最佳电子书阅读器更上一层楼

    根据第一印象判断，这款史上最佳电子书阅读器必将更有前途。

    亚马逊（Amazon）发布了新款Paperwhite电子书阅读器，并从本周开始接受预订，预计于9月30日出货。新产品共分三个系列：广告版119美元，无广告版139美元，无广告3G版189美元。虽然外形没有太大变化，但新产品中有许多引人瞩目的改进。处理器升级为1 GHz A9处理器，速度可以提高25%；显示器可以提供更高对比度、更锐利的文字，和响应更快的触摸体验。而且，亚马逊方面表示，对内置阅读灯进行的改进，可以消除去年读者们遇到的背光问题。产品重量较前一款更轻：仅7.3盎司，之前一款Paperwhite为7.5盎司。（电池续航时间与存储空间没有变化：每次充电可续航两个月，存储空间为2G，可存储多达1,100本电子书。）

    Kindle副总裁戴维•林普说：“未来几年，乃至十年，我们的使命就是打造一款完美的阅读设备。”他不是在开玩笑。去年的Paperwhite获得了一致好评，也是笔者自己最喜爱的电子书阅读器。尽管如此，Kindle团队对这次升级仍然非常重视。林普表示，他们试验过多达25种方式来照亮文字。

    虽然除了修改设备背面的标识外，新产品的工业设计没有其他变化，但根据我们之前对一台产品的使用，用户体验有了显著改进。是不是更敏捷了？的确如此。笔者在自己的Paperwhite上阅读从来没有遇到过问题，不过新产品上的文字更清晰，阅读时眼睛更加舒适。读者可能会喜欢的一项额外改进是：“页面刷新”，即消除屏幕上电子墨水墨痕的闪屏效果，次数更少。之前的型号每翻六页刷新一次。新Paperwhite仅会在每章结尾或有复杂美术作品的页面结束之后闪屏。虽然这只是很细微的调整，但却可以带来更加沉浸式的阅读体验。

    此外，亚马逊还计划推出更多新软件特性。新Paperwhite上市后将包括页面预览翻页，以及让电子书导航更容易的刷子等特色功能。另外两项引人瞩目的功能将在感恩节推出，其中包括家长控制功能。另外一项功能整合了社交阅读与评论网站Goodreads，或许会更受欢迎。用户可以在Kindle上撰写书评、图书推荐，还可以直接查看朋友正在阅读的内容。对于亚马逊而言，更多社交功能将带来更高的电子书销量，这也是Kindle业务收益的主要来源。（历史数据显示，Kindle硬件基本都是以成本价或接近成本价出售。）

    Kindle上的社交特性会向哪个方向发展将取决于读者使用这项功能的方式。林普表示：“我们想说，我们首战告捷。我认为这是一个伟大的开端，但一切才刚刚开始。”（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓  

    Based on first impressions, the best e-reader is about to get even better.

    Amazon (AMZN) announced a new Paperwhite e-reader, available for preorder this week and expected to ship by Sept. 30. It will ship in three flavors: $119 with ads, $139 without ads, and $189 sans ads with built-in 3G connectivity. But despite the familiar-looking design, this year's model sports some modest, but notable improvements. The bump to a 1 GHz A9 processor promises a 25% speed boost; the display offers higher contrast, sharper text, a more responsive touch experience, and a new built-in light Amazon says should eliminate any sort of lighting issues some readers had last year. It's also a tad lighter, too: 7.3 ounces vs. the original's 7.5. (Battery life and storage remain the same: two months of reading in-between charges and 2 gigabytes of storage for up 1,100 e-books.)

    "We're on a multi-year -- decade -- mission to build the perfect reading device," Dave Limp, VP of Kindle, tells Fortune. He isn't kidding. While the Paperwhite received uniformly positive reviews last year -- indeed, it remains my own go-to e-reader -- the Kindle team took this year's upgrade seriously. According to Limp, they experimented with up to 25 different ways to illuminate text.

    And while the industrial design remains largely the same, save the change of logo on the back, the user experience is noticeably improved based on the time we had with an early unit. Zippier? Definitely. And while I never had problems reading on my Paperwhite, the text on this year's model is definitely clearer and slightly easier on the eyes. Another tweak readers may appreciate: "refreshing," a flashing effect that rids the screen of any e-ink artifacts, happens a lot less. The previous model refreshed every six page turns. The new Paperwhite will only ever do so at the end of a chapter or after a page with detailed art. It's a small tweak, but one that makes the reading experience slightly more immersive.

    Amazon also plans to roll out some new software features. Touches like page previews and a scrubber to more easily navigate inside e-books will be included on the new Paperwhite from day one. Two other notable features should arrive by Thanksgiving, including parental controls. The other -- integration of the social reading and review site Goodreads -- may prove more popular, allowing users to review books, read recommendations, and see what their friends are reading directly from their Kindles. For Amazon, more social features will likely translate to higher e-book sales, where the Kindle business generates more revenues. (Historically, Kindle hardware has been

    How social features evolve on the Kindle depends on how readers use them. Says Limp: "We would all say this is a day one implementation. I think this is a great start, but it is a start."