Now, you could argue that some added features would be nice, like waterproofing (there better be no water in your Oasis), but Amazon lives by the mantra less is more. You want to do other stuff? Buy other stuff.

Everything about its performance, its design, its software, reflects that. Amazon all but insists such things are not the point of Kindle. Amazon continues paring down the Kindle, even as it introduces so many features-Audible audiobooks, the Alexa voice assistant, and, I don't know, Dash buttons-that might make perfect sense on its e-reader. New Amazon Dash Buttons Let You Instantly Order Condoms for Some Reason Arrowįor all the things the Kindle does, there are so many more it doesn't. Everything else carries over from the Voyage, including the 6-inch E Ink screen flush with the edge of the device, and all the software that arrived in February. You can hold it in either hand, because user studies revealed that people tend to constantly fidget when they read. The Oasis shoves the components and circuitry to one (slightly thicker) side, creating a nice grip for a device that finally brings back the glorious page-turn buttons. The svelte design makes one thing abundantly clear: Every Kindle is basically a screen and a battery. The smallest Kindle yet at less than five ounces and just 3.4mm thick at its smallest point. Anyway! At $289, the Oasis is the most expensive Kindle in years, four times the price of the entry-level Kindle, which does all the same things.

Before you assume anything from the name, no, it's not waterproof.

Which brings me to the new Kindle launching today, the Kindle Oasis.

Kindle oasis waterproof