# Traded-in my 1st gen Paperwhite, now what?



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

I noticed Amazon was doing a trade-in promotion, a gift card for the estimated appraisal value plus an extra bonus credit toward the purchase of a new Kindle that doesn't expire until the end of the year. I figured it was the most I'd get out of my 1st gen Paperwhite, the battery life was getting weak, and I didn't like any of the fonts on it, so I pulled the trigger and traded it.

I still have a Kindle Keyboard and a Kindle Touch. Honestly, the Touch is the device I use most often, especially since I put OpenDyslexic font on it, but my Touch has my least favorite screen of the 3 e-ink Kindles I've owned. Text has never looked sharp on it, not like my Keyboard. In fact, text on my Keyboard has always looked better to me than even the Paperwhite did. I assume the sharpness I'm seeing is because of the way the Kindle Keyboard's software renders fonts, not because of any technical aspects of the screen itself.

I'm mainly considering a new Paperwhite because of the 300 dpi screen and the reviews that say it has a longer battery life than the basic Kindle. I've read mixed reviews about whether the light can be turned completely off or not, but if it can, that would be a plus for me.

Right now I'm looking at 3 options:

Basic Kindle.
Kindle Paperwhite.
Wait until Black Friday and see if Amazon releases something new between now and then.

Anyone have any thoughts I should consider before making a final decision?
Anyone have any advice for me?


----------



## ConnieBW (Feb 23, 2017)

I have the most recent paperwhite. I've found that when I turn off the light completely, it reads pretty much the same as my old Kindle DX did. In reality though, I almost never turn off the light, because I like that extra bit of brightness. Of course, if you live in a place with more sunlight than Ireland (in short, anywhere else in the world), you might be inclined to turn the light off more. Anyway, the point I'm making is that in my opinion, the kindle is absolutely usable without the light on. 

Battery life, I'm not sure, I would guess at least two weeks, probably more. It goes noticeably quicker if I'm browsing the shop via wifi. I do read a lot, so that's battery life under heavy use. For me, the battery life is good enough that it's never an inconvenience having to find an opportunity to charge. 

I haven't used the most recent basic kindle, other than a bit of playing around in the shop, but seeing them side by side really sold me on the paperwhite. It was so much brighter and easier to read. I do really love my paperwhite - one of the few items I own I would replace in a heartbeat if it broke or was lost.


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Thank you! That's a big help! It's good to know that the light can turn off. Occasionally, my old Paperwhite would bother my eyes and I'd end up turning on a lamp to read with anyway.

We do have quite a bit of sunshine here. My favorite thing, which I can't do without a light, is to light some tiki torches, sit outside and read until the sun goes down in the summer. And I had totally forgotten about that until you mentioned it!


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

The newer Paperwhites and the Voyage, Oasis and non light new basic now have Open Dyslexic font already built in. So you would't have to put it on anymore yourself. 

As to the light I can tell you that when you turn it off on the Voyage, all the way to  zero, or no number as it doesn't show zero, it is almost off. I mean that if I go in a closet and turn the light off, I can see a tiny tiny bit of a glow. And I mean so little you can't see anything, but I can see a very very slight glow. I believe the new Paperwhite does that also, but I only ever seen the 1st Paperwhite in person. 

On the other hand the Oasis, when you turn it down, its completely off. 
But really, unless you go in a black closet and squint at the screen with the lights all off, you would never notice on the Voyage if you turn it all the way down. 

But yes, I just did go into my closet to test that.  

I can have my light on at 9-10 and not notice there is a light on on my Oasis and Voyage. This is inside during the day. Or a cloudy day outside. At night I go down to 9, but always have a side lamp also on. Because e-ink with light when the room is otherwise completely dark looks to me a bit weird. And my light sensitive eyes don't like that, so I need another lightsource somewhere. But I always set my e-inks as low as I can, before I see a glow. If I see the screen glow, I have it turned up too high. I only use the light to enhance the backround. I do not use it to say light up the screen. So when I see a glow, usually when it gets darker outside, I turn it down a notch.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

William G. Jones said:


> Right now I'm looking at 3 options:
> 
> Basic Kindle.
> Kindle Paperwhite.
> ...


