Kindle Oasis is available for preorder for April 27
Update: I posted this earlier today in a somewhat fragmentary manner, due to some technical issues (dead Fire Phone, flat tire in one car, and the other car was already in the shop). I’m going to clean it up, and add a bit more.
First, here is a link to the User’s Guide:
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/customerdocumentation/EW/Kindle+Oasis+Users+Guide+-+en_US.pdf
I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but that will answer a lot of questions.
Second, I generally would be surprised if this is a big hit and becomes the most popular Kindle EBR (E-Book Reader) model. Amazon doesn’t have a great track record with luxury versions. The Fire Phone was a flop (although I had one for some time), and was introduced at about $200. The original large screen Kindle was never the most popular, although that had some other factors. The Voyage hasn’t been as popular as the Paperwhite.
If you want 3G+Wi-Fi, no ads, and a wall charger (which is not included), it costs just about $400! That’s a lot of money for an EBR…and you can get an entry level Fire each for all nine members of a baseball team for that price! Oh, I’m assuming you can still get the six-pack for $250 when I say that.
I’m sure some people will buy it and be happy with it…but I don’t see revolutionary features.
Sorry this will not be a very fancy post at this point. I am sitting in my car with a flat tire. 🙂 My Fire Phone also died yesterday, so that is complicating things.
I wanted you to know though that the Kindle oasis has been released for pre-order today. Here is the press release
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160413005921/en/
It does appear to be what was leaked yesterday. If the only choice is to get it with a leather cover, I will not be getting it.
Update:
I did get a response from Kindle customer service quite quickly, which I appreciate. Due to this situation, I will not be ordering the Kindle Oasis. I have informed Amazon of that fact.
—
Hello,
Thank you for you interest in purchasing a Kindle Oasis.
I’ve researched and see the Kindle Oasis device comes with leather cover. I’d like to inform you that we have included leather charging cover to boosts battery to last months. Unfortunately, we are unable to ship Kindle Oasis device without the leather cover.
As you don’t use animal leather, I’d suggest you to order the Kindle Oasis device and remove the leather cover once you receive the device.
Please visit the below link to order Kindle Oasis:
I’ve checked and see at this time, the option to purchase Kindle Oasis without leather cover isn’t currently available. Although this option isn’t available, I’m forwarding your comments as a feedback to our Kindle team who’ll review your comments very carefully as we continue to plan further improvements to your Kindle experience.
I’ve let the Kindle team know that you don’t use animal leather and always prefer to order Kindle device without leather cover. I have requested the Kindle team to offer this Kindle device without leather cover. They are looking for ways to improve our service and maybe able to introduce this feature soon in future.
—
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Tags: Kindle Oasis
I Love My Kindle 
April 13, 2016 at 2:17 pm |
All I had to do was see the price to lose any temptation to buy this. I did start the order process to see what a configuration I would want would cost. I added 3G and no ads. I like no ads to avoid the swipe when you open the case. Without ads, once you open the case, the kindle wakes up and is ready to use without a swipe.
The price for that one was $379.99 WOW! Just the basic is $289.99. However, I am not one to complain about the price. If something is too high I simply will pass but won’t complain. I will not call Amazon greedy, money grubbers, etc. like I am certain some will do. You wait! There will be a lot of 1 star reviews from people who did not even buy it saying stuff like “This is too high. Amazon should be ashamed yada yada yada”. That is unfortunate.
Man, that’s a nice looking kindle and I want to know more about it. There is no way I’ll pay that much for it though but I still want to know more. I don’t think this is going to be very popular. I could be wrong but I don’t think most people are willing to pay this much for a kindle when cheaper options are available for very nice units.
I kind of wish I had your job (this one, not your other job) so I’d be forced to buy one LOL. Of course the leather would not stop me but I am proud that you are standing up for what you believe in.
April 14, 2016 at 3:07 am |
Thanks for writing, Phink!
I think a lot of people will feel like you do about the price being off-putting. Amazon has not done well with making an expensive, luxury item. I’m curious about how it would feel, but due to current circumstances, I’m not going to find out. Fortunately, I’m not actually forced to buy one. 🙂 I just won’t be directly linking to them. That likely will cost my family some money, but they understand…and would do the same thing.
My hope is that Amazon makes it available without a cover, or creates a non-animal leather version of the case.
