Kindle vs tablet

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Blackhawk
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Kindle vs tablet

Post by Blackhawk »

Prime day is coming up, and I am going to be checking to see if there are any good deals on a Kindle (the e-ink variety, not the fire.) . I already have a tablet (a fairly slow one) , but it is a pain dealing with the washed out screen and glare when out and about, and I read while out and about quite a bit. I also read in bed at night in the dark, so I have avoided them in the past, but I understand that new models have both screen lights and an inverted mode (white text on black.) I also know that non mobi format ebooks can be converted fairly easily.

Does anyone have any input on whether it would be a worthwhile investment for me? It'sa lotof money, even on sale.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Pyperkub »

I had an android tablet I would periodically use to read kindle books on lunch if I didn't have my kindle.

Kindle 100%, unless you read a lot of comics/graphic novels, etc. E-ink is not good for pictures at all.

As a huge reader, it was an amazing shift. I remember traveling to see family and lugging Stephen King's Hardcover Under the Dome - that book was way too massive, and they used some seriously heavy paper in it too. Made me say never again, got my first kindle just after that trip and haven't looked back.
Last edited by Pyperkub on Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Lorini »

https://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Now-with- ... 58&sr=8-8
This is the one you want. It's ad supported but I have it and the ads aren't a problem. Hopefully the price will go lower.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Pyperkub »

Lorini wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:27 pm https://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Now-with- ... 58&sr=8-8
This is the one you want. It's ad supported but I have it and the ads aren't a problem. Hopefully the price will go lower.
There absolutely will be a sale on Prime Day (oct 13?). I bought a refurb kindle oasis (I really, really wanted real buttons) last year even though my 3g still works, so you can keep an eye out for refurbs from Amazon too!
Last edited by Pyperkub on Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Blackhawk »

Pyperkub wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:26 pm
Kindle 100%, unless you read a lot of comics/graphic novels, etc. E-ink is not good for pictures at all.
I do, but I use my laptop for that. It's got one of those screens that flips all the way around and functions like a giant tablet. I use that for comics and PDFs. I use the tablet about 95% of the time just for reading novels.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Hamlet3145 »

For what it's worth, I've read novels exclusively on tablets for about the last 6-7 years. I just set the "paper" color to sepia and it it doesn't hurt my eyes at all.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Blackhawk »

To be clear, I've been reading them on a tablet for at least six or seven years. But now i'm sitting in the car in the sun reading for at least 30 minutes a day, and the glare and limited brightness are becoming an issue.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Z-Corn »

I love my Kindle Paperwhite. I spend a couple hours a day with it, including reading in bed in the dark. At 3:00 AM...because who can sleep these days? But that's another story...

I also have a first gen Fire that I almost never use anymore. Maybe I'll upgrade one of them during the sale this year...

I always get the ad-supported versions. I agree, the ads aren't intrusive at all. And 20 bucks is 20 bucks.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Hamlet3145 »

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:37 pm To be clear, I've been reading them on a tablet for at least six or seven years. But now i'm sitting in the car in the sun reading for at least 30 minutes a day, and the glare and limited brightness are becoming an issue.
Ah, gotcha. That totally makes sense then. I just read in bed.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Isgrimnur »

We don't want Blackhawk sleeping in his car. :P
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Hrothgar »

If reading is the primary use, a kindle is a no brainer. I have a great screen on my smart phone, and it has the kindle app, but if I'm going to read for any length of time, I'll grab the kindle. Plus a kindle lasts forever. My kindle keyboard is a decade old. One of my kids uses it all the time. Even the pull out LED light case still works (no built in lighting back then). I understand money is an issue, but 300 ppi vs. 167 is a big deal. Waterproof doesn't hurt either. If the paperwhite fits in your budget, go for it.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by hitbyambulance »

i feel e-Ink eReaders are one of the best (if not the best) consumer electronics inventions of the past couple decades. i dislike reading on LCD screens so e-Ink is completely the way to go. i still prefer reading traditional books, but i do not get eyestrain with any of my Kindles (2nd gen, 3rd gen, 1st gen Paperwhite). the backlight on the Paperwhite is good enough that i won't buy another eReader without one, but i think that next one will not be a Kindle - the menu and UI on the Kobo is far better these days. (and if anyone knows how to set the Paperwhite to display the 'currently being read' book as the first one in the menu, rather than having to navigate through the entire library in alphabetical order, please let me know.)
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by A nonny mouse »

I vote for Kindle as well. I have had my paperwhite for i think 7 years now and love it. I have it with ads and i dont even notice. Agree that it is much easier to take a kindle with many books on it than try and figure out what you want to take with you - on a trip or just going to wait at the doctor or whatever. If the book you are reading gets boring, just switch books. It is light and easy to hold with one hand.

