A quality e-reader can be an essential part of any literary journey. The incredibly convenient tablet provides easy access to countless stories, allowing you to jump around between tales and interests while having all these titles with you wherever you go.
While there are a few different options out there, the Kindle from Amazon is the dominant e-reader. And that can make for some complicated feelings and involve decisions for those who care deeply about the reading community. Just because you invest in a Kindle doesn’t mean you have to continue to patronize Amazon for all your stories. My Kindle has seen hundreds of books come and go over the years; and none of them have come from Amazon.
Quiz
The history of Amazon’s Kindle
Trivia challenge
From its debut in 2007 to today — how well do you know the e-reader that changed the way we read?
HistoryHardwareLaunchFeaturesMilestones
In what year did Amazon launch the very first Kindle e-reader?
Correct! Amazon launched the original Kindle on November 19, 2007. It sold out in just 5.5 hours and remained out of stock for months, signaling massive demand for the new device.
Not quite — the first Kindle launched on November 19, 2007. Despite its polarizing design, it sold out within hours and fundamentally disrupted the book publishing industry.
What was the storage capacity of the original Kindle released in 2007?
That’s right! The original Kindle came with 256MB of internal storage, though usable space was around 180MB — enough for roughly 200 non-illustrated books at the time.
Actually, the original Kindle shipped with just 256MB of internal storage, with about 180MB available to users. That was enough to hold around 200 books, which Amazon considered plenty for most readers.
What was the launch price of the original Kindle in 2007?
Correct! The first Kindle retailed for $399 at launch, which many considered steep. Amazon justified the price with its built-in free 3G wireless connectivity, which they branded as Whispernet.
The original Kindle actually launched at $399 — a price that surprised many consumers. Amazon included free 3G connectivity via its Whispernet service to help justify the cost, making it possible to buy books anywhere without a Wi-Fi connection.
Which Kindle model was the first to introduce a touchscreen interface?
Correct! The Kindle Touch, released in 2011, was the first Kindle to ditch physical page-turn buttons in favor of a touchscreen display. It marked a major shift in how users interacted with the device.
The first touchscreen Kindle was the Kindle Touch, launched in 2011. It replaced the physical keyboard and buttons of earlier models with a touch-based interface, setting the template for future Kindle designs.
Which Kindle model introduced the first built-in front light, allowing reading in the dark?
That’s right! The Kindle Paperwhite, launched in 2012, was the first Kindle to feature a built-in front light. Unlike a backlit screen, the front light illuminated the e-ink display from the front, reducing eye strain.
The Kindle Paperwhite, introduced in 2012, was the first Kindle with a built-in front light. It used a clever lighting system that directed light across the e-ink surface rather than from behind, making night reading comfortable without disturbing others.
What is the name of the connectivity technology Amazon originally used to deliver books wirelessly to Kindle devices without Wi-Fi?
Correct! Amazon called its free 3G wireless delivery system Whispernet. It allowed Kindle owners to download books from anywhere with cellular coverage at no extra charge, which was a major selling point of early Kindle devices.
The correct answer is Whispernet — Amazon’s branded name for the free 3G wireless network baked into early Kindles. Whispersync is a related but different feature that syncs your reading progress across devices, while Whispercast is an enterprise tool for managing content delivery.
What display technology do Kindle e-readers use to show text and images?
Correct! Kindles use E Ink electrophoretic display technology, which mimics the appearance of ink on paper. It only uses power when the display changes, giving Kindles their exceptional battery life measured in weeks rather than hours.
Kindles use E Ink technology, not LCD or OLED. E Ink displays work by moving tiny charged particles to create text and images, which closely resembles the look of real ink on paper and consumes very little power — explaining why Kindle batteries can last weeks on a single charge.
What milestone did Amazon announce in 2011 regarding Kindle book sales compared to print books?
Correct! In May 2011, Amazon announced that Kindle e-books had surpassed sales of all print books — hardcover and paperback combined — for the first time. It was a historic moment that underscored the seismic shift in how people were consuming books.
In May 2011, Amazon made the remarkable announcement that Kindle e-book sales had overtaken all print book sales — hardcovers and paperbacks combined. It was a watershed moment for digital publishing and confirmed that the Kindle had fundamentally changed the reading landscape.
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Amazon prioritizes services and purchases
While there are plenty of reasons to like the Kindle, the Amazon reading and writing ecosystem is sorely lacking. And in fact, the worst parts of the Kindle all have to do with Amazon pushing people towards its marketplace.