April 13, 2016 at 3:12 pm |
It appears that the ergonomic design works only if you hold the Kindle in your right hand when you read. I hold my Kindle in my left hand even though I’m right handed. It’s just more comfortable that way. I see nothing else that even tempts me on this one. I’ll stick with my Voyage and my outdated Kindle Keyboards which, as of this morning are still connecting to Whispernet despite not being updated to the latest software version. I know one of these days that’s going to disappear, but as long as I can manually download books, I’ll survive.
Now if they were to offer the same design with a left handed option, the return of the ability to use text to speech and play MP3 files, the return of the ability to play active content games such as Every Word, and a larger range of choices in font size and text justification, I would be placing my order today!
April 13, 2016 at 3:47 pm |
Perhaps I am not understanding properly but I think if you are left handed you simply flip it to where those buttons and the large bezel are on the left, instead of right, and the words flip automatically with it.
Again, when I think of all the things I could do with almost $400 (what my configuration would cost) I am not even close to being tempted. However, if my house burned tomorrow and I lost all my kindles I’d consider it.
April 13, 2016 at 4:57 pm
Thanks for the clarification. I might have missed some details. I had an eye exam this morning and my pupils are still dilated. It’s as if somebody coated my glasses with Vaseline, but the little rainbows around the lights are pretty.
April 14, 2016 at 3:28 am
Thanks for writing, Lady!
Those eye exams can be strange!
Our now adult kid had migraine auras as a child. Fortunately, no pain or nausea, but it would be bad enough that it was basically blindness! “The teacher helped me off the jungle gym, and got me to a bench.” “Which teacher?” “I don’t know…”
April 13, 2016 at 11:19 pm
You did make an excellent point however about if it had text to speech, or the ability to play MP3’s you might consider. Those would be popular features but nothing I personally look for. I am looking for more font sizes however. I have a feeling if a new kindle ever gets that a software update will deliver it to the older kindles eventually as well.
The one feature that might have made me consider would have been Bluetooth AND immersion reading capabilities. I wouldn’t care if it didn’t have speakers so long as it had Bluetooth as immersion reading is my favorite kind of reading. I read probably 1/3 of all my books this way and why I use a tablet for 1/3 of all my reading. Or, a kindle EBR and the Echo reading the book.
April 14, 2016 at 3:48 am
Thanks for writing, Phink!
I think Bluetooth in a Kindle EBR is unlikely in the near future, because of the power demand. I suspect a physical out cable is more likely…but TTS (text-to-speech) did take a lot of power, as does the “experimental browser”, so it is possible.
April 14, 2016 at 3:22 am
Thanks for writing, Phink!
I think you are right on the way it works.
If you lost all your Kindles, I’m not sure why this one would be a better bet than one of the other models…at this point, at least, the other three all seem to still be available.
April 14, 2016 at 12:30 pm
Why I might choose this one. It seems it does what the Voyage does but with that months long battery life. That would be a big selling point. However, in the end I probably would go with the Voyage because of price plus how hard is it to plug in overnight? The only problem is I usually pick it up and think “gee. It needs to be charged.” I don’t seem to notice until the battery is really low. When this happens I just grab my PW or Keyboard. Woops! Not so fast. The Keyboard is always dead and I mean dead. I use it rarely so I always have to charge it when in the mood to use it.
April 14, 2016 at 6:20 pm
“The Keyboard is always dead and I mean dead.” That is the main reason I had a reluctant family member get rid of her keyboard…. I had moved on to the Paperwhite by then, for various reasons… Yet we both lament the keyboard. There are LOTS of people who lament the keyboard. So much so, that I think (please remember I have absolutely no training in business) that would be a smarter move… to have a parallel kindle paperwhite with a keyboard. Now THAT would be a good business decision, not this disaster.
April 15, 2016 at 2:18 pm
Thanks for writing, Allie!
The Kindle 3 (Kindle Keyboard) was one of my favorite models, although I am quite fond of the Kindle Paperwhite as well (except for the lack of text-to-speech). I don’t miss having a physical keyboard, and that was an area of…vulnerability for the device, leading to some mechanical problems.
April 13, 2016 at 10:16 pm |
I too read with the Kindle in my left hand even though I’m right handed. The other has never made sense to me–I always hold things in my non-dominant (i.e. left) hand so my dominant hand is free to do things–like sip a cup of coffee while I’m reading.
