Like the author in this article I just can reason why someone would purchase a $290 eReader!

Another article: The Kindle Oasis is a cork in a desert of screwcaps (The Verge)

i still read on my Kindle Keyboard, but i'm envious of the in-screen lighting of the Paperwhite and up.

the Kindles with touchscreens aren't at all comfortable for me (stubby fingers that just don't reach far enough for realistic one-hand reading), so i've been waiting for a new Kindle that had real page turn buttons and the fancy screen.  however, at $290, i can't justify that - at least while i still have a working ereader and a new one in the box still for backup.  [as someone on a blog comment thread pointed out, you could buy nearly 10 Kindle Keyboards from the amazon marketplace for that same money.]  plus that $290 is just the base price, if you want no ads or 3G it's even more.

i'd like to play with one, but i have two concerns about the new Oasis that i haven't seen addressed just yet, since it's still pre-release.  1. i want to know how long you can truly read in one go when it's not attached to the case.  probably plenty enough for a normal night, and then just click on the case when i'm done.  however, if i'm reading the specs right, it doesn't seem like it'd last long enough for my normal vacation usage - 5 hours (or so) on the plane, an hour or so sitting at the terminal before boarding, and another while waiting in line for the car rental, plus i'm still likely to want to read on it that night.      2. when you flip it to hold it in your left hand, the power button is going to be on the bottom corner of that hand.  i want to know if it's all too easy to turn it off when you don't mean to, or if that's not a problem.

i may be stuck in my ways, but i'd be thrilled if they just put the new screen in the Kindle Keyboard body.  :)  i like the page turn buttons, the actual keyboard to take notes with, and it's comfortable to hold.  plus with the keyboard on the bottom, i can rest it on a pillow in my lap and there's enough bezel that it doesn't block any of the screen.

Great. A right handed design. Can it be flipped to left?  Where is the power button.  Still no mention about waterproofing the input. 

Right handed design?  I'm right handed and I always hold my book or my ereader in my left hand.  Not my right.

$290 is way too expensive.  My first eink reader, I paid $175 and that was 6 years ago.  I wouldn't pay that now, certainly not more.  Plus, it's Amazon, not buying from them ever.

I've got my perfect ereader, my Sony T3, and I didn't even pay $100 for it!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDigitalReader/~3/8alYa8WjzyI/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

This article talks about Bluetooth and audio support. I guess that works for audio books.  

This ridiclously high-priced ebook costs the same as some tablets and does it really do anything that my paperwhite doesn't do?  I think it will go the way of the Amazon phone.

Wow! That's a ridiculous amount of money for a reader just to read.

Like Ellen, I have a Kindle Keyboard (and a spare one also put aside). As I'm beginning to have some problems with my hands, the continual pressing of the buttons sometimes bother me, but I still like it and can't see replacing it, especially with something so expensive. I also have a 2nd generation Kindle Fire that I use for epub books from the library since the other one won't work for that. The Fire is really heavy and the battery doesn't last near as long as the Keyboard Kindle, but I like the touchscreen.

It'll be interesting to see how many they sell.

My DH got me the Kindle Voyage for Valentine's Day. (I had a first or seond generation Kindle Fire that I hated to read on, because the screen was too reflective and it was way too heavy for my hands.)

I really like the Voyage. Very clear screen, and I don't get those weird dot things on the bottom from the lights like the Paperwhite does. It is so light that I can hold it for much longer- which is important to me as my hands get worse.)

My DH read me the article about the Oasis, and offered to take my Voyage and buy me the newest model. My answer? Nope.

If I had to travel, I might upgrade, seeing as the case becomes its charger, so you have a back-up power supply. But I don't need that, so upgrading just for a reversible handle and a few ounces lighter? Nah. I like my Voyage. The only thing I miss is the color on the book covers. (But if I really want to see the color, I can just pull out my laptop or iPhone (or the old Kindle Fire-lol!)

today i finally got to play with a Kindle Oasis, as there was an Amazon popup store at the mall i had stopped at for something else.

i didn't have my Kindle Keyboard for comparison handy, and the mall lighting was definitely not what i usually have, but if the light was all the way off, the screen did seem darker than what i was used to.  it was very light, and simple to use, seemed very tiny compared to what i'm used to.  reading with the cover on wasn't quite as comfortable, but it didn't add much weight.   i never noticed the power button at all, didn't turn it off by accident when switching between hands.

the sales guy stated that the spec for reading with just the device at light level 10 (more than needed for reading under normal conditions, don't know about in the dark), 30 min per day is 4 weeks, so that's 14 hours total.  [i need to double check that.]  should be ample for any travel day, especially if you add the cover for more time.

it felt a little weird that the page forward button was the top one, and the page back on the bottom (even if you switch hands), as it's backwards from what i'm used to - but there's a setting to reverse them if you want.  :)

in general i'm now more interested in this device than before, but it's still too expensive.

oh, and the sales guy stated that the walnut cover was real leather, but the merlot and black were synthetic leather.  the product listing says "The removable charging cover is made of high-quality leather and comes in your choice of black, merlot, or walnut."  so no clue which it is, but the walnut definitely felt nicer (like suede) than the others.

Like Debbie I have the Voyage.  A light device, holds a charge for roughly seven hours.  I bought the one that's $199.  I love it for reading in bed.  If I fall asleep it turns itself off.  You can change the lighting on it, it has a page turner on the right and left, back is above it and sometime, I hit the wrong thing when I'm switching hands,  On/off is in the back.   

if anyone has any questions, i got the Kindle Oasis 2017 (9th gen) about a week ago.  after trying it out at the Amazon popup and liking it, DH decided i needed it.

the screen is definitely darker than my Kindle Keyboard (K3), so i've found that reading without the light on most of the time isn't reasonable as there isn't enough contrast, but i only have to set it to about 4 to read when there's also other light.

i am walking in circles while reading a lot now (getting those daily steps in before midnight - living room, dining room, kitchen, and back), and i had to turn on all the lights in three rooms so i could read on my K3 - and that's why DH decided i needed a Kindle with a light.  ;)  i only have to turn the device light up to 7 to walk that same circuit now and don't have to turn on the additional lights, so it's been good for that.

the new 7" screen is nice.  using the closest in font size i could find to my default on the K3, i get an extra word per line and 7 extra lines per page.  or i get just about the same as my K3 on my default when i move up a font size on the Oasis.

holding it does use different muscles in my hand, so i'll have to get used to it.  i haven't had it long enough to comment on battery life, but from the first day setting it up, it does seem like it's a really good idea to keep wifi off until you need it - but i always did that anyway.

two small negatives so far, neither something i'd return it for.

1) one of the features is that there are more fonts to choose from, and then you can add one of four levels of boldness.  playing with the test model, just adding the first level of boldness made it easier for me to see (better contrast) withough having to turn the font size up.  however, it turns out the boldness part is only available on some books (not on the users guide, for example), and it appears not at all on MOBI books, which is what most of mine are (sideloaded).  which is aggravating i can't use the option i want, and odd because it seems the font is on the Kindle already so i don't know why i can't have it.  [there is a bold font available, but it's not as comfortable for me to read as Bookerly.]

2) just annoying, this behavior is from the Kindle app and possibly the last few models of Kindle i've never used, but when i want to add a note, it automatically also adds an unwanted highlight.  i end up deleting the highlight right after i finish adding the note, but the My Clippings file will be twice as long with all these highlights added to it.