Well, first, Black Friday is a long way away -- that's a long time to use a device you're not completely happy with. 

Of the Basic or the Paperwhite, I feel like the additional features of the PW are well worth the cost and would only recommend the Basic if you really were very price conscious -- or if it was meant to be a back up device. That said, you'll probably find the screen on the basic superior to either the Keyboard or Touch models.

Note that it is possible that there will be sales on Kindles between now and Black Friday -- they sometimes do one around Easter and/or Mother's Day. So just pay attention.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I have a Voyage and the latest Paperwhite and, while I like the Voyage better because of it's smaller size and lighter weight, I use them both and I usually don't care which one I use.  Both are excellent.  The Voyage is maybe a little bit excellenter. 

If I had to replace them today for some reason I wouldn't have enough to get a Voyage so I'd probably get a Paperwhite and that would be okay.  But I might just save a little more and get the Voyage.  It's lighter to hold.  Not sure.  I'd have to think about it.

I wouldn't get the Basic Kindle.  I'd buy a Kobo or something with a light before I'd buy any device without one.  Or just read on my phone.  For me the light means not only not needing a lamp to read by, it also means better contrast even with a lamp.  That's worth a lot to me.

I think the major events in the history of reading are the invention of the printing press and the invention of the front light.  All the rest, ereaders, paperbacks, etc. are kind of important but they're the in-between events, not the main events.

Well, maybe the invention of the light bulb should be in that list, too.  And maybe the invention of eye glasses.

Barry


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Thank you for checking that out, Atunah! Is the light on the Paperwhite somewhat warm now? The one I traded in had a cold blue light that really bothered my eyes. The amount of blue really aggrevated my astigmatism and I'd have to squint to clear up the fuzziness. I've noticed people complaining about the light being too yellow in the reviews, but I think I could handle a consistent yellow (or warm) light much better.

The second light source is good advice too. Mine was so bright on the low light settings that I could read in bed in total darkness at 0 (or whatever the lowest setting was). it sounds like they've made those lower settings way more sensitive if you're just barely seeing a chance at 10 or so in a well-lit room. That sounds like even if the color isn't much different, it will be easier to adjust to ease my eyes.



Ann in Arlington said:


> Note that it is possible that there will be sales on Kindles between now and Black Friday -- they sometimes do one around Easter and/or Mother's Day. So just pay attention.


Thank you! I think you're right, Black Friday is a long way away. I'm also not sure how they'd improve a new Paperwhite so much that I'd be sick with my purchase, especially with the trade-in credit I just got.

There is a sale going on right now, $20 off the Kindle, Paperwhite, and Voyage. Do you think the sale prices would be better around those dates?

Barry, I really do want a Voyage. I've been kicking myself for months for not getting one when they had the refurbs last Black Friday for $119 (or maybe it was $129). By the time I made up my mind to do it, they were sold out. I've never so much as seen one in person, though. I like the idea of a flush screen a lot. Decisons, decisions...


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I forgot to mention the flush screen but I like that a lot about it too.  I don't use Page Press or auto brightness so to me the Voyage is just a smaller, lighter Paperwhite.  It really is nicer.  But the Paperwhite is so good the difference is small.

Barry


----------



## Pickett (Jan 6, 2011)

IMO the current sale on the Voyage is as good as it will get; I think that was the sale price this past black Friday.  Prior to that it had only gone on sale three times, each time for $50 off, but since black Friday the sale price seems to be stuck at the $20 level. Perhaps it might be a little cheaper if Amazon has their big July black Friday sale, but the way they set up that day makes for a lot of stress IMO.

I love mine, especially the flush screen; I always felt as if I were reading in a hole with my earlier kindles. It is light weight and easy to hold in one hand with just a few fingers.  I like the adaptive light, although I did have to train it to go where I wanted it to; at first I would always have to lower it, but after a while it learned that I like a lower setting. You can elect to turn off the automatic feature on the light.

If that is the model you really want, then the extra money is not that much, considering you will have it a long time. You got a great deal with the current trade in giving a $35 credit towards a new kindle. When I traded in last fall it was only a $20 credit.


