Tag: review

Kindle Colorsoft – 9 Months Later

Its almost a year with the Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition and I thought I would do a quick review of how I have found it so far. I say almost a year as it has been 9/10 months since I received my Colorsoft just after Christmas. Prior to the Colorsoft I was using the original Paperwhite Signature Edition.

Compared to last year my reading output has increased, I wouldn’t say it was helped by the Colorsoft but I have read only using the Colorsoft. I do notice compared to the Paperwhite the Colorsoft lacks clairty in some aspects but it is not detremiental to the reading experience, I am not a picky person but I know some are. The difference is the screen and how the nature of Coloured e-ink screens means there is an extra layer to the screen that affects the crispness.

I was very lucky that my Colorsoft was one of the first of the non-yellow band batch, I do notice something but I have concluded its the LEDs at the base. There is no sign of yellow and being a frequent visitor of Kindle forums it is a paranoia you can’t shake off.

Home Screen
Inside Book
Image
Zoomed In
Normal Text
Kindle Screenshot

The images above show the device as I see it, I did include a screenshot from another book. The Kabuki book had stylised pages which didn’t make it seem fair for comparison. I also included an in-kindle screenshot.

Does Colour or lack of change the Kindle experience? Im my opinion it hasn’t made it any better or worse. It is wonderful to see covers and images in colour, along with notations but 99% of the time you are reading and text is in black and white. Depending on what you’re reading some of the pictures may be published without colour so there is no difference at all. I was excited to read a Manga on the Colorsfot but then realised only the cover was coloured and the content black and white. It really shone through with comics and I had read a series called Gun Honey and that really popped.

I do think colour is the future and for the first iteration of coloured e-ink Kindles, this is a fine entry and better it will get. Already there are a 16GB model Colorsoft and a Kids version and recently announced Colorsoft Scribe. I am happy with mine and it will do me for many years, perhaps if there is a big jump in quality and features down the line I would get another.

Perhaps they will add features like change of font colour, or page background colours. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. A slight disappointment for me is the lock screen, I know for longevity and battery it is limited in brightness, but it would be nice if it was backlit a little to be more vibrant at the expensise of battery.

All in all colour or no colour it makes little difference but it is nice to have the choice to enjoy the option of colour. Is it a necessity no, but it is a pleasure and great to have the choice. Though the question with Amazon getting more restrictive is to try a new e-reader or stick. Kobo, Boox, Pocketbook all provide alternatives to Kindle. I would be interested to see the next colour offerings from Kobo and see how they update the Libre Color, that would be what I would go for next, if they make improvements to the device and build quality.

Mafia: The Old Country (PS5)

I am a bit of a gamer and I have been looking forward to this latest release in the Mafia series of video games. Mafia: The Old Country (TOC) follows on from the 2016 release of Mafia III, and the remastered versions of Mafia & Mafia II.

Unlike Mafia III which saw the series try an open-world approach to the game, TOC sees a return to the linear nature of the game, with it being story driven and a much more tighter experience. We are spoiled by open-world games and to many this is a letdown but I find it is a great approach to this series with a more story based and cinematic experience. There is still plenty do in game during missions, and collectables to collect.

The graphics and ambience of the game are simply stunning, it is beautiful game visually and it feels alive during the missions and it is a game I would return to. Outside of missions there is a sort of free exploration in the Carcyclopedia mode. There you can wander and there is some things to do but not much. This is something perhaps that will be fleshed out in the future or maybe some DLC to expand the game.

As enjoyable as the game is, it is about 15 hours long, you simply want more! More things to do outside of the missions. There are lots of things they could add like races, both horses and vehicles, gambling, knife fights (great fun), debt collection or protection.

The story was very well done and I don’t feel any of it was wasted, the problem was it could have given more. It really was a cinematic experience and lots of call backs to the typical Mafia tropes and it felt like The Godfather when Michael was in Sicily. The game features call backs to the other Mafia games like San Celeste from Vito’s army missions in Mafia II, Samuele Trapani being the Sam from Mafia, and a key thread binding all four games together Leone “Leo” Galante, as well as several other characters who feature in the previous games. The game was full of great characters especially Luca, and Tino, Enzo was very well rounded too albeit naive.

This game is clearly a sequel and plays like one, it is interesting to see where the series goes from here. It is very exciting too and I hope there isn’t a long wait for maybe Mafia IV, something set in Las Vegas charting the rise of the mob and Casinos would be a lot of fun.

All in all a wonderful game and one of my favourite’s through the series and welcome return to the linear story driven game, over the open-world of Mafia III. If there was more to do it would be a perfect 10. The game is 9/10 for me

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Syndet AP+ Soothing Cream Wash & Lipikar Baume AP+M Moisturiser

I usually write reviews of books on here and I think well this is a review of a sorts as well.

All my life I have always had sensitive skin and issues with excema and psoriasis. To the point that in my childhood I would be having sunbed treatment at the local hospital to help treat it. As I have gotten older the psoriasis has cleared up but I do still get occasional flare ups of excema, mostly on my face around my nose, mouth and eye brows and on my chest. I have tried everything and both prescribed and over the counter solutions. Typically nowadays I use over the counter solutions like an excema friendly moisturiser called Child’s Farm Baby Moisturiser or Doublebase FlareRelief Emollient. Both are decent at treating a flare up but not a clear solution.

I did some browsing online and I was reading up on a brand called La Roche-Posay which has a lot of products for skin and treating various ailments like excema, signs of aging etc. It is quite expensive at £20+ per product considering the Moisturiser and FlareRelief were both under £10 each. So I was curious about it and as luck would have it the La Roche-Posay products went on sale last week during Amazon’s Prime Day sales. I purchased two products to use Lipikar Syndet AP+ Soothing Cream Wash and Lipikar Baume AP+M Moisturiser. I saved about £7 or 8 on each.

