With the advent of the digital age, reading has inherited a new medium. Although we haven’t yet turned the last page of the “paper books” chapter, there is no doubt that ebooks are on the rise. If you are a reading fan, perhaps you should consider buying a reading device and reading digital books: ebooks. As a preamble, I’d like to come back to the point that may not be obvious: you don’t have to choose between an ebook or a traditional book.
It seems that today you always have to choose sides in high-tech, which is not only absurd but also counterproductive. In other words, there is nothing to stop you from combining a paper book AND an ebook if you feel like it. On the other hand, like all high-tech products, e-readers are not free of all reproaches.
We can talk, among other things, about the constraints of the Amazon ecosystem on the Kindle (for example, the catalog that varies between countries, although this is easily circumvented) or the support of different types of formats. In short, e-readers are not the Promised Land we’ve been waiting for, but it’s still a very hospitable land. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of our best reasons to buy a Kindle.
1. All your books in one place
This is probably the most well-known argument. Forget about your library of books or setting up the attic to store new ones: they’re all stored in your e-reader. Better yet, on some e-readers, they are associated with your account. With the Kindle, you’ll find all your purchased books on all your devices (including Android and iOS apps). Note that manually added books (e.g., public domain books you’ve downloaded) are only present on your device.
2. Transport made easy
Not only do you have all your books with you, but you can carry them anywhere you want. The largest e-readers are usually slightly larger than paperback books, so they are very easy to carry around. Whether you’re on a bus, on a plane, in a meeting (yes, sometimes we get bored), or anywhere else, you’ll be able to pull out your digital books easily.
3. A large choice of books
Whatever your e-reader, you can quench your thirst for reading without difficulty because the choice of books is so impressive. On the one hand, you have access to the manufacturer’s catalog (which is huge on Amazon’s Kindle Store): you’ll find recent and old books.
On the other hand, you can read on your e-reader books that have fallen into the public domain, i.e., whose rights have expired, which makes them accessible for free. The only disadvantage of this second point is that you have to download them in the right format, but it’s just a matter of getting used to it.
4. A (generally) much more affordable price
We often hear that digital books are cheaper than paper books. This idea should be qualified: while it is true on the whole (many ebooks cost less than 5 dollars), it is not an absolute truth. You can find digital books for more than 15 dollars.
On the other hand, you can also find a lot of books for free on the Internet: from Jane Austen to Bram Stoker, Alexandre Dumas or Plato; you will find many classics for free. For its Kindle, Amazon offers many packages to reduce the price. A subscription of 9.99 dollars per month is even offered to read unlimited.
5. A particularly simple purchase procedure
Since we are talking about purchasing, it is imperative to explain the simplicity of the purchase: choose your book, click on buy, and a few seconds later, it will be in your library. No need to go to the bookstore, search for your book for 10 minutes to learn that it is no longer available, etc. It is true that some users expect the opposite experience: to be able to discuss the book with a bookseller to get personalized recommendations, etc. Again, one does not prevent the other.
6. A built-in dictionary
When you’re a fan of reading, you sometimes think you’re better at writing than others. Fortunately, some books bring us back to Earth with words so strange that the use of a dictionary is necessary to understand their meaning. On the readers, the dictionary is pre-installed: if you don’t understand a word, keep pressing on it, and you will get a definition.
7. An autonomy that makes you dream
You are a big reader, and you think that the battery will not last? It’s very unlikely that the autonomy of e-readers is much better than that of smartphones and tablets (which is logical given the technologies used on these devices). Of course, the autonomy will vary depending on the brightness settings, the connection, and the frequency of use, but on the whole, you can go for several weeks at a time.
Sound off in the comments section below and tell us what you want to read next and if you want to read more about buying a kindle.
