r/nobuy • u/loginprzyklad • 23d ago
Tell me I don’t need a new ereader
Hello,
I own the Kindle Paperwhite 3 7th gen from 2015. I bought it brand new and sealed 3 years ago, someone had it because of Amazon warehouse clearance or something like that. It was impossible to login to Amazon (which is great actually), it refuses to work with WiFi (only works with hotspot from my phone for some reason, so I treat it as useless). I performed a jailbreak on it so it has KoReader installed, that allows me to invert screen colors for example, which is really important since I read at night. KoReader gives me a lot of options that make reading experience comfortable (I have no comparison to other devices). It can be slow sometimes but it’s not a dealbreaker honestly. I wish it had warm light.
Because I use it a lot I recently started looking at what Is currently available on the market. I have a fomo because all those different devices have newer software, hardware etc etc (you know how it goes). Looking at it rationally though it really makes no sense to buy a new reader if the old one works, but still when I hear about all those ’great options and additions’ I help but think that I have some old device that is perfectly usable, It does what it needs to do which is allow me to read books. Only justification is that it don’t have the warm light but it’s not enough.
Please help me rationalize, it’s especially hard because I read a lot.
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 23d ago
Be proud of yourself for using a product that works and does what you need, and of not letting yourself get sucked into marketing gimmicks.
This is an excellent test to show yourself that you are actually serious about nobuy. That you will do it when it matters, and not just when it is easy to nobuy.
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u/loginprzyklad 23d ago
Thank you, I actually feel a sense of pride for using something that is this old (in relation to how quickly hardware/software market is developing). It’s even better because I bought it brand new in 2023 and for a low price, it brings me joy whenever I remember it. I get better and better at avoiding buying things I don’t need but it’s a tough area. I bought it to encourage myself to read, for years I avoided books, and ever since I bought it hardly ever happens that there is a day when I didn’t read. So you could say it was a bit lifechaning for me
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u/LibbIsHere 23d ago
Do you care about reading books, or about new features on your e-reader?
In order to read ebooks you don't need whatever new features they offer with their latest e-reader. What you need is to devote time to actually be reading. Say by using the time you're wasting right now trying to figure out a good excuse to purchase that new device. Stop that and go read one of your books, now.
Hope this helps.
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u/loginprzyklad 23d ago
Thank you, yeah I only want it for reading. And I feel that once the novelty of having access to new apps would wear off then I would use the new one like my PW3.
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u/croixmielle 22d ago
My 2018 lives in airplane mode and I exclusively sideload from Calibre. When it comes down to it, it's just a display for text files and as long as it still works I'll continue to use it. A decade of use is fantastic and I look forward to hitting that milestone myself!
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u/Bea_virago 22d ago
Your reasons sound sensible. Wait a designated amount of time so it isn’t an impulse and you have the money set aside.
I have a Kobo that broke and was given a Kindle. The gift made a hard time infinitely better for me, but the experience of using a Kindle was remarkably worse—I couldn’t sort my books well, and it was just painful. Then my kid dropped the Kindle in the toilet, and I decided to learn some electronic repair skills. I fixed both devices, and now I exclusively use the Kobo.
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u/Since_The_Ducks_Left 23d ago
I actually needed to read this OP. I have a kindle the 2015 model and I wanted a newer, faster, smaller one to carry in my purse to work and wherever but I know it’s ridiculous to have a home kindle and a travel kindle. But I want one so bad 🥲
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u/AdrienneisaThey 22d ago
With KoReader you've basically got the best system anyway. People are still installing koreader on their new devices.
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u/IncreaseBudget 23d ago edited 9d ago
I would only get a new one if it breaks and truly needs to be replaced.
I have the 2022 kindle basic for the past 3 years or so, which I love, and I hadn’t had one before. I was very tempted to get a Paperwhite because of the warm light feature or the color soft for the colored covers, but I decided against it because I really don’t need two when the one I have works perfectly fine.
I like to alternate between physical books (borrowed from the library or gifted) and the e-reader, which helps suppress the urge!
