Comments on: Here they are…the new Kindles!

By: Bufo Calvin

Bufo Calvin — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 03:54:04 +0000

Thanks for writing, John!

I’m told that the Kindle Fire HD does have TTS, but I’m confirming what kind…

By: Zebras

Zebras — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 02:16:34 +0000

I’m really disappointed about the lack of audio for the paperwhite, so if my Touch breaks, I will have to buy a Kindle Keyboard, to get the audio to listen to all my audible books, and use TTS. And do any of the new Fires have TTS for the books. I don’t see it anywhere. I know its even more important to you than it is to me. I prefer the audible interface on the Touch versus the Fire, and its lighter to go to the gym and to go walking with.

By: John

John — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 02:16:24 +0000

No text to speech in the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Fire HD is very disappointing!

By: rogerknights

rogerknights — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:35:27 +0000

PS. They could have called the K4 the Kindle Four, to piggyback allusively on the Kindle Fire!

By: rogerknights

rogerknights — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:29:02 +0000

Thanks. There are info-tidbits here I hadn’t seen elsewhere.

No audio on the Touch? Squeezed out to make room, perhaps. Plus maybe they’ve surveyed customers and found that audio is not much used.

I’m pleased that ad-support is now standard. Otherwise the product lineup would be too cluttered. We can ignore banner ads on our computers. As long as those on the Kindle aren’t intrusive, they won’t hurt sales or the reader experience.

(This is one of the “edges” Amazon has over Apple—Apple won’t stoop, as it probably views it, to such a tactic—which is going to hurt them sales-wise.)

(Maybe users can opt out of the ads afterwards, if they make an additional payment. This would be a clever way to keep the product lineup simple and reduce the number of decisions a potential buyer has to make.)

Where’s the K4 (an upgraded keyboard model)? There are a hundred-plus software flaw-fixes & enhancements that could make it a much better value, leaving the Nook keyboard version in the dust. (But I guess their software team was busy working on these new models—or at least that they didn’t want to disturb their software “base” while they were building on it elsewhere.)

Kabo & Sony are now further behind.

You (Bufo) were right-er than I was when you said the announcement would be more about deals than doodads (my focus). But, even so, it’s as much about hardware as deals, so you were only 2/3 right. (Abhi, for instance, says the Kindle now outshines the Nexus 7, spec-wise. Its reign was brief!) Still, you did better than me. And I guess if you count pricing as being in the “deal” category, as one should, that ups your on-target %age to ¾. (But “wait till next year”!)

By: Bufo Calvin

Bufo Calvin — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:20:56 +0000

Thanks for writing, John!

They still support the Kindle 1.

The Paperwhite effectively replaces the Touch…it is also a touchscreen, reflective device.

By: John

John — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:42:30 +0000

As a Kindle Touch Screen owner I noticed something odd in the Kindle E-reader Family on the Amazon website… the Kindle Touch is gone! Wonder why? Sure hope support will still be there.

By: Bufo Calvin

Bufo Calvin — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:24:40 +0000

Thanks for writing, Betty!

I can confirm, unfortunately…no audio for the Paperwhite.

By: Joan Huston

Joan Huston — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:27:55 +0000

I just preordered the kindle paper white wifi for $119. Today.

By: Marvin

Marvin — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:18:17 +0000

Exactly as I expected – frontlit, but touch only, no real buttons. I would love to have frontlit, I hate not having real buttons. I will stay with my Mindle.
Fire HD, is there finally a hardware volume control ?

Thank you for keeping the hype alive