who loves eReaders and what do you use??

[albireo13]

I have an old Amazon Fire .. maybe 8 yrs old now, which is slow and the battery seems to be dying. I use the Kindle app and have a small library of books I have read. It was cheap and not the best but, I enjoy it.

I want to upgrade to a better ereader now, one that is easy on the eyes for reading. The models are all different these days so, I was wondering what people use and like?

I have heard good things about the Kindle Paperwhite. Any other good brands/models?



I am looking for ...

* low glare and nice text presentation, to reduce eye strain

* a good size - formfactor is important to comfortable reading I have found.

* I don't want a tablet ... don't want web browsers, email, or lots of apps.

* would be nice if color display could be supported, for embedded pictures in publications



Anyway, I figure I would poll the crowd. Online reviews can sometimes be suspect.



Thx

[braumeister]

Kindle Paperwhite is an outstanding product, and I recommend it.

[Jerry1]

If it’s only for books and you don’t care about color, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a great reader.

[steelyman]

Another vote for the Paperwhite. I have a 2nd gen bought in 2015 and it’s perfect for e-books (the only thing I use on it).

[ADDED] I’ve used the free Calibre converter to reformat documents for the Paperwhite (mostly PDF).

[mystang52]

My Nook fits the bill, for me. DW has the Kindle Paperwhite and she loves it. FWIW, then, based on my experience you can't go wrong with either one. Nook - at least my 5 year old version - requires ePub format. I get all of my ebooks from public library website, so that is not an issue for me. I believe Paperwhite can handle another format or 2 that Nook does not, but I'm not positive.

[Retired Expat]

Tried them but kept going back to my iPad. Better back light, easy to look up things you read, cut and paste or share with others. Wife is committed to paper books but I like a brighter screen and to read in dim ambient light and need too much light to read books comfortably in bed before sleep

[albireo13]

what screen size, or form factor do you like?
Mine is a 7" display and it would be nice if it were a bit bigger. It is also a bit chunky. Hopefully newer models are simmer.

[albireo13]

I still like to read paper books. However, having the library available in your hands is nice plus one is great for travelling with.

[MichaelB]

Another satisfied Kindle Paperwhite user here.

The biggest difference for me is at the beach. Sun glare makes it almost impossible to see the screen of my iPhone and iPad, but the Kindle is still easily read.

I love books, especially old hardcovers, but there is no denying the ease of use of the e-reader or the convenience of having so many titles available on demand.

[Venturer]

++++& several +'s on the Kindle paperwhite. I had and still have somewhere a regular Kindle but my daughter got me a paperwhite 2 years ago for my birthday and If it stopped working tomorrow I would order another one. I like it because it is light enough to hold comfortably and the screen doesn't wash out in sunlight and you can also read it in the dark if needed. Just one more opinion but I say go for it,and if you still have unread books on your old one just transfer them and you haven't lost anything.

[PaunchyPirate]

Kindle Paperwhite is the best pure e-reader available. If you're just going to read books, this is the one you want to get. I have an iPad too for everything other than book reading. But when I want to read a book, I pick up the Kindle.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by albireo13 what screen size, or form factor do you like? Mine is a 7" display and it would be nice if it were a bit bigger. It is also a bit chunky. Hopefully newer models are simmer.

Pay attention to the weight. Larger screens are nice (and I love my iPad) but my Kindle is so lightweight that it's a pleasure to hold for hours while reading. The iPad is too heavy for that.

[street]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Kindle Paperwhite is an outstanding product, and I recommend it.

Yes, I totally agree. 100% recommend.

[target2019]

Lenovo Duet Chromebook with cloud reader.

[Alan]

Another vote for the Kindle Paperwhite.

[EastWest Gal]

I have an old Kindle, no backlight, no glare. Battery lasts for weeks. No light. I also use the Kindle app on my iphone or iPad when reading in the dark. But I love the Kindle because of its light weight, long battery, and no issues with reading outdoors.

[Midpack]

I read on my iPad using the Kindle app or Libby (indoors only, outdoors is almost impossible) but...

...there is no better eReader than the Kindle paperwhite. Just go find one and look at it, it speaks for itself once you see the display in person.