As timing would have it I had a flare up on my face and the purchase was perfectly timed but I had a beard too. So in the interests of science I sacrificed my beard to give the new products a proper try out.

Post shaving my face was very red and the excema very visible around my nose and around my mouth. I firstly used the face wash which stung a bit due to the alcohol in it and my bare freshly shaved skin. It is a very pleasant and nice product to use and subsequent uses have been perfect and no sting at all. The Baume is a very nice non-greasy balm and dries in nicely and leaves the skin feeling hydrated and looked after.

The results have been excellent and were clear to see the next morning where my mother noticed the difference instantly. Within 2 uses of each the redness and signs of excema were gone. I know I will never be free of it but it is nice to have something to combat it when it flares up. I will keep up using it daily as a cleanser and moisturiser. It is expensive yes but it works and you do get 400ml of product too.

I will include photos to show the difference.

Kindle Colorsoft – My Thoughts

Its not often I am an early adopter of new technology but a coloured e-reader or Kindle has been something that has been on my own technology wish-list for several years. Finally this year through Kobo with its Clara and Libra Color (colour from here on out). I am well entrenched in the Amazon ecosystem and due to my vast library and pretty much positive experience I am happy to stay there too.

I will say that prior to a colour reader from Amazon, the Kobo did catch my eye and I was almost going to get one but decided to wait. They look a fun device but for me it is missing the certain something and it looks not as premium or well made as a Kindle (no joke intended). Also I have searched for many books I own on Kindle on the Kobo store and not found them available so that was another mark against the Kobo.

Then Amazon announced the Kindle Colorsoft and my dream came true… Then it came out and was what people feared it to be a rushed product that was blighted by issues since launching. Notably a yellow band across the screen and (something common to both Kobo and Kindle) dead pixels. Due to the backlash and negative feedback the device has been limited in availability and taken off shelves up until just before Christmas (typically when all presents have been decided and bought).

I decided I deserved a New Years gift and it was in stock so on the 4^th January I ordered it expecting it the 7^th and to my surprise it arrived on the 5^th and dear reader… She is beautiful! Is she perfect? No, but we can overlook all that.

It was with baited breathe I waited for the delivery and opened it, having read reviews and posts and seeing other peoples experiences I was expecting at least a hint of yellow banding but to my surprise it is perfect. No yellowing or dead pixels at all.

I have been using it for a few days now and I have to say I am pretty impressed with it so far. It is not perfect but it is a wonderful step into the World of Colour and e-readers.

Price

It is an expensive piece of kit? Worth it? That is subjective and for me yes it is worth it and I will enjoy using this device and get value from it and many years of use. I expect it to be another 2 or 3 years before a second coloured Kindle. Given the amount of issues with QC I would not keep a premium product at this price point unless it was 100% perfect. I wouldn’t settle if it was just a little yellow etc.

Screen

With the new technology going into this, it is going to look a little different to the previous models of Kindle, it is a completely new technology. The screen looks papery, not as crisp and clear as a normal Kindle but not too bad either. Looks a bit like thin tracing paper laid over the screen.

Colour is where this shines and compared to Kobo it looks a lot more vivid and clear and less ghosting when zooming. The implementation of the technology has been superior in Kindle. The colours pop nicely and compared to the greyscale normal of the kindle the colours do make a difference. Contrast is where it is let down as it is very dark and renders the colours not too good especially the darker it is. I do prefer my brightness up. How the screen is affected by the sun I don’t know yet and haven’t tried (UK here!).

Images are not glossy like a magazine, similar to a news paper, if you want vivid images read on a tablet with Kindle App.

I did expect more from it and the lock screen, it is cool to see the cover and in colour but like all Kindles the lock screen isn’t backlit so you don’t really see the colour. If there are future devices I would love to see a wake function for the lock screen where the screen can brighten and show off the cover without opening the Kindle.

Performance

Excellent performance, feels more snappy and quicker. Not had any issues with anything especially once all the indexing was completed. No stuttering or ghosting encountered.

Other

I do have the Jade vegan case to go with the Kindle, my first Aamazon case having only ever used third party cases and if feels good quality and well made. Certainly feels a premium product to go with the Colorsoft.

A big negative is that with the generation of Kindles (possibly the last too) Amazon has done away with the “Download and Transfer” feature for the new models. Which means you can no longer download a copy of your purchased titles to transfer via USB. It still works for older models but not the new ones. To use this feature you need an older Kindle. As someone with a vast digital library this a very poor decision. I like to download and back up a copy for my own personal use. I can see in a way why they do this to combat privacy but in today’s digital world where lots of things whether it be a PS5 game, music track, movie or e-book are online only, we don’t really own a copy but a license. They only exist as long as the server and store wish to provide it and books do get removed regularly when a new edition of publisher comes out with a copy. Just something to keep in mind and if the new Kindles are your first and only then you’re unable to transfer any of your purchases.

Overall

A great device and addition to the Kindle and e-reader family but a device that can be so much more. For the first one it is an admirable effort and hopefully can be built upon and do more with it. Imagine a Kindle Scribe Colour or a Kindle Oasis Colour? Would that be more making the Kindle a tablet and too similar to a Fire tablet? Where do you draw the line? For me some slight adjustments to this and you have a perfect reader. The same screen technology with the Scribe = perfect. Perhaps an illumination feature for the lock screen to show off the book covers. Perhaps too the long requested buttons? Could also have a toggle for Colour/B&W? So many possibilities.

All in all a great product and certainly a base to build from.