Danny Recommends: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition
Every so often we dip our toes into a series called Danny Recommends:, posts that tip you off to the stuff that I…you know. The recommendations might be products for use in your ministry, resources that will help you develop leaders around you, or just fun stuff that you need. Want. Whatever. I have a full list of recommended books and such over at the Reading List, but these posts will go into further detail. For other posts in the series, check out the link at the bottom.
I realize that asking someone to choose between print books and ebooks is kind of like asking someone to choose between their children and that new kid from down the street who – now that you stop to think about it – is kind of precocious and really witty and so polite and they always clean up after themselves and my gosh why can’t my kid be more like the neighbor’s kid?!?
I have been Team Print for most of my life, mainly because I was born shortly after the printing press was invented, so it made sense. I bought my first Kindle in 2016, but even then, the scales didn’t tip until a few years later. It was 2020 before my ebook consumption exceeded my print book consumption, and to this day, print books haven’t caught back up. Last year, 62% of the books I read were on Kindle, while only 7% were print. (I had my biggest year yet in audiobooks, with 21% of books consumed following that format.)
So what I’m saying is, Hard Copy Danny is still a little shocked that Digital Danny has embraced the revolution so completely. My deepest apologies, Mr. Gutenberg.
I digress. A few months ago, it became evident that my eight year old Kindle was on its last legs. The battery had a hard time keeping a charge, the touchscreen response was sluggish, and there were times it would inexplicably power off and take forever to come back on. This just so happened to coincide with Kindle’s new lineup of products, and had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that I wanted needed a new gadget.
I settled on the Kindle Paperwhite Signagure Edition, and I could. not. be. happier with my purchase. Here are the quick bullet points of what I love most:
- Unbelievably responsive. One of the things I never loved about my circa 2016 model was the touchscreen seemed so slow. While the new Kindle isn’t necessarily iPad-response-time status, it’s so far above my old model that it feels like comparing a Ford Pinto to a Tesla Model Y. The official copy says “25% faster page turns.” I’m gonna say 25% and then some, compared to the previous dinosaur.
- Wireless / USB-C charging. I don’t really care about wireless. Being a once-per-day user of my Kindle (maybe twice per day on weekends), I have the time to let it get a long, luxurious charge via cable. But man, I hated the little micro charger. The new USB-C is easy to find and easy to use. But sitting it on my wireless QR charging pad ain’t such a bad deal, now that I have it.
- Audible support. This was a dandy little suprise. When I logged into my new Kindle, all of my Audible books popped up as well. Because it has a Bluetooth connection, I can listen via AirPods. Did I need that? No. Is it cool to have? Yes.
There are other beauties: storage space for thousands of books, auto-adjusting lighting, a crazy-long battery life. (Can you tell I’m a fan?)
Let’s talk cost: the current list price is $199.99. I happened to get mine on a Black Friday deal, so I did not pay anywhere close to $199.99. You can use a site like camelcamelcamel to track that rascal to see when he goes on sale. Also, if you have an older Kindle, trade it in and you’ll get a 20% discount.
If you’re looking for a new e-reader, there’s not a better one out there.
Order Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition.
See all posts in the Danny Recommends: series.
Disclaimer: FTC watchdogs will probably want to know that the vendors listed / linked above did not ask for this endorsement, nor did they provide me with free swag in order to do so. I’m just a really satisfied fan who wants to let you know about helpful things. I only promote items that have benefitted me and that I believe will benefit you. So there.