----------



## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

A. My preference is the Paperwhite. I had a Voyage, sold it cheap to a college student, and got a newer Paperwhite.

B. My sister liked my Paperwhite and replaced her Paperwhite 1. She was totally chuffed when she learned she couldn't put any of her games on the new Paperwhite.

C. Thanks to Kindles lenient return policy, you can get a new Paperwhite and a Voyage and see which you like and return the other one within the 30-day trial period.


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Pickett, I'm only getting a $20 bonus on mine, but with the trade-in value, it's more than half what I paid originally. And you're right, I will probably keep my next Kindle a long time. 

Patrickt, what was it you disliked so much about the Voyage? I think I'm pretty settled on a new Paperwhite, but I'm curious what made the Voyage such a bad experience. And, I had no idea the original Paperwhite played games. Mine was very sluggish. It got better after I reloaded the software, but I never imagined it could do games even at that.


----------



## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

If you don't have a problem with a device that is totally touchscreen, then a Paperwhite makes good sense for you.
I never warmed up to the less expensive starter Kindles, probably because I spent so much on my earlier devices that it just didn't make sense.  And to me they just feel flimsy.  I kept my original Paperwhite for over two years before going to the Voyage because I REALLY wanted page turn buttons.  The tap/swipe to turn the page just didn't work well for me for a variety of reasons.  I don't mind the Page Press sensors on the Voyage, but I do like the physical buttons on my Oasis much better.
That being said, if I had to purchase just one of the current models, I would go with the Voyage.  It may be all in my head, but I feel like I get better battery life out of the Voyage than the Oasis - and the warning message when my Oasis case is low is just irritating.  I don't really care when the case is low if the device still has a full charge, and I don't find the Oasis comfortable to hold without the case.  It's just a little too thin for my hands.


----------



## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I'm another one never totally happy with the Paperwhite because I don't like touch screens. I pounced on the Voyage, and it's a good device, but my disappointment in the haptic buttons spoiled it for me. So I'm  much happier with the Oasis than either of the above, but I still dislike that while the buttons work for page turning and some other things, they don't work for everything. I really, really dislike the forced up and down scrolling with the black/white line to the right. If you don't have my unreasonable dislike for touch screens, I think the PW might actually be the best choice - at least with it everything would be consistent.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I like touch screens and I'm happy to defend them.  When I got my Voyage I left the buttons on to try them out and at first I did a few times but after that I never remembered to.  I'm too used to swiping.

Please don't misunderstand me.  I would never belittle people who need buttons.   After all, swiping is too much like the motion of page turning on paper books and that's so way back then.  Why do what comes naturally when you can press a button instead!

I finally turned off the Page Press on my Voyage.  When I tried using it it works very well.  I was surprised at how well they did that.  And, unlike buttons, I never accidentally pressed it and found myself reading somewhere else.  But I never used them so I turned them off.

Barry


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The only thing I'll say about touch screens is this: if you think you won't like them because you're thinking of how smudged your phone or tablet touchscreen gets, and you figure that would be unacceptable in an eReader, know that, because of the nature of the surface of the eInk screen, you don't get nearly as much smudging. 

I resisted a touch screen kindle for that very reason and then got the first Paperwhite. I was pleasantly surprised at how little I notice any sort of smudges on the screen. I actually have to go looking for them. So if you just prefer buttons, that's fine, but if you haven't used a touch screen eInk reader, I'd say it's worth it to try it out before deciding it's not for you.


----------



## isamilis (Dec 8, 2016)

I just bought white paperwhite (2016 version). Loaded book same with my black paperwhite (2015 version). I found that the white one is a bit faster than the old one - when moving from page to page. Not sure this is normal or not. The os, books in both kindles are same. Just for your consideration.


----------



## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

William G. Jones: "Patrickt, what was it you disliked so much about the Voyage? I think I'm pretty settled on a new Paperwhite, but I'm curious what made the Voyage such a bad experience."

It is purely a matter of personal preference. Some of the things I didn't like, others do. I hated the cute Origami cover. I bought a half-dozen other covers and none worked properly. The Voyage is smaller and lighter. I didn't like that. It was hard for me to hold onto the device. I turned off the haptic buttons and did not find the Voyage setting the lighting level with adaptive lighting was working for me.

