you turn the page. Instead of having to wait several seconds for the page to turn, it's more like milliseconds now. The text is darker and easier to read.

What I dont like about the K3. Right now, I dont have a schnazzy cover for it like my K2 has. My Kindle is totally nekkid. I'm using one of my little netbook bags that I've been using to carry my K2 around when I'm out in public. (I'm a safety girl. Even tho the K2 is dressed in a pretty cover, I still use the netbook bag as extra protection in my purse.

Since I dont yet have a cover for my K3, I'm really paranoid about it getting dropped. I wouldnt let anyone touch my Kindle unless they were sitting down and I wouldnt let my nieces see it, because of the fear that they'd think it was an iPad and they'd start stabbing the screen or something.

and right now, I've got a numb right hand. Not only do I have a bad case of the dropsies everytime I pick anything up that's slightly breakable. Everything feel slippery to my right hand. (why is that?) I nearly broke my wrist today in the bathroom. Was holding onto the side of the sink as I was about to sit down to do...something, and my hand slid right off the side of the sink and I whacked my ulna (bone on the outside of the forearm) on the corner of the sink. That's going to leave a mark.

So, I'm really scared that I'm going to drop my Kindle. It's not as slick feeling as a naked Kindle 2 is, but the K3 is smaller and much much lighter (love that...arms wont get tired as fast) and because it's smaller and lighter, it feels like it's so much easier for me to drop.

I'm cashing in my loose change tomorrow at a Coinstar machine and get myself an Amazon gift certificate and order myself a factory cover from Amazon until the company that I really want to get my cover from gets some inventory in. (they had to wait to get their Kindles before they could start production on the covers they're making) I talked to the representatives at that company and they said it could be a month before their covers are released. I need a cover!

Other thing I dont like. The Page Turn buttons are skinny, teeny tiny little buttons. Numb fingers dont really like those buttons. I wish the K2 and the K3 came with the ginormous big Page Turn buttons that the K1 came with.

I kind of miss that K1 sometimes...gave it to my sister and brother-in-law. Shocked the hell out of them when I did that, but my sister loves it. She can read all those PDF's of autism papers she's been collecting over the years finally. (I'm tempted to get her a Nook for her b-day if the price comes down on those...then she could do library books. Something the Kindle doesnt do)

For the few things I dont like about the new Kindle, I love all the new features. I'm going to have fun getting more reading done. I tried reading a hardcover book earlier this week. Gave up after a bit because the book was so heavy and the stupid thing kept sliding out of my hands. (at least I didnt have to worry about breaking that book, other than tearing a page or something)

[kicker]

Erin,
Great review, but everyone has such different needs!! Got my new Kindle 3 about a month and half ago, hadfound out if you shove Kindle in a drawer with remote on it and not enough clearance when you shove drawer shut, remote bears down and CRACKS glass front on Kindle. Ironically I was doing this to get Kindle out of harm's way of incoming cleaning ladies.

Anyway, love my new Kindle. Anyway, could never use covers (only have use of one hand). Had threw out ones from Original Kindle. Miss rubbery back of old Kindle. Love new page forward buttons, don't turn by mistake when laying on side with Kindle side on bed. Like turning off by switch Instead of time of switch held. Operations different in Menu, learning new operation hard for me, does not seem as so instinctual. Love size, lightness, visual of print|!! Like MS, everyone so different in needs and how they present.

[Erin524]

Sounds like what you have is the Kindle 2 (the Kindle 3 only came out last thursday)

I think the Kindle 2 is slightly easier to hold because of the placement of the page turn buttons...as long as it's inside a case for me. (too slippery by itself)

I also miss the rubbery back of the Kindle 1...and those giant page turn buttons.

I'm hoping that once I get a case for my Kindle 3 that it'll be easier for me to hold. I am a bit afraid that it's skinny little page turn buttons might be a drawback on it. I noticed last night when I was playing with it, and adding books to it, that it was easier for me to lay the naked K3 down to read and press the buttons. (less chance of it sliding out of slippery fingers if it was flat on my desk...hurts my neck to read that way tho)

But, I really love the other improvements. The audio menu was great. I think that'll come in handy if the MS zaps my optic nerve again, and it's TTS is much easier to listen to. I'll have to search for books that actually have the TTS enabled on them...stupid publishers have them turned off for some of the books I read. At least I can email fan fiction to my Kindle and it can read that out loud to me if I want to. (fan fiction is free, and sometimes can be really good)

[kicker]

It is a Kindle 2!!!! iT'S MY 3RD kINDLE SO GOT CONFUSED. Had my first less than a week and spilled full bottle of water on it. Killed it dead. This was back in beginning of all this so Amazon sent me a replacement at no cost. Now, I doubt this would happen. I love my Kindle for reading, can't/don't do anything else. I think I'm embarrassed but I read a lot now. I LLLLOOOOVVVVE my Kindle

[Erin524]

I love the Kindle because it encourages me to read more. I've been reading since I was 3yrs old, and it's always been one of my favorite things to do.

I think that's why I didnt feel bad giving my K1 away to my b-in-law (well, I miss the rubbery back and big page turn buttons on that thing) I was encouraging them to read. I was kind of hoping he could get his college books on the Kindle, but they apparently havent been Kindleized yet. If I end up going back to school, I hope my books are on the Kindle, just because I dont want to have to carry anything heavy. (I'll probably end up taking online classes, one at a time)

At least he can get a ton of recreational books for his Kindle, and my sister has been using it to read the huge PDF files that she has about autism stuff that she's been reading. Said that's made it easier for them to do their reading.

The MS has been beating the crap out of me this past month. I barely have the energy to walk to the bathroom from my room. I've been using my mom's stair chair thingie to get up and down the stairs because my right leg has been so weak. So I'm staying home a lot. I'm just glad that I've got my Kindles to keep me busy and entertained with books to read.

My big problem with the Kindle is that I tend to over-buy on the books. I need to learn self control and not buy everything I want to read all at once. I need to take advantage of the samples. Just download the samples to remind myself of what I want to read next. Then I can get what I've paid for read, and not get so ahead of myself on what I want to read next. Right now I've got five books that I'm currently reading. I had to create a collection on the Kindle and name it "Currently Reading" and file those books there so that I could keep myself on track.

[kicker]

What I found with my Kindle buying habits is if I liked a book and read it again, the MS has pretty much helped me forget what I read. I kinda like "oh yeah" remember but not the details. Movies too. TV repeats don't annoy me like they once did.

[SallyC]

I must get me one of those little suckers. Either that or books on tape. I don't read at all anymore.

[Aarcyn]

I love my Kindle. I love being able to shop for books on the Kindle and load the first pages for free. I am such a nerd that I love the built in dictionary. I use it all the time to get the exact definition of the word and poof, I get to go back to reading.

I have a great lexicon...don't know the definition? Look it up!

I have a Kindle 2. The price has gone down so much in the past year.

[Blessings2You]

I just got one for my granddaughter in college. I hope it helps as much with textbooks as she thinks it will.

[ewizabeth]

There's a Kindle App for the Droids. I should download and try it out. If I do I'll let you know how it works.