Amazon Kindle Review

Conclusion

Amazon has thrown down the gauntlet to other tablet and eReader manufacturers by offering a new generation of competitive devices at a drastically reduced price, and it's up to competitors to catch up. That said, the new Kindle isn't remarkably different than previous iterations and Amazon is still keeping the previous generation on the market, albeit rechristened as the "Kindle Keyboard The new Kindle is simply sans keyboard. Unlike the Kindle Touch and Kindle Keyboard, there is no 3G version of the basic Kindle; it's WiFi-only.

Amazon's proprietary system for managing content remains one of the best on the market: convenient and simple. You can access your library using the free cloud storage. Though a decent browser eludes the Kindle (in fact, it's downright crippled), most users are probably more worried about reading books, something which the Amazon Kindle WiFi does very well.

The eInk Pearl screen used by the Amazon Kindle WiFi is the industry standard for eReaders, and offers a clear, crisp picture that is easily legible. It looks more like a printed page than an electronically-reproduced image. Because this screen draws so little power, the battery life is similarly impressive and should last you through long weekend and well beyond. (We read War & Peace on the Kindle Keyboard without a single recharge.) Our only serious complaint is inputting text with the crummy little d-pad is a ridiculous process. If you plan on browsing for purchases in the Amazon store, do it in a real internet browser and push the purchases to your Kindle.

If you're looking for an ultra-portable eReader that doesn't get too fancy with features, the Amazon Kindle WiFi is a very pragmatic option. Consumers will find the new lineup of the Kindle family to be very affordable, with performance that won't let you down either.