Also so many free books through bookbub daily deals and the library. Plus, if you keep the wifi off, the battery does not drain as fast ( it still lasts for weeks) and the books will not be “returned” to the library until you turn wifi on again. The library will have the book in its inventory, but it will stay on your kindle until wifi reconnects.

Definitely worth it. I agree with hitbyambulance that it is one of the best inventions in a long time. Absolute magic.
I find television very educational. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. - Groucho Marx
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by A nonny mouse »

hitbyambulance wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 6:09 pm the menu and UI on the Kobo is far better these days. (and if anyone knows how to set the Paperwhite to display the 'currently being read' book as the first one in the menu, rather than having to navigate through the entire library in alphabetical order, please let me know.)
That is strange. I didnt set anything as far as i know, and my kindle has the latest 3 books, in order i was reading, as the first things on the start page. I have to scroll (swipe) to get the rest of my books, and they are not alphabetical.

I wish i could tell you a process. My setup is just the default it has always been. Grrr. I cant paste a screenshot of my kindle.

Edit: i just read that if you set the reading to “recent” instead of by author or title, it will list the most recently read first. How you do that, im not sure. Sorry.
I find television very educational. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. - Groucho Marx
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by hitbyambulance »

that the problem - on my device, sorting by 'recent' just organizes the books in some weird order that makes no sense, that never changes, no matter what i read.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Keep in mind, you can also remove the ads from Kindle eReaders without necessarily paying to do so.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Blackhawk »

My first reader was a Kindle Fire. The ads never bothered me all that much. They're really only there when I'm not looking at it. I'm going to suggest to Michelle that I might want one for Christmas, and pick it up during the event.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by dbt1949 »

I have an early version of the Kindle Fire and it has no ads.What is going on that the newer ones require ads?
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

dbt1949 wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:23 pm I have an early version of the Kindle Fire and it has no ads.What is going on that the newer ones require ads?
It's not a requirement, just another option for purchasing Kindle devices at a discounted price. The cheaper versions include "special offers," i.e. sponsored screensavers and special offer ads. Or you can spend about $20 or so more upfront for a device without the ads.

So I thought it was worth mentioning for Blackhawk, who'll likely be opting for a "special offers" version, that it is possible to remove the ads without necessarily paying to do so.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by Pyperkub »

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:40 pm
dbt1949 wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:23 pm I have an early version of the Kindle Fire and it has no ads.What is going on that the newer ones require ads?
It's not a requirement, just another option for purchasing Kindle devices at a discounted price. The cheaper versions include "special offers," i.e. sponsored screensavers and special offer ads. Or you can spend about $20 or so more upfront for a device without the ads.

So I thought it was worth mentioning for Blackhawk, who'll likely be opting for a "special offers" version, that it is possible to remove the ads without necessarily paying to do so.
You can also pay the $20 at any time to remove the "special offers". It's not just upfront. I've had the Oasis refurb with special offers for about a year, and while I miss the old literary screen savers, and have yet to see a book on the "special offers" that I'd buy, and periodically think about paying to remove them, I have yet do so.
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Re: Kindle vs tablet

Post by JCC »

When I got my first tablet (an awful Acer android tablet that made it about a year before I reluctantly bought my first iPad) my original Kindle was pretty much sent into retirement. A few iPads later I finally switched to 2 in 1 windows laptops (after a brief dalliance with an out of date Surface) as my main eReader which has worked fine.

However, today I finally returned to the Kindle (device) fold and bought a Paperwhite. I just want something light that works outside. I finished the book I was reading on it (maybe 15-20 minutes of reading left) and it's wonderful. I got the one with ads, which as others say is no big deal. Just there when you charge it (or maybe when it's idle - I've owned it for less than an hour).

Now to find my next book to read...
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