Amazon offers the Kindle range of e-reader devices. That’s among the best you can have when it comes to reading e-books. Then the company also offers the Kindle app that promises to let you have access to the Kindle Store via almost any device, be it a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and such. This way, you can get along with your reading on any device that you want. If that makes you feel of what good a Kindle e-reader is going to be when you can have the Kindle app on a supported device, here is the answer. Read on.
The biggest and most important factor in favor of the Kindle e-reader is without doubt its display. The E Ink display can be considered the digital equivalent of plain paper so that you have as much or as little eye strain when reading off the Kindle’s e-paper display as when reading plain paper. So, whether you are a binge-reader, spend long hours reading or whatever, your eyes will never feel the strain.
Another inherent positive of e-paper displays is that they maintain their readability even when exposed to direct sunlight. That’s because E Ink displays are essentially reflective in nature. They simply reflect the ambient light incident on the display as is the case with printed paper. Just as you need external light for reading the printed paper, it is the same with e-paper displays.
That is also the reason Kindle devices come with a front light feature which comprises a string of LED lights conveniently placed under the bezel and just along the side of the E Ink display. That way, the light acts to illuminate the display thus making them readable even in the absence of ambient light. Almost all e-readers introduced in recent times come with warm and cool temperature control front light feature to ensure you have the best reading experience irrespective of the ambient lighting condition.
Yet another positive with E Ink displays is their extremely low affinity for battery power. No wonder the Kinde Paperwhite is rated to last 10 weeks on a single charge though real-world battery life is going to depend on several other factors, including whether you have wireless or Bluetooth on, do most of your reading in the dark so that the front light in on most of the time and such.
In contrast, with the Kindle app, you will have to do your reading via a display that is emissive as there is always a light source behind the front panel that acts to illuminate the content of the screen. In doing so, we are also exposed to the light much of which enters our eyes. But then, traditional displays have brilliant contrast and vivid colors.
So, unless your books have lots of colored images that form part of the learning process, such as in educational textbooks, it is best to stick to the monochrome displays of Kindle devices. Similarly, if it’s comic books or other color graphic media that you read most, you might want to do so on a device that supports full color than on a Kindle that is monochrome in nature. Worth mentioning, Amazon too is rumored to be working on a colored Kindle version that is slated for launch around next year.
A Kindle app will also have markedly better response times, be it with pinch-and-zoom or page-turn actions. You won’t have any of that with e-paper displays that typically have slower refresh rates so you even have the concept of ghosting or remnants of past displays applicable to e-paper displays, something that’s alien to traditional displays.
In the end, what needs to be said in the battle between the Kindle and the Kindle app, the winner depends on what your priorities are. If you need color support, a Kindle app on a suitable device would work best. However, if you are looking for a glare-free reading experience that causes zero strain on your eyes, it is a Kindle that you need to side with.
Refer to the video below for more on this.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
