Why You Need a Kindle

You will read way more with a Kindle

How much have you read since high school? 

How much have you read for pleasure? 

When was the last time you TRULY read anything thoroughly? 

While everyone's answers to these questions may vary, one thing is sure: we should be doing more of it. 

Reading books is one of the best things you can do to stay sharp, develop new skills, and obtain new perspectives. In the last four years, I have collectively read over 50 books. The item that has helped me achieve this is the Kindle.

Kindles have existed for some time now. You either love them, hate them, or feel indifferent about them. So, you may be asking,

"Why a Kindle?"

You might even be thinking, "Karthik, you just told me to buy an iPad two weeks ago; now you're telling me to buy a Kindle? Why do I need both?" 

Reading a book on the iPad is not the same as reading on a dedicated e-reader. While I still prefer my iPad for reading anything with a drop of color, such as magazines and articles, the iPad is no Kindle.

Why is that? 

The Weight, The Screen, and the Focus.

The Weight

For starters, an iPad Pro (11 inches) is 446 grams, or close to one pound. A Kindle Paperwhite weighs 205g, less than half the iPad's weight.

Resembling the size of a book page, the Paperwhite comes in at around 7 inches, which is still less than an iPad mini (293 grams).

LCD vs. E-ink

Additionally, while any iPad offers a better display in terms of color quality and resolution, reading on it still feels like you're staring at a screen.

Kindles use a technology called E-Ink. An E-Ink display doesn't light up the same way as a regular LCD or LED screen, as instead of shining light, it reflects it. This enables the display to not only be highly power efficient but also makes the display look more "paper-like." 

This alone makes it easier on your eyes during the day or in environments where you have some light around you. 

E-ink also removes a significant amount of blue light but doesn't altogether remove blue light. This is partially due to the additional lighting offered by the Kindle.

The Kindle Paperwhite has 17 LEDs across the screen to give you a nice bed light when reading in a dark room or on an airplane. These LEDs emit just enough light to read a book in any environment while ensuring that anyone you may share a room with, isn't disturbed or distracted.

Paired with the LEDs, the Paperwhite offers an adjustable warm light. This is similar to what your phone or tablet does as the sun sets, where it slowly turns warmer, which helps our bodies get ready to wind down and sleep. This feature is handy if you like to read before bed.

Check out: Blue light has a dark side

So, Why a Kindle Over a Paperback?

If you're an avid reader, you probably like carrying a book or two anywhere you go.

Let's say you're going on a trip and want to bring two regular paperback books with 300 pages each. Those two books would weigh around 2.2 pounds.

Already, you realize that even an iPad would weigh less than two books. 

Let's say you finished those two books halfway through the trip and wished you had brought a third. If you had a Kindle or iPad, you could easily download your next book in seconds and begin reading without even taking a step.

Don’t Forget About Libraries!

If you have a library card, most libraries offer e-books and audiobook lending through services like Libby. Once you link your device with your account, any book you "check out" will seamlessly appear on your Kindle, ready for you to dive in.

"But Karthik, I can do that on my phone; why do I need a separate device? "

Our phones have become Swiss army knives. We are tied to these devices, and due to their multipurpose use, there is ALWAYS something to do on your phone. Sure, you could have the intention of only using the Kindle app and keeping your phone on a reading focus mode, but one stray notification can disrupt your reading flow, which, if you're anything like me, can be extremely hard to jump back into.

Reading one of my favorite books, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt.

Will you honestly read more? 

I think so. 

Motivation to do anything has to come from within, and just because you bought some running sneakers doesn't mean you're going to run a marathon. While for some, the motivation to finish a book is by seeing their progress through physical pages, I prefer how the Kindle hides that and displays it to me in more digestible notes. (See bottom of Kindle page in the image above!)

The Kindle and the Kindle app show you what page you're on, how much progress you've made through the book, or how many minutes you have left to finish the chapter or book. All three of these things motivate and even push me to read more, reminding me how close I am to the finish line or how far I am from a good stopping point.

While a Kindle may not offer you the feeling of turning a physical page, it will provide you with a frictionless experience to dive in at any moment and read a book, and for me, that makes it essential.