If you’ve ever used one of Amazon’s Kindle e-book readers, then you can get by with a really short review of its latest, the Kindle Oasis.

It’s exactly like the other recent models in most regards. (My video here should bring you up to date on the primary Kindle features.) It has the same six-inch, black-and-white, 300-dots-per-inch e-ink screen. This screen comes incredibly close to the look of print on paper, looks amazing in sunlight (where color screens usually wash out), and, in darkness, has its own adjustable soft backlight.

The Oasis holds thousands of books. You can buy new ones from Amazon whenever you’re in a WiFi hotspot — or, for $70 more, the truly obsessive reader may prefer the Oasis with a built-in cellular modem.

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The Oasis differs only in a few aspects from previous Kindles. One long edge is weirdly bulbous and widened, making the Oasis more of a square than a rectangle. That’s where the battery is, as well as page-turn buttons, and that’s what you hold onto as you read.

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The screen image, and the functions of the Next Page/Previous Page buttons, flip upside-down if you hold the fat side with the other hand:

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The whole thing, overall, is much smaller than other Kindles. In fact, even though it’s a little wider, it still just barely fits into an inside blazer pocket.

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The Oasis weighs less than any other Kindle (4.6 ounces instead of 6.3 or 7.2 ounces, like the other Kindles). The backlight is a little more even.

Other differences: A magnetically attached leather screen cover comes with this Kindle. When you’re reading, it can fold around completely behind the Kindle.

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