YHK - yet another hacker news clone

Amazon introduces a redesigned Kindle family

30 points seam_carver 2 days ago 49 comments

maherbeg 2 days ago | parent

These look great! I still have a Kindle Voyage from 2015 that's going strong, though I do wish it had the warmer LED lights. It's nice to have some devices like this and my Fujifilm XT-30 that don't make me feel the constant need for upgrading.

hs86 2 days ago | parent

Weird how there is still no real successor for the Voyage. They somehow refuse to release a 6-inch device with warm light and a light sensor for auto brightness. And with the lack of immersion reading on e-ink devices, I don't think I want to buy another Kindle again.

landgenoot 3 hours ago | parent

I use a voyage as well. Wish it had USB-C, because that's the only device I use regularly that still has micro USB.

Apart from that it's great, books won't get any better with an upgraded ereader.

fnoef 2 days ago | parent

Amazon is a terrible company. Switched away from their Kindle and predatory business practices.

gonzalohm 2 days ago | parent

Do you have a recommendation for an ebook?

jcotton42 2 days ago | parent

I'm not the guy you asked, but I personally switched to Kobo.

fnoef 2 days ago | parent

I switched to Kobo. Not that I’m a fan of Rakuten, but kobo so far remains open and modifiable should you want that

goostavos 2 days ago | parent

I've been super happy with my boox. Full android, so you can install the Kindle app if needed. But it can natively read just about every format.

I sync books through Dropbox. Seamless as can be. (And no DRM or "leasing" nonsense)

rationalist 2 days ago | parent

I just switched to a color Kobo from the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite. I like it.

hiyer 1 hour ago | parent

Kobo is great. Unfortunately - in India at least - the books are way more expensive on Kobo (often 2x or even more) than on Kindle. So I've found it hard to get rid of the Kindle though I prefer to read on the Kobo.

evek 2 days ago | parent

Just as I’m modding my 2018 Paperwhite to add buttons and a bluetooth remote.

Obscurity4340 2 days ago | parent

Keep us posted, sounds cool

joshstrange 2 days ago | parent

Bluetooth page turner is nice but at this point I have zero interest in a Kindle unless I can load KOReader on it. I might buy one of these if they go on a sale and leave it in a drawer until it's jailbroken. I love my PW5 (jailbroken) but I'd buy a Kobo if they had a 7" screen (Clara) since that's easier to get KOReader on.

qingcharles 3 hours ago | parent

$35 for that page turner is insane. I assume you can buy the same thing on Aliexpress for a dollar.

juiceland 2 days ago | parent

It looks like they’ve finally switched over to plant based leather. Good to see them move away from animal products in the accessories. Now if they could treat the humans that work for them better we’d really be cooking.

anotherlab 2 days ago | parent

Adding page-turn buttons to the cover sounds clever.

roryirvine 2 days ago | parent

Yeah, I ran to find the product page - only to find that it "Fits 2026 Releases Only". Agh!

Also it only fits the Signature Editions and will only be available in March (in the UK, at least).

I'm still mourning the Oasis :(

unsnap_biceps 1 hour ago | parent

This finally got me to replace (preorder) my Oasis with a new Kindle. The physical buttons are a must for me.

March_f6 2 days ago | parent

We're in a post-literate society where most adults can't even finish 1 book a year. The fact that kindles are still a thing is kind of shocking.

AlotOfReading 2 days ago | parent

Books are arguably selling better than ever. It's just becoming a hobby people participate in as part of a larger community instead of a universal activity. Breakout successes tend to be things that appeal to women active on social media, a group that has very little overlap with the typical HN audience.

crysin 3 hours ago | parent

You’re on the internet too much if you believe this.

epihelix 2 hours ago | parent

Based on polls like this:

https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/53804-most-americans-didnt...

This literally isn't true :)

But more relevant is that if ~20% of adults are reading 10+ books a year, then there's absolutely still a market for eReaders. (Whether or not kindles deserve that market I'll leave for others to argue :)

lbreakjai 2 days ago | parent

I don't see them on amazon.nl, despite the article saying they're available starting today.

hosel 2 days ago | parent

Give me a new oasis please Amazon

juiceland 15 hours ago | parent

New old stock comes up every once in a while. Last year I bought 2 with cases (both new in box), jailbroke one and put the other in a closet.

whatatofu 2 days ago | parent

Sadly, my next ebook won't be a Kindle. I'm leaning more towards Kobo when it needs a replacement, as I don't really like that Amazon has the ability to delete all my purchased (or non-purchased) ebooks remotely on the push of a button.

