Kindle vs Kindle Touch

[GFLPraxis]

I've been trying to find reviews comparing the new $79 Kindle to the new $99 Kindle Touch, but everyone seems hellbent on only reviewing one or comparing it to the Nook, not each other.

Anyone have any experience?

Touch sounds spiffy and all, but I have no idea how it will be in practice. The slow refresh rate seems like it would make pinching to zoom frustrating, and the Touch removes the physical page turn buttons that provide feedback (again, low refresh rate with e-ink). I can't decide whether to pick up the basic or the Touch.

 

[Queen of Spades]

I've been trying to find reviews comparing the new $79 Kindle to the new $99 Kindle Touch, but everyone seems hellbent on only reviewing one or comparing it to the Nook, not each other.

Anyone have any experience?

Touch sounds spiffy and all, but I have no idea how it will be in practice. The slow refresh rate seems like it would make pinching to zoom frustrating, and the Touch removes the physical page turn buttons that provide feedback (again, low refresh rate with e-ink). I can't decide whether to pick up the basic or the Touch.

I'd be interested to read a review like that if you find one. The deal breaker for me with the Kindle Touch is the fact that it has no page turn buttons. The e-ink screens look horrid with fingerprints, I'd never be able to read with any on the screen. I'm too OCD about that, and since I use my Kindle for reading only, the functionality of a touch screen wasn't really necessary.

 

[r1ch4rd]

I have the Kindle 3 (which is now the Kindle keyboard, I believe) and have never ever thought that it needed a touch screen. For reading books, it's just not necessary. The buttons along the sides work brilliantly. I wouldn't pay extra for a touch screen.

A colleague of mine has bought the new Kindle for his daughter and rates it very highly - other than being a bit of a pain to type on should you ever need to.

 

[GFLPraxis]

The deal breaker for me with the Kindle Touch is the fact that it has no page turn buttons. The e-ink screens look horrid with fingerprints, I'd never be able to read with any on the screen. I'm too OCD about that, and since I use my Kindle for reading only, the functionality of a touch screen wasn't really necessary.

See, I feel like that might be a dealbreaker for me too- but I've never owned a Kindle, so I don't know if it'll be that big of a difference. I use my iPad for reading, but it keeps up if I use it late at night and isn't quite as portable. The new price points are tempting me to pick up a Kindle too.

 

[.Andy]

I'd be interested to read a review like that if you find one. The deal breaker for me with the Kindle Touch is the fact that it has no page turn buttons. The e-ink screens look horrid with fingerprints, I'd never be able to read with any on the screen. I'm too OCD about that, and since I use my Kindle for reading only, the functionality of a touch screen wasn't really necessary.

I'm inclined to agree. I love the turn page buttons. And I'm a stickler for a clean screen. On my iOSes I often inadvertently tap the screen when trying to remove some debris.

 

[Queen of Spades]

I have the Kindle 3 (which is now the Kindle keyboard, I believe) and have never ever thought that it needed a touch screen. For reading books, it's just not necessary. The buttons along the sides work brilliantly. I wouldn't pay extra for a touch screen.

I actually bought one of the new Kindles, and then returned it for the Kindle 3. I just liked the size, feel, weight, etc. better on the old one. It's basically a perfect e-reader, in my opinion. And yeah, I wouldn't pay extra for that either, but I'm not one of those people who would be doing anything on my Kindle other than reading.

See, I feel like that might be a dealbreaker for me too- but I've never owned a Kindle, so I don't know if it'll be that big of a difference. I use my iPad for reading, but it keeps up if I use it late at night and isn't quite as portable. The new price points are tempting me to pick up a Kindle too.

I dunno, I'd say you probably just have to try one out. I went from a Kindle 3 to a Kindle 4, back to a Kindle 3. It was just a personal preference thing.

 

[GFLPraxis]

This was interesting! They're very positive on the Kindle Touch, but:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/reviews/2011/11/ars-hands-on-the-kindle-touch.ars

If you plan on taking a lot of notes or doing anything else that requires typing, the extra cost of the Touch will be money very well spent. But if your focus is on reading, I would actually recommend the bottom of the line model. It's lighter and more comfortable to hold in one hand, and the touch screen doesn't really make the page turning experience that much better.

