Are ebook (eInk) readers really easier on one's eyes?

[cmoim]

Basically the e-ink screen is like a paper , when the image is loaded in the screen , the screen is turned off , only the front-light is on , not like in LCD screens where the screen is only turned off when it's black ( Super Amoled screens) , and that is the reason why E-ink doesn't hurt the eyes compared to LCD , LCD uses a back-light lighting system while E-ink uses front-light .
There are some E-ink devices that don't use light just like a real book .

Personally i can't read for a long time on LCD screens since it tires my eyes. On the other hand i can spend at least 2 hours reading on a E-ink screen without getting eye sore.

Most E-ink devices today uses a resolution of 300dpi just like most printed books.

If you are still unsure i'd advice you to borrow an E-reader from someone you know or buy it from eBay .

[bounce]

I prefer Marginnote pro on my iPad to reading on my physical Kindle. Has night mode, or I use regular mode with the iOS night shift on. Feels easier on the eyes.

Although, I do like the Kindle’s size as there is less horizontal scanning.

[bagpiper1]

Originally Posted by teija

I didn't "understand" the attraction of eInk until I bought my first device (this is back when they were blowing out the Kobo Mini for about $35)... it is fantastic and I very much prefer to read books on it vs. a tablet. There is less distraction (no other apps, email, beeping, alerts, etc to pull me away from my book - you can entirely disconnect) and I can read it outside for hours without any eye strain OR without my device draining its battery (if I put my phone or tablet to a brightness level that will work outdoors, my battery will drain within about 2 hours).

If you are curious about them I would recommend having a look at a demo unit at your local Best Buy or eReader retailer. And if you narrow it down to a specific manufacturer/ecosystem I would suggest what was already suggested in a previous comment - pick up a cheaper used, but not TOO old, reader and see if it is for you. It doesn't even have to be back-lit (you can always upgrade to that later if you stick with it). If you don't decide to continue with it, you can always sell it here on MobileRead, or via your local buy & sell sites.

As for offline news/articles - I use Pocket via my Kobo, and there is a "Send to Kindle" function that works on a Kindle, although I still prefer Pocket personally. I have the widget installed on my computer web browser, and the app on all of my smart devices. It saves the URL, converts it to a more readable format and all syncs up nicely.

Righty-o chap, I quote :

Tablet or ereader?
Like many, when I first really started to get into ereading, it was on a multi-purpose tablet on which I had the Amazon Kindle app installed. For a good two years it was my main reading medium, and I didn’t really appreciate the point of a dedicated ereader. I had read comments on it being ‘better’, and not tiring the eyes, but it seemed like a fairly weak reason to invest in one overall.

Over time though, I began to notice a curious change in my reading habits that was the direct result of reading on a tablet or smartphone: I was reading less and less during the day, and almost only in the evening or at night. This wasn’t related to the time I had at my disposal, so much as the technology itself. Anyone who has tried using their smartphone outside in the sun will understand: no matter how bright the screen, visibility is going to be terrible. In fact, even when not under the sun, in the day, your device is competing with the outside light, so maximum brightness is needed to ensure visibility. Reading like this quickly becomes unpleasant, and does indeed tire the eyes. The consequence is the opposite of printed books: instead of finding a place with good light to read, you seek places or times of the day with less light to read. When this realization came to me, I knew I had to try an ereader.

https://goodereader.com/blog/electro...erfect-ereader

Relevant to the Kobo Aura ONE :

Warm light
When I bought the Kobo Aura One, it was for the larger screen, pure and simple, and while the other features on the list of specs were not unattractive, they alone would never have induced me to buy it. They were just icing on the cake. However, after two months, some of that icing has really come to be enjoyed and appreciated far more than expected.

The first is the warmer lighting. The reviews I had read described it as useful, fascinating, and very orange. Perhaps the purpose was to show off the extreme, but frankly I found the images showing off the tangerine screen color off-putting, and expected I would probably leave it untouched. Indeed, though the tangerine color might be the extreme, one can manually control this, and suddenly this can make the whole thing surprisingly more pleasant. It might help to understand it this way: if you have been in a room lit with those white-blue fluorescent lights, reminiscent of hospital lights, though they may be perfectly functional, they just aren’t as pleasant as one with slightly warmer lighting. I don’t know if this would be the difference between easier sleep or not, which is the only reason this feature was actually included, but there is no question it is nicer. I like to leave it at the midway point, where the wraith-like blue has been replaced by a slightly sunnier appearance.

https://goodereader.com/blog/electro...erfect-ereader

Anyway, yeah reading on a tablet or a smartphone is stupid unless you have inhuman amounts of Nazi like discipline or something. For instance, on a Kobo there is an experimental browser that is just good enough to look something up quickly on Wikipedia but not really functional enough, like a browser on a smart phone, to get stuck going down the rabbit hole of following multiple URL link distractions. Also, there are all the other distractions you mention.

The Millenial generation thinks they are like tech masters but in reality they are stupid, with the attention spans of gnats, they are not technicians. They just know how to use userfriendly stuff. For instance, there are no things like highly technical UNIX manpages on the devices they use.

[Deskisamess]

Anyway, yeah reading on a Tablet or a smartphone is stupid unless you have inhuman amounts of Nazi like discipline.

I'll bet you get invited to all the good parties.

[bagpiper1]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I'll bet you get invited to all the good parties.