They already deleted my books once so it stays since then in plane mode, and I recovered everything with Calibre.

shermozle 2 hours ago | parent

Unfortunately the Kobo software is terrible.

syspec 1 day ago | parent

Not disparaging it, sincerely curious as I see it mentioned in this thread a couple of times... why would you need a blutooth remote for a kindle?

Rebelgecko 11 hours ago | parent

It's nice having a physical button, touchscreen isn't as ergo or reliable

jasonjayr 4 hours ago | parent

Some people read music on an ebook display -- having a foot pedal to advance the page while your playing is a relatively common thing.

iamjake648 3 hours ago | parent

My wife, and nearly all of her friends have one. They setup the kindle with a mount and lay back on the bed or couch.

pkamb 3 hours ago | parent

Treadmill is a big one. Or under covers in bed with the Kindle propped up or mounted.

robotresearcher 3 hours ago | parent

Touch screens are tricky for some people with motor control issues.

jmspring 1 day ago | parent

Not really an Amazon fan, but Kindle Unlimited is something I use a lot. I read 3-4 books a month (sometimes more). Not all great literature, but a way to relax in the evening or on vacation.

I like the warmth setting of more current paperwhites.

gregjw 3 hours ago | parent

Did they invent a colour here? What is Ube?

marinhero 3 hours ago | parent

Ube is a purple yam from the Philippines. Sweet and yummy. Naming makes sense here.

zerocrates 3 hours ago | parent

Ube is a purple yam. You might have seen it in Filipino food like halo halo, or various Instagram-worthy trendy ube-flavored purple foods.

m463 3 hours ago | parent

In seattle there is a restaurant downtown called Ludi's that serves ube pancakes that are a giant purple pile of goodness.

I wonder if there's a connection?

rhplus 3 hours ago | parent

Ube has been a trendy ingredient in major markets for a couple of years now. It’s not just a Seattle thing.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ube-is-the-2024-fla...

m463 2 hours ago | parent

probably, but just wondering because it was ~ 1 mile from amazon hq

Ozzie_osman 3 hours ago | parent

I love my Kindle. Changed my life. I read so much more now. No need to order or go buy books, no need to plan ahead which books to take on a trip, etc.

That said, it is so buggy (constant freezes, occasional white screen of death) and so slow.

paranoidrobot 3 hours ago | parent

Long time Kindle user. I have deeply disliked the touch-only interface since it was introduced - the only reason I switched to them was because the old one with page turn buttons toon a swim.

The touch interface is great for typing, but for turning pages I find myself either accidentally pressing on the screen or it not recognising the touch at all. Touching in the wrong spot can also result in it clicking links or similar.

The idea they might be bringing out a case that has the buttond seems great, except it's only for the signature editions.

Not happy about that one.

reedf1 3 hours ago | parent

An e-reader is the only device I've ever actively wanted a big chunky separated bezel. For the longest time my oldest kindle has been the one I actually used despite no usb-c.

glimshe 3 hours ago | parent

This is basically an ad. They forgot to mention that Amazon doesn't sell books, they only rent you a license. It's gone when they want it to be gone. Bookfinder doesn't have this problem...

alfiedotwtf 3 hours ago | parent

“The Right to Read”

By Richard Stallman

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1981/1981-h/1981-h.htm

lenova 3 hours ago | parent

This "article" is just an advertisement in disguise.

Stratoscope 3 hours ago | parent

I have a nice Kindle Paperwhite, but I hardly ever use it.

Instead, I read my Kindle books on my S24 Ultra. Why?

One reason is the classic photographer's question: "What is the best camera?" The one you have with you.

The other is that I really like scrolling instead of page-turning. I can hold the phone in one hand and use my thumb to scroll up and down just like any webpage or document. This lets me keep my context instead of losing it at every page turn. If I forget the train of thought, I can scroll back a few lines and pick it right up.

There are two steps to enable this.

First, open any book and tap in the middle. Select the "Aa" icon at the top. Go to the Layout tab and turn on Continuous Scrolling.

Now you will have a problem. The selfie camera's circular hole cuts into the scrolling area. To my eyes, it is disorienting and annoying to have everything else scroll but that camera cutout sits there.

To fix this, go to Settings / Display / Camera cutout. Scroll down to Kindle and change its setting from "Auto" to "Hide Camera cutout". This takes away a few pixels at the top of the screen, but you have plenty of display space available. And no disorienting black circle as you scroll.

You may still prefer a physical Kindle device, but with these two settings, the S24 Ultra is now my favorite Kindle.