I’ve never used one but it struck me as odd that people would use a seperate device for smth so easily done on your phone.
Is there smth special about the hardware? Is it better somehow?
Yes, they have e-ink screens which look like paper. Very high resolution and very low power draw with perfect viewing angles and no issues with direct sunlight make it worth it to buy an extra device.
Though the amazon ones are software-locked afaik, so you can’t put your own books on there.
The sunlight is a huge one for me especially going abroad, my phone on full brightness would be a strain and would drain in a few hours
You can easilly load custom epubs onto kindle, it isn’t locked down like that at least on my older Kindle Voyage - you ofc don’t get xray and highlights etc
Got a massive export of epubs in like 2010 and its still going strong
At the risk of making it sound like a cult, I didn’t understand either until I got one (although in my case, I didn’t understand why people would want one instead of an actual book, not instead of a phone).
Honestly it’s really handy. Super lightweight so I don’t get a wrist pain from holding it up at an awkward angle. Battery lasts for months so I can just pick it up and throw it in a bag for a holiday and never think about it. All of my books neatly organised. No notifications interrupting like you would end up with on a phone. Much bigger screen than a phone despite being much lighter, so more text on one page. All of that on top of the reduced eye strain, it’s a no-brainer for me.
I have one of the backlit, touchscreen ones these days and the light is useful I keep it on warm light and the dimmest possible for use at night. But I have to admit the older version with the side buttons was better than the touchscreen, I often find myself accidentally skipping pages with the newer one.
Lack of notifications and other distracting apps is a big reason I prefer my ebook over reading on my phone. I have pretty bad ADHD, if what I’m reading doesn’t have me hyperfocused I’ll switch over to another app completely unconsciously.
Reading in the dark is the main reason I prefer my ebook over an actual book. It’s so easy to keep reading after my husband goes to sleep. Mine is old enough to have a power button, but they stupidly put it on the bottom edge so I frequently click it and turn my book off lol
It’s okay. After the apocalypse you won’t have electricity, but you will have as much time to read books as you like.
Unfortunately, your glasses will break and , unable to zoom in like you would on your kindle, you won’t be able to read anything.
I saw a documentary about this once. Although why the person doesn’t then just walk over to the drug store and pick up some reading glasses, I’ll never understand.
so I can just pick it up and throw it in a bag for a holiday and never think about it.
I understand some other arguments, but I never understood this as a ‘pro e-reader’ argument. Unless you’re going on a “no-electricity available for days” kind of vacation, how is this even a factor?
I charge my phone every night while I’m sleeping, and I have my phone with me everywhere I go. So I NEVER have to think about whether I need to throw an e-reader into my bag or decide whether to grab it on my way out the door. Wherever I am, if I have time to read, my phone is already right there, so I just read it on my phone.
And as long as I’m not playing 3D video games on my phone, the battery easily lasts all day, even with the screen on while reading, so that’s never been a factor for me.
E-ink screens are amazing, they looks very different to normal displays, they actually look almost like paper, and does not strain you eyes like a phone or computer display.
After understanding that the rest is easy, an ebook reader is small, lightweight, has a battery life of several weeks of active use, and can hold vast ammounts of books.
Books are awesome, but ebooks are more conveniet in the modern world.
My Kindle is more than 10 years old, one of the ones with physical buttons to turn the Pages. No crappy software/spyware, enough storage to hold tons of books, and one of those E ink screens that don’t shine at you. When the battery on this one finally dies I will be performing surgery on it and replacing the battery rather than buying a new one
