Completely subjective reason why original Oasis is best reader ever released

[poczynek]

Ok so my ereader adventure started in September 2016 when I got a Kindle Voyage. I wanted to get back into reading that i loved so much in my 20's. I am now hooked and love my ereader.

However, within a few months i really wanted to try an Oasis - primarily because of its tiny weight and size. It was expensive so i waited until there was one for sale on a local buy and sell site here in Australia - Gumtree. And the best thing about it was that it was being sold without the battery charging cover (more on this later). And for only AUD $80! Gold! So i bought it ... and love it.

However a few months ago i wondered about whether or not there was something better, different (the grass is always greener…) So I tried! I bought a Kobo Aura One and ... hated it. Too big and clumsy UI! Then i bought a Nook Glowlight Plus - bezels waaaaaaaay too big and the UI was ordinary and didn't give me what i wanted like my Kindle has. I thought about options mainly because of one thing: I wanted my Oasis battery to last longer than a few days. More on battery down below …

Ok so here's my (subjective) reasons why at this stage the original Oasis is the best ereader ever – the first 2 reasons to me are the biggest reasons why:

1. Weight. This is incredibly light! I do not have the battery cover so without it it weights next to nothing. This is incredible for reading in bed or reading anywhere – my arm/hand never gets tired. Love this! No other e-reader is this light.

2. Size. With the weight being so small, being able to fit it into any pants pocket – jeans or anything else – this completes the package for me. No other bag required – just chuck it into my pocket and away I go!

3. The UI. Ok so this is possibly me leaning towards Kindles because I’m used to it. However what I love with Kindles is that the top and bottom margin aren’t monstrous – they are small and that is great. Also, the fact that I can switch from how much time left in chapter on the left and then have how much time on the right for the whole book in percentage is great. When I tried Kobo and Nook neither could do this.

4. Having the Oasis jailbroken means I can enable the book cover on the screen and importantly: the time and battery percentage on the top right in the status bar. To me that is the perfect UI (for me).

To me that is everything and the first 2 above are the stand out winners that in combination no other ereader can get near.

The one obvious thing sticking out is battery and how long it lasts. Initially I was a little annoyed getting around 3 or 4 days of battery but then I put it into perspective: my mobile phone lasts a day and I charge every day so what’s the big deal if I have to charge for an hour every 4th day? To me that’s the trade off but it’s all about perspective because of what I get in size and weight. And hopefully with wireless charging becoming available in 2018 (hopefully) that might be eliminated …

I haven't spoken about book conversion etc because to me i don't really get the big deal: i just convert in Calibre and all is good.

I also have thought about the newest Oasis but to me it doesn't satisfy what i want: the weight and size factor. It will struggle to fit into my pants and it's a third heavier.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth!

[Sirtel]

Yep, I like the 2016 Oasis too for its almost nonexistent weight and the form factor. I keep it in its charging cover when I'm not reading, but I read it without the cover.

I got the 2017 Oasis because I like its larger screen, but it's much heavier than the original Oasis. Still, I wanted that screen so I kept it. And I kept my Voyage because it still has the darkest text and best contrast of any Kindle I've ever seen.

So I have three Kindles now that I constantly use. I switch between them. I admit it feels like overindulgence or something, but I just couldn't give any of them up.

[patrickt]

I appreciate Kindle have multiple offerings. For me, the Paperwhite is the best of the bunch. I've had multiple and have had no disappointments. The Paperwhite was the last Kindle with a Amazon Kindle Case that I worked for me. It has the light, no buttons other than the power button, and it's my Kindle of choice. I'm hoping they don't let it die and come out with a Paperwhite four that will fit in the old cases but has six LEDs, like the Voyage, rapid charging, and a flush screen like the Voyage would be nice.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by poczynek

The one obvious thing sticking out is battery and how long it lasts. Initially I was a little annoyed getting around 3 or 4 days of battery but then I put it into perspective: my mobile phone lasts a day and I charge every day so what’s the big deal if I have to charge for an hour every 4th day? To me that’s the trade off but it’s all about perspective because of what I get in size and weight. And hopefully with wireless charging becoming available in 2018 (hopefully) that might be eliminated …

The only issue I could see with the 4 day battery life is with traveling. If I had one of these Oasis readers minus its charging cover, I would probably just buy a (recharging) battery pack or two (they're cheap now) and carry it/them with me.

[poczynek]

Originally Posted by rcentros

The only issue I could see with the 4 day battery life is with traveling. If I had one of these Oasis readers minus its charging cover, I would probably just buy a (recharging) battery pack or two (they're cheap now) and carry it/them with me.

Yes good point - that's exactly what i'd do. Get a powerbank of 10,000 mah for not much dollars and use that. Pretty sure the Oasis battery is around 1,000 mah so that is at least 40 days of battery life.

[Barbara1955]

I think the K3 was & is the best! I still wish they add lights more storage up it to 300 ppi I buy it Willingly!