What I did like were six LED lights instead of four. That was about it. I recognize some people prefer the Voyage and think it's worth $80 more than the Paperwhite.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

isamilis said:


> I just bought white paperwhite (2016 version). Loaded book same with my black paperwhite (2015 version). I found that the white one is a bit faster than the old one - when moving from page to page. Not sure this is normal or not. The os, books in both kindles are same. Just for your consideration.


The second generation Paperwhite has a 25% faster CPU than the first generation. The third generation Paperwhite retained that faster CPU.

I have all three Paperwhites and I use them all at various times and that's really the only difference I notice going from one to the other. But five minutes into my reading I stop noticing it.

Barry


----------



## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

In defense of my NEED for buttons...

If Amazon allowed us to change the portion of the screen where we tapped/swiped to go forward/backward, a touchscreen might work better for me.
My major problem is that I hold the Kindle in my left hand and I have to reach across the section for going backwards to get to the section to go forwards.  I read FAST and it's uncomfortable to keep my hand stretched out in that position so I can turn pages as quickly as I need to.
Again, it's a personal thing and I realize that I am clearly in the minority since so many people hold the Kindles in their right hands (I am right-handed btw).  I just got used to holding the original Kindle left-handed to avoid accidental page turns since the entire right side was a go forward button.  I also think there is a difference in the people who started with buttons and people who started with touchscreens.  It just depends on what is more comfortable for you.


----------



## SuzanneM (Mar 1, 2017)

Andra said:


> In defense of my NEED for buttons...
> 
> If Amazon allowed us to change the portion of the screen where we tapped/swiped to go forward/backward, a touchscreen might work better for me.


I've got the Kobo Aura One this week and really like this options for the position of the page-turn-button (sorry, if rotation doesn't work...)








I set mine at the latest option. So bottom area of the screen is page forward and upper (?) area is for earlier page. I read a lot with the ereader at a Bookseat, and with this setting it is easily and relax.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

When you tap you have to hit the correct portion of the screen.  When you swipe it doesn't matter where you swipe.  It's the direction of the swipe that matters.  I use either hand to hold my Kindle and I swipe with the other hand.  It's pretty much the same thing I did to turn the page on a paper book.  The difference, really, is just that with the Kindle the motion is far less complex.  Also it doesn't change in the wind. 

I'm sorry, all you button pushers.  Swiping is better than pushing buttons.  In time we'll convert you to the true faith.

Barry


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

barryem said:


> When you tap you have to hit the correct portion of the screen. When you swipe it doesn't matter where you swipe. It's the direction of the swipe that matters. I use either hand to hold my Kindle and I swipe with the other hand. It's pretty much the same thing I did to turn the page on a paper book. The difference, really, is just that with the Kindle the motion is far less complex. Also it doesn't change in the wind.
> 
> I'm sorry, all you button pushers. Swiping is better than pushing buttons. In time we'll convert you to the true faith.
> 
> Barry


I am not sure why you continue to belittle those of us that for various reasons either prefer, or must have buttons. I really don't get it.

I am not "silly people" because I want and need to have buttons, just like you are not silly people for preferring touch screen. Please give us all the same respect.

Buttons are a deal breaker for me when it comes to e-readers. Period. Nothing to do with dirt on the screen, but all to do with that I am not good with touch screen, any touch screens. Period. My hands hurt when I have to constantly reach into the screen to change a page. It hurts my joints. I read a lot so I change pages a lot. I can now finally keep my thumb on one place without having to move it again and again.

The Voyage never satisfied me for it as the buttons don't stick up, I had to press too hard on a very small bezel which made my hand cramp up. And at times it fell out of my hand. There was nothing to hold on to. The Oasis solved all of those issues and I hope they will always keep such a kindle or this silly person would have her main hobby taken away as I couldn't read more than a few minutes at a time on a touch screen. So excuse me for wanting something that brings me joy. Obviously Amazon thought it was a great idea or they wouldn't have brought the Oasis to the line up in the first place. Because we sill people asked them to.


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Thank you, everyone! I'm taking all your advice into consideration. 

