Rant Review: World of Dracula 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Laurence King, Art by Adam Simpson)

I started doing puzzles regularly again early last year, and it finally occurred to me to start reviewing them here. I've had my eye on this puzzle for some time now, and this past weekend turned out to finally be its time to emerge from its cardboard coffin and strut its stuff across my puzzle board. I really enjoyed this one! It was definitely on the easy side; the only somewhat challenging bits were the large expanse of gray near the bottom and the sky at the top. The art tells the entire story of Dracula as your gaze roams the puzzle. The included poster explains what is happening in each scene for those who haven't read the novel, or just need a refresher. (Though it did get the date wrong when referring to the Bela Lugosi film.) I really liked the texture of the pieces, the fit was good, and there was no dust! There were some false fits, but it was generally very easy to tell if two pieces didn't actually belong together. My only gripe is that some pieces were damaged slightly when separated, an unfortunate side effect of how snug the fit is. I just had to exercise a bit more care than usual when separating pieces. A very nice puzzling experience overall, and I will definitely be doing more puzzles from this series in the near future!

 

The Simpsons Tapped Out: The Final Day

Many of us were shocked when EA revealed the imminent closure of the beloved Tapped Out mobile game back in September. Well, today's the day. After 13 years, The Simpsons Tapped Out is shutting down. So many plans for that new land they freed up a few months ago that I didn't get around to. I kinda lost the motivation to put all that work into it since I knew it would all be flushed down the digital crapper, so here's my town as it stands on the final day. Yeah, it's tiny and tough to make out details. Here it is, all the same, along with a few of my favorite job animations. I know this is just a silly mobile game, but it's been a part of my life for well over a decade. It'll be weird to no longer be able to visit my Springfield and tinker with it. Excelsior, Tapped Out! Hopefully we won't have too long of a wait for another Simpsons game to hopefully fill some of the void.

 

Rant Review: Kindle Colorsoft- Soft on Color, Hard on the Wallet

I reckon my wallet better learn to like it rough, as I've been having a blast with this thing! Like many, I've been interested to see how it stacks up against the Kobo Libra Color, which I tried out (and returned) in early September. Sure, the color screen is based on the same tech, but with the modifications the Kindle team has made, there was a good chance its performance might be a bit better. Comparisons around the web show the KLC and the Colorsoft trading wins depending on the specific color image displayed. The smooth, muted shades of color offered by the aptly-named Colorsoft are pleasing to the eye, and more than adequate for most tasks. Vivid mode boosts the color saturation at the expense of some detail in dark areas; which mode is better depends entirely on personal preference. I've found the standard mode best more often than not. The color is obviously not going to compete with that of a decent tablet, but if you want a color ereader, the Colorsoft does the job admirably. However, most of my time will still be spent reading black text on a white-ish background, and that experience was a bit too compromised for my liking on the Kobo Libra Color. So, how does the addition of color affect the Colorsoft's actual reading experience?

Pretty damn well, thankfully. The first thing you're likely to notice (after that gorgeous startup screen) is how dark the screen is compared to a standard B&W ereader. This is due to the color overlay, and while the darker tone isn't ideal, that's what the light is for. The color layer doesn't taint the standard B&W reading experience much to my eyes; whereas the KLC had a bad "screen door effect" that was like having a layer of static between my eyes and the screen, the Colorsoft has a more gentle graininess that actually looks pretty good to my eyes. It's not as clean as the Paperwhite or basic model, but it looks more like actual paper, oddly enough. Text is still very sharp, and the contrast suffers surprisingly little. Like I said, this was my number one concern, and I am very pleasantly surprised at how the Kindle team pulled this off!

In the few days the Colorsoft has been available, there's been a great deal of discourse about the lighting, specifically how most models have a darker yellow-ish tint to the lower bit of the screen. Some aren't bothered by this, and some absolutely hate it. I can just perceive it on mine; had I not been specifically looking for it, I might not ever have noticed it! Either I won the device lottery, or else my eyes just aren't as sensitive to such things as others' are. The auto light sensor works pretty well, especially after doing a bit of calibration.

 

 

As pretty much a modified 12th-gen Paperwhite, the Colorsoft benefits from the massive speed boost of that model. It's a hair slower on page turns, and color pages are a bit slower than that, but still well within a comfortable range. The device is a bit faster than the 11th-gen devices are after the speed boost they received from the most recent software update. Books download and open instantly, and typing, menu navigation, and even browsing the Kindle store are a breeze! Ghosting is kept to a minimum, and while the page refreshes much more frequently when reading in color, I didn't find that distracting. This will never be my device of choice for reading comics as long as I have a big tablet with an OLED screen sitting at the ready on my nightstand, but it performs the task more than adequately.

