this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2023
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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.
All the things you said are true. I would like to add that along with being lightweight compared to a real book. It's also uniform in size so no hand cramps like if were reading a big hard cover.
And the newer ones allow to read in full sunlight without any glare.
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.
I'm not much of a phone person so tend to leave it places or forget to charge it quite often. Would be annoying trying to read myself to sleep only to find out there's like 10% battery left.
I was the same, I didn't really see the point of them until I tried out my sister's eBook reader. Then I was sold!
Also, while I still prefer physical books, I can't deny that it's nice to just be able to carry my entire library around in a bag.