dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
2621

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz

MVM

Kindle Paperwhite finally launching in Canada

$199 CAD with 3G
$139 CAD with wifi
$89 CAD for non-paperwhite

It's actually being sold from amazon.ca this time around, rather than forcing us to buy from amazon.com, and it qualifies for free shipping.

»www.amazon.ca/gp/product ··· i=915398

Or the press release and such: »www.engadget.com/2013/01 ··· ontinued
MichelR
join:2011-07-03
Trois-Rivieres, QC

MichelR

Member

Cool. I've been thinking about getting one, tough my DXG works well.
peterboro (banned)
Avatars are for posers
join:2006-11-03
Peterborough, ON

peterboro (banned) to Guspaz

Member

to Guspaz
I thought it read Kindle Paperweight when I first glanced. But then again it's as good as a paperweight to me so not far off.

milnoc
join:2001-03-05
Ottawa

milnoc to Guspaz

Member

to Guspaz
Just ordered it. I was suppose to do a video review of the Kindle a year and a half ago!

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz

MVM

Just bought one myself, with the case. It'll be a nice upgrade from my Kindle 3.

milnoc
join:2001-03-05
Ottawa

1 edit

milnoc

Member

I have the previous version of the $89 model (sand coloured instead of black). I still feel that one's the best choice for public transit because you can hold it and turn the pages with one hand while holding your morning coffee in the other hand. Not that easy to do with a touchscreen -- or a real book!

I have serious issues with Amazon's Canadian release schedule however...

EDIT: Just compared the Canadian/US prices. The US prices for the non-ad supported models (what we get here) are the same. So no price gouging there.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz

MVM

I had the Kindle 3 (Keyboard), so that was also button-based. I'm still uncertain about how well the touchscreen is going to work for me, but we'll see...
Guspaz

Guspaz

MVM

One difference is that we have to pay full sales tax, while the Americans don't (no tax on internet purchases in the US). That adds a chunk to the order. But at least this time around we're not paying international shipping. When I bought my Kindle 3, Amazon shipped it from the US and charged us shipping for that.

Thane_Bitter
Inquire within
Premium Member
join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
FP's article on the launch: »business.financialpost.c ··· erwhite/

Post some pics when you get it, I am curious how well the screen, lighting, and capacitive touch interface function.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
said by Guspaz:

One difference is that we have to pay full sales tax, while the Americans don't (no tax on internet purchases in the US)

Entirely incorrect. I order stuff from the US Amazon.com all the time (in fact, I just did yesterday) and have it shipped to an address in Niagara Falls, NY. I pay the 8% NYS/Niagara County combined sales tax on my purchases.

The US is the same situation as Canada - it entirely depends on where you're having it shipped to and whether or not the company has registered for sales tax collection in the jurisdiction of the destination address. Some American states take it a step further, and insist that *you* pay the sales tax on out-of-state (including Internet) purchases you made, and include it on your tax return. Not an issue for us, but can be for the people who live there.

So, if anyone is thinking of ordering something from US Amazon and having it shipped to an address in NYS expecting to not pay sales tax on the US side, you're out of luck.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
Premium Member
join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00 to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
I'd get one in an instant if the silly thing supported ePub, but I'll probably get it anyway, the display is supposed to be excellent. I sideloaded the Android Kindle app on the Playbook and it's certainly the best mobi/azw reader out there. The only thing I don't like about it is that Amazon keeps shoving "recommendations" in your face to get you to buy more. If I wanted to watch advertising I'd plant myself in front of the TV all day.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz to Gone

MVM

to Gone
said by Gone:

Entirely incorrect. I order stuff from the US Amazon.com all the time (in fact, I just did yesterday) and have it shipped to an address in Niagara Falls, NY. I pay the 8% NYS/Niagara County combined sales tax on my purchases.

The US is the same situation as Canada - it entirely depends on where you're having it shipped to and whether or not the company has registered for sales tax collection in the jurisdiction of the destination address. Some American states take it a step further, and insist that *you* pay the sales tax on out-of-state (including Internet) purchases you made, and include it on your tax return. Not an issue for us, but can be for the people who live there.

