Why Kindle Beats Smartphones for eBook Reading

Ahoy from Amoy (Historic Xiamen, China).

I used to laugh at folks who'd fork over $100 for a Kindle that was good for nothing but reading books. I much preferred reading on my Smartphone with either the free Amazon Kindle App or the great MoonReader Pro app that works with many formats. And smartphones let me see the book covers or illustrations and maps in color; Kindle is boring black and white. But here are 7 reasons why I switched from Smarphone eBook reading apps to Kindle Paperwhite --and I think you should to.

7 Reasons I Switched to Kindle Paperwhite from Smarphones

1. Kindle Paperwhite is only for books and documents. Once a big negative for me, this is now a great Plus!+  With a phone, I'm always tempted to check my email, surf the net, play games, etc.  With my Kindle Paperwhite, I only read books, and that helps cut the eClutter that swamps us from dawn to dusk (and in our dreams as well). If I read a Kindle Paperwhite at bedtime, I just read, and I don't get caught up in email or work. So I sleep better. I also sleep better with Kindle Paperwhite because it is indeed Paperwhite but no bluelight.

2. No Blue Light in Kindle! Smarphone Screens have blue light, which affects melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone. Reading a phone before bedtime is a surefire prescription for insomnia. Having said that, I do still use a phone to read at times, but I use an excellent, free Android app called "Bluelight Filter for Eye Care" by Hardy--Infinity. 4.3% of reviewers give it a 5-star, and rightly so.

3. Kindle Paperwhite is really is ePaper--so easy to read in the brightest sun! This is what really sells me. Even on a blinding white beach outside of Xiamen University, I can read my Kindle Paperwhite with no strain at all. I can view my Smartphone screen, however, only in deep shade or from the bottom of a well.

4. Integrated dictionary and Wikipedia. I love looking up words, synonyms, etymology, etc. So convenient.

5. Notes, underlining, highlighting. It's easier than marking up real books because, later, I can easily search through my notes and copy them off on to my PC, phone, etc.

6. Amazon Kindle-owner lending library, book specials, etc. Amazon offers all kinds of specials, free books, etc. for Kindle Owners.

7. Send to Kindle app for Windows. You do not have to always obtain your Kindle books from Amazon! You can download literally millions of free books from numerous sites (Gutenberg, internet archives, etc.) and with "Send to Kindle" installed, just find the book in Windows Explorer, right click, select Send to Kindle--and it will be on your Kindle ASAP! You can also use this to send documents. Download Send to Kindle for Firefox or Google Chrome and you can also send news articles to your Kindle.  Send to Kindle helped me create a Kindle library of thousands of eBooks, most of which were free (and legal!) or purchased cheaply from various sites.

So that's why I switched from Smartphones eBook software readers to Kindle Paperwhite. I still read on my Android phone because I don't always have my Kindle PaperWhite with me (though they're so light I almost always keep one in my computer bag). But given a choice--especially at bedtime--Kindle PaperWhite has become my favorite.

Whether you use your Smartphone or Kindle, learn more about my adopted home of Amoy (Xiamen) by reading my Amazon eBook, Discover Xiamen!

Enjoy Amoy!

Dr. Bill
Academic Director, XMU OneMBA

School of Management, Xiamen University
Amazon eBook "Discover Xiamen"

Bill Brown
 
Xiamen University

www.amoymagic.com