4 ms·

2) Doubt this is a fair comparison. Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading than iPads.

lostlogin 13y ago
Not for all. 1) Reading for me involves access to a browser and typing on a kindle is deeply unpleasant. 2) Reading in the dark requires a light and the attachments for the kindle have all seemed a kludge to me. That said, the iPad is imperfect here are the screen doesn't dim enough.
- OrsenPike 13y ago
  I think a better way to phrase it would be "Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading [novels and similar material] than iPads." An iPad obviously is better for things like glossy magazines, graphic heavy books/PDFs, etc. However as a replacement to my "books" then the Kindle wins over the iPad. Also the Kindle Paperwhite (and Kobo Glo, etc) are pretty great for low light reading. I agree the old lights were a bit annoying although the Amazon leather lighted case has always been pretty decent to be fair.
  - meepmorp 13y ago
    > Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading [novels and similar material] than iPads. For you perhaps; I prefer reading on an iPad. It doesn't bother my eyes, and it doesn't make it difficult to sleep. Maybe the fact that I don't typically read outside makes some difference here.
    - mitchty 13y ago
      Probably, I tried the other weekend to read a kindle book on my ipad outside. Yeah not happening with sunlight at all. Not sure how the kindle works out there, but the glossy ipad might as well have been a mirror.
    - skeletonjelly 13y ago
      Still, the difference is staggeringly: staring at a lightbulb vs a surface.
      - meepmorp 13y ago
        They're different, sure; I prefer staring at the lightbulb, apparently.
        dakrisht 13y ago
        You guys are funny. It's simple: Kindles are better for books and iPads are better for magazines and color.
        lostlogin 13y ago
        ...and web.
        meepmorp 13y ago
        > Kindles are better for books Better in that they're worse, you mean?
- chrisbolt 13y ago
  "Reading in the dark requires a light and the attachments for the kindle have all seemed a kludge to me." Kindle Paperwhite has an LED backlit screen with an e-ink display that sounds like exactly what you want.
  - durzagott 13y ago
    Actually, it's an LED frontlit screen, not backlit. While this may seem like a small distinction, it is much easier on the eyes (I'm told).
  - stevenwei 13y ago
    The Paperwhite really is a fantastic reading device: the e-ink works perfectly under sunlight and the backlight works perfectly in the dark. The only thing I don't like about it is the touchscreen interface can be rather clunky/slow to use. Also, I can't help but feel that e-ink and LCD displays are going to converge in the not-too-distant future, and at that point there won't be much reason to buy a Kindle over an iPad anymore.
- otisfunkmeyer 13y ago
  If you jailbreak, there's f.lux which greatly helps and there's another tweak which makes the lowest brightness even lower. It's a great combo and changed the game for night-reading on the iPad for me.
  - lostlogin 13y ago
    Thank you - I'll investigate. I've only ever got funny looks when I say 'how far can you dim it' to people with devices I might want to use in the dark.
fuebar 13y ago
well, kindle paperwhite is awesome but the fact that I cannot load my pdfs or other ebooks format keeps me away from it.

Not for all. 1) Reading for me involves access to a browser and typing on a kindle is deeply unpleasant. 2) Reading in the dark requires a light and the attachments for the kindle have all seemed a kludge to me. That said, the iPad is imperfect here are the screen doesn't dim enough.

OrsenPike 13y ago
I think a better way to phrase it would be "Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading [novels and similar material] than iPads." An iPad obviously is better for things like glossy magazines, graphic heavy books/PDFs, etc. However as a replacement to my "books" then the Kindle wins over the iPad. Also the Kindle Paperwhite (and Kobo Glo, etc) are pretty great for low light reading. I agree the old lights were a bit annoying although the Amazon leather lighted case has always been pretty decent to be fair.
- meepmorp 13y ago
  > Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading [novels and similar material] than iPads. For you perhaps; I prefer reading on an iPad. It doesn't bother my eyes, and it doesn't make it difficult to sleep. Maybe the fact that I don't typically read outside makes some difference here.
  - mitchty 13y ago
    Probably, I tried the other weekend to read a kindle book on my ipad outside. Yeah not happening with sunlight at all. Not sure how the kindle works out there, but the glossy ipad might as well have been a mirror.
  - skeletonjelly 13y ago
    Still, the difference is staggeringly: staring at a lightbulb vs a surface.
    - meepmorp 13y ago
      They're different, sure; I prefer staring at the lightbulb, apparently.
      - dakrisht 13y ago
        You guys are funny. It's simple: Kindles are better for books and iPads are better for magazines and color.
        lostlogin 13y ago
        ...and web.
        meepmorp 13y ago
        > Kindles are better for books Better in that they're worse, you mean?
chrisbolt 13y ago
"Reading in the dark requires a light and the attachments for the kindle have all seemed a kludge to me." Kindle Paperwhite has an LED backlit screen with an e-ink display that sounds like exactly what you want.
- durzagott 13y ago
  Actually, it's an LED frontlit screen, not backlit. While this may seem like a small distinction, it is much easier on the eyes (I'm told).
- stevenwei 13y ago
  The Paperwhite really is a fantastic reading device: the e-ink works perfectly under sunlight and the backlight works perfectly in the dark. The only thing I don't like about it is the touchscreen interface can be rather clunky/slow to use. Also, I can't help but feel that e-ink and LCD displays are going to converge in the not-too-distant future, and at that point there won't be much reason to buy a Kindle over an iPad anymore.
otisfunkmeyer 13y ago
If you jailbreak, there's f.lux which greatly helps and there's another tweak which makes the lowest brightness even lower. It's a great combo and changed the game for night-reading on the iPad for me.
- lostlogin 13y ago
  Thank you - I'll investigate. I've only ever got funny looks when I say 'how far can you dim it' to people with devices I might want to use in the dark.

fuebar 13y ago

well, kindle paperwhite is awesome but the fact that I cannot load my pdfs or other ebooks format keeps me away from it.