So, if anyone is thinking of ordering something from US Amazon and having it shipped to an address in NYS expecting to not pay sales tax on the US side, you're out of luck.

The US has no GST, only state tax, and states can't force out-of-state merchants to pay sales tax unless they have a physical nexus (presence) in that state. As such, for smaller merchants, they don't charge sales tax to almost all of the US. The only complications come from larger vendors. Amazon charges sales tax in New York because NY passed a law designed to force Amazon to charges sales tax there by defining Amazon's affiliates program that includes New York residents as being a physical nexus.

If you had your Amazon order delivered to Vermont, for example, you would not have to pay sales tax.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

said by Guspaz:

If you had your Amazon order delivered to Vermont, for example, you would not have to pay sales tax.

... and if I had NCIX deliver something to Manitoba, I wouldn't pay any provincial sales tax either. Your point?

The fact that we have a federal tax is irrelevant. The methods for determining sales tax for Internet purchases in the US and Canada at source are exactly same system. It's based on business operations and/or physical presence and the delivery location of the receiving party. When I ordered a laptop from Cheetah Deals a year ago online I paid sales tax because they're a NYS company from out near Albany and they were shipping to a New York State address. When I order stuff from Newegg US (yes, I can order stuff using a Canadian credit card from Newegg US and have it shipped to my US address) to be delivered to a NYS address, I pay no sales tax because it comes from New Jersey.

You made the blanket claim that Americans don't pay sales tax on Internet purchases. That's completely false. Like Canada, it depends on where you're buying from and where you're shipping it to. If a Canadian decides to order something from Amazon and have it shipped to a NYS address, they're paying sales tax. End of story. If for some reason they're having it shipped to California they'll pay sales tax, too.
BobSagget
join:2005-06-23
Barrie, ON

BobSagget to Guspaz

Member

to Guspaz
This is good news. I am glad to hear Amazon.ca finally selling Kindle devices. Happy to see the pricing is identical to the US store (albeit without the ad-supported models). With Amazon opening the Kindle store at Amazon.ca and finally selling Kindles directly in Canada, maybe we might see an ad-supported model in the future.

I would definitely get a paperwhite if I didn't already have a fully functional Kindle Keyboard. The built-in front light looks intriguing. I use a "lighted cover" with my Kindlw which draws power from the Kindle. It adds a bit of weight overall, but I am used to it.

I'll probably get a second generation Paperwhite, whenever that is.
Sukunai
Premium Member
join:2008-05-07

Sukunai to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
Hmm holds slightly more than 1000 books, whoopdeedoo.

My Nexus 7 can hold several thousand books, and it can also do all the other things a tablet can do.

And every other tablet can pretty much say the same.

Not sure how these can be all that thrilling.

Now if they came for free as a means to getting us interested in a service that used the device....

Hey they do that with phones, so it is NOT a dumb notion.

My tablet has Kindle software, it reads books just like a Kindle, but, it is not just a Kindle.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

The display doesn't need a backlight and they are incredibly easy on the eyes. They call it eInk for a reason. The battery in an eReader when compared to something like a Nexus 7 lasts forever. My wife doesn't have a Kindle, but she has a Sony e-Reader and absolutely loves thing. They serve a different purpose from a general purpose tablet and can't really be compared.

ekster
Hi there
Premium Member
join:2010-07-16
Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, QC

1 edit

ekster to Sukunai

Premium Member

to Sukunai
Can your tablet, or any tablet, be used outside on a bright sunny day, especially while wearing sunglasses? Can your tablet last for several months of daily use without ever worrying about running out of power?

And while debatable to many, a lot of people still have trouble using backlit devices for too long as it hurts their eyes or gives them a headache. I know I can't read for too long on a tablet or my eyes will start hurting. eInk, on the other hand, is better than reading a real book.

eInk devices are far more useful to a lot of people that don't need tablets. I own a playbook myself, used an iPad and a Nexus... and would still buy an eInk device for reading no matter what.

