Awhile ago, when Amazon announced the Kindle Paperwhite, I knew that it was time for a refresh of my e-reader. As soon as it was available for pre-order, which was promptly after the launch, I placed my order. Eagerly waiting for it to ship starting 1 October 2012. Read about my post here.
Thankfully, I got the email notification from Amazon when my Kindle Paperwhite (along with the cover) was shipped only 2 days after it started shipping in US. Unfortunately for a lot of people, the e-reader was over-ordered and a lot of people who ordered after it was shipping had to wait 3-4 weeks for delivery.
With a bunch of my other purchases from US through VPost Asia, a Singapore based freight forwarder that gives you a US address and ships your goods to you in Malaysia, I shipped it over on 13 October. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you’d probably know that I received the order less than 10 days after.
So, here’s some simple unboxing pictures and walk through of what you’ll see in the box.
At the pocket at the top of the box, you’ll see a simple card note. Not a user manual per se, just a simple note about the port and the power button on the Kindle.
Lifting the Kindle Paperwhite device, you’ll find the micro USB charging and syncing cable underneath.
And there it is, the Kindle Paperwhite out of the plastic cover.
The Kindle Paperwhite is a nice clean 6′ e-Ink screen with improved contrast, improved touch interface and most importantly, a frontlit screen which would allow you to read in the dark without hurting your eyes or waking up your partner in a dark bedroom.
Let’s look closer at the hardware…
At only 9.1mm thin, the device is only 213 grams light. It fits perfectly for single hand hold and has a nice rubbery feel to it. It reminds me of the polycarbonate coating and finishing like the Nokia Lumia or the HTC One X.
The e-reader has nothing on the top, left or right side of the device. Only at the bottom, you’ll find the micro USB port along with the power button. The front bottom bezel has a nice Kindle brand logo on it, as well as at the back.
I have a Barnes & Noble old nook e-reader, which is so old that it’s way thicker than any tablets you see today. Hubby has the old Kindle Keyboard. So, it’s only fair that I show you the difference in size of all these 3 devices.
Then again, I also have the Samsung Galaxy Note II infamous “phablet” with me. So here’s a picture of how the new Kindle Paperwhite compares in size, with the 5.5 inch Android smartphone.
No doubt, the Kindle Paperwhite is nice and light and feels awesome in my hands…
Of course, I ordered it with the Kindle Paperwhite official case.
The Leather Cover fits the Kindle Paperwhite perfectly. There is a small opening at the bottom, allowing you to access the micro USB port and power button easily. It has a nice felt-like material inside, which protects the Kindle. Aside from the subtle branding inside and on the magnetic clasp, it looks really nice, although a little pricey.
The cover actually has a magnetic sensor near the clasp, where it puts your e-reader to sleep when you close it. When you open it, it automatically wakes up your device. Much like an iPad’s Smart Cover.
I am super excited and very happy with this new Kindle Paperwhite indeed. Because I have been using a nook all these while, and my e-book collection have mostly been in ePub format, I already noted some softwares and sites that can help me convert them to mobi format for Kindles.
In the next few days, I will be setting up and using the Kindle Paperwhite as my official e-reader. Check back soon for the full review.
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