The Kindle is designed to serve readers, but it’s also optimized to serve Amazon and all its many services, platforms, and commerce channels. That makes using the Kindle annoying at best and completely disheartening at worst. Amazon wants you to subscribe to its service, which it provides easy access to with free trials and cheap introductory offers.
But Amazon’s enticing offers aren’t really helpful for the large reading and writing community. They undermine local bookstores and libraries, both of which should be patronized as much as possible. Meanwhile, Goodreads, the tracking and rating app that Amazon took over a decade-plus ago, allows for bad actors to review bomb and threaten authors on the platform due to the power Amazon wields. The company is more interested in any type of engagement than it is in authenticity and civility. Paired with the fact that the app hasn’t been changed in the 10 years Amazon’s been running it, it shows how little the company really cares about the reading community.
All of that means that it doesn’t make for too much satisfaction when it comes to supporting the company.
Getting ebooks to your Kindle
Support your library and enjoy free titles
You can see that Amazon wants you to use its services by the way it prioritizes convenient syncing between your tablet and the Amazon marketplace. It’s quick and easy to buy or borrow a title and send it to your Kindle when you operate within Amazon’s borders. They don’t like it when you borrow from the library, but you can still sync fairly easily. At least for users in the United States.
Download the Libby app if you haven’t already, and connect it to your library card. And if you don’t have a library card, go out right now and get one; it’s free! Once you set up your account, you can easily hold, borrow, and manage a whole roster of ebooks (and audiobooks) that you can send to your Kindle. They will be automatically returned on their due date unless you decide to return them sooner or extend your time.
For those who can’t sync their Libby app to their Kindle (or for anyone like me who keeps their Kindle in airplane mode), you can still get those borrowed ebooks to your tablet. It’s not as convenient as taking books directly from Amazon, but it’s also not that hard either. You simply download the file to your computer and then drag and drop that file onto your Kindle. That’s how you can keep supporting your library.
You also don’t need to buy ebooks directly from Amazon either. There are alternative online outlets that are going to better support the authors you’re patronizing. Cheaper and more convenient isn’t always better.
Digital ownership is concerning
Consider physical media instead of ebooks
When you borrow an ebook from the library, you are granted access to a license that allows you to read a specific title for a certain amount of time. When the time limit is up, you are no longer able to open the book and read it. It will still be on your Kindle as an icon, but you can’t open it.
Still, the exchange makes sense. You are borrowing something and then you return it. However, even when you buy an ebook from Amazon, you’re essentially doing the same thing, only without the time limit. But you still don’t really own the purchase in the same way you do a physical book.
The purchase of digital entertainment is getting a lot of attention now as more and more companies are pushing for consumers to enjoy digital-only versions of media instead of physical versions. That’s because it’s cheaper for companies to sell and it grants them more control.
With ebooks, you buy a license. You can’t trade or sell an ebook. Now, that license isn’t likely to go away, but it’s certainly possible. Amazon is in control, and any number of problematic situations may arise in the future that are worth considering. The content may change, Amazon may come asking for more money, or the book may disappear altogether. You don’t own anything digital; you own a license. So be wary when you’re buying ebooks.
Kindle best practices to embrace
Limit interference and support local
So concerns around Amazon and a digital-only future are valid, but the situation is far more complicated because the Kindle is accessible and convenient for many users. And if you already own a Kindle, there’s no reason to throw it away until you have to. There are ways to use it that can help you and your reading community while also protecting your reading and ownership future.
Firstly, keep your Kindle in airplane mode. This prevents downloads that may change settings or functionality (perhaps for the worse), and it also limits distractions and maybe temptation. Amazon wants to keep you connected to the internet so that it can keep selling you things; it wants to make purchasing easy. If you want to sync your tablet, you need to be online, but you can keep your Kindle in airplane mode and simply drag and drop files from your computer. You can’t shop, and you’re not going to get as many intrusive ads or promotions. You can just focus on reading.
Secondly, support your local library. Take out ebooks that are free and enjoy those instead of buying ebooks that you still don’t really own. And if you want an ebook, seek out Amazon alternatives.
Third, ditch Goodreads. Opt for book tracking and social apps that are actually invested in supporting authors and the reading community at large. There are myriad alternatives available that do a lot more than Goodreads in far better fashion, such as StoryGraph, Fable, Bookwyrm, and Margins.
Lastly, embrace physical media wherever possible. Buy your favorite books in hardcover or paper so that they can always be with you and never be updated or changed. Gift physical books. And buy more Blu-rays, DVDs, vinyl, and physical video games. A digital-only future where quality is lowered and ownership is non-existent is not inevitable.
