Repurposing Kindle's Gelaskin

I kept the Gelaskin from my replaced Kindle:

Since it wasn't likely to get any use, I resized it to fit a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. It's slightly bigger, but has some holes because of the cutouts.

First, I trimmed it to size using a knife and metal ruler, on a wooden board. Next, I positioned it on the surface and felt for the camera, then marked that position. I wasn't very accurate, so the camera hole is bigger than necessary. After that, I stuck it down in sections, cutting away the backing (oh I used a plastic bag for the backing).

For the ports, I just cut 2 perpendicular lines to the edge, then cut them out. This resulted in sharp corners and overcuts. It's not very good, but the material is quite tough and not transparent so it won't be a problem.

I rounded the corners with a nail clipper. First time trying this. It was quite round, but didn't match the device well. Also, this device has curved edges, so it's very hard to stick to the entire corner. I made a notch and overlapped the skin a bit.

I think my biggest dissatisfaction is the edges and corners - the most vulnerable places - aren't protected.

Removing the Gelaskin

The Gelaskin also claims to be easily removable without leaving any residue, as any good protector should. I don't think many people actually test this.

Well, the good news is, it performs as claimed and CAN be removed by simply peeling it off, and it doesn't leave any residue. But it sticks quite strongly and is hard to peel off.

Kindle 3 (Kindle Keyboard)

Once upon a time, my Kindle 2 post was the most viewed post on this blog. Maybe this has the same destiny?

Anyway, my Kindle died. It was stuck on this screen:

I think the internals were ok, just that the battery wouldn't charge. When I plugged it in, the orange light came on briefly, like it was attempting to charge, then went out.

So I got a new Kindle! First, some pictures of me sending my old Kindle away:

Taking off the Gelaskin. Finally put their adhesive claims to the test. Is it easy to remove? Yes, but it's not perfect. It sticks quite strongly and left some residue at the edges. I didn't try, but that should be easy to remove. Some narrow parts tore so I don't think it's reusable. Was it grey when I put it on?

Wow, I haven't seen my Kindle looking like this since I got it.

Comparison of Kindle 2 (left) and Kindle 3 (right)

The box hasn't changed much. I still like their environmentally friendly packaging.

The style of opening is the same, but "Once upon a time..." (Kindle 2) is gone. I hope it's not because too many people couldn't figure out how to open it. I'm glad to say the strip came off in one piece (most of them break halfway. What's the point of having a strip?)

Inside also hasn't changed much.

The back is now rubberised, no more stainless steel. It's easier to grip and lighter, but I think less durable.

Since this is the "U.S. version", it comes with a power adapter (global voltage)! (PS: rotating an image in PWA messes up older versions in Blogger)

I couldn't compare them side-by-side, but I think the screen has improved. The naming convention is confusing. Is the Kindle Touch the 4th one? Which version is the Paperwhite?

I also bought a Marware EcoVue leather case because it was on sale. It's great! I love the hand strap. I wish my iPad case had one too. Now I keep thinking "all my books are leather bound" haha.

Kindle Fire

http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/amazon-kindle-fire-review/

The Kindle Fire is Amazon's first tablet.

It only has 8GB of storage and no external memory? How are you supposed to watch movies on this thing? Even the iPod Touch has more memory.

It's strange that they left out 3G. I find 3G very useful, especially when traveling. It's like free data roaming!

New Kindles/Amazon tablet

Amazon has released 3 new Kindles. In increasing power/price: Kindle, Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire (a tablet). All much cheaper, and no keyboards. To input text on the Kindle you have to scroll and click. Tablet is 7" screen and the other two are 6". Tablet runs on Android. Unfortunately it seems for now only the Kindle is available overseas.

Personally, I'd take the Kindle Touch 3G, for easier input and 3G. Oh, apparently it's infrared multitouch, not capacitive like the iPhone.

Amazon Kindle 2 International Version

Last updated: 2 Jun 2011

This post is way overdue. I got this on 14 Feb, and Amazon has released a third (fourth? If you count the International version as a new one) Kindle, which they're simply calling "Kindle". This is going to get confusing. Ebook readers are getting more and more common now. Even mainstream stores like Officeworks and JB Hifi are selling them. There are more and more brands available too.
They've recently released an update for the Kindle, to 2.5. It adds social networking, letting you see most common highlights, and the ability to rearrange your books into folders. It's nice when a company cares about products after you've paid for them.

My Kindle came gift-wrapped. The wrapper is quite simple. So is the box, which looks really plain. That's the advantage of being an online store, I guess - you don't need fancy packaging. It's environmentally friendly too.

The Kindle uses Amazon's "frustration-free packaging", so it's supposed to be easier to be open. Has our society come to the state where we need packaging that's specifically easy to open? How hard is it to design? Anyway, it is easy to open and isn't unnecessarily large. The bad thing is you can't reclose the box.

Hardware

• Thin and light. More compact than the average book.
• The e-ink screen is amazing. I had a surprise with the "sticker" in the picture above, so did my friend who bought one a few months ago. The screen is so simple - it's like an electric Magna-Doodle, yet it works so well.
• Comes with speakers, even though it's an e-book reader.
• I like the fact that the charging light shows a different colour when charged, instead of turning off. How do you know the power didn't go out?
• The keyboard is pretty useful if you take notes, otherwise it wastes space.
• No memory expansion!
• Proprietary USB cable
• Screen protectors are really hard to get off the screen. Not that they leave residue, they just stick really well.
• The International edition is the same price as the US, but leaves out the USB wall adapter!

Software

• Quite easy to use. I like the Home button, which will be especially useful for those not used to navigating or prone to getting lost.
• Dictionary is surprisingly useful and easy to use.
• Can read your books to you, except some which the publishers don't allow. So potentially all your books are audiobooks.
• It used to restart without warning on the old software.
• Experimental browser is so slow! The processor is pretty fast, 500+MHz, so I'm not sure why.
• mp3 player is really basic. It can only play, pause, and skip to the next track.

My friend from China found software to dual-boot his Kindle with an OS someone wrote, adding a lot more functions. It's like jailbreaking an iPhone. It's surprising, because the Kindle isn't even sold in China, yet it's popular enough to have its own OS.

Whispernet

• It turns out Whispernet is a term invented by Amazon. I thought it was a general term.
• Very convenient to buy new books.
• Now able to browse all sites for free. Free Internet access everywhere in Australia! It's really slow, though.
• Should ask for password every time you buy something, like on the iPhone. What if you lose your Kindle?

Buying books

• I believe the strength of the Kindle, like the iPod, lies not in its features, but its content available. The Kindle has a head start over all ebook readers and has hundreds of thousands of books available from Amazon.
• It's going to get better, since the Kindle is Amazon's best selling product, and ebooks have outsold real books.
• Free samples of most books!
• Oh come on, publishers, people can't sell ebooks second-hand. They should be about half the price of physical books.

People keep comparing the Kindle with the iPad, but they're really designed to be different things. The Kindle is for reading books, and does that very well. It's cheaper, lighter, has a better screen (for reading) and more books available. If you don't like reading, it's not for you. If you want to do other things than reading, it's not for you. Personally, I support the Kindle over iBooks, since the more users it has, the better it'll be.

International use
This post is the second most read on the site, so I thought I'd update it instead of writing a new one. The Kindle is meant to be used internationally, and I recently had the chance to test it out.

Singapore

• Officially, Amazon does not sell the Kindle in Singapore
• As a result, they do not sell Kindle books to Singapore
• I can still surf the net on Whispernet
• I think that, with a registered address in Australia (and a credit card to prove it), I'll be able to buy books in Singapore. To be tested.