I am still one of those people that wholly believes in the physical book. There is nothing better than holding the book, seeing it on a shelf and that oh so delightful book smell! I recently have been getting e-arcs and receiving review copies of e-books. I only have the Kindle app for my phone and computer and find it very difficult to stay focused and read the book off of both of those devices. I find myself stealing my mom’s iPad more often because it is easier to read off of that. At the beginning of 2015 I am to become a member of a program that will have me traveling around the Northeast part of the states and I won’t be able to take my books with me. Because of this I need to start looking for an e-reader. I already own a lot of e-books for Kindle so that is the e-reader I have been looking at, but there are so many editions and styles that I don’t know which one to get.
That is why I am writing this post. I need everyones advice and thoughts about which one is the best etc. I would also love to hear everyone’s thoughts on the increase of digital books and whether you think there will be a point in time where books will no longer be published in physical form.
26 comments
I have two kindles – the Kindle Keyboard, and the Kindle Fire. I love both, though the Keyboard is better to read with during the day because it isn’t backlit so no glare (thought it’s pretty dated now) and the Fire is easier to use due to being like a tablet. I know a lot of people who swear buy the Paperwhite though (: It’s all down to personal taste, I think.
Do you know how the kindle keyboard is different from just the kindle?
I have a kindle keyboard and I love it. The screen is similar to reading a physical books so it doesn’t strain your eyes as much as a tablet. However, it isn’t backlit so if you want to read in the dark, you have to buy a case with a light attached (I have one).
Is buying the power adaptor necessary ?
The power adapter for charging it? The cord to charge it comes with it. If you’re talking about the case, the kindle keyboard (and probably the others) have two ports/holes in the side while the case has two prong things on the spine. You put the prongs in the holes and the power from the kindle powers the light if you have it on.
My sister just got a kindle fire for her birthday, and I have to say it’s very useful, even beyond the point of just reading books 🙂
Its like a tablet right? I have an iPhone so I can already do a bunch of stuff on that, so I don’t know if it would be necessary to have a fire.
I think if your purpose for the Kindle is just to use it as an e-Reader, the Paperwhites might be the way to go. It’s cheap and I know most find it useful whenever they can’t purchase physical copies of books.
I myself have a Kindle Fire, but that’s because I also tend to use it as a tablet (plus it makes for streaming videos better than having to do it on a smartphone). I read e-books and listen to audiobooks through my Kindle, and it’s fabulous to carry along on long trips out where I’d typically be carrying several books. That said, getting a physical copy of books will always be my preferable route of reading (and in the near future, I think there might still be opportunity for printed books, though it may just be through an on-demand sort of business).
Thank you so much for the help! I am looking at the paperwhite and the just normal kindle. I think the Kindle Fire would be too much for me since I have a smartphone too.
I like you love the hard print edtion of the books, I have read a few ebooks and might use a kindle ereader but only for ebook format only books,
I will forever be a fan of the physical copy over an e-book!
The Kindle Keyboard has buttons, whereas the normal Kindle has an on-screen keyboard that uses the buttons to navigate and select the letters.
The charging cable comes with it (also used to transfer items from computer to Kindle), but I believe you need to purchase a USB plug to go with it, if you don’t already have it.
I think the Paperwhite is what you want, as it has the light so you wouldn’t need to buy the lighted case.
I have a kindle paperwhite, which is really nice. It looks like regular paper, but there is an adjustable backlight, so you can read anywhere. Also, the battery life is really good.
Thank you so much! All of this information is so helpful!
I used to think the paper-format would eventually die out, especially when you see statistics on how many eBooks are bought in comparison to physical ones (but I don’t think that accounts for all the free/cheap eBooks we buy on impulse and never actually read). Personally, I was against eReaders for the longest time, but I gave in to try one. The Nook was on offer for £29, so I tried it. I’ve owned it for a year and used it twice. On the other hand, I do use the Kindle app on my tablet and phone. It’s great for NetGalley, cheap eBooks by authors I might not love or stories I might not love so don’t want to own a physical copy, I think I read quicker using the app, it’s great for highlighting and making notes to do reviews, it’s great for “borrowing” eBooks from the library, and it’s great for reading free classics, so overall I would recommend it. But I still prefer physical books and always will. Both eBooks and physical books have their place and for that reason I don’t think proper books will ever die out. I just couldn’t use an eBook text book, it would never happen. I like flipping through to find what I need, scribbling in the margins and I just don’t think a text book or reference book in eFormat would work. I think from what I’ve seen since I started blogging that real books are here to stay. 95% of the bloggers/vloggers I follow prefer real books, so my panic has been calmed that they’re going anywhere..
Yeah I have a netgalley account and plan to use it for that. I haven’t ever purchased a full out ebook but have bought some when they are on sale for like .99 cents of 1.99. Physical books are just so much better!
I agree with katherinej1012. The paperwhite is the best Kindle model so far in my opinion that keeps the strain off of your eyes without having to buy a lighted case for it. If I could I’d trade my Kindle Keyboard!
The only thing you would need the light for is for reading in the dark right?
Yes otherwise you wouldn’t need it. So if you always read with a lamp on or something, you wouldn’t need the light.
I vote for the Kindle paperwhite too – the built in light is so handy, and better for your eyes. It seems likely that print books will go out of style – but I can’t imagine they will stop making them in the near future. Maybe a century from now. Which makes me sad, but ebooks are convenient, and convenience seems to be a major goal in technology.
It makes me sad too. Physical books are just so much more enjoyable for me and there is nothing I love more than going to a bookstore.
I have the plain old cheap Kindle and it does exactly what I want it to. My mom has the Kindle touch and I don’t think I’d like that as much, because it’s easy to accidentally turn pages. I hope you find the right one for you. 🙂
Thanks!
I like the basic Kindle since there’s no glare. I think the battery length is pretty good as well. I think paperback books will continue because of print-on-demand technology.