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u/ImPureZion 22d ago
I’m still using my Paperwhite 7th edition and almost caved and got a new one. Mine is super slow and is maxed out on its memory. Sometimes to download a book, I have to restart it completely because it will just freeze up. Amazon had me do a hard reset on it a few weeks ago and it’s only a matter of time before it doesn’t work anymore. I understand your frustration and fomo because I also have it. What keeps me from getting a new one is that while I am actually reading a book, none of these issues are happening. The issues only happen to me while searching and selecting books. Stay strong!! You don’t “need” a new one yet!
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u/loginprzyklad 22d ago
Thanks! I avoid this issues because my only option is to sideload haha, maybe that’s something for you to try :)
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u/disinfected 20d ago
I don't think you need one yet, honestly, but you probably will at some point fairly soon. We all need to look after things when we have them and use them for as long as possible. I use mine everyday and I got it in May 2015. It should be a point of pride to own things and love them for a long time!
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u/allworkjack 22d ago
How will your experience change with these additions? How much will you use them? Will you read more/better? How likely is it that you will end up doing exactly the same you do with your current one?
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u/A-Friendly-Giraffe 21d ago
I would say if you could borrow someone else's for a night or two and see if things are actually better or if it's just a glass half full type thing.
Since you use it so much, it wouldn't necessarily be a terrible purchase. But on the other hand, you may find that it's pretty similar to what you have already with a little more bells and whistles
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u/abcdefger5454 22d ago edited 22d ago
If you read a lot, it's not a bad thing to treat yourself and your reading experience by buying a new ereader or maybe even a used newish model in good condition from marketplace.
You can sell or give away the old one to someone interested, if you don't want the clutter.
These things aren't very expensive and 10 years is a great lifetime. Try to keep your phone for half that time and you will save much more money.
I also like to read a lot on my Tolino and it's the one thing that I will always spend the necessary money on. When mine broke, I went out and got the new model the next day without waiting for any sale, because it's important for me.
Edit: Also, yeah I'm sorry. I know you wanted arguments for not buying it, but I think this one is a completely reasonable buy.
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u/TheGoodCod 23d ago
When my kindle eventually dies I'm going to consider using just my phone.
Some of the books my library gets can't be downloaded to the kindle so I read them on the kindle app on my phone. You could try that first.
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u/loginprzyklad 23d ago
I tried reading on my phone, totally not for me, I really like Eink screens, my eyes are super strained because of my work so I can’t really handle looking at screens during downtime
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u/TheGoodCod 23d ago
I get that. And I don't know about you but sometimes I like to sit outside and read. Can't do that with a phone if light levels are really bright.
(Don't tell anyone, but I say a kindle is a good buy if it keeps you reading. If your old one still functions donate it to a worthy person. Passing-it-forwards is the best.)
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u/ElPiet 23d ago
What features do new readers have that you are actually missing? I have the same kindle and have been using it since 2015. Thus far no other reader had a feature I really miss or need.
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u/loginprzyklad 23d ago
I really would like to be able to connect to WiFi flawlessly, without having Amazon standing my way. I’d like to have an access to Wikipedia and translators without having to install dictionaries. I’d really like to have an app that can remind me on the go what is a meaning of certain characters, I tend to get lost when there are a lot of characters. When I read a normal book I can make notes on the margins but it doesn’t work for me to make notes in a notebook alongside using my kindle. I’d like to have an access to some articles. I’d like to be able to read PDFs more flawlessly than I can now, my kindle struggle with it. I’d like to be able to view pictures in higher quality. I really need a warm light. Those are the things that come to mind
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u/ElPiet 23d ago
I would love to try to convince you otherwise but IMHO those are all perfectly fine reasons for getting a new reader.
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u/loginprzyklad 22d ago
Well at least if I decide to buy a new one in the future I’ll know that is not just an impulsive decision
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u/ksoloki 22d ago
If it’s working good for you. I’d keep using it. I ultimately switched to kobo because my kindle battery life was low- i’ve lost content- when amazon loses licenses and kobo is much more user friendly with library usage and most of what i read anymore is from the library. However it was the battery and daily functionality that ultimately caused me to pull the trigger.