PW 2 & 3 both are driving me crazy! DL or Side load a e-book it Lost for Days if not forever! Voyage is no better. Oasis is too Flimsy! I have friends like me that are confined to bed most of the time & have Snapped the Oasis in 2!! Useless Useless Useless! IMO

[Pajamaman]

I fear that little battery will wear out. Also the screen will scratch being shoved in a pocket. Maybe get a little sleeve to keep it in.

[John F]

Originally Posted by poczynek

Yes good point - that's exactly what i'd do. Get a powerbank of 10,000 mah for not much dollars and use that. Pretty sure the Oasis battery is around 1,000 mah so that is at least 40 days of battery life.

Which battery? The internal battery on the Oasis 1 is 245 mah (according to Google).

[TheSmitty]

I bought into the Oasis 1 last year which got me back into a dedicated e-reader. Prior to that I had the 3g keyboard and moved to using an iPad for several years. I bought the Oasis 1 because of the size and weight compared to an iPad.
When the Oasis 2 came out I was somewhat excited. I do not care for water proofing but was intrigued by the larger screen.
I have visited the Amazon kiosk at the mall a few times to actually look at and handle the Oasis 2. The bigger screen is nice but what stuck out was how much bigger and heavier the whole unit was. Of course it makes sense that the physical dimensions are bigger because of the screen. I still have not decided to buy the Oasis 2 yet and not sure that I will. I like the compact size of the Oasis 1. That and the fact that I have only owned my Oasis 1 for maybe 5 or 6 months.

[anxobaltar]

Originally Posted by TheSmitty

I bought into the Oasis 1 last year which got me back into a dedicated e-reader. Prior to that I had the 3g keyboard and moved to using an iPad for several years. I bought the Oasis 1 because of the size and weight compared to an iPad.
When the Oasis 2 came out I was somewhat excited. I do not care for water proofing but was intrigued by the larger screen.
I have visited the Amazon kiosk at the mall a few times to actually look at and handle the Oasis 2. The bigger screen is nice but what stuck out was how much bigger and heavier the whole unit was. Of course it makes sense that the physical dimensions are bigger because of the screen. I still have not decided to buy the Oasis 2 yet and not sure that I will. I like the compact size of the Oasis 1. That and the fact that I have only owned my Oasis 1 for maybe 5 or 6 months.

Everything is a matter of perspective, I come from a K Paperwhite and, for me, it is incredible the screen size , the weight and the design of the KO2

Enviado desde mi ONEPLUS A3003 mediante Tapatalk

[barryem]

Back around 1955 when I was a teenager and a fan of music this new thing was invented called Hi-Fi! It was devices with external speakers that produced superior sound. I couldn't afford it so I kept on listening on my old phonograph and radio and that was fine. It was the music that mattered.

A few of my friends families got Hi-Fi and I got to listen to it a lot. We were mostly all music fans. And then there were Hi-Fi magazines and then people began discussing Hi-Fi and suddenly all the tiny little issues with music reproduction became huge monstrous issues. Nobody talked about the music anymore. And the same thing seems to be happening with ebooks.

Light weight devices are nice. Lots of font choices are just dandy. Font weight choices are a delight. Good cases are very handy. Sharp text with good contrast is comfortable. But the real issue, the thing that makes all that pale in comparison, is are you enjoying the book you're reading.

I see no problem with discussing the fine points of various ereaders. More than that it's fun to talk about. But let's not forget that we're talking about fine points. The very worse ereader I'm personally aware of today, my Nook Glowlight Plus, is excellent. All the rest are better but it's an amazing and thrilling and wonderful device. And don't you forget it.

Barry

[DuckieTigger]

So true, Barry.

And so much easier to just read and not worry about too much. Reading on ereader is better than paper for me. The difference is being able to carry books easier and able to change font size. The rest is less important details.

[Vmurph]

What an excellent post, Barry. I couldn’t agree more.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by barryem

Light weight devices are nice. I see no problem with discussing the fine points of various ereaders. More than that it's fun to talk about. But let's not forget that we're talking about fine points. The very worse ereader I'm personally aware of today, my Nook Glowlight Plus, is excellent. All the rest are better but it's an amazing and thrilling and wonderful device. And don't you forget it.

Barry

Yes, of course, I totally agree. I love all my Kindles, that's why visiting this forum and discussing them is fun. Even whining about their tiny faults. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't like them, I would not want to even whine about them. I would just read my paper books then.

E-readers and e-books are one of the very best things invented in this century.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by barryem

A few of my friends families got Hi-Fi and I got to listen to it a lot. We were mostly all music fans. And then there were Hi-Fi magazines and then people began discussing Hi-Fi and suddenly all the tiny little issues with music reproduction became huge monstrous issues. Nobody talked about the music anymore. And the same thing seems to be happening with ebooks.

At this point, it is necessary to link to "A Song of Reproduction".