Should I Buy an E Reader? - Best EInk Reader

You are probably here because while trawling across the internet, you came across a review of one of the e-readers that are out there. After reading a few lines of the write-up, you suddenly got interested and began asking yourself whether or not you should buy an e ink reader for yourself. Or, maybe, you saw that co-worker who you have always been competitive with reading from one in the office. And now, you feel like you JUST have to buy an eBook reader. Whatever the case, it’s clear that you are now asking yourself; “Should I buy an e reader?” If that is the case, then you have come to the right place. This article is there to help you decide whether or not an e book reader is for you.

What’s an e ink reader?

An e-ink reader is otherwise referred to as an eBook reader or an e reader. It’s a device that has an e ink display and that is used mostly for reading eBooks.

What is e ink?

The thing that makes e ink readers tick, and the reason why they have become so popular, is the e ink display. An e ink display is a type of display that is meant to closely mimic the look and feel of real paper. I have previously written an article in which I explain e ink readers. So, I am not going to go into greater detail here.

Advantages of an e-ink display

I am, however, going to briefly look at the advantages of an e ink display;

E Ink displays have no glare, even in direct sunlight. This makes them very comfortable to read on.
Most of the e ink displays that are out there are scratch proof. That’s because they are not made from glass.
E ink technology saves a lot on energy. That’s because once an image has been “painted” onto the display, it remains there without using any power. The result is that e ink readers can go for up to 6 weeks without needing to be recharged.

Should I get an e reader?

Okay, that brings us back to the question; should I buy an e-ink reader? The answer is; definitely! I know, a lot of other writers out there will say; “it depends on whether or not you are an avid reader.” My take on that it; “that’s a lot of such and such bull!” I mean, owning an e ink reader will turn you into an avid reader, whether or not you like it.

And that’s the major reason why Amazon tends to sell it’s e readers at seemingly giveaway prices. The Kindle Paperwhite 4, as an example, has been discounted to a price that’s below $100. The aim is to get as many people as is possible hooked on the devices. Amazon knows very well that once you have an e reader, the next thing will be for you to go to the Kindle Store to buy books. So, why should you get an e ink reader?

Why you should get an eBook reader

If you are wondering why I believe so strongly that everyone should get an e reader, the following are some of the reasons;

E Readers encourage reading. I had personally stopped reading before getting one. That was in spite of the fact that I used to be an avid reader. However, I no longer had the time to run around looking for paper books. However, the moment I got my Kindle Paperwhite, I was switched on.
E Readers are comfortable to read on. This is another reason why everyone needs to buy an e ink reader. Get one and you will want to read books everywhere. And the good news is that you can do exactly that, even in direct sunlight. With some models, you can even read while in the swimming pool!
E Ink Readers are affordable: I have already mentioned that Amazon sells its brand of e readers at seemingly giveaway prices. In fact, you can get a new Kindle for around $60. If you cannot afford that, I don’t know what you will afford. Amazon sustains this pricing model because e readers are just a tool for the company. The real money comes when people go to the Kindle Store to buy books.
You can carry thousands of books on an E Reader: The entry level storage capacity for an e ink reader is 4GB. That’s the amount of storage that’s on the Kindle 2019. Now, you may think that’s not really much. However, the truth is, e ink books do not take that much space. As a result, you can carry up to 5000 books on a 4GB e- ink reader. That’s enough books to last you a lifetime.
E readers still have the wow factor: Get one and people will look at you on the train and you can pretend as if you are using the most expensive of devices.

Should I get an e reader or tablet?

This is a question that many people ask. Instead of getting an e reader, isn’t it better to get a tablet? After all, it’s possible to read eBooks on a tablet or even on a computer. All that you need to do is download the Kobo, Kindle or Barnes and Noble app. So, should you get an e reader or a tablet?

The answer to that is; you should definitely get an e reader. I mean, if you are into reading, there can be no comparison. E Ink readers are so far ahead of tablets when it comes to the reading experience that there can be no comparison.

I have previously done some reading on my Google Nexus 7 2013 tablet. I had downloaded the Kindle app onto the device. Thing was, after each reading session, I would suffer from headaches. Yes, tablets and computers are versatile, but that’s usually the problem with them.

An e ink reader is designed to do one thing; and it does it really well. There are people out there who appear to be on the hunt for e ink readers that phone, or that browse the internet. While most of the models that are on the market today do browse the internet, the experience is rather minimal. An e ink reader is for reading books. If you are looking for anything else, then you should stick to your tablet.

Advantages of e readers over tablets

E Readers have the following advantages over tablets;

They do not use nearly as much power. With an eBook reader, you can go for over a month without needing a recharge. The same cannot be said of tablets.
You get a comfortable reading experience on an e ink reader. E readers are very close to paper when it comes to the reading experience.
You don’t get glare on an e ink reader. The same cannot be said of tablets or computers.

Disadvantages of e ink readers

It would be remiss to only talk about the advantages of e-ink readers here. The one major disadvantage of e-ink eBook readers is that they cannot do anything else that well. To me, this is actually an advantage, but if you wish to listen to music, browse the internet, make calls and all the other forms of gimmickry that’s on today’s devices, then you won’t find that on an e-ink reader.

Another disadvantage is that eBook readers are still mostly in black and white. So, if you are reading magazines and comics on yours, you will have to do so in black and white. Color e-ink readers appear to be on the horizon however. The e-ink cooperation has announced the creation of a new form of color e-ink reader, so we should be getting that anytime soon.

To buy or not to buy an e-ink reader…

So, back to the question; “Should I buy an e reader?” the answer is a MASSIVE yes! E readers are a marvel if you are into books. Once you have bought one, you won’t want to put it down. I know, I haven’t put mine down since I bought it. I am always reading something or the other. This ability to trigger our rather unused reading abilities can only be good right? If you have kids, getting them an e ink reader is one way of ensuring that they develop a reading culture.