As Phink said, it does flip automatically so you can read with either hand. Both buttons are even the same size. And looking at the picture closely, they look like real buttons (not the haptic buttons of the Voyage). Not sure about that, though.
P.S. Loved the remark about the rainbows. 🙂
April 14, 2016 at 3:32 am
Thanks for writing, D.!
Good, that’s what I was thinking for the majority of people with dominant hands! Glad to have that corroborated. 🙂
People think I see rainbows and unicorns…but Lady Galaxy managed to actually do it! 😉
April 14, 2016 at 3:19 am |
Thank for writing, Lady!
Hypothetically, the reason why they gave it the ability for the image to be inverted is to make it work equally well for lefties or righties.
I can imagine why people would hold a book or EBR (E-Book Reader) in your non-dominant hand. Holding a book requires relatively little dexterity (or sinestrity, I suppose 😉 ). Turning pages is harder. Also, a lot of people make notes or eat while they read…which would probably be better done with the dominant hand.
It does seem like a lot more money for what are evolutionary changes for the most part. We’ve had long battery charge life…we’ll have longer. Kindles have been getting thinner…they’ll get even more thinner (at least on one side).
The rotation thing is new…but what if they had made two models, one with the thick side on the left, one with the thick side on the right? It would make it less flexible, but I doubt very many households share a Kindle like that. That’s just a guess, though.
April 13, 2016 at 11:00 pm |
I will stick with my Voyage. I like the design elements, the buttons and case. Would really have to hold one to see if I like the thin/thick side design. Usually I have a case, and let the cover go around the back and have one finger between the case covers, others used for turning pages (either Voyage button or screen tap). It looks like Oasis would work for me, more room to hold it without a case. Need to try it.
Extra battery life, don’t think I need it.
Same DPI, no text to speech, same screen size.
Voyage has a good screen, it is evenly lighted, wonder if Oasis is that much better.
Same storage, 4gb.
Same file formats, didn’t add EPUB, but didn’t really expect that.
Expensive. But does include a case, but no charger.
I don’t mind leather, but have bought lower cost cases that I really like Otomon.
Looking forward to more hands on comments.
April 14, 2016 at 3:39 am |
Thanks for writing, Robert!
My guess is that the lighting is genuinely better…but I don’t feel a lack of lighting on our Voyage.
I think quite a few people will spend about $20 for the charger…further raising the price. However, as you point out, many people also bought covers, which they may not do since there is an included cover.
April 14, 2016 at 12:40 pm
I guess the Oasis is not great news for those companies that make after market cases.
I have bought numerous cases on Amazon and because of that if I were going to buy this I’d be a little worried about this case without seeing it. I have gotten some fantastic cases and I’ve gotten some that were not good at all.
This Vintage cover I got for my Voyage however knocked it out of the park. I love everything about it. I got the brown.
April 15, 2016 at 2:14 pm
Thanks for writing, Phink!
I had the same thought. At least initially, we aren’t as likely to see third party covers for the Oasis. People could make covers without the battery element…but that would give the Oasis less battery charge than the 7th generation EBRs. I don’t know how much control Amazon will have over the battery element…whether they tried to make it proprietary or not.
I’ve really liked the inexpensive Fintie (non-animal leather) brand, and have bought several.
I’m still hoping Amazon brings out a cover which will appeal to people who don’t use animal leather (and more specifically, I assume this is cow leather…some other types of animal leather might be more widely…unacceptable).
April 14, 2016 at 4:33 am |
I’m sort of on the fence about this. It is pricey, but that has never stopped me in the past 😀 . I had hoped for something more evolved on the software side, but that seems almost identical to the PW3 & Voyage. It does add a new font (:meh).
I haven’t finished my research — I read with my PW3 with the brown magnetic clasp case always attached — so I wonder what the weight distribution would be PW3+case versus Oasis+case. Since the Oasis case contains a battery, it might be heavier than the PW3 case.
Their battery estimates are laughable — given the way I use my kindles. Their battery estimates are based on lighting set at 50%; WiFi off; and in use for 30 minutes/day.