Devanchya
Smile
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Ajax, ON

1 edit

Devanchya to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
why are people so gaga over the Kindle Paperwhite?
I tried it out in the US, and much prefer the Kobo Glo's light.

Case of the Firmware?

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· 9yuj5TK8

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

2 edits

Guspaz

MVM

I have an iPad (3rd gen too, so very nice screen). I have a Kindle. I much prefer reading on the e-ink display.

In terms of the Paperwhite versus the Glo, I'm already in the Amazon ecosystem, so this is an upgrade, not a new device. I'm happy with the way things work at Amazon, and my experience with Kobo devices did not impress me in terms of the interface (my parents have a Kobo Touch).

Comparing the two devices, the Kobo has the following pros/cons that I'm aware of (from a hardware perspective):

Pros:
- Lighter (189g vs 213g)
- Expandable (microSD slot)
- Cheaper ($130 vs $139)

Cons:
- Thicker (10mm vs 9mm)
- Older touchscreen (infrared versus capacitive)
- Less even lighting

The extra thickness is probably because of the touchscreen, actually. Infrared touchscreens require a thicker bezel for the lights/sensors.

Either device is pretty good, from what the reviews say. It really comes down more to personal preference and which ecosystem you're already in. Most of my books are from Baen, so I have them in every conceivable format, although Baen just migrated to Amazon a month or two ago (and almost doubled their prices across the board).

EDIT: It seems like the Paperwhite promises longer battery life, but the manufacturers of eBooks all use completely different and incompatible measurements of battery life. They report battery life in months, but with different numbers of hours per day at different brightness levels.

Thane_Bitter
Inquire within
Premium Member
join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter

Premium Member

I thought the Kindle Paperwhite had less even lighting over the Kobo Glo or did they improve it?

I have a feeling Amazon does a better job writing and testing their firmware, its and area that Kobo needs to improve.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz

MVM

Reviews indicate that the paperwhite is more even, but has a lower maximum brightness.

Thane_Bitter
Inquire within
Premium Member
join:2005-01-20

Thane_Bitter

Premium Member

Thanks, I hope that Staples gets the new PW in stores, as they sell the Glo it should allow for a fair side by side comparison. The touchy-feely factor plays so much into this sort thing you need to try both at the same time.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
Premium Member
join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

Premium Member

Staples or The Source, which also carries both. As far as evenness of lighting is concerned, the Paperwhite has some dark spots right at the bottom, below what would normally be the bottom margin of a normal page, which you can only see in a dark room when the brightness is turned down. Amazon has said this is an artifact of the design and not a "defect", and according to one review I read this is a very minor issue, as the rest of the display is gorgeous and evenly lit. I'd love to see a Kobo Glo and Kindle Paperwhite side by side. I'm not married to the Amazon ecosystem although I agree that, aside from minor annoyances, it does work very well.

So far I'm using Book Reader and Kindle on the Playbook, for ePub and Kindle formats, respectively, and both are great. Book Reader in particular has so much flexibility, as you can specify an HTML colour code for your preferred background and adjust the brightness in the device itself, so that glare isn't really a problem. e-ink is still much preferable in terms of the best experience and long battery life, so I'm on the prowl for an e-reader sooner or later!

milnoc
join:2001-03-05
Ottawa

milnoc

Member

e-ink is a brilliant invention. All it is are a bunch of polarized microscopic spheres, half black and half white, enclosed in a spirit filled pixel sized capsule. Once the spheres have been oriented properly according to what's being displayed, they just stay there until an electric current re-orientates them.

Translation: with the radios turned off, this thing could run for days, even weeks! Until it has to physically display something, the Kindle uses almost no power at all!

I'm hoping they've improved the image management support in the device. It has great potential as a black & white picture book.

BTW, I'll probably get mine tomorrow.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz

MVM

Mine is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow too (shipped this afternoon).

You know, I'm curious how colour e-ink would work with these new front-lit displays. The problem with colour e-ink was that it was just colour filters on top of a monochrome e-ink display, and without a back-light, not enough light would pass through the colour filter to provide a decent image (hence why the colours were so muted). Front-lit displays significantly increase the contrast ratio and light hitting the display, though, so they could provide a huge improvement in the viability of colour e-ink... as long as the light is on.

