The release of Amazon’s first Android tablet called the Kindle Fire, which was still unavailable outside the US at the time of this review, has also heralded a new range of budget-priced ebook readers, starting with this new entry-level WiFi-only Kindle. This new budget model has no free 3G access or physical keyboard. The latter is replaced by a virtual keyboard, navigating with a four-way rocker and four other buttons. It works well enough but what didn't impress us was the new way the 6in electronic ink display works on this new model.
In the previous version of the Kindle, the device performs a full-screen reset on every page turn. It takes a fraction of a second extra and turns the whole screen black momentarily, but that reset means you get clean text on a clean background after each turn. This new version only performs a quick screen blank for five out of every six page turns and only on the sixth does it perform the full reset. The result is that as you count up the five page turns, the ‘blank’ background shows more ghostly residue of the previous pages, almost like screen burn-in, and only on the sixth page turn does the screen get properly reset. Frankly, it’s like looking at a page that gets progressively dirtier and we think it’s a bad move.
There's also no MP3 audio playback on this new model, but you still get the experimental web browser and wireless networking, of course. It's also reasonably priced, although unfortunately not as cheap as in the US, where it sells for just US$79. Buy directly from Amazon for Australian shipping and the price goes up to A$109, plus around A$13 to ship to Sydney. Buy it from a Dick Smith store and it’s A$139. The choice is yours.
