TECH CAFE

KINDLE YOUR LOVE FOR READING: WHY E-READERS ARE A GAME-CHANGER

ANOTHER INTRODUCTION NO ONE WANTS

This article should apply any e-reader out there like kobo or boox. I personally have been using the Amazon Kindle for some time now. You may ask why this article came so late, well that is because I upgraded my kindle and thought I should go through why I prefer e-reader and why you should consider one over reading a paperback. This is not a guide on how to use the device, but I will drop in few tips here and there or features that draw me to Kindle.

Paperbacks and hardcover lovers are readying their points now to come at me but hey, this is a tech blogsite, what did you expect. For blog about everything books check out Emily Wanjah’s bookish much . Why buy Kindle over just reading a physical book like books “were intended to be read” as many say as if The Ten commandment were not written on a literal Stone, yes, a stone tablet, like rocks, not paper… (Rock, paper, scissors lol). Sorry my mind wanders a lot. LET’S BEGIN

CONVENIENCE AND PORTABILITY

Yes, I can see you rolling your eyes saying “you can also carry physical books” but just hear me out. Kindle is more lightweight and compact than most physical books. You can store thousands of books, and it still will be lighter than a single copy of a Freida McFadden’s generic cheap thrillers she cannot stop dropping every time we breath in. With kindle you do not have to worry about picking up a lighter book when moving anywhere. This makes it Travel-Friendly as it reduces the need to carry multiple books.

READING FEATURES

The elephant in the room. Let us talk about reading feature as this are the main reasons why you would pick a kindle anyway and they are undisputed unless you just want to sniff pages you drug addict.

Adjustable Font and Size: With Kindle you can customize the text size, font style spacing and all the good stuff for comfortable reading experience. Just a tip. You can manually add your font style on kindle by dragging them to the font folder when you plug the device to your computer.

Built-in Dictionary, Wikipedia, and Translation: This is my topmost reason I chose to kindle every time over a physical book. With a built in dictionary, Wikipedia and translation, you don’t have to constantly pick your phone to look up words and phrase as you read which can times take you from the action and for the undisciplined people means you can get lost in notification and doom scroll on TikTok. There is also a feature called Word Wise that lets the book explain specific phrases as you read.

Highlighting and Notes: when you thought built in stuff like dictionary was peak convenience well hold my paper. You can easily highlight text and add notes to them.

If you are like me who do not like molesting my book by making it dirty trying to highlight with highlighter pen or adding little annotations, then this device solves that. It does not end there, the notes and highlights can be exported and sync across your amazon account. And if you use Goodreads, you will see your kindle notes and highlights there.

Reading Progress: This is a personal favourite. The kindle can predict how long it will take you to finish a chapter or the entire book by learning your reading speed. Now you do not have to let your OCD get the best of you by constantly checking the book pages you have to flip after every chapter (fun to do though)

LIGHTING AND EYE COMFORT

Yes, the physical books by default have a better way of resting your eyes because they are… uh… wait for it…. not screens. The biggest concern anytime people think of a device with screen they instantly start saying it is not good for your eyes, well not the case with kindle or any e-reader. Kindle uses E-Ink Technology which Mimics paper and reduces glare, providing a comfortable reading experience without eye strain. And with Built-in Lighting you can adjust the light for reading in various conditions. Yes, you can read your spicy stuff under the sheets now instead of just looking for a human partner. As of 2019 kindle models now have a yellow warm light to help with comfort reading in the night (again, just get a partner really, erotica books are not the solution).

A note to Amazon – No one asked for a system wide dark theme on kindle really. Just page colours are fine. Yes, I know the new coloursoft does this, now remove it from paperwhite and the rest.

COST AND ACCESSIBILTY

With kindle you have access to affordable and even free books. The kindle store has many classics and crazy discount on eBooks. At the time of writing this I just purchased a book for 129/=. And most classics like Dracula by Bram Stoker and Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens are free. Yes, the free epub community are now rolling their eye, you can send your free epubs to kindle device via the kindle email and life still moves on. Seriously let us support authors though. Its not just getting the book is how quick it is to have them. Unlike buying physical books which you either must go to the store or wait for delivery which will have extra charge, eBooks are instantly downloaded on your kindle the moment you buy them.

Another quick note – Eco-Friendliness: Digital books eliminate the need for physical paper, making it a more environmentally friendly option.

RANDOM EXTRA REASONS TO GET AN E-READER

Durability: eBooks do not suffer from physical damage like torn pages or worn covers. This does not mean the kindle itself as a device can get damaged, it’s an electronic it is inevitable. But you will always have your library across devices and when you get a new kindle means you just download your eBooks again. Well imaging your shelf burns or worse… some random non-reader borrows your book and loses it or returns it with dog ears.

Audiobook Integration: Kindle devices with Audible support allow you to listen to audiobooks when paired with Bluetooth headphones.

There an underrated feature known as whisper-sync and this lets you continue where you left off between audible and kindle, if you have both formats of the book.

Sync Across Devices: Start reading on your Kindle and continue on your phone or tablet using the Kindle app. And again, also between text and audio if you have both audio and kindle format.

Battery Life: Long-lasting battery that can last weeks on a single charge. So do not worry about constantly leaving it overnight to charge. I know you do not need to charge physical books, but you can read in the shower or bathtub or swimming pool because some kindle versions like paperwhite have an IP Rating: IPX8 meaning its waterproof. So, you can read a fish fillet recipe to a fish before capturing it, murderer!

THE END

Feeling convinced to get a kindle? Or not? Drop a comment on your favourite format of reading.