I kinda like the additional space and battery life of the Touch, though.

 

[Plutonius]

See, I feel like that might be a dealbreaker for me too- but I've never owned a Kindle, so I don't know if it'll be that big of a difference. I use my iPad for reading, but it keeps up if I use it late at night and isn't quite as portable. The new price points are tempting me to pick up a Kindle too.

The e-ink is much better for reading once you get used to it. I would stick with a Kindle with keyboard.

I kinda like the additional space and battery life of the Touch, though.

I use (and enjoy) both for reading. The more ambient light you have, the better the e-ink looks and the worse the touch looks (i.e. glare). Conversely, the worse ambient light you have the worse the e-ink looks and the better the touch looks (i.e. backlite screen). My Touch is also more portable so I'm more likely to use it for reading when I'm not at home. Using a Kindle late at night might not be as good as your iPad.

Note - I find the Kindle app for the Touch much better then the iBook app (since I own a kindle). When you are networked, it will sync a book between the Kindle and Touch so you can easily go back and forth between the Touch and Kindle.

 

[GFLPraxis]

I use (and enjoy) both for reading. The more ambient light you have, the better the e-ink looks and the worse the touch looks (i.e. glare). Conversely, the worse ambient light you have the worse the e-ink looks and the better the touch looks (i.e. backlite screen). My Touch is also more portable so I'm more likely to use it for reading when I'm not at home. Using a Kindle late at night might not be as good as your iPad.

Note - I find the Kindle app for the Touch much better then the iBook app (since I own a kindle). When you are networked, it will sync a book between the Kindle and Touch so you can easily go back and forth between the Touch and Kindle.

I'm actually referring to the Kindle (basic) vs Kindle Touch, not iPod Touch

 

[Vantage Point]

Touch decision. Never owned a kindle but new models with lower pricing makes it worth considering. Anyway, I tried to read everything I could about the Kindle vs Kindle Touch and it seems like it more personal preference and desire to have Audio. Anyway, I just ordered the $79 model with free shipping and just hope Amazon doesn't have a $10 discount on Black Friday - would really hate if they did and it was advertised on my new Kindle .

I figure I can't go wrong for that price and if I do then I can simply return or exchange. All I want is a simple e-reader and don't need the bells and whistles. I also think it might be easier to turn pages with the $79 model since I could do that with one hand instead of two - time will tell.

Note that the new $79 and $99 touch do not include a Power adaptor, the Kindle 3/Keyboard model does. That is an additional $10 but if you have an iPhone the power adaptor that came with that should fit the included USB cable if you don't want to charge from your computer.

Also, as a side note it seems, from reading reviews of veteran kindle owners that the newer models are slightly inferior to the Kindle 3 (keyboard model) with regard to the screen. The new ones are slightly reflective and the background is slightly darker which means slightly less contrast.These two factors make the new model is pinch harder on the eyes with the same size reading area but a larger overall device. Hopefully this will not be an issue at all but my eyes are not as good as they used to be. Anyway, for $79 this should be a wonderful investment.

 

[miles01110]

If you take a lot of notes, get the Kindle Touch. If you're using it primarily for reading get the Kindle.

 

[maflynn]

I had the kindle and now the kindle touch. I hated the keyboard but loved the side buttons. The kindle touch is a great device that extends the design and ease of use of its predecessor

 

[boomhower]

Of the three I think the keyboard version is the best. For $20 in savings your giving up quite a bit with the kindle. To me the touch/keyboard versions are a better value.

 

[roadbloc]

I have the Kindle 3 (which is now the Kindle keyboard, I believe) and have never ever thought that it needed a touch screen. For reading books, it's just not necessary. The buttons along the sides work brilliantly. I wouldn't pay extra for a touch screen.

This post hits the nail on the head. I'm sure the touchscreen will be great for the web browsing functionality on the Kindle (which is kinda clunky on my Kindle Keyboard), but other than that, I see no reason to get the touchscreen one. You don't need a touchscreen to read books.

