In today’s day and age, Amazon’s Kindle stands alone in the consumer electronics space. Not because it has literally defined the e-book reader segment, but because it is one of those rare gadgets that does not force you onto the upgrade treadmill, with many folks still using their seven-to-eight-year-old first-generation Kindles today. Does the newly launched premium-priced Kindle Oasis have what it takes to seduce existing owners or bring in new audiences?

It certainly nails the desirability quotient, that’s for sure. With the Oasis, Amazon has rethought the traditional slab-like form factor. No longer sporting the traditional symmetrical design, the Oasis has one side thicker and wider to make gripping it with one hand easier, especially over long reading sessions.

The “spine” also houses two navigation buttons, though you can use the touchscreen to navigate. In addition, it’s thin and light, to the point that it feels almost featherweight at 131g, and while you get an electroplated plastic frame for rigidity, the Kindle feels almost a tad delicate in the hand — quite unlike any other Kindle. Well, it’s a good thing Amazon included in the magnetically attaching battery cover which not only adds protection but also boosts the built-in battery several times to last well into a month of regular use — plus it sweetens the deal and somewhat offsets the hefty asking price.

Yet, as features go, the Oasis doesn’t do much more than the Kindles that preceded it. Sure, the display is more evenly lit than the Paperwhite or the Voyage that came before it and the included accelerometer rotates the screen if you prefer to use it left-handed, but the screen technology and crisp resolution is pretty much the same, as is the version of Kindle software that runs it. It lacks the adaptive brightness seen on the Voyage, which adjusts the display brightness based on the ambient lighting.

The Oasis then is the unashamedly premium e-book reading experience, the best you can get if budget isn’t a factor. Yet, in much the same way as First Class gets you from point A to B in the same time as Economy, albeit more luxuriously/comfortably, the Oasis is the Kindle you’ll want, not need — and you would do well to pick up the Paperwhite and save a ton of money that you can spend on the books instead.
♦ Rating: 8/10
♦ Price: Rs 23,999 (WiFi)
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-KindleOasis

A compelling buy

Xiaomi turns out some great mobile phones, but its pro-duct portfolio goes far beyond just well-priced phones — we’re talking powerbanks, LED lights, fitness bands and the like. The Mi Bluetooth Speaker joins this range at a compelling sub-two-thousand price point, and there’s much to like about this sleek device beyond the price.

What strikes you first about the Mi speaker is how minimalist it is in terms of design philosophy. It’s compact in size, akin to a large power bank, and the aluminium body and clean lines impart a premium feel in a category dominated by plastic speakers. Plastic strips on either sides house the controls and ports, and the layout is uncluttered and easy to use.

If the design is impressive, it’s the Mi speaker’s sound quality that really seals the deal. Despite its size, it pumps out clear audio with enough volume for a mid-sized room without distortion. It more than suffices for daily listening or when you’re on the road, and the built-in speakerphone means that you can receive calls and talk on the speaker. It’s worth noting that the Indian unit lacks a microSD card slot for phone-free music playback, unlike the version available in China. Even so, the Mi Bluetooth speaker is money well spent.
♦ Rating: 9/10
♦ Price: Rs 1,999
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-MiBTSpeaker

Power browser

The browser wars actually used to be a thing back in the day, but today, most of you use Chrome or Firefox, while a few continue on with Internet Explorer. There’s a new browser in town — Vivaldi’s the name — and it’s got a few features worth looking at. Bear in mind, Vivaldi is aimed squarely at power users, which means it is loaded with a ton of extra features under the hood.

For instance, there’s the intuitively designed tab stacking feature, for those times when you went down Research Lane and before you knew it, you had forty browser tabs open! Vivaldi lets you drag one tab on top of another to create a tab stack, similar to folders of apps on your phone, so you can group all your social accounts in one, or continue your work related research in another. You can even sneak a peek at a tab without switching to it, much like previews of applications on your Windows taskbar. In addition, there are a wealth of mouse gestures supported, content blocker options, and an incredibly useful note taking tool that stays open in your browser’s sidebar where you can paste screenshots, URLs, and attachments.
If you ’re the sort who likes to fiddle with stuff, Vivaldi’s settings menus are like a candy-shop, with granular controls to fine-tune pretty much every aspect of your browsing experience.
♦ Rating: 8/10
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-VivaldiBrowser

technocool@kanwar.net; follow me on twitter @2shar