A few cool, random tidbits: In addition to the color startup screen mentioned previously, there are some nice new screensavers, some of them appealing enough to make me reconsider setting my book cover as the lock screen image. The Amazon logo on the back has a nice iridescent finish, and while that's not as nice as the metal casing it should have had, it's a nice touch that adds some visual interest to the otherwise dull design. It's also worth noting that, while most cases for the 11th-gen PW do not fit the new models, if you have one of those gel cases, it just might do the trick. It's a tight fit, but it'll offer the device some protection while we wait for more case options from third parties! The device charges quickly, and it works with the 2021 model wireless charger. Battery life seems quite good so far, but obviously, it's too early to judge long-term performance on that front. Based on any Kindle not called the Oasis, I don't anticipate any problems.

On the less positive front, the screen is the usual fingerprint magnet. The bezels, in particular, drive me up the wall with how fast they get all smudgy. It's easy enough to apply some washi tape to the bezels to eliminate that, as well as personalizing your device. The lack of buttons are a sore spot for many, and I dearly wish they had built some into the side in the style of the 4th-gen Kindle. It is what it is, though. The Colorsoft also lacks the stylus support offered by the Kobo Libra Color. This is not a drawback for me, but it's something to consider if you desire that feature. In the "likely a glitch" department, there appears to be no universal dark mode. You can apply it to the books you're reading, but menus will display as normal. PDF files added via USB also display in B&W, not color. PDFs sent via the Send to Kindle app work just fine. I expect both of these issues to be fixed with an update.

The option to download your purchased books via a USB connection has been disabled on the new devices. Many of us like to download the books we purchase from Amazon to make our own backups, so this is an issue for many Kindle owners. It's unclear at this point whether or not this is intentional or an oversight, but be aware of the issue if you typically download your purchased books. Sideloading books onto your Kindle still works normally.

As much as I like the Colorsoft, it feels overpriced. A metal casing, a la the Oasis or the Voyage, would have helped sell it better as a premium device. Taking advantage of the trade-in program certainly helped, but when you get right down to it, Amazon is offering a device that lacks a few features of its competitors in this space, and charging us more for the privilege. True, they are delivering a mostly-superior experience, and many of us are already ensconced in the Amazon ecosystem, but that price tag is a whopper. Personally, I've wanted a color Kindle for years, and my trade-in knocked the price down to a much more comfortable level. Don't be afraid to take your time and let more of us early adopters help work out the kinks for you, and wait for a sale if you're on the fence. These things aren't going anywhere. Color has erupted into the Kindle line, and I'm excited to watch this technology develop and improve in the years to come! Keep scrolling for many more photos and comparison pics!

Rant Review: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (12th Generation, 2024)

New Kindles are finally here, including their first-ever color model! While we still have to wait until the end of the month for that one, a few of the new models are currently shipping, including the subject of today's review. The new Paperwhite's screen has excellent sharpness and contrast, the best of any ereader I've ever seen in person. It brings to mind another device that featured strikingly good sharpness and contrast despite the layers over the screen: The Voyage. I don't have one on hand to do a direct comparison, but it certainly seems to have that same sort of secret sauce going for it. I'll be very interested to see some direct comparisons from people who still have a Voyage on hand. It's not as apparent in photos, but I'm surprised at how much sharper it is than my 2021 PW. I knew from the early reviews that it would be better, but I wasn't expecting it to be so noticeable. Even my beloved Oasis comes up short in a direct comparison!

Much has been made of the speed of this iteration of the PW, and it's not just empty hype. I never thought the word "fast" would ever really apply to an e-ink screen due to the limitations of the technology, but the Kindle team has made that a reality. Pages turn as quickly as I can tap the screen, and while I've never cried out to the heavens about page turns being too slow, it's impressive to see such responsiveness on an e-ink screen. The true benefits of this speed come into play when navigating menus, adjusting settings, and especially when typing. I honestly did not think it was possible for an e-ink screen to be so fast and responsive. This is truly impressive. The speed in itself is not a reason to upgrade to this model, but if you're already considering an upgrade, it is definitely an extra enticement.

Despite the larger screen, it's very nearly the same size, measuring about a millimeter taller and wider. Annoyingly, it's just enough that the device won't fit in cases made for the 2021 model. (At least, neither of the ones I have.)

The back of the device feels very similar, just a bit slick. I still have no difficulty holding onto it. The power button is still on the bottom, and though I understand why some are annoyed by this, it's never been an issue for me. I've been using Kindles for thirteen years, and while about five of those saw me primarily using an Oasis, that's still a good eight years I used various basic and PW models. In all that time, I don't recall ever pressing the power button by mistake. So I get why it's a point of irritation for some, but it's not a mark against the device for me.

I have a Colorsoft on order, and this PW was intended as an early Xmas gift for my mom. While I set it up for her, I just couldn't resist playing around with it a bit, and it has really won me over. If I wind up not keeping my Colorsoft, I'll definitely be getting one of these for myself. The improvements are mostly small, but those little things add up to a noticeably superior experience. Despite the lack of page turn buttons, which I truly love, it just may supplant my Oasis as my main reader!