 

[Iscariot]

I have the Kobo touch. The e-ink screen doesn't seem to smudge up at all (unlike the iOS screens), and as much as I had thought the slow refresh speed would hinder my ability to use it, because it's such a different class of device I was able to compartmentalize the Kobo quickly and adapt to it's speed very easily. The touch element also keeps the design clean and lets me focus on what it's for — reading — that I think keys or a keyboard would change.

 

[Vantage Point]

FYI - I just read that the lower prices models that include 'special offers' can be upgraded anytime to the non-special offer model. For $40 they will disable that feature if you find you don't want it. But, those offers can pay for itself especially if one of those offers is to buy a $20 Amazon gift card for $10 - that's a great deal like asking someone if they have two $10's for a $5

 

[Mousse]

I have the Kindle 3 (which is now the Kindle keyboard, I believe) and have never ever thought that it needed a touch screen. For reading books, it's just not necessary. The buttons along the sides work brilliantly. I wouldn't pay extra for a touch screen.

I got the Kindle 3 just last month. The main reason was because a lot of people was saying the K4 had a slightly lower contrast and shinier screen than the K3 and no physical keyboard. I was waiting on the Touch, but I began googling other touch screen e-readers (Nook and Kobo, mainly). I read a lot of complains regarding the touch screens on those devices. Both used the touch IR touch screens (which I assumed Amazon would use the same technology). That coupled with the possibility that its screen would be the same as the K4, pushed me toward the K3 instead. I might get a touch screen e-reader once the technology has matured a bit.

A colleague of mine has bought the new Kindle for his daughter and rates it very highly - other than being a bit of a pain to type on should you ever need to.

That's what kept me from getting the K4. Reading how much of a hassle typing was on it negated the $20 savings verse the K3.

 

[Vantage Point]

I got the Kindle 3 just last month. The main reason was because a lot of people was saying the K4 had a slightly lower contrast and shinier screen than the K3 and no physical keyboard.

I have checked out the two side by side at Best Buy (k3 and K4 they did not have the Touch). The background of the K3 is slightly lighter making the contrast between text and background a hair greater - advantage to the K3. As far as shinier screen, if there is a difference it is insignificant as I played with both at different tilt angles to the lights and there was no tangible difference.

My K4 arrived yesterday and I have been playing with it all night and I couldn't be more delighted with this device. Very easy on the eyes for reading - much better than a iPad or Fire would be - but I purchased it as a dedicated reader not to watch movies or the internet.

I am very happy that I got the K4 instead of the Touch as I found myself going back and forth between pages a few times to re-read a previous sentence. A K3/K4 makes this easier while a Touch would be 'slightly' awkward as it may require both hands or readjusting the grip - not so with the K4. I found the keyboard very easy to use and it scrolls through letters very fast - and also wraps around which is nice.

The K4 (and Touch) are easier to hold than the K3 but if you plan to do a lot of typing and take notes then the K3 would be a superior choice. The Touch is also slightly larger than the K4, about 0.2" wider and 0.3" taller. Not a big deal but a slighter different fit depending on the sleeve or holder one gets. For example, I will probably get this sleeve for my K4 - too small of the K3 and some reviews have it as a almost too snug a fit for the Touch but those reviews hope that it will break in. If you prefer to use your Kindle naked then a sleeve is a better choice than a Cover which add a bit of weight but it is all personal preference.

Also, the wall charger/power adaptor for my iPhone works perfectly with the included USB cable for charging. To keep the prices down that is a optional $10 part which is not needed for iPhone users - or anyone with a computer to charge off that.

The adds don't pop up while reading.

Bottom line this is a wonderful device, easy to use, easy on the eyes (very important to my old eyes). If you type a lot get the K3. If you are not sure get the Touch, if you will type only as needed then the K4 is perfect and you will not need to be concerned with prints on the screen. Also, the K3 'flickers' more, like every page turn while the K3/Touch flickers only every 5 or so page turns - a small thing that but less flickers makes for a slightly smoother reading experience.