The Sword and Laser discussion
E-reader Recommendation
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I would suggest that you don't bother with a dedicted e-reader. The Kindle App works on many devices. I regularly read on my phone. However, it's the iPad Mini that most closely resembles an e-reader. The resolution is astonishing compared to Kindles. A used iPad Mini should be available for under $200, your choice just how far under $200 (and how old a device) you want to get.FWIW my now 10 year old iPad Mini does have charging issues. It will hold about a four hour charge for reading and one hour for surfing or games (I play Words With Friends.) I noticed the charge becoming an issue about two years ago. So that's eight years before I noticed an issue, and even at that it still works acceptably.
I recently bought a Kindle Paperwhite and i like it. It syncs very well with my audiobooks on Audible.( I usually listen to audiobooks on my iPhone but when I switch back to the Kindle it remembers where I left off.)I also have a iPad but I got the Kindle mainly to use outdoors, though I find I like reading on it indoors, too.
I think most ereaders and tablets are decent nowadays. My mom uses a Kobo e-ink and an iPad mini. She prefers the former for reading. I upgraded to an iPad Pro this year which I like, but all in it was nearly $2,000.Kobo does NOT support audiobooks.
SOME Kindles support audiobooks but ONLY ones from Audible, which is owned by Amazon.
If I were buying a dedicated ereader today, I would choose the no-ads version of Paperwhite. It has e-ink and audiobook support (via Bluetooth) but doesn’t do anything else useful like check email, really. But it’s easier on the eyes than a tablet and the battery life is amazing by comparison. Also, my iPad weighs a ton, relative to other ereaders.
I'm the opposite of John, I love my dedicated e-reader. I read a lot of library books and occasionally I'll check out a book that I can't read on my Kindle so I have to read it on my phone or tablet. I find reading it there isn't as pleasurable as reading it from the Kindle. The screen is too bright (and white), the software is slightly different than the Kindle OS, I have to charge the devices more often and in case of my tablet, it's bigger than my kindle, and more expensive. Phone and tablet work fine in a pinch but they aren't my daily reader.I have a newer Kindle Paperwhite (8 gb) and I love it! It's the waterproof one with backlighting. The backlight is nice for reading at night or in a dark room, I keep it on a low setting (around 3 or 4) and it does the trick. I'm pretty hard on my kindle since I take them everywhere and I tend to toss them around (on the couch, bed, seat of the truck, etc,) and they hold up pretty well. I suspect in the next year or so I'll be replacing my current one since I somehow broke off the corner of the unit. There's a sort of bumper of hard plastic that runs around the device and that's what I chipped. Not nice to look at but the unit still works fine and doesn't seem to comprise it's water resistance. I like the fact that it's "waterproof" since I take it to the beach, the pool and hot tub. Though I do try and not get it wet, spills and splashes happen. The Paperwhite is listed on Amazon for $130 but they frequently put it on sale. The last one was Prime Day and I think it was discounted to $80. I suspect they'll be on sale for Black Friday and I'm a little surprised Amazon didn't listed it for sale with the Back to School stuff. I think the price plays a big part of my decision to use it for my daily reader, since it's much cheaper than my iPad, I don't worry as much if I drop it or get it wet, throw it into a bag, etc. And if I break it or lose it than I'll just pick up another one at the next sale. BTW, unless you horde a bunch of books on it you don't need the 32gb version. I have over 100 books and 250 samples and still have 5.5gb of storage left. I hope this helps.
If the Kindle is old enough that it has free cellular service with edge you should be due for a large rebate toward a new Kindle. That service was discontinued and Amazon is helping people get new ones. Worth checking on at least!
^ Regarding the "white and bright" above, that's true for the basic setting. I put it on nighttime view or whatever they call it, for black background and white text. Seeing as I regularly read in the dark that setting works best for me.
John (Taloni) wrote: "^ Regarding the "white and bright" above, that's true for the basic setting. I put it on nighttime view or whatever they call it, for black background and white text. Seeing as I regularly read in ..."Alternatively... turn the brightness WAY down. Like to 5-10%. Or change the background color or both.
The huge advantage of a tablet as an e-reader is that you avoid the "supports audiobooks, but only from Audible" stuff. It's a full fledged computing device. You can install hoopla and get content there, install Chirp(https://www.chirpbooks.com) and listen to that content, etc.
John (Taloni) wrote: "^ Regarding the "white and bright" above, that's true for the basic setting. I put it on nighttime view or whatever they call it, for black background and white text. Seeing as I regularly read in ..."I see two of y'all picked up on the bright screen. That's just one of many reasons why it's not my daily reader. The two biggest are probably the price and size of my iPad versus my Paperwhite Kindle. :)
Full size iPad isn't good for reading (aside from Digital comics). You'd want the Mini which, while a big bigger than the Kindle, is fine to me (but I'm a bigger person, so...). That said, if you'd just use it as e-reader and and are into the Amazon ecosystem anyway, yeah, the Paperwhite is a better deal for sure.
Mod
I find the 10 inch iPad perfectly fine for reading.
It is a comfortable size and weight for holding and because of my poor eyesight, due to advancing age 😉 , the increased font size I use doesn't look ridiculous on the screen. as it does on a smaller device screen.