I got my trade-in finalized today and found out that the promo credit applies to refurbished Kindles as well as new. That's got me leaning toward the Voyage again. I haven't quite decided yet, though. I imagine I'll end up with a new Paperwhite.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

Atunah said:


> I am not sure why you continue to belittle those of us that for various reasons either prefer, or must have buttons. I really don't get it.


I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. That wasn't my intention at all. Most of my post was meant to be humorous. By calling you silly I was being silly.

Obviously I realize that tastes vary. Most of my posts are more serious and I think that's obvious in them.

For what it's worth, in my opinion the best ereader for you to use is the one you prefer. It's as simple as that.

Sometimes I say something that's so silly no-one could possibly take it seriously. Usually that works. Now and then it fails and feelings get hurt. I really don't like hurting people's feelings and I particularly don't want to hurt your feelings. I enjoy your posts, here and at Mobilereader.

Barry


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

William G. Jones said:


> Thank you, everyone! I'm taking all your advice into consideration.
> 
> I got my trade-in finalized today and found out that the promo credit applies to refurbished Kindles as well as new. That's got me leaning toward the Voyage again. I haven't quite decided yet, though. I imagine I'll end up with a new Paperwhite.


FWIW, I prefer the Voyage to the PaperWhite in terms of size and weight. And if you get a third party cover like the Fintie smart shell, you add almost no weight that way either.

The screen is virtually identical, but is completely flat across the front vs recessed into the bezel. I prefer the design/aesthetics.

The haptic buttons are nice -- and adjustable to some extent both in how hard you have to press and in how much feedback you feel -- but still not _really_ buttons so if you feel strongly about that they may not do it for you.

There are more lights which tends to make for a smoother screen when lit, but it's subtle and many people may not consciously notice it. I happen to like the auto adjusting light, but many people didn't feel like it was a feature.

I'm seeing a refurbished Voyage for $152 today which is a fair discount off of the full price of $199 (currently on sale for $179). PW is regularly $119, currently on sale for $99, and the refurbished PW is priced today at $92 -- much less of a discount. Me: I'd get the refurbished Voyage. 

Here, I'll make it easy for you.


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Here, I'll make it easy for you.


Thank you again Ann! No pressure, right? LOL 

I think I'm having enough of a hard time deciding between the two that I need to wait until I can get to a Best Buy and see them in person myself. I have a feeling you're right, that I'll end up with a Voyage... unless, of course, Amazon pulls a rabbit out of their hat between now and then.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Note that new ones are no longer on sale.  

But it looks like that refurbished price is still good.


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

I figured the sale would end before I made a decision. I'm still really happy with my old Touch. I even like having the home button on it. It's going to be the 29th before I can get to the closest city with a Best Buy.

I really do appreciate everyone's advice! I probably would have gone cheap and gotten a basic Kindle without everyone here. Now I'm seriously considering the Voyage I really, really wanted but wasn't going to let myself get. I do want to be able to compare them in person first, though, just so I can be absolutely sure I don't end up with another device I don't like as much as I love my Kindle Touch.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I think comparing them in person is an excellent idea.  I live in a rural area and I don't have a car so I buy most of my stuff online.  I've actually gotten pretty good at that but still, more often than not, there's some little something in most of the things I get that I wish I'd realized ahead of time and that I might have known if I'd see the item first.  Sometimes these are good things.  Sometimes not.

One thing you'll likely find when looking in the store is that the difference in the lighted Kindle and the Basic Kindle won't seem as dramatic in the bright lights of the store.  If you were to compare them in your living room they'd be hugely different.

I just received an unlighted Kobo Mini from one of the members here that I'll be passing on to one of my neighbors soon and I was just playing around with it sitting on the couch.  Before that I was reading on my Kobo Aura, a lighted model with a less crisp screen but because of the light, much easier to read.  Sitting here I can't read the Mini well enough to actually use it without turning on the room light and even then it's just barely readable.  The Aura is beautifully readable either way.  And it's worth mentioning that among lighted readers the Kobo Aura, while a very nice device, has probably the poorest screen light ever made on an e-ink reader.  With the Voyage the difference is even more dramatic.

