The Kindle is a divisive accessory. The popular e-reader offers convenient, versatile use and access to countless books and stories in your hand wherever you go. However, it comes with a lot of baggage from the company that runs it: Amazon. That makes for a complicated interaction, especially as Amazon doesn’t seem particularly invested in supporting the reading and writing community.
One of the biggest draws of the Kindle, in particular and any e-reader in general, is the ability to set up the Kindle to match both your personal preferences and accessibility needs. The Kindle is, for the most part, adaptable. Still, there’s room for improvement.
Customization text size, font, and space
Adjust the screen to suit your needs
Perhaps the best feature of the Kindle is the ability to adjust text size, font, and spacing, allowing you to build a screen that fits your visual needs. Size options are imperative, and Amazon comes through with letting readers adjust to large or small formats.
Fonts play a big role in readability as well, with the specific style influencing the ease at which a reader moves from one work to the next. Serif fonts, those with extra flourishes or feet, and sanserif options, those that are