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Why do people buy kindles instead of just reading books on their tablets or phones? (self.chat)

submitted 1 year ago by Lacanoodle to c/chat

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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?

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[–] TwinTusks@bitforged.space 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Wow, this post is 5 months ago.

The whole point of kindle and other ebook readers are its screen. All smartphone/tablets shines bright backlit light to your eye and casuing eye strain (most people do it so long that they don't tend to notice it anymore). First generation e-link screens doesn't have light, and it tends to be more paperlike than your screen. Also unlike your smart phone/tablets, it is distraction free. The hardware specs are low and you can't switch to chatting, surfing the web, turn on music or watch a video. Books and only books. Also, with phones, I always need to watch the battery and ebook readers can last months if not weeks on one charge (depends on how much you use it).

Newer readers (like for the last decade), all have frontlit screens, which is unlike the backlit smart devices. Light shines from the top to the bottom, through layers of screen and reflected back at the bottom, thus diminishing its effect and lessen eye strain. Ebook readers strives to achieve the quality of reading on paper with the ease of taking it everywhere (try log around a doorstopper around for few days.

[–] Lacanoodle 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's a cool explanation, thanks!

[–] TwinTusks@bitforged.space 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

In essence, ebook reader try to keep reading as close to paper as possible, to avoid/lessen eye strain (front the early lightless ebook readers to newer lighted readers), with the benefit of taking it everywhere (have you tried carrying some doorstoppers around?). Though media tends to portray ebook vs paper as neither / or, while in reality you'll see many people perfer both. I myselft purchases physical books because I love the smell of paper books, and I devour books on my kindle (I have 3, from kindle keyboard (no light), paperwhite (first gen with light) and voyage).