Keeping Kindle Without Color

Well, I mulled it over. After my eyes were opened to Kobo, I decided that despite some greener grass there, I’m gonna stay comfy in Amazon’s pasture. The reasons are simple.

Why Kindle?

First of all, inertia. I mean, I’ve already been using Kindle for over a decade and have invested in many eBooks via Amazon. My library is relatively small, but it’s way higher than zero and way better than starting over from scratch.

Second, switching costs. While I could remove DRM from my Kindle books and import them to a Kobo, that's work. Why bother? Would it really be necessary?

Third, Kindle is still great. I’ve been reading a looong book on my Kindle over the past couple of weeks — there's no color; it's the “old” 11th-gen Paperwhite. But you know what, the black/white text is crisper than frozen iceberg lettuce. And the Kindle itself is rock-solid. It works perfectly well.

Fourth, leave well-enough alone. For a guy who likes to switch up his tech setup, I can finally — for the love of gluten-free donuts! — avoid disruption. I can simply keep enjoying my Kindle and further expanding my Amazon eBook library.

Fifth, I plan to eventually get a newer Kindle and keep my current one to share my library of eBooks with my kids. They can use the old Kindle while I enjoy the new. It's the easiest way to share my Amazon account-locked eBooks.

So there it is. Kobo and Kindle are both good. I’ll just keep using what I’m using. It works well. I’m a happy Kindle camper.

OK, Kindle. How 'bout color?

Also, since 95% of my Kindle usage is reading long-form text, I want the sharpest clear text my eyeballs can fasten on. For that, the Paperwhite (from what I've seen online) exceeds the Colorsoft — and does so for far less money. So I'll likely wait until the 2nd version of the Colorsoft releases and see how it is improved and if its price lowers.

From Good eReader:

"Speaking of reading, black-and-white content seems a bit muted compared to the 12th Generation Paperwhite, Kindle Scribe, or base model Kindle."

I've also seen online that this is partly due to the nature of the color screen tech with its stacked layers, giving the display a somewhat dimmer appearance and requiring more front-light than a B&W Kindle. But then again, this usually seems noticeable only when comparing Kindles side-by-side. Maybe my middle-aged eyes would hardly notice? And for me, I think this might be a worthy trade-off to gain color book covers.

Kindle? Yes. Color? Probably, eventually. Maybe if the 2nd gen is called, "Colorsharp."

Also, check out Brandon's post to see what the Colorsoft's best feature is: the color, or the Kindle?