Welcome to another Good e-Reader Review! Today we take a
look at the new Amazon
Kindle 3 Graphite DX E-Reader! This little guy has a 9.7 inch screen, full
keyboard and tons of features for all of your e-reading adventures.
The Amazon Kindle DX Graphite edition continues the trend of
being Amazons largest e-reader to date. Featuring a 9.7 inch screen and 50%
better contrast and resolution from previous models, it is certainly worth the
$379 price tag. Its screen displays a 1200 x 824 pixel resolution at 150 ppi,
features 16-level gray scale, and a new 10:1 contrast ratio.
The Page turns on this device are lightning fast and only
increase with some of the latest firmware updates. There is no lag turning the
pages, and even accessing some of the menu functions is quick and easy.
This e-reader towers over the competition. Most electronic
readers are only 6 inches or so, having a 9.7 inch e-reader is like reading a
magazine, it is also as slim as one. It currently reads e-ink with greyscale
which means you get a complete e-reading experience, with no eye strain.
Maintaining the tradition of e-ink, means there is no glare in the direct
sunlight. For a great comparison of the Amazon Kindle DX VS. the Apple iPad in
direct sunlight.
Menu Features
Now let’s talk menu features, the Amazon Kindle DX has tons
of menu features that allow you to access a dictionary, highlight and bookmark
pages. There are also many options to adjust the size of the font, and even
change it altogether. There are many stand-alone options such as a web browser,
to visit websites such as Facebook, Twitter and others. You have the entire
internet available to you. Other menu features include being able to register
your device with Amazon, so you can start purchasing books right away. The menu
system is intuitive and robust, it is one of the most stable, in terms of
refresh rates out of most e-readers.
Connectivity
Menu Features are all quite well enough, but what about the
Connectivity? You can access 3G from any AT&T hotspot and offers global
WI-FI coverage. HSDPA modem (3G) with a fallback to EDGE/GPRS; utilizes Amazon
Whispernet to provide wireless coverage via AT&T’s 3G high-speed data
network in the U.S. and partner networks outside of the U.S. See Wireless Terms and Conditions
Battery Life
The Battery life on the DX is great, despite the fact that
it uses 3G and WIFI you can literary leave this unit on for 2 to 3 weeks, with
WIFI turned off, if you leave the WI-FI turned on, you get about 1 week of
constant use.
eBooks and Reading
The Amazon DX has a built in PDF reader, traditionally PDFS
are meant to be read on large screen displays, such as netbooks and computers.
Most e-readers only have a six inch screen and do not have the ability to show
PDF’s out properly. With the 9.7 inch screen, you get the full PDF experience
being able to read ebooks. It will also read Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, Audible
(formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML,
DOC, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion. If you are looking for audio
books or to listen to MP3′s you can certainly copy your own to the device, or
purchase it from other stores. The device itself has 4 GB of internal memory,
so its enough to store thousands of books. If you choose to buy your eBooks or
Audio Books from other stores, other then Amazon, you have to use Adobe Digital
Editions to copy it to your device. If the content you bought does not have DRM
(Digital Rights Management) You can simply just copy and paste it directly to
your E-Reader, using Windows Explorer. If you are having trouble with copying
eBooks to your device, check out our Amazon DX eBook Video Tutorial.
It also has the Read to Me function, this is basically a
text to speech function. It will read blogs, newspapers, ebooks, and more out
loud to you. You can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and
your spot is automatically saved. Pages automatically turn while the content is
being read, so you can listen hands-free. You can speed up or slow down the
reading speeds or choose a male or female voice. In the middle of a great book
or article but have to jump in the car? Simply turn on Text-to-Speech and
listen on the go.
Other Features
Some of the other hardware features the Amazon Kindle DX has
is, a mini USB port, Stereo Speakers, and a headphone jack. The Kindle DX also
features a Accelerometer, which means you can switch it between horizontal and
landscape mode.
Our Experience
We have played with MANY different e-readers, and this one
is a giant Mount Smurfs. It takes a few days getting used to such a large
screen display. We have played with the Barnes and Noble Nook, Amazon Kindle 2,
Kobo E-Reader and many more. This one is big, but after a while it does not
feel that big, and really feels natural. With such a large display, more words
fit on any given page, and you can get through books a lot faster. Because this
unit is the lightest Kindle DX, it weighs hardly anything and you can easily
hold it in one hand for marathon reading sessions.
Many people compare the Kindle DX to the Apple iPad. I would
say, the Amazon Kindle 3 DX Graphite is currently the large screen e-reader to
beat. Amazon has been making e-readers for 4 or 5 years now. They really have
the science down pat. Buying books is a breeze, and so is shopping for
ebooks on other stores. If you know how to convert ebooks from one format to
another, you can literally shop anywhere for ebooks and then load them on your
Kindle. If you have trouble converting ebooks, check out our Video tutorial.
It’s our estimation that although the price is a little bit
more expensive at $395, it is worth the price if you want the best of the
best. Although this will not fit in your pocket or purse as easily as a 6 inch
e-reader will, if you are reading in the home, cafe, beach, or on vacation, pick
this up. Reserve your Kindle 3 DX Graphite 3G today at buyEtail.com.
source: http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/review-of-the-kindle-3-dx-graphite-wifi3g-e-reader
by Michael Kozlowski
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