Ah, geez, why do you have to go off topic ? Are you trying to get me banned ? Believe it or not we WASPs ( I am Cornish and Scottish) do know how how to party but not in a degenerate Sicilian nightclub kind if way( I am not being racist it is a cultural thing) :




There is a time and place for everything but just remember not to mix business with pleasure. When partying leave your E-Reader at home !

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by bagpiper1

The Millenial generation thinks they are like tech masters but in reality they are stupid, with the attention spans of gnats, they are not technicians. They just know how to use userfriendly stuff. For instance, there are no things like highly technical UNIX manpages on the devices they use.

You kids get off my lawn!

[haydnfan]

Originally Posted by bagpiper1

The Millenial generation thinks they are like tech masters but in reality they are stupid, with the attention spans of gnats, they are not technicians. They just know how to use userfriendly stuff. For instance, there are no things like highly technical UNIX manpages on the devices they use.

As opposed to the previous generations that can't even program a VCR. I'm not a millennial, but I recognize a myopic "get off my lawn" rant when I see it.

FYI the man pages are concise how to's and are not "highly technical." And these millennials are expected to complete computer science courses in high school and not merely typing.

[haydnfan]

I mostly read on eink readers, and I recognize that may sometimes tablets suffer from:
* inability to read under direct sunlight,
* relatively poor battery life,
* perhaps being too heavy to hold for hours.

But tech journalists really exaggerate these defects and make it sound like tablets are awful for reading. They are not!

The auto-brightness settings on modern tablets are pretty good and make it easy to read without eye strain. And don't forget the the ability to change to sepia tone, or reverse white and black. The high contrast allows the tablet to render fine serif fonts better than eink readers without looking faint. The battery life on modern tablets are way better than they used to be, and the weight is as well. And tablets are versatile and some of them are much cheaper than ereaders to boot (thinking of the Fire and Nook).

I'm saying all this because these kind of threads easily become echo chambers for eink fanatics.

[azayn]

Different strokes for different folks. My preference when reading for long stretches of time is an un-illuminated device. And by that I mean an e-ink screen with the frontlight turned off because some e-ink devices look no different than a tablet when lighted.

My best reading experience is when I'm outdoors with an e-reader or indoors with lots of natural light. That's when e-ink screens look their sharpest and most paperlike.

[Barbara1955]

Most People sit in Front of a PC LCD computer all day. Then again at home doing personal stuff.
Me I am Retired & pop on/off my PC short times.

I Can & Do enjoy reading on my Phone & Tablets. BUT for ALL Day Battery life I use an e-ink reader.
IF you by a eReader thru Amazon they allow 30 days... you return it no questions asked during that time Full Refund.

[barryem]

I prefer e-ink by a lot. I do most of my reading on a Kindle at home and on my phone when I'm away. I can read as long as I want on my Kindle. On the phone if I'm careful not to get it too bright I can read about 25 or 30 minutes at a stretch with no problem. Then if I take a few minutes break I can read another 25 or 30 minutes. Actually I find this to be a pretty decent way to read.

If I don't take that few minutes break between sessions I'm done reading for the day, regardless of device. More than 30 minutes and I have blurry vision and watery eyes for a few hours.

So for me, either way works as long as I don't overdo it and since most of my phone reading is when I'm out and about my sessions are usually fairly short anyway.

I'm told a lot of people can read all day on their phones. I wish I could. I really think it's a pretty nice way to read. I much prefer Moon+ to my Kindle. But I have to limit my sessions on the phone.

I've never done any serious reading on a tablet. My tablets are home and so is my Kindle so I've never had any reason to. However my phone has an AMOLED screen, which is easier on the eyes than an LCD screen, so the tablet would be more difficult. My previous phone had an LCD screen and my sessions could only be about half to 2/3 as long on it.

Barry


Barry

[Mivo]

Every once in a while I read a book or two on my iPad (Air 2), and every time I conclude that the experience is much worse than reading on one of my e-ink devices. I do feel more eye strain when reading on an LCD screen, but reading in daylight is such a hassle too, with all the glare. I sit in front of a computer screen all day long, and have been for 30+ years, so when I read, I want something that is more book-like. E-ink offers that. If it wasn't for e-ink readers, I'd still buy paper books exclusively and would not own a single e-book (plain text ones anyway).

[patrickt]

I am 76, live with my dog by choice, and am a compulsive reader. I use a desktop computer and can't imagine anyone reading a book on a desktop computer. I own a Chromebook laptop and can't imagine reading a book on that, either. If I am stranded without a Kindle I will read on my Android phone. That happens perhaps thirty minutes a year. While there are some foods I choose not to eat I have no known allergies or sensitivities and reading with a white light causes me no problems. I can't remember ever reading in a room with no light and read only occasionally in dim light.

The doctor said my eyes are getting old--they're pretty much the same age as the rest of me--but I still do fine with e-ink. The new features with variable bold and more font sizes was a boon for me.

LCD is fine for emergencies. E-ink is my choice for reading. I own nothing made by Apple and doubt I ever will.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by haydnfan

I'm saying all this because these kind of threads easily become echo chambers for eink fanatics.

The original poster asked if eInk screens were easier on the eyes. Most of us "eink fanatics" honestly answered that we thought they were. I don't quite get the point of the "echo chamber" comment. Wasn't that what the original poster wanted, comments from users about their opinion on eInk readers?

[haydnfan]

It is confirmation bias. Which happens way too much on the internet. Seek out only opinions that confirm your own. Avoid dialogue and challenging your preconceived notions.