My PW3 usage: lighting at 70%; WiFi always on, and in use 4+ hours/day. With that profile I get about 2 days before I get a low battery warning. Lion batteries also lose some capacity slowly over time with repeated recharge cycles — I think I’m noticing some lessening of run time on my main PW3.
As I’ve said many times before (I know I’m getting tiresome here :grin) the thing I’d most like from Amazon is some improvements to amazon’s manage my content & devices page. Showing me what cloud collections I have created, which ones are resident on which devices, and which books are in which collections, and are resident on which devices. With that information the ability to manage my content in bulk as to collection & device residency.
Devices with collections containing hundreds of books all resident on the device are noticeably slow performing some operations, and are more likely to stall requiring a reboot.
I have 4 kindles and 3 fires. If I get the oasis, that would be my fifth kindle. Management of content & devices is consequently a big issue for me.
April 15, 2016 at 12:54 pm |
Thanks for writing, Edward!
On the price, I think it’s most important to note that it is relatively expensive. The lowest priced configuration of the Oasis is more than $100 lower than the 2007 Kindle…although, of course, it does a whole lot more. However, it’s $90 more than the Voyage…nearly half as much again. It’s more than $100 more than the most expensive Kobo.
I’m hoping to get a chance to do a more in-depth analysis of the Oasis soon.
April 14, 2016 at 6:29 am |
The only Voyage feature I like better than my wife’s original Paperwhite is the automatic brightness sensor, and the Oasis lacks that, without adding the one previous Kindle feature I’d happily pay for: text to speech.
I’m doing about half my reading via the Kindle app on my iPad Mini 2 Retina, which is hooked up to my wife’s Kindle Unlimited account, and the rest on my Voyage. I like them about equally. Nice that the Voyage can go longer on a charge, but also nice that an iPad can do a lot more than just display Kindle books.
Since I also have no trouble reading via the Kindle app on my iPhone 6S+ when away from home, I find I almost never take either the iPad or Voyage out of the house except for long trips. That to me suggests Amazon can only sell me another Kindle if it has text to speech.
April 15, 2016 at 12:59 pm |
Thanks for writing, Man!
For me, I take my now discontinued Kindle Fire tablet when I’m out and about…and it does TTS. 🙂 So, that wouldn’t be the prompt for me. I would have bought this, more so I could write about it than from a driving need to update from the Voyage and Paperwhite, if it wasn’t for the animal leather requirement.
I agree on the content management. We actively use two Fires and two EBRs (E-Book Readers), the latter being a Voyage and a Paperwhite. I’ve been hoping for that for some time…
April 14, 2016 at 12:23 pm |
One thing that may come of this is we may see some after-market battery cases for the Paperwhite and other models. I’d buy one.
April 15, 2016 at 2:06 am |
I wonder if that is possible. An electronics genius I am not. If they could make after marker charging cases for older models that would excite me.
April 15, 2016 at 2:19 pm
Thanks for writing, Phink!
I think elegant third-party charging cases for older models is quite unlikely. The only port for charging on most models is the micro USB port. You could put a battery in a case, but it would have to have something that could plug into that port, I believe.
April 15, 2016 at 7:41 pm |
This seems to be the most ‘controversial’ Kindle yet.
Leaving aside all the things that people were hoping for (TTS, waterproofing, Liquavista etc.), and taking Oasis on its own terms, the main technical issue that I see is that it is designed to be used without the cover, but you only get about 7 hours of reading time in that mode before you either have to plug a charger in or re-attach the charging cover for awhile (the cover cannot be charged without being attached to the Oasis when it is plugged into a charger).
At least without any actual experience with the device, that would seem to represent a degree of inconvenience that does not pertain to previous Kindles. Perhaps people will not find it a burden to develop a habit of snapping the cover on whenever taking a break from reading, but monitoring the energy storage of the cover to know when you need to charge everything up might be a more difficult habit to establish. The ‘two things to charge up’ imperative might prove too onerous for some people, particularly those who want to read more than 7 hours a day.
It does not seem that it would be as pleasant to use the device with the cover on, as you lose all of the ergonomic benefits.
April 17, 2016 at 6:45 pm |
Thanks for writing, Tom!
I think that you are likely to be right. I think people will tend to either leave it in the cover or leave the cover elsewhere. It seems odd to take the cover off to read, then snap it back on…not much advantage over a powerbank, if that’s the case, except for morphology.