[lostlogin]

Not for all. 1) Reading for me involves access to a browser and typing on a kindle is deeply unpleasant.

2) Reading in the dark requires a light and the attachments for the kindle have all seemed a kludge to me. That said, the iPad is imperfect here are the screen doesn't dim enough.

[OrsenPike]

I think a better way to phrase it would be "Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading [novels and similar material] than iPads."

An iPad obviously is better for things like glossy magazines, graphic heavy books/PDFs, etc. However as a replacement to my "books" then the Kindle wins over the iPad.

Also the Kindle Paperwhite (and Kobo Glo, etc) are pretty great for low light reading. I agree the old lights were a bit annoying although the Amazon leather lighted case has always been pretty decent to be fair.

[meepmorp]

> Kindles are clearly a superior device for reading [novels and similar material] than iPads.

For you perhaps; I prefer reading on an iPad. It doesn't bother my eyes, and it doesn't make it difficult to sleep. Maybe the fact that I don't typically read outside makes some difference here.

[mitchty]

Probably, I tried the other weekend to read a kindle book on my ipad outside.

Yeah not happening with sunlight at all. Not sure how the kindle works out there, but the glossy ipad might as well have been a mirror.

[skeletonjelly]

Still, the difference is staggeringly: staring at a lightbulb vs a surface.

[meepmorp]

They're different, sure; I prefer staring at the lightbulb, apparently.

[dakrisht]

You guys are funny. It's simple: Kindles are better for books and iPads are better for magazines and color.

[meepmorp]

> Kindles are better for books

Better in that they're worse, you mean?

[lostlogin]

...and web.

[chrisbolt]

"Reading in the dark requires a light and the attachments for the kindle have all seemed a kludge to me."

Kindle Paperwhite has an LED backlit screen with an e-ink display that sounds like exactly what you want.

[stevenwei]

The Paperwhite really is a fantastic reading device: the e-ink works perfectly under sunlight and the backlight works perfectly in the dark. The only thing I don't like about it is the touchscreen interface can be rather clunky/slow to use.

Also, I can't help but feel that e-ink and LCD displays are going to converge in the not-too-distant future, and at that point there won't be much reason to buy a Kindle over an iPad anymore.

[durzagott]

Actually, it's an LED frontlit screen, not backlit. While this may seem like a small distinction, it is much easier on the eyes (I'm told).

[otisfunkmeyer]

If you jailbreak, there's f.lux which greatly helps and there's another tweak which makes the lowest brightness even lower. It's a great combo and changed the game for night-reading on the iPad for me.

[lostlogin]

Thank you - I'll investigate. I've only ever got funny looks when I say 'how far can you dim it' to people with devices I might want to use in the dark.