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I've received my new Kindle, the $104 international model (there is a $79 ad-supported version for US customers), and I think that it would be nice to make a simple first impressions/fast review on this great device. I won't make a full review since a lot of the big tech sites already made them about 3 weeks ago. This is just for people that want to read another opinion on this device.

The Device

Since the moment I first held it in my hands I instantly loved the feel of this new and smaller version. It's as thin as the old models, but it's lighter and better for holding. The display quality is great, the e-ink refresh rate is still the same, but it's a lot faster.

Hardware

All the buttons on the bottom of the device are well placed and you won't have any problems to use them, but following the Kindle Fire style, the power button is located at the bottom of the device, which makes it to accidentally switch off if you hold it vertically on a table, usually this might happen when you're showing it to someone since there is no reason you would be reading it vertically on a table.

The page forward and backward buttons aren't in the best position. If Amazon placed only a big forward button on the right and the backward/forward (the inverse as it is right now) at the left it would be perfect, but as they are you won't have any problems to do it, just a little (very little, almost micro) discomfort to hold it and press the buttons at the same time.

Software

This version comes with 4.0, but I recommend you to update to 4.0.1 if you are an update-freak (like me) or if you want the option to refresh the e-ink every page turn (which I don't want). By the way there is nothing much to say about the Kindle software since it's pretty simple and the same on all the other Kindle devices.

Comparison With The Kindle DX

Comparing with my Kindle DX it's of course a lot smaller. Both devices have the same thickness, but the new version feels thinner when you hold. I really won't miss the keyboard, since I almost never used it in my DX. Also the display quality is a lot better than the DX one.

The Case

I'm sure there is nothing much to say about a case, but it's something that I haven't seen any other sites commenting on. Anyway, I got my new Kindle bundled with the Marware Eco-Vue Cover which is a great cover for your Kindle (it can be used in the Touch version too).

It's great for protection and it's very well made, with great leather finish outside and a very comfortable soft leather inside. It also has a little pocket inside if you want to carry some paper notes with you and the Kindle won't fall from inside, since the holding system was very well designed.

Holding your Kindle while it's inside this cover isn't very good, maybe it's because the case is brand new and the leather is still a bit hard to stay in the open position. This case also adds some weight and thickness to your Kindle, that's why I'll only use this case to carry my device, while reading I'll take it off the case.

Conclusion

If you currently have the first generation Kindle or the second generation one you should definitely get this since it's a huge milestone, but if you have the third generation or the DX I would suggest you to upgrade only if you want a device that is smaller and better to carry with you.

I'll keep my Kindle DX and use it for technical reading and PDFs. I bought this only because I was needing a eReader to carry with me all time, which isn't possible with the Kindle DX, since it's a very big piece of hardware.

This article was imported from my old blog . Some things may be broken.

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