By: Nick Gambino
Amazon announced that the new Kindle Paperwhite is water-resistant. The Kindle is one of my favorite electronic devices, period. It’s lack of a glaring computer screen capable of searching any and every piece of content across the vast internet, makes it more appealing. It’s simply an e-reader that’s easy on the eyes and allows access to an endless array of books. I never kick myself for going down a black hole of related content like I would on YouTube.
But despite how much I love its simplicity there is one thing that’s been missing – it hasn’t been waterproof or even water-resistant. That means extra care and attention when running through the rain or reading in the bathtub or near the sink. Amazon is righting that with the update to its popular e-reader.
The Paperwhite is able to withstand submersion in six feet of water for up to an hour. That means if you forget to take it out of your pocket when you jump in the pool, you’ll be totally fine. I know this is a scenario we’re all too familiar with.
The water-resistant design isn’t the only new feature people are talking about. It now has built-in Bluetooth that allows you to stream your audiobooks through Audible. You’ll be able to jump between the text and the audio without losing your place in the book.
They’ve also made it easier for families who are sharing a single device. You can save your very own profile which will include your font size and boldness. This makes it easy to share with grandma.
All of this is jampacked into a lighter and slimmer body. The screen itself is now flush with the front of the Kindle so you don’t have to worry about dust and crumbs getting into the little edges of the screen. Yes, that’s a thing, so I’m glad they’ve addressed it.
Storage has been upped as well, so you can store even more books than ever before. Storage options include 8GB or 32GB.
You can preorder the 8GB version of the Kindle Paperwhite right now for $129.99 with a shipping date of November 7th. The 32GB isn’t yet available but will be coming soon. Purchases come with six months of Kindle Unlimited for free. That gives you access to millions of books right on the Kindle Store.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Gambino is a regular script writer and tech beat reporter for NewsWatch. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and daughter.