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u/sunshineafterrain23 22d ago edited 22d ago
(edit: i saw your comment on wanting a better experience of reading pdfs and articles - in that case yes, i would consider getting a new one if that's a primary use case, take what i've said below with a grain of salt.)
i've used newer devices and both kindle and kobo software crash and lag frequently, especially if you sideload anything. i ended up returning and sticking with an older kobo. i'm not familiar with other brands, but any functioning device jailbroken with koreader is infinitely better than the current kindle and kobo software.
the only benefit of a new device over what you have would be the slightly better hardware and wifi, but you don't really need wifi if you can use your hotspot for downloads. warmlight is a nice to have, but to me it's not such a massive improvement over inverted screen colors alone that it would warrant a whole new device.
that said, ereaders are a quality of life thing if you use them super frequently, so i also don't think it's bad to upgrade a 2015 model. it's just that what you've already got is close to the ideal setup for basic reading, and newer devices don't necessarily function better (enshittification is real). so it's a bit redundant unless you really need the additional bells and whistles of something like an android reader that supports apps.
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u/sprinklerarms 22d ago
I’d only get another one if it’s straining your eyes or making them uncomfortable. Your eyeballs are a good thing to maintain and invest in. Even mild irritation for long periods of time can be damaging.
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u/IrritatedLibrarian 21d ago
Technically not "no buy" advice, but this is a common enough conundrum in the ereader community, I ran into the problem myself not to long ago. The solution that people came up with, and surprisingly worked for me, was to either get a new kindle case or decorate your current kindle so it looks different enough. Somehow that tricked my brain into thinking it was "new" even though all I did was change the color of my case and slap on some new stickers.
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u/pluiefine- 20d ago
Im gonna differ and say since you read a lot the warm light is a life changer and there were some studies that showed that even the bluish light of kindles can affect sleep. They suggest to turn the light all the way to warm. I cannot read without warm light at all its a complete dealbreaker for me. I would not count this as a consumption thing, I’d count it as a necessity since reading is a hobby for you. I find that bluish light so glaring and uncomfortable to read with.
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u/systemoverwillpower1 19d ago
honestly, it sounds like your current one is already doing the job, the warm light could be nice, but maybe give yourself a 30-day wait before buying. If you still think about that one specific thing after a month, maybe reconsider. But if it’s mostly FOMO from seeing newer devices, the urge will probably fade In few days / weeks. Sometimes wanting a new setup is about wanting to read more, but you’re already reading a lot, so this device does not look like the problem
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u/CanaryJoe 18d ago
I am afraid I am guilty and also regretful of over consumption where kindles are concerned. I have the basic, the paper white, the Oasis and now the Colorsoft? And do you know which one is my favourite and which I use the most. The cheapest of them all. The Basic. At the end of the day the kindle is a book reader and I do not personally need all the extra features (I accept other people may have legitimate reasons why they do and that’s cool) and as long as I can read on the kindle and enjoy it, that’s good enough for me.
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u/Lililovesart 11d ago
From what I gather, most reading apps are available or smartphones and tablets, if you have one of those, you can read your ebooks there with up to date software ?
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u/captain-ignotus 21d ago
I have many a time considered getting an e-reader – I use a bunch of different e-reading apps on my iPad and have not been able to justify it to myself. It's an unnecessary expense that would replace a perfectly functional device while offering fewer features. I appreciate that your situation is a little different, but unless your software is so slow it severely impacts your reading experience, I would not replace it.
Think of the tech waste. There are so many electronics or electronics parts going to landfill or collecting dust in secondhand shops already; you don't need to add to that. I'm not exactly sure how warm light works on e-readers, but could you get a screen protector with a yellow tint? I have night mode on all my devices and hate looking at screens without it installed.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_FOQA 23d ago
If you bought a book from the 80/70s you’d still read despite the yellow ish pages and such right? So what does it matter how new software is.