^ I hate holding a full size tablet so it's iPad Mini for my kindle reading and Words With Friends / Facebook scrolling, and regular computer for e-versions of comics.
I got the Kindle Oasis for Christmas, because my old Kindle just took forever to load a new book. The Oasis was the most expensive one at the time, but I like having actual buttons to turn the page and I knew that I'd be using it a lot so I could justify to splurge a bit.I like having a dedicated e-Reader and much prefer e-Ink to a tablet, but I guess that's a personal preference. I'm very happy with the Oasis, since it's very light and the brightness adjusts automatically to my surroundings.
I definitely prefer e-ink over tablet for reading, but having multiple devices is too much hassle for me. That’s why I went with the iPad.
I still recommend a dedicated Kindle reader, both for the e-ink screen (which is good in just about any environment) and the lack of other distractions when reading.Sure, I end up using the apps on my phone & iPad too, because I don't carry my Kindle everywhere with me, but this is one area where I find a single-purpose device is worth owning.
Another advantage of the e-ink kindle is that, with syncing turned off, library books are not automatically returned. Big plus for a slow reader like me.
I have a Paperwhite that I use for most of my reading, but I also have a 7" Kindle Fire that I use for Hoopla, Chirp etc. When they are on sale you can usually pick one up for $20. Audiobooks I usually listen to off my phone although I could do that on the Fire too.
Tassie Dave wrote: "Rick wrote: "Full size iPad isn't good for reading (aside from Digital comics). You'd want the Mini which, while a big bigger than the Kindle, is fine to me (but I'm a bigger person, so...). "I f..."
Different strokes and all that. I've used both (I have a 9.7 iPad) and I can use it but the Mini is much more comfortable. But since the Mini 2 I have no longer holds a charge and the 9.7 screen is cracked (do NOT toss your iPhone on top of your iPad), I'm reading on the XS Max and it's fine (not for comics of course).
AndrewP wrote: "I have a Paperwhite that I use for most of my reading, but I also have a 7" Kindle Fire that I use for Hoopla, Chirp etc. When they are on sale you can usually pick one up for $20. Audiobooks I usu..."Like Andrew, I do most reading on a Paperwhite and listen to audiobooks on my phone. (I also have a 7" Kindle Fire but rarely use it.)
I think I will follow Anne's example and get a Kindle Oasis when my current unit falters.
I have trouble reading regular screens outside, so I prefer e-ink. I have a Kobo Forma. the screen is a little larger than a paperback, and it is thin enough I can fit it in a medium size purse. it is waterproof so I can use it in the bathtub. I have it linked to my library Overdrive account, so I can download ebooks on it. it doesn't support audiobooks, but use my phone for those. it is very lightweight and comfortable to hold with. slight angle on the side with the buttons. The display rotates so you can hold the buttons in either side or the bottom. I highly recommend it.
I haven't really gotten into tablets or full-sized e-readers. I guess I'm lazy, but for me my best e-book reader is the one that I have with me (much like photography). As I always have my phone with me, it is my defacto e-reader. Note, I leave "nightmode" on at all times as I find the white text on black background much less stressful to my eyes than the normal black text on white background. Granted, I've almost always had fairly large screens. My current Pixel5 is the smallest screen that I've had in a long time (I came from a long line of Samsung Notes and Pixel XL phablets) so I can get a reasonable number of words on my screen at one time.I haven't really gotten into using the Kindle app, most of my reading is in the Google "Play Books" app using books both bought from the Google Play store and uploaded to my phone from Calibre on my computer. I really should look into what ever app my local library uses so I can check out books instead of always having to buy them...
I used to just use my iPad ebook apps and got a Kindle paperwhite as a gift that I thought I didn't need but I love it. It's SO lightweight, my most recent cover has a strap so I can just wrap it around my hand, it works with the public library ebooks, and I'm a fan.
^ Does the kindle paperwhite have a "night" option with black background / white text? I do find the low battery life on my aging iPad Mini annoying, but don't really want to spend several hundred dollars on another one.
John (Taloni) wrote: "^ Does the kindle paperwhite have a "night" option with black background / white text? I do find the low battery life on my aging iPad Mini annoying, but don't really want to spend several hundred ..."Yes, it does.
One complaint about the current Paperwhite is the location of the power button, it's in the middle of the bottom edge and I hit it every time I put the device in my pocket or bag. I frequently hit the power button turning it on and usually flipping a page or 10. I'm not sure where else they could put it and I realize it's there to help make it more water resistant but it's in the way.
Charles - Are you using the Paperwhite with a case or not? I've got the case on mine and I occasionally hit the power button, but when the cover is closed you should gain some protection from it changing pages...that would drive me crazy as well.
Stacey wrote: "Charles - Are you using the Paperwhite with a case or not? I've got the case on mine and I occasionally hit the power button, but when the cover is closed you should gain some protection from it ch..."I don't. I don't like the flap on the cases, it gets in my way. I've tried a few and didn't like them. The Kindle is so well built that I haven't needed one. I'm rough on mine, yet it's held up well.
Has anyone bought a kindle or e-reader in last year or so and can recommend a good one?
I've seen, they also have kindles that work with audio books, dose that work well?
Thanks