Back in the day, I ruined a few books by dropping them in the tub when I’d doze off while reading in the bath. Because of that track record, I never tried reading in the tub with an eBook reader or a tablet. But now, because the Kindle Oasis is waterproof (IPX8), reading in the tub is safe again.
The Oasis has the biggest screen (7″) and highest resolution (300dpi) of all of Amazon’s Kindle readers. This is a reader that’s designed for comfort and ease of use. It’s easy to hold; Amazon says “the ergonomic design shifts the center of gravity to your palm, to rest in your hand like the spine of a book.” You can turn pages using the dedicated buttons or by tapping the touchscreen. The adaptive front lighting automatically adjusts the display’s brightness based on the ambient light. And since it’s an eInk screen, you can read even in sunlight.
Oasis is available in a multitude of configurations: with 8 or 32GB of storage, with built-in Audible, WiFi-only or with free cellular connection, and with or without special offers (screensaver ads to reduce price). It starts at $249.00 at Amazon.
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I bought one to replace my two and a bit year old Kindle Paperwhite, which I traded-in to Amazon for a credit.
I love the Oasis. The increase in screen size from 6 inches to 7 for me makes reading far more enjoyable. I can have the text size that I want without constantly turning pages. The Oasis is more square than rectangle. It is light in weight – comfortably so – but then so was the Paperwhite. The bulge on the side helps hold it. So I am very please with it.
Amazon market the Casbot case for the Oasis. After a little research this is a Fintie case. I can find no difference between the two, except the Fintie was several dollars cheaper. I bought the Fintie and love it. MAybe there is a difference, but from viewing the pictures and asking around I cannot see it.
I have had 3 Kindles: A keyboard, a Paperwhite, and a Voyage. I gave the Keyboard away when I upgraded to the Voyage. The Paperwhite lives in my handbag and the Voyage lives by my bedside. The 2nd Generation Paperwhite has a better battery life than the Voyage, but the DPI resolution is lower. The Voyage has the side buttons to flip the pages, but I use the touch screen the vast majority of the time. The Paperwhite has the slower response time, but the Voyage isn’t very speedy in response. I looked at the original Oasis and decided that the upgrades weren’t enough for me to spend the money on it. It’s ~$70 more than the Voyage and ~$100 more than the Paperwhite. Honestly, I do most of my reading on the Paperwhite, even if I have both with me. When people ask me, I still recommend the Paperwhite over the others (unless you’re left-handed, in which case I think the buttons on the Voyage may be easier to navigate than the touch screen). One woman I know puts her old Kindle in a Ziploc bag to take it into the bathtub. The bag still allows her to use the touch screen, but keeps the water out.
I have some water damaged paperbacks that didn’t get dropped in the tub, but did get a steam bath, so I think a plastic bag or an Oasis is a good idea even if you don’t think you’ll drop a book, but want to read in the tub. If you have the money to burn, get an Oasis. But I think a Paperwhite and a Ziploc are great if you’re on a different budget. 🙂 Just make sure you zip well.
Good morning,
Would you recommend a nice REAL LEATHER case for the Oasis 2017 2nd ed?
Thanks!