Personally I think the front lighted screen is the single most important improvement in reading stuff since the invention of the printing press.

Barry


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

That's really good to know about the Kobo! My local library doesn't do ebook lending yet, but it's coming this year. If it's not a Kindle-friendly system, I'll probably be looking for a used Kobo on eBay.

Also, good point about the lights in the store. My Touch is the only Kindle I've bought in a store. I wasn't even planning to buy a new device, I just saw it and fell in love and couldn't let myself leave without one. I may have impulse control issues.


----------



## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

barryem said:


> When you tap you have to hit the correct portion of the screen. When you swipe it doesn't matter where you swipe. It's the direction of the swipe that matters. I use either hand to hold my Kindle and I swipe with the other hand. It's pretty much the same thing I did to turn the page on a paper book. The difference, really, is just that with the Kindle the motion is far less complex. Also it doesn't change in the wind.
> 
> I'm sorry, all you button pushers. Swiping is better than pushing buttons. In time we'll convert you to the true faith.
> 
> Barry


(whiny voice on) But that is still too much effort. I want/need to be able to hold the Kindle and turn pages with just one hand. (whiny voice off)

I'm with Atunah - let it go. I know you are trying to be funny, but not everybody gets that. Reading text just doesn't convey the emotion as clearly as having a conversation with someone. If people are looking for advice or things to consider when plunking down money for a new device, my opinion is just as valid as yours.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I've been participating in forums since long before the internet was publicly available and, while I think my style may have matured a bit, it's been pretty much the same the whole time.  It's not really an intentional style.  It's just me.  I'm like this in person, too.

Most of the forums I've been in seem to enjoy having me there but every now and then one doesn't.  Again, it's the same thing as real life.  I have a few close friends but I've always had a lot of casual friends.  People seem to like having me around.  I get invited a lot.  But every now and then someone doesn't.  Once, while sitting around talking casually, a guy walked over to me and started swinging.  Later he said it was something I said that I don't think I actually said.  I think probably he just disliked me and it probably confused him as much as it did me.

Usually when things go wrong I shrug it off and just go somewhere else.  It's a big world with lots of people.  This time, though, it's disappointing.  I've enjoyed this forum.  There are a lot of very nice and very smart people here and it's been fun.  But I guess there's just too much friction so I'll go find another forum.  I'm sorry this didn't work out, more for myself than for you.

I wish you all well.

Barry


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Sigh.

Different people like different things.  We ask that those differences be respected here on KB.  And, as I like to tell people, things that work face-to-face, particularly when you have a history with the people you are conversing with, do not always work in a text only medium.

Let's accept our differences and move on here.

William, be sure to let us know what you do!

Betsy


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> William, be sure to let us know what you do!
> 
> Betsy


I will, thank you!


----------



## BeeTee-Ess (Oct 28, 2012)

barryem said:


> I've been participating in forums since long before the internet was publicly available and, while I think my style may have matured a bit, it's been pretty much the same the whole time. It's not really an intentional style. It's just me. I'm like this in person, too.
> 
> Most of the forums I've been in seem to enjoy having me there but every now and then one doesn't. Again, it's the same thing as real life. I have a few close friends but I've always had a lot of casual friends. People seem to like having me around. I get invited a lot. But every now and then someone doesn't. Once, while sitting around talking casually, a guy walked over to me and started swinging. Later he said it was something I said that I don't think I actually said. I think probably he just disliked me and it probably confused him as much as it did me.
> 
> ...


Hello Barry...

Wow! That came out of the blue!

I've been an (almost) daily visitor to this forum for some considerable time now, much more often as lurker than contributor.

A significant part of what has kept me coming back has been your posts. They have generally been thoughtful, considered, and have contributed to the issue being discussed. There are a number of fine contributors to this forum, but it will be the poorer for your absence, should you not reconsider your decision.

Please, think again.


----------



## Pickett (Jan 6, 2011)

I have to say I was very, very surprised and disappointed at the responses attacking Barry.  I came here because of the nastiness in the Amazon kindle forum site, but it seems to have shown up here.  IMO his post on swiping was clearly meant to be funny; I actually found it funny and helpful and have started to swipe, instead of tap. I am not making this up and had actually planned a post telling him this when I returned from my travels.  

