I got my first Kindle in 2010 – back then it was super pricey as compared to now. Also, because I am very lazy and usually dislike waiting, hence, I got all three of my Kindles via dealers who ship Kindles into Singapore. Google is my bestie!

It did occur to me if I should just use my tablet as a reader but the reading experience is different different with a e-reader. I would tote around my tablet + Kindle any day. If you’re like me, I’d suggest to get a smaller sized tablet e.g. iPad Mini. I’m using an old 7.7 Samsung Tab at the moment.

My first Kindle was a keyboard Kindle, aka Kindle 3, which come to think of it, I paid a ridiculous amount for.

My second was the Kindle 4, which was still the most basic e-reader then because Paperwhite was not out yet (I think) and the other upgrade was Kindle Fire which is pretty useless in Singapore because we’re not able to access the Amazon ecosystem.

My Kindle 4 lasted me two years of rough tumble before it decided to freeze on me. Also, I had a tiny spot of dead pixels on the bottom left hand corner before it froze. The spot wasn’t an issue because I was still able to read.

So it was farewell baby, hello Kindle 5!

So the question is: why not Paperwhite? I had the chance to look and feel the Paperwhite when a colleague of mine bought it. It felt weird for me to use a touch screen to turn the pages, personally, I preferred the buttons to flip a page.

In addition, I don’t have the habit of reading in the dark at all, there wasn’t the need for me to use the back light Paperwhite comes with. Paperwhite has x2 the battery life of Kindle 5 but it’s not an issue for me too because I update my books very often, hence, it’s plugged in almost every other week. A Paperwhite would have cost me approx $100 more which I probably won’t enjoy as much as I would for a Kindle 5.

I got my Kindle 5 via an online dealer. I don’t know anyone else who ships in Kindle Basic anymore. I paid S$119 for the Kindle. The original price of a Kindle via Amazon is US$69 which is approx S$86. The service the dealer + shipping cost $33 which I thought was a fair price. I didn’t have to wait for the Kindle as the dealer had in stocks and offered a 7 day 1-1 exchange in case of defects.

FYI, my Kindle 4 died on Saturday and I bought my Kindle 5 on Sunday. I knew pretty much it was a gone case as it was a hardware issue. Based on past experience, each Kindle usually lasts me 2 years approx.

So my tactic this time round is:

Hopefully, with some extra protection, third time is the charm.