7 ms·

Why has the kindle been relegated in favor of hardcovers?

by kraftman 10y ago

overcast 10y ago
I want real paper, not a glowing interface.
- FreezerburnV 10y ago
  Why not get an older eInk one that doesn't glow? Reads better in sunlight too. (I'm actually thinking about doing similar so I can read books I buy off Amazon away from my phone)
  - overcast 10y ago
    Because I just want to read a real book. Disconnect from technology as much as possible in my day.
    - FreezerburnV 10y ago
      Fair enough, and I respect that! I have a good number of real books that I need to read as well. I guess the only real use case for using Amazon books for me currently is airplanes, where the bulk of books gets unwieldy for shoving under the seat in front of me.
      - overcast 10y ago
        Yes, it makes a great travel device, and I've made it that permanently.
    - croon 10y ago
      This isn't meant to provoke, but may I ask why? What is technology to you? Is it the possibility of notifications to pop up while reading on a phone/tablet? Books is also a technology. I honestly don't see the difference other than how it displays letters.
      - overcast 10y ago
        It's the analog version, I enjoy the feel of a book in my hands, and seeing real ink on a paper. Flipping pages. It's as much about the physical experience, as it is a mental one when reading for me. Kindle does a great job, but at the end of the day, it's a piece of plastic that displays words. It's got an internet connection, highlighting, and word lookups, and a store, and and and. Physical books give me that total disconnect from the outside world.
- kraftman 10y ago
  Then why did you buy a kindle?!
  - overcast 10y ago
    Travel convenience.
- colmvp 10y ago
  This is not specific to you, but I've never understood the vitriol e-readers receive. E-readers provide incredible benefits and don't have to be all or nothing. Just because I cook at home doesn't mean I'm against eating at restaurants. Almost all the news and ground-breaking journalism I read today is from the web rather than print. The combination of editorialized aggregators like Longform/Aldaily with the portability of e-readers, I now read more long-form articles today than in previous years because I don't have to sift through plethora of sources to find those high quality articles worth reading. Now, I can just preview an interesting article during the day, send it to my Kindle, and then read it later before I go to bed, on a device that's dedicated to the reading experience. I'll also add the consistency of the layout means the focus is on the story rather than the editorial design. Now with respect to books, a good portion of us live in smaller spaces like condos/apartments. Not having to store tons of books on shelves is a great way on saving space. Of course, I could borrow from the library, but I enjoy sometimes re-reading parts of books or going back to important points I highlighted. And while I enjoy the aesthetic presentation of books in a home, it's very dependent on space. Lastly, the fact that I can shop on my device was a real game changer. Like it's wonderful when an author cites another book, or you just have an inclination to read a certain topic, and you can get it instantly and keep feeding the fascination. Like I remember last January, I read more books in that one month on my Kindle (I think it was 12 books) than I remember ever achieving in previous years. Anyways, I'm certainly a proponent of removing oneself from digital devices a few hours a day, but I don't see e-readers as following into the same category as say, laptops/smartphones/tablets, which have far more versatile applications that can lead a person to be distracted.
  - Arizhel 10y ago
    I'm pretty sure there's been research on the psychological effects of backlit screens versus paper. So the comfort level alone could be enough for "overcast" to eschew the Kindle. It'd be different if these stupid companies would make color e-ink display readers, because then your argument would be very apt. But as it is, you're completely ignoring the technical detail of the backlit screen that modern e-readers all use.
- rabboRubble 10y ago
  This is why I have an old Kindle that isn't back lit. Has no keyboard. Manual buttons. No touchscreen. Terrible for note-taking. But easy, easy on the eyes.

Why has the kindle been relegated in favor of hardcovers?

overcast 10y ago

I want real paper, not a glowing interface.

FreezerburnV 10y ago
Why not get an older eInk one that doesn't glow? Reads better in sunlight too. (I'm actually thinking about doing similar so I can read books I buy off Amazon away from my phone)
- overcast 10y ago
  Because I just want to read a real book. Disconnect from technology as much as possible in my day.
  - FreezerburnV 10y ago
    Fair enough, and I respect that! I have a good number of real books that I need to read as well. I guess the only real use case for using Amazon books for me currently is airplanes, where the bulk of books gets unwieldy for shoving under the seat in front of me.
    - overcast 10y ago
      Yes, it makes a great travel device, and I've made it that permanently.
  - croon 10y ago
    This isn't meant to provoke, but may I ask why? What is technology to you? Is it the possibility of notifications to pop up while reading on a phone/tablet? Books is also a technology. I honestly don't see the difference other than how it displays letters.
    - overcast 10y ago
      It's the analog version, I enjoy the feel of a book in my hands, and seeing real ink on a paper. Flipping pages. It's as much about the physical experience, as it is a mental one when reading for me. Kindle does a great job, but at the end of the day, it's a piece of plastic that displays words. It's got an internet connection, highlighting, and word lookups, and a store, and and and. Physical books give me that total disconnect from the outside world.
kraftman 10y ago
Then why did you buy a kindle?!
- overcast 10y ago
  Travel convenience.
colmvp 10y ago
This is not specific to you, but I've never understood the vitriol e-readers receive. E-readers provide incredible benefits and don't have to be all or nothing. Just because I cook at home doesn't mean I'm against eating at restaurants. Almost all the news and ground-breaking journalism I read today is from the web rather than print. The combination of editorialized aggregators like Longform/Aldaily with the portability of e-readers, I now read more long-form articles today than in previous years because I don't have to sift through plethora of sources to find those high quality articles worth reading. Now, I can just preview an interesting article during the day, send it to my Kindle, and then read it later before I go to bed, on a device that's dedicated to the reading experience. I'll also add the consistency of the layout means the focus is on the story rather than the editorial design. Now with respect to books, a good portion of us live in smaller spaces like condos/apartments. Not having to store tons of books on shelves is a great way on saving space. Of course, I could borrow from the library, but I enjoy sometimes re-reading parts of books or going back to important points I highlighted. And while I enjoy the aesthetic presentation of books in a home, it's very dependent on space. Lastly, the fact that I can shop on my device was a real game changer. Like it's wonderful when an author cites another book, or you just have an inclination to read a certain topic, and you can get it instantly and keep feeding the fascination. Like I remember last January, I read more books in that one month on my Kindle (I think it was 12 books) than I remember ever achieving in previous years. Anyways, I'm certainly a proponent of removing oneself from digital devices a few hours a day, but I don't see e-readers as following into the same category as say, laptops/smartphones/tablets, which have far more versatile applications that can lead a person to be distracted.
- Arizhel 10y ago
  I'm pretty sure there's been research on the psychological effects of backlit screens versus paper. So the comfort level alone could be enough for "overcast" to eschew the Kindle. It'd be different if these stupid companies would make color e-ink display readers, because then your argument would be very apt. But as it is, you're completely ignoring the technical detail of the backlit screen that modern e-readers all use.
rabboRubble 10y ago
This is why I have an old Kindle that isn't back lit. Has no keyboard. Manual buttons. No touchscreen. Terrible for note-taking. But easy, easy on the eyes.