The Kindle Paperwhite, for its part, does not allow the user to turn the light off; it's always on when the device is in use. Presumably this is because the battery impact is very small when you use this sort of light, because very little light is wasted, so very little power is required.

In terms of the permanence of e-ink, Amazon actually puts an image on the screen when they ship them from the factory; when you unpack your new kindle, it has an image on it telling you what to do. Also, when the Kindle's battery dies completely (if you leave it asleep for too long, for example), it puts an image on the screen right before the battery dies. I can personally attest that there have been times when I've left my kindle with a dead battery for months on end, and the image was completely unchanged.

Xstar_Lumini
join:2008-12-14
CANADA

Xstar_Lumini to Sukunai

Member

to Sukunai
said by Sukunai:

Hmm holds slightly more than 1000 books, whoopdeedoo.

My Nexus 7 can hold several thousand books, and it can also do all the other things a tablet can do.

And every other tablet can pretty much say the same.

Not sure how these can be all that thrilling.

Now if they came for free as a means to getting us interested in a service that used the device....

Hey they do that with phones, so it is NOT a dumb notion.

My tablet has Kindle software, it reads books just like a Kindle, but, it is not just a Kindle.

C'mon really? You are downplaying the fact that it can hold 1,000 books? How many do you need? I have a smartphone with a huge screen and it hurts my eyes to read a book on it, I imagine it's the same on a Nexus 7 tablet. I don't have a kindle but I imagine its easy on your eyes just like a normal book. Now that this "white paper" Kindle comes around I think I'm going to buy it. It doesn't navigate the internet? Who cares, I have my smartphone and my desktop for that.

Can someone tell me if the entire Bible is available on the Kindle? I'm a noob.

Devanchya
Smile
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Ajax, ON

Devanchya

Premium Member

I have the Nexus 7 and a Sony eReader, and a Kobo Glo. I have to say that the Kobo is the easiest to read of all of them. In fact "reading" a real paper book is annoying now. I've gotten use to the form factor of the Kobo for everything... I find some hard covers just down right heavy after a 2+ hour reading session.

Not to mention my wife has gotten use to sleeping with the bedroom light off as the Glo provides the perfect amount of light to read by (and I use it near the lowest setting).

I do read on my Tablet / Phone sometimes, but only for short periods.

Guspaz
Guspaz
MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC

Guspaz

MVM

There are several free copies of the bible in the Kindle store (the highest rated one is labeled "english standard version", and there seems to be a highly rated version of the King James version for about a dollar.

That said, despite the FUD some people like to spread, you can put free books on a kindle that don't come from Amazon, so if you can find a free copy somewhere else you'd like to put on it, nothing stopping you.

milnoc
join:2001-03-05
Ottawa

milnoc

Member

Project Gutenberg for example. »www.gutenberg.org/

I've read the specs on the proposed colour eink displays. The only way I can see that work properly is if the spheres themselves were coloured. Using colour overlays just doesn't seem like a practical solution, especially considering the light absorption factor.

You might as well get a traditional backlit tablet.
Sukunai
Premium Member
join:2008-05-07

Sukunai to Guspaz

Premium Member

to Guspaz
I find it interesting though that a person would even consider reading a book in full direct sunlight in the first place. Or that a person would need to have access to a portable book for reading longer than 15-30 minutes.

I prefer my tablet for reading books where colour is actually required. For just text I suppose the Kindle is more efficient. But I like access to full colour pages.

I'm something of a paper elitist though, nothing beats reading a real book. I went to a Nexus 7 because a 10 inch was really too cumbersome. Ideally I want my Nexus 7 and a real paper back as well.

I find it amazing though what people will actually try and do on a phone sized screen. I consider web browsing on a 7 inch tablet to be small itself. And watching a video on anything smaller is moronic.

I like playing on my Nintendo DSi XL, but longer than 15 minutes of that pretty much means 30 minutes of mangled focus while my eyes deal with the different conditions.