01891: Kindle Voyage Madness

I was supposed to blog about something completely different today, but I can't remember what it was. And once again, Amazon is to blame.

I've been decently content with my Kindle Keyboard over the years - prudence actually prevented me from getting a Kindle Paperwhite (whether first or second versions) in recent years mainly because I know that my Kindle is perfectly fine. Okay, not perfect, but it's still serviceable and it gets the job done. But in the increasing number of gray lines left on the screen even after I unlock the device or turn the page, I've long accepted that I'll need to get a new one soon. But I've been holding on for October given this is when Amazon makes announcements related to new versions of their ereaders

But then the Amazon Germany leak happened and suddenly Amazon well on a full court press to control the situation. But in true Amazon fashion, they didn't try to close down the leak and pretend nothing happened. Instead they pushed up the announcement, invited the press to see the new devices and announced that it was already available for pre-order. Clearly the announcement wasn't quite a total surprise for Amazon - things just probably got moved up a few days or so. Thus no keynote speech from Jeff Bezos just yet.

The main object of my affection is the Kindle Voyage, the newest eInk reader in the Kindle family that will effectively replace the Kindle Paperwhite - although really it's being presented as a step up. They're also playing around with the configurations for their entry-level Kindle at $80 and the Kindle Paperwhite remains available starting at $119. In general everyone is getting performance enhancements like faster processors and increased memory.

But man that Kindle Voyage - it's so darned pretty. It's more expensive than what I was originally budgeting for a replacement eInk reader, but it makes sense to invest in the next device to carry me through the next few years of geekery. It has been over 3 years since I first got started as a Kindle reader - I think I'm due for a new one, right?

The bigger challenge is going to be figuring out how to get the darned thing over here. The initial release of the Voyage is limited to US shipping addresses for now. This means working through friends and relatives to secure the order and get it over here and safely past customs. But most of all it means WAITING.