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Comment by darreninthenet | Hacker News Reader

I was thinking of getting one for exactly the use case you've described here but then I thought, "why don't I just get my phone out and read the ebooks directly on that?"

Can you explain to me why one of these is better for this please?

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It's a mental thing. The phone is the doorway to all the things, and the reader is the doorway to reading. When I'm being intentional about my phone usage (not always, but most of the time), I defer to devices that are focused.

Interesting. I think this also explains in part why I prefer CDs to a streaming service for listening to music.

> The phone is the doorway to all the things, and the reader is the doorway to reading

And the phone's reader app?

The phone's reader app is quite good. I use Librera FD and quite enjoy the scroll mode.

But then I'm subject to the bright screen, all of the colors, all of the notifications, and everything else that the phone brings. The calm of the X4 is quite nice.

On the reader, the entire thing is one reader app. On the phone, the reader app is one of many that lives in the phone. Easier to switch apps than switch devices, so I guess it's easier for some to stay away from certain activities by having a dedicated device for certain purposes.

It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't used an e-reader, but e-paper screens just look more natural, they also don't require a backlight so they can be easier on the eyes. Combined with a matt display, you can comfortably use them in direct sunlight without having to faff about with brightness or finding shade.

Also e-readers have way less distractions than a phone.

I prefer the e-ink display.

I first stared reading ebooks on my Palm Vx. I went on to a Nook, Nook Color, some no names, Kobo. Five years ago, I became disabled and no longer had a free hand to carry an ereader and did not want to carry a bag just to carry an ereader/book. I started reading on my phone.

Last April, after seeing a comment on the X4, here on HN, I decided to get one. I prefer the display and I can advance a page by pressing the button, rather than swiping the screen. It's always with me, in het same pocket as my phone/

Something that others haven’t mentioned is that you can flash an open source OS/reader software (Crosspoint, among others) so you can change the UI and experience for your preferences. I like having an e-reader that lets me modify how it works.

A phone is a gateway to much more than just reading books, so your brain might prefer it.

Also notifications etc

Personally I much prefer e-ink when I read for more than 10 minutes or so. The LED light from my phone just makes my eyes tired, while e-ink + "backlight" (guess it's really "kind of from the front light" in reality) just feels like reading normal paper.

The font rendering in the official firmware isn't that great though, especially compared to even a old phone screen. I had much better text rendering with 3rd party firmware.

The same reason why taking a bicycle is preferable through a nice wooded area even though you could technically drive as well

It's easier on the eyes. LEDs and related technologies give me eyestrain after a while; eInk devices don't (and many, like the X4 model, have front-lighting, also easier on the eyes than backlit screens.

The phone has doomscrolling available which is higher immediate value and negative long term value. I just have to grab this and i am locked into long term value

In addition to some of the other great answers, it is cheap enough to lose. The unexpected breakage/theft of a cellphone ranges anywhere from annoyance to world ending disaster. So, I have to be a lot more deliberate in protecting my valuable phone.

The tiny ereader contains no secrets or valuables, so I feel fine pulling it out in an area where I might otherwise be reluctant to use my phone.

How many books have you read on your phone in the last month? Or did you instead open twitter/hackernews/tiktok?

None, I use a Kobo for ebooks and mostly buy "real" paper books. But I was thinking this sounded like a great (and cheap) use case but then I thought why not just use my phone...

I don't have any social media apps on my phone anymore except "Hack" for HN... as you imply, too much temptation to distraction. I haven't missed them at all.

I "read" 6 audiobooks on my phone last month. Listening to audiobooks counts as reading, text-snobs be damned.

It's not snobbery, reading and listening activate different parts of your brain and you'll experience them differently. Just like reading an interview transcript is different to listening to an interview.

> reading and listening activate different parts of your brain and you'll experience them differently

This doesn't matter. What matters to me is I experienced the stories conveyed by the words.

I bet reading a hardback lights up different parts of the brain compared to e-book readers, but that difference does not to me matter either.

Your bet is wrong sadly.

Experiencing the story through someone else reading the words to you is different to reading though. I'm not sure why people are so weirdly defensive about this.

> Your bet is wrong sadly

E-ink devices place no demand on fine-motor skills the way turning a page does. I'll stand by by bet.

I'm not defensive about the fact that the experience of reading vs listening are different - I challenge the (often implicit) insinuation that one is inherently superior to the other in all circumstances. I do both and know the trade-offs for each. My comment was inspired by the old, but very similar "real books vs kindles" debate.

eInk displays are much easier to see outdoors than phone displays.

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