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Suggestions? I need a lighter Kindle for Travel

Rene McDaniel

Rene McDaniel

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
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Location
San Diego, CA
I have the 7" Kindle Fire which I love but it is just too heavy for lugging around every day, so I am wondering what would be a lighter alternative?

We have a Paris trip scheduled this summer, and I've bought several guide books I'd like to have access to while we're touring around during the day. I'll already have a small Canon point & shoot camera with me & even though it's small its really quite heavy.

There is a 6" Kindle E-ink reader for $69 available on Amazon. I don't think I would need the more expensive Paperwhite because I would only be using it during the day.

There is also the older Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display, which you can buy used for $83 on Amazon. I read in several reviews that having the free 3G on this older Kindle is great for Europe, because you can do a lot more with the 3G than just download Kindle books, and saves you looking for WiFi hotspots. (I do not plan to download any books on my trip, but I will not have cell phone service, so maybe the 3G would be useful?)

I plan on taking my Kindle Fire with me for reading on the plane and in the evening, just not out and about during the day. Also, my iPhone can read Kindle books, but I think is will be too small & difficult to read with my bad vision.

I don't have any experience with the older Kindles, but they were supposed to be a light as a paperback, which the new Fire's are definitely not!

--- Rene
 
I have one of the original kindles and it's still going strong after all these years. Have even dropped it in the bathtub. I love it. It has been all over the world with me. I also have a mini ipad that I love but keep it in the safe during the day.
We just got back form Paris. I took my case off it for carrying during the day. I borrowed my son's pocket size camera for this trip as we had read and heard so much about pick pockets etc. We had no problems and tired to not look like a tourist.
 
Only you can answer how heavy is too heavy. I also have a Kindle Fire 7" HD & a Kindle monochrome keyboard model. DW has an 8.9" Kindle Fire HDX. I don't find my little Fire too heavy, unless I stick it in a cargo pants pocket. Strangely, the bigger Kindle HDX of DW's doesn't feel as heavy- maybe because it's just larger (I can keep it on my knee) and I don't feel I have to hold it up closer to my eyes to read the smaller screen of my little one- plus the rear facing camera on the HDX models could eliminate the need for some people of carrying around a separate point & shoot camera.

Carrying ANY of the tablets on vacation beats the heck out of lugging around a laptop!

Jim
 
I have the paperwhite with a backlight. I love it, and if it isn't much more expensive I'd get that one. I read at night without the light on, or when the is on without a light disturbing the tv. I also read on vacation when my sister is sleeping and I am awake. She's very happy that I don't have to turn on the light.

Fern
 
If you really want to travel light, buy a used Motorola Droid HD smartphone. You don't have to activate it, just use the wireless. It has high enough resolution that you can use the Kindle app to read books (with bifocals if you're over 40). I use my old smartphone as a MP3 player because the battery lasts forever if it's always in airplane mode.
 
I agree with Fern - for a basic Kindle, the paperwhite is definitely the way to go. There are 4 Kindles in our household and my favorite is the paperwhite when my first priority is reading.
 
Rene McDaniel said:
I have the 7" Kindle Fire which I love but it is just too heavy for lugging around every day, so I am wondering what would be a lighter alternative?

...
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, how heavy is this machine that it's too heavy to "lug" around?
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I am just trying to lighten my load while I'm out and about sightseeing each day. If any of you gentlemen has ever felt the weight of your wife's purse by the time you put all those electronic gadgets and stuff in there. Well, let's just say -- by the end of a long day it can feel like you are carrying around a pile of rocks. My chiropractor always tells me to lighten my purse whenever I start to have issues with my shoulders, neck, or back pain.

So, I have purchased a light-weight canvas Travelon anti-theft purse from Amazon. It's the kind that goes across your body to help distribute the weight and it's slash-proof. (I will still keep my cards & ID inside a lightweight moneybelt.) When I put my camera and iPhone in the new purse, it still feels pretty light. But when I add the Kindle Fire (I have the original one which is slightly heavier), it really seems to increase the weight of the purse. I am thinking it might be because the screen is glass, plus there is all that extra touch-screen technology, color, and electronics. I was just hoping one of the older Kindle E-ink screens with less capabilities might be smaller and lighter.

I will try checking friends and relatives to see if any of them has an older Kindle I can take a look at.
 
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12.2 oz isn't much but combined with everything else you have it may seem that way. If all you want is something to read with you could take the above posters recommendation to use your phone. The kindle app on the iphone works great and I used it for an awful long time before finally getting an actual kindle.

Funny thing is that last year while laying around the pool on vacation I found out my IPad is a terrible device to try and read on. The glare from the sun makes it almost impossible to read on so I pulled out my iphone and could see it much better. I thought when we got the iPads the days of hauling around the kindles were over. Not so.
 
I bought myself the HDX 7in for Christmas. I like it a lot. My only complaints are it goes through battery fast and charges slow and it doesn't have full access to the droid market. So there are some apps that aren't available and others that I have already paid for through the play store but now I have to buy again to get the kindle version.
 
Kindle Fire HD 7" - 12.2 oz.

Kindle Fire HDX 7" - 10.7 oz.

Kindle 6" (Paper white or plain) - 5.98 oz.

While these weight differences might seem insignificant, I can tell you from experience the plain ereaders seem superlight after using a tablet. (I use Nook devices, but the weight comparisons are similar. As Bucky mentioned, they also fare better in bright sunlight.)
 
"Roger" said:
Kindle Fire HD 7" - 12.2 oz.

Kindle Fire HDX 7" - 10.7 oz.

Kindle 6" (Paper white or plain) - 5.98 oz.

While these weight differences might seem insignificant, I can tell you from experience the plain ereaders seem superlight after using a tablet. (I use Nook devices, but the weight comparisons are similar. As Bucky mentioned, they also fare better in bright sunlight.)
Click to expand...

With a difference of only 6.22 Oz I'd use the device that I like best and save the weight somewhere else. A small bag of dried dates weighs in at 8 Oz and seems very light to me.

If the heavier one is superior to the lighter one I would not change.
 
Bucky said:
12.2 oz isn't much but combined with everything else you have it may seem that way. If all you want is something to read with you could take the above posters recommendation to use your phone. The kindle app on the iphone works great and I used it for an awful long time before finally getting an actual kindle.

Funny thing is that last year while laying around the pool on vacation I found out my IPad is a terrible device to try and read on. The glare from the sun makes it almost impossible to read on so I pulled out my iphone and could see it much better. I thought when we got the iPads the days of hauling around the kindles were over. Not so.
Click to expand...

Bucky and CSXJohn,
Those were just the tips I needed. Bucky, I took your advice and downloaded my Rick Steves, Fodor's & Lonely Planet Paris guidebooks onto my iPhone, and I can read them just fine! I thought the navigation was going to be a problem since I usually find reading reading guidebooks a pain-in-the-tush on the Kindle.

The kindle ap on the iPhone's standard font size is actually pretty large, and you can use 2 fingers to enlarge the teeny tiny maps, and they are very legible, too. All this time, and I never realized I could have been doing a lot of reading on my iPhone. I had just assumed the print would be too small for me.

Thanks guys. This is great news. I don't have to add the extra weight of carrying ANY Kindles around with me during the day. Plus, by using the iPhone the photos and maps are all in glorious color (not e-ink). Even better, I don't have to spend additional money!

Doing the happy dance here in San Diego! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Tuggers are the best!!
 
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