Likes:
- Very thin
- Grippy back
- Screen is easy on the eyes
- Additional features available to Amazon Prime subscribers such as lending and one book per month for free.
- 3G data does not require a subscription and allows for "on the go" access to the Kindle store
- Special offers can be disabled with a purchase
Dislike:
- Power adapter sold separately
- Ads so far aren't for books so much as mobile phone service and soap.
- Some concepts such as swiping to move around the interface may not come organically to users that haven't used an iPad before.
- Screen may be a bit cramped for some technical or reference books.
Design:
It is thin and grey with a grippy rubberized back. Fitting easily in one hand, the touch screen is inset (?) from the frame so that you don't accidentally bump it, but can still operate it pretty much with one hand. The keyboard and page turn buttons are gone leaving only two buttons, a home type button that gets you back to your home screen, and a power button located on the bottom of the device. All other interaction with the Kindle happens on the screen.
Interface:
Surprisingly, the Kindle Touch operates similarly to a tablet in respect to scrolling through items in a list in that you swipe across the screen to move to the next page, and then tap the item you want to select. Reading mode looks to be geared for right handed operation where 75% of the screen is dedicated to page flipping, the top for accessing the menu and a sliver of the left portion of the screen is reserved for paging back.
Screen:
The screen is crisp as would be expected with e-ink. Pages change quickly and only have to do a full refresh every 6 pages or so. Overall there is less of the flashing the screen to black in order to go to the next page. Since this is e-ink it means that you will require an outside light source in order to view the screen. Just saying.
The touch response of the screen works very nice, and requires very little pressure to operate. Response lagged slightly but was consistent so you get used to it.
Overall:
I like the Kindle Touch, and think that I could sit down to get some reading done with it. At $149, it is priced right and I'm not opposed to having ads if they relate to my interests or introduce me to some new authors. The size is great, and it gets rid of all the distractions so that all there is left to do is read something. Another great upgrade to the Kindle reader that is flying under the radar with all the hoopla over the Kindle Fire.