I have found Barry to be the most helpful and informative person in this forum. Every time he has been attacked or accused of hurting someone's feelings, I thought the attacker was over reacting; Barry, on the other hand, was always quick to apologize, even when, IMO he had done no wrong.

Since we are all aware that text can be interpreted in different ways than the spoken words, perhaps we should all remember that it works both ways and not be so quick to accuse someone of hurting our feelings. When we attack someone for any reason we make everyone else afraid to post for fear of saying the wrong thing in the wrong way.

This has put me into such a turmoil that I am thinking I would be better off not returning also. I am not saying this as a threat-I am not a big contributor here; for the most part i just enjoyed reading all the comments.  But I enjoyed it for the most part at Amazon until the sniping became too upsetting. I am beginning to wonder if readers have more social interaction problems than the general population. I will probably be attacked for this post, but I wish I had spoken up sooner.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

It is difficult to read tone in posts.  Sometimes, what is meant humorously doesn't read that way.  What may be meant as gentle teasing, especially when the person doing the teasing doesn't let up, can go too far.  We're a family here on KBoards.  Like any family, we sometimes get on each others' nerves.  And, like any family, we can move past these things if we want to.  We've all had our moments when someone has gotten on our last nerve.  My hope is always that we'll all hang in there and move on.  I hope that's the case, here, too.

Betsy


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

What Betsy said. I saw no 'attacks' or 'accusations', just long time members reminding another long time member that certain phrases can feel hurtful, even if the person writing them didn't mean to be at all. And, we generally don't allow 'name calling' here -- even mild names like "silly". 

We often have cases where people take exception to the language someone uses. In MOST cases, after discussion, both parties realize that there was no offense intended and self-moderate their future behavior. Party A is more careful about expressing things that could easily be misunderstood in print, and Party B accepts that comments are usually not intended to be mean spirited so they don't take 'em that way. 

I confess, however, I have been _most annoyed_ in real life when I KNOW a person has been advised to refrain from certain comments or behavior as some in the group don't appreciate what SHE sees as humor. And yet _she continues to make the same sorts comments_. At some point the excuse that "I didn't mean anything by it" doesn't work because the rest of us have told her we don't like it and to please cut it out. Maybe she doesn't 'mean' it, but she also doesn't seem to care at all how we feel. 

Anyway, y'all are all welcome here. We only ask that you be mindful of each other -- I'm convinced that no one here was trying to be mean or nasty or anything else.

And now, lest this thread be completely derailed: William, have you decided, yet, what you're going to do?


----------



## ElaineOK (Jun 5, 2009)

Two points.  First I upgraded from a K2 to a Touch to a Paperwhite.  The Touch was my least favorite, and I love my Paperwhite (well, actually, Paperwhites, I have two).  The Touch was slow, and the screen was not as clear as either of my others.  So, no matter which you decide, I can't imagine that you will be anything less than delighted.

Barry, the good-natured humor in your post could not have been missed -- in my opinion.  You, however, will be missed.  Please don't let one incident spoil a relationship that has lasted this long.  

Elaine 
Norman, OK


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

I have found Barry's advice extremely helpful and I'm sad to think that he won't be around anymore.



Ann in Arlington said:


> William, have you decided, yet, what you're going to do?


My back is shot and I don't travel well, but I have a dinner / business meeting planned on the 29th in the closest city with a Best Buy (about an hour away). I'm going to look at the Kindles there and see if the Voyage is what I really want. If it is, I'm planning to either get a refurb Voyage or wait until Prime Day and see if they run them on special again. If the Voyage isn't for me, I'll probably wait and see if Amazon releases a new e-ink device this year. The $20 promo credit is good until the end of the year, so I'll definately be using it before then. 



ElaineOK said:


> So, no matter which you decide, I can't imagine that you will be anything less than delighted.
> Norman, OK


I have a feeling you're right.


----------



## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

UPDATE: I pulled the trigger on Amazon's deal of the day yesterday and got a refurbished Kindle Voyage. Should be here next week (since I don't have Prime).


----------