[Qs Laptop]

I read about 50 novels per year. I haven't read a physical book in six years. I started out reading e-books on my Google Nexus 7 tablet, then I bought a Kindle Paperwhite. This summer it will be coming up on four years with the Paperwhite.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Tablet Advantages
* ability to show colors
* wide control of brightness levels, especially at night in bed with room lights off
* dark mode, which is white font on black background
* different font colors. I love sepia, for example.
* ability to easily open a browser and Google something if you want to research while you are reading

Tablet Disadvantages
* heavier in the hand
* larger size. If too big a tablet fonts can look grainy and be a strain on the eyes. I didn't have this problem with my 7" Google Nexus tablet but when I used my wife's 10" Samsung tablet it was bothersome.
* difficult to read outdoors, especially in sunlight conditions
* shorter battery life, especially when reading outdoors with the brightness cranked up. Only known as a disadvantage when compared to the Paperwhite's stellar battery life.
* Not as easy to prop up and read hands-free compared to Kindle Paperwhite.

Kindle Paperwhite Advantages
* crisp and clear easy to read text in all lighting conditions. In fact, Paperwhite's display is extremely easy to see and read in bright conditions, with excellent contrast. No glare.
* lightweight, easy to handle
* smaller physical size compared to tablets. This means screen size is proportional to the page proportions of a physical book, roughly the size of a typical paperback.
* battery life is incredible, even in bright conditions as the Paperwhite's screen actually uses ambient light to its advantage, creating on screen contrast. (It's voodoo!)
* easy to prop up and read hands-free (well, hands-free except for the page swipes.) My typical reading sessions are lying on my side in bed, lights off, with Paperwhite propped up against bedcovers. Or lying on my back, knees up with Paperwhite propped up against front of my thighs. As far as wife is concerned there is no lights on and no sounds of pages being turned. I can't talk enough about how nice it is not having to hang on to a book or tablet when reading.

Kindle Paperwhite Disadvantages
* no dark mode, specifically no white text on black background. Why, oh why not?! I know it's probably a function of the screen display, but if the Paperwhite had dark mode it would be darn perfect.
* no color. Photos and illustrations are bland.
* low brightness levels (night reading for example) do not have the excellent text to background contrast present in normal lighting conditions. Don't misunderstand me--night reading is very easy, very good with Paperwhite. This is difficult to explain. In normal lighting the text "pops" off the screen, the text appearing darker and sharp against the (naturally appearing) crisp white background. Excellent contrast. In no light conditions, like reading in bed, the entire screen has a white glow, reminiscent of an x-ray film viewer.
* no built-in full-featured browser. Can't easily look up stuff like word definitions or foreign phrases, or maps, or Google Streets (looking at the actual building or street being described by the author is powerful.) Which segues into...
* very difficult to highlight text. Individual words are easy to highlight but it's near impossible to get multi-word phrases highlighted correctly. The endpoints cannot easily be set where you want them. Why would you want to highlight multi-word phrases? Translating foreign phrases, for example. Or you want to highlight a passage because you are making notes.
* built-in dictionary is not the best. There is supposed to be a way to import the dictionary of your choice, but there are obstacles.
* text file formats are limited to .mobi or .azw. Not really a problem since Amazon is the world's largest bookseller. And it's been mentioned the free Calibre software can convert epub and other formats to .mobi.

Most of the Paperwhite's disadvantages, other than no color (and therefore no dark mode) are nitpicks. The OP was mainly looking for good, crisp text presentation and good size and comfort, and the Paperwhite excels in these areas. Really, if the OP held a Paperwhite and saw the display under various lighting conditions, it would be game over.

Wow, I see I've rattled on quite a bit. Anyway, in the battle of tablet vs. Paperwhite for e-reading, it's Paperwhite with a decisive win.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qs Laptop no dark mode, specifically no white text on black background. Why, oh why not?! I know it's probably a function of the screen display, but if the Paperwhite had dark mode it would be darn perfect.

Maybe you have an older model, or older software, but there is a Dark Mode, right at the top of the screen in Settings.

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Maybe you have an older model, or older software, but there is a Dark Mode, right at the top of the screen in Settings.

I didn’t know about this. It seems my Paperwhite 2 (gen 7?) doesn’t support it. According to this blog post you need Paperwhite 4 (gen 10?) or later.

https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...how-to-get-it/