Kindle Question

I currently have an iPad mini. I don't read any books on it mostly because with all the other apps, I get distracted. I'm a fan of regular books, but living overseas books are a) difficult to get (I can order through Amazon but it takes 2-3 weeks for them to arrive) and b) they add to moving weight.

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a Kindle. What do people think of them? This would be for general reading and maybe some technical reading.

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networker050184

I think you have a discipline problem not a device problem to be honest with you.

NetworkNewb

networker050184 wrote: »

I think you have a discipline problem not a device problem to be honest with you.

What? Don't act like most of us don't have a separate iPad for each different app we use.

Never owned a Kindle, they seem decent though.

EANx

I went with the Kindle app when I was once stuck in an airport that sold no English-language reading material. I later moved to a real Kindle when I got tired of the glare when reading outside. There are certain things I prefer a real book for but for the rest, the Kindle is great.

powerfool

I prefer my Kindle Paperwhite to either my iPad Mini or my iPad Pro for reading. It is a device made for reading. It is lighter than the Mini with a much better battery life (30+ days), and the screen is like reading on paper... so it is easier on your eyes and can be read in full on sunlight. I had the 2nd gen Kindle for years prior to the Paperwhite and only upgraded because it has a backlight for reading in the dark, but it is also much faster and smaller (same screen size).

The only issue I have is that technical books with charts, tables, and figures, are generally a bit problematic, but it is getting better now that publishers have been getting used to the formatting nuances of eReaders.

Danielm7

powerfool is dead on, the kindle is awesome and I use it almost daily. I can bring it outside and lunch and read in direct sunlight which I can't even see my phone screen. Battery last forever and charges quickly enough. I've had a few kindles and the paperwhite is a really solid product.

NetworkNewb

I bought a paperwhite awhile back and thought I would like it for reading books. And while it is really nice for casual reading, the fact that is pretty small I never liked it for reading/studying technical books. Personal opinion on it.

Iristheangel

I have an old Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 which was pretty awesome until I hardbricked it (long story).

As far as eink readers, I ended up with a Sony Digital Paper due to someone on TE suggesting it and it's been awesome. The only crummy thing is that for the price, it only does PDF so I'm switching over to this: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/13-3-inch-android-e-reader#/
I should get mine in the next couple weeks so I could let you know how it works out but I don't know if that would help you with your app distraction issue

JoJoCal19

I use the Kindle app on my iPad Air for technical books that don't have lots of diagrams, or whitepapers, and I pull PDFs and whitepapers into iBooks to read. Agree with networker, it's not really a device issue. I use my Kindle Voyage for longer reading sessions or for more GRC related books.

NetworkNewb

Iristheangel wrote: »

I'm switching over to this: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/13-3-inch-android-e-reader#/
I should get mine in the next couple weeks so I could let you know how it works out but I don't know if that would help you with your app distraction issue

Definitely interested to hear how this thing works out. Looks sweet!

jcundiff

I don't have one, but my parents (approaching 70, and definitely both non-technical) love theirs. My father, who has never turned on a computer to my knowledge finally got his own after constantly borrowing my mothers. My mother has worn out a couple of them. Thinking of getting one myself based off their experiences. I too have trouble reading on my phone (iphone 4) and wonder if the larger screen kindle may make it easier

spicy ahi

I still have a kindle 2 that I use for pleasure reading. As has been covered, Kindle's aren't the greatest at rendering graphics so sometimes you lose a figure here or a table there. I'm typing this on my ipad right now and I have a folder that contains the kindle app, good reader (for pdfs) the Safari Books Online app, and Udemy. In that one folder are all of the apps I use for "learning." So that has relegate my Kindle 2 to my night stand for pleasure reading going to bed.

Honestly, I understand your comment about being distracted. I get easily distracted by the notifications so I had to turn them off or I'd end up playing CoC instead of reading. But you can't beat the readability of the iOS apps for textbook/study guide reading.

Best advice I can give is turn off notifications and put all your distracting apps on to a different page and leave just the utility apps on your home page. Oh, and I can't remember what brand it was, but I bought an anti glare screen protector and played with the brightness to get it to a point where I have no issues with staring at the screen for long periods of time (3+ hours) Those little changes allowed me to truly use the iPad exclusively for studying.