Reading in the dark with my Kindle Paperwhite
The Waiting Game since 1999
A little over a year ago, I took the plunge and ordered a first generation Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon. I first read about the impending emergence of electronic reading devices in 1999. Back then, I already knew that I wanted one and looked forward to the day I would own one. Then when Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007, I was excited. But I decided against obtaining one then because I weighed the benefits and decided I would wait.
Introducing the Amazon Kindle
Each year when the newest generations were introduced, I carefully considered if the latest devices were mature enough to meet my needs. At last, when the Kindle Paperwhite came out, I decided it was the device I had been waiting for. What made it even more appealing was that libraries can loan out ebooks via Overdrive. The only drawback was that Kindles and epub files are incompatible. There are ways around that but removing the DRM from ebooks to convert their formats seems to be a legal grey zones in many countries.
Kindle Paperwhite
Library Ebooks
Nonetheless, fourteen years after I first decided I wanted an electronic reading device, I owned one. And the past year and four months with it have been wonderful. Owning an e-reader has encouraged me to read more books and also much more widely. Borrowing books (from the library) couldn’t be easier. Library ebooks don’t get dirty, smudged or torn. No pages ever go missing and I can read borrow ebooks anywhere in the world — as long as I have access to the Internet.
Portability
The portability is another draw. It’s small enough to fit into most of my purse and also doesn’t add much weight when I have a lot to carry. At the same time, the screen is not so small that it bothers me when reading. I tried reading ebooks on my iPhone before and not once did I manage to complete a single chapter.
Reading at Night
What I particularly love about the Kindle Paperwhite is that it’s backlit. I can read at night, even when my family switches off the lights to watch TV or when I’m sitting outside somewhere, like at a park or poolside. The backlit screen is what finally convinced me to get it. Compared to my iPad, I think the Kindle Paperwhite is much better suited for reading in the dark because the brightness can be set much lower. In fact, on the whole, this “paper technology” really is much easier on the eyes than LED screens.
One More Wish
The only extra thing I ever wished of my Kindle Paperwhite was a higher screen resolution. Occasionally it bothers me that I can tell the pixels apart, although the screen is crisp enough for comfortable reading. Of course I’m one of those people considering an upgrade to the Kindle Voyage but I’ll wait for the consumer reviews to roll in. For now, my Kindle Paperwhite is a more than sufficient electronic reading companion.
I first heard of e-readers around the time Amazon was planning to launch one. I always wished there would be something like them to make reading easier because it hadn’t always been easy for me to buy physical copies of books that weren’t adult (this is one of the reasons why I read so many adult books during the majority of my teenage years).
I like ereaders but I don’t own one yet. It’s hard to get one and I was so close to buying a Kindle Paperwhite a few months ago and then I decided against it because I fell in love with Kobo Aura. However, I haven’t to buy one because of its availability issues outside the US. But now that I can buy it online via a local shopping website, I’ll be buying it next year.
My first thought was: nope, not for me. The whole idea of an e-reader was not attractive to me, until I really got into blogging and ecopies. I took the plunge with a cheap e-reader and after I owned that one for a year I decided to go with an expensive one. It’s still one of the best decisions I’ve ever made when it comes to buying something. I LOVE my e-reader now. I have my Kobo Glo about 2.5 years now and they recently published a new one that is waterproof. My geeky side is greedy, haha.
YES! *bumps fists* I’m so glad you changed your mind in the end ;) I think it’s sad how vehemently people oppose e-readers without even trying. It’s great that you decided to give it a try and ended up loving it. I hear about the waterproof Kobo too. I wonder how well it holds up for everyday (ab)use.
I’ve only just discovered your blog, but I’m in love with it already! It’s so lovely. I really enjoyed reading this post!
Thank you, Lucy!
I’d love to get one someday! Although I’m contemplating whether Kobo or Kindle. I get earcs and I read them on my Iphone but sometimes they are on pdf format! Sometimes, I need to zoom it and it’s really a hassle. So, I’m really hoping to have one someday. :D
PDF ebooks are difficult to read even on the Kindle because sometimes it renders awkwardly such that the formatting is off. When it comes to PDFs, I prefer to read them on my iPad because the bigger screen makes it much more comfortable to read them.
That being said, I am amazed that you’re able to read eARCs on your iPhone! I’ve made a few attempts at reading ebooks on my iPhone. All attempts were unsuccessful because I absorbed nothing and my eyes felt strained.
I was EXTREMELY against getting an ereader back when I heard about their uprising, because I didn’t like ebooks, and surely physical books were superior. But then I started using NetGalley, and authors started giving me ebook copies of their books, and even more self-published authors also made me read ebooks, and I was reading all these things on my laptop. Not only was it incredibly straining on the eyes, it was also uncomfortable trying to balance a laptop on my lap for hours, not changing positions.
So, last July, I got myself a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday. AND I LOVE IT. The eInk technology is what won me over – the fact that it would look like it wasn’t a screen, and it really works. It’s not straining on the eyes at all. I love how light it is and how I can bring it with me everywhere without feeling the heavy weight of a book. I love knowing I’ve got 50 books right in the palm of my hand if I want it to. It’s amazing.
Hahaha. I find it so hard to wrap my head around the fact that a lot of people are against e-readers. Not after I spent more than half my life pining after one.
But you’re a convert, so that is wonderful ;) I remember my dad was apprehensive when I bought mine last year because he thought the 6″ screen would be too small. Then he read a couple of books on it this year and was surprised how little the screen size bothered him because the words look so crisp on the e-ink display.
And yes! I love having all these reading options when I’m on the go.
I’m just using a Kindle from a relative that never used it. It’s the one with a keyboard, and I definitely want to switch to a Paperwhite, or the Voyage for the backlit screen. But the price tag makes me balk a little, because if I get the most basic version, there’s such a big difference, and it does the same functions. And I don’t even use my Kindle a lot, haha. It’s primary use is for eARCs.
Personally, though, I’d say I’ll wait, because your Paperwhite is still pretty recent and it’s not broken at all, so upgrading it when there could be a bigger update later on to your recent Paperwhite. But in the reviews, it’s rating pretty well.
If I were still in high school, I too would think twice before purchasing a Kindle Paperwhite, let alone the Kindle Voyage. It was only in uni when I earned extra money through tutoring, that I could afford these little luxuries for myself. And you’re right, in terms of functions, there isn’t a world of difference. Just that to me, what matters is the screen clarity. And since you only use your Kindle for eARCs, I’d stay stick to paper for now :)
Yeah, I can wait. I’ve just been waiting for that kind of screen upgrade and now it’s here. Lol. Plus, I already have a new owner lined up for my Kindle Paperwhite, should I decide to upgrade. That makes it all the more tempting.
I have a Kindle 4 (the one without the keyboard and no light) and I do like it, although I often feel guilty about using it – what will all my paper books think of me?! I sometimes find it frustrating that I don’t seem to take things in as well on the Kindle, and especially if I am reading non-fiction I find the fact that I can’t mark pages with sticky notes etc a little weird despite the highlight function on the Kindle.
I love how portable it is and how many of my books I can take with me on my travels too. I would love an upgrade at some point, the Kindle Voyage looks pretty amazing! I would like the light and the higher resolution screen to make reading even easier.
How much reading do you do on your Kindle compared to your paper books would you say?
Awww. Your paper books surely understand that sometimes your Kindle 4 is better suited for your reading needs, such as when you’re travelling and can’t carry five of your paper books ;) When I was in uni I used a 2nd gen iPad for all the PDF readings I our professors gave us. I got tired of carrying around stacks of paper because during the week I stayed in a dorm, then went home over the weekend. The less weight I had on me, the better. With time, I adjusted to studying on a screen. Absorbing information on an e-ink display isn’t much of a problem for me because of that. Although when it comes to non-fiction, I do prefer reading on my iPad over my Kindle because taking notes is a lot more flexible that way.
I think I still read a lot more paper books than ebooks but when it comes to ebooks, they’re often additional books that I probably wouldn’t have made the time for if I had decided to read in print. My Kindle basically led me to read even more than I already did to begin with.