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Old 12-27-2013, 02:24 AM
 
Location: Canada
7,263 posts, read 9,268,126 times
Reputation: 9833

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Okay, so I asked for and got a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas. However, I didn't realise that there was a first and second generation and the buyer didn't know either and presumably the store didn't mention it, and I got a first generation based on the fact that it says 'Kindle' on the back instead of 'Amazon.'

Previous to this, I had the Kindle app on an ipad. And the Kindle app flipped the pages when you turned them and I see nothing in the menu of the Paperwhite to show that I can change page changes to show a flip. Is there a way to do that? If not, does the second generation of Paperwhite have that ability? The other thing I find supremely irritating is the slowness of the page turning compared to what I was used to on the Kindle app. And there appears to be no way to adjust the sensitivity of touch to make things faster. And I am also surprised that the book covers aren't in colour.

And on the device part of the app, I have a line of recommendations below my actual books. How do I turn that off? I completely hate that. like to see recommendations when I shop but not when I am looking at books I actually already own.

It took me forever to get used to reading anything on the ipad and I didn't like it at all in the beginning and now I guess I got used to the app because all of the above REALLY bug me. I have looked at the Kindle page help on Amazon and they don't answer my questions. Maybe that is because the features don't exist on the Paperwhite. I think the Kindle Fire has some of the features that the Paperwhite doesn't appear to have but I hadn't wanted a device for browsing the web - just mainly for reading although apparently the Paperwhite also has some browsing capability which they are calling 'experimental' (?? whatever the heck that means).

I am trying to decide whether I should return it for a second generation Kindle. Oh - and speaking of first and second generations, at least on the Amazon.ca site, they don't even tell me what I am looking at when I am looking at the Paperwhite. I think they are probably showing the second generation one, because there is a reference to it being faster in terms of page turning, and I gather from a completely different site that the first generation is slower, but there is no specific mention of first or second generation.

And I also realised anew just how much better real books are. I suppose I might get used to this Paperwhite eventually but right now I am not liking it much.
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Old 12-27-2013, 07:09 AM
 
Location: North Carolina
10,203 posts, read 17,801,643 times
Reputation: 13913
You mean the animation that looks like a physical page flipping? No, eInk does not have that capability. You have to understand the technology of eInk is completely different from a backlit screen. Most people find that once they get used to it, they don't even notice the page turns anymore. The covers are in black and white because color eInk is still in its infancy and honestly doesn't look very great. This technology is still developing and growing. You can not expect eInk to be just like a backlit screen.

You should be able to turn the recommendations off, probably somewhere in the menu options. I can't remember exactly but just have a browse around or better yet, look in the user guide, there should be one on your kindle or you can download it from Amazon's help section.

Kindle paperwhite does have a web browser, it is experimental because eInk isn't really ideal for web browsing plus you can only use it on wifi, not 3G, so having one on there isn't a feature they really market a lot, it's like a background feature.

The kindle paperwhite on the amazon website will be the second generation. Note how it says NEW or all-new in the title. They are no longer selling the first generation PW. Probably, the store you bought yours from had some left over stock from the first generation but the staff should really have known the difference and not sold it to you, especially for the price of a new one. However, the second generation will not resolve your specific complaints. It sounds like you'd be better off with a backlit screen, like a tablet. You may not be interested in all the features it provides, like the web browsing, but it sounds like you'd be more comfortable with the technology of that type of screen.
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Old 12-27-2013, 12:49 PM
 
Location: Canada
7,263 posts, read 9,268,126 times
Reputation: 9833
Thanks for your response. No, a tablet isn't for me since I think I have a tablet? Isn't an ipad a tablet? It wasn't that I liked reading on the ipad but I could tolerate it and it was convenient for some books that I knew would be a quick read or in some cases was too impatient to wait for the physical book, (like Tartt's Goldfinch) and wouldn't want to reread I thought that a Kindle would be more more than less like a physical book, as well as being smaller than an ipad and therefore easier to carry around.

I don't actually find any difference in the light of the ipad and the light on the Kindle - the light on the ipad is a little more bluish but that could be my settings. And I finally solved the mystery of the first versus second generation Paperwhite - the second generation is not yet available in stores here. That is kind of weird considering that it is available on the Amazon.ca site but I vaguely remember the first generation Paperwhite being some kind of issue here as well, and being available in the US long before it was in Canada but as I recall, it wasn't available online through the Canadian site either.

So I'm going to keep the Kindle and it will serve its purpose as something to carry around in my purse so that I'm always able to read. And maybe it will grow on me. You never know. It just didn't meet my expectations of being book-like. I showed it to various members of my family over Christmas and many of them were very intrigued and seemed likely to get some kind of Kindle now that they had looked at one.

But I still haven't found a way to turn off the recommendations within my downloaded books and didn't find anything in the Kindle help section about turning off them off either. When I change the covers to just the titles then the recommendations seem to disappear. I was thinking that there might be slight differences between the US Paperwhite and the Paperwhite sold in Canada. I'll play around with it some more once the whole Christmas/New Years' rush has abated.
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Old 12-28-2013, 08:01 PM
 
Location: North Carolina
10,203 posts, read 17,801,643 times
Reputation: 13913
iPad's are tablets but not all tablets are that big, there are smaller tablets that would be more comfortable for reading.

You can turn off recommendations - I've checked it now, it's under Menu > Settings > Device Options > Personalize your Kindle. Switch "Recommended content" to off. If you do not have that option, it must be because you haven't updated the firmware on your Kindle. If you leave it connected to wifi long enough, it will download and install automatically at some point but if you're desperate to turn off the recommendations, you can update it manually as per the instructions on the website. I recall now that the first PW didn't have the option to turn the recommendations off at first until the update was released so you just need to do the update.
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Old 12-29-2013, 09:20 AM
 
3,493 posts, read 7,909,164 times
Reputation: 7237
We got my FIL a Kindle paperwhite and he had the same complaint. I found this tutorial on line and sent it to him but he hasn't tried it yet so I'm not sure if it is what you are looking for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ghNzYj7xi4

Hope this helps!
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Old 12-30-2013, 12:06 PM
 
Location: Canada
7,263 posts, read 9,268,126 times
Reputation: 9833
Okay, so maybe I'm starting not to hate my Kindle quite so much. It was a complete shock to my system the first couple of times I paged through a book. Just so not what I expected. Anyway, I finished a paperback book and then started on Death Dealer - Rudolf Hoss' memoirs on the Kindle.
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Old 12-30-2013, 12:08 PM
 
35,095 posts, read 51,103,864 times
Reputation: 62664
I bought one of the Paperwhites for myself and my husband and returned both of them. His was not opened at all and mine was used for a few hours.
I did not like it at all and I knew my husband would hate it.
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Old 12-30-2013, 01:47 PM
 
Location: Canada
7,263 posts, read 9,268,126 times
Reputation: 9833
Quote:
Originally Posted by CSD610 View Post
I bought one of the Paperwhites for myself and my husband and returned both of them. His was not opened at all and mine was used for a few hours.
I did not like it at all and I knew my husband would hate it.
I had had the thought that maybe my hubby would like a Kindle and I thought I'd start off with letting him use mine at first but I am quite sure that is never going to be the case.

whew. Now I don't feel quite so alone.
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Old 12-30-2013, 01:48 PM
 
35,095 posts, read 51,103,864 times
Reputation: 62664
Quote:
Originally Posted by netwit View Post
I had had the thought that maybe my hubby would like a Kindle and I thought I'd start off with letting him use mine at first but I am quite sure that is never going to be the case.

whew. Now I don't feel quite so alone.
Let me clarify, my husband does not actually "read" the kindle, he listens to audio books and the paperwhite does not have the ability to use ear phones but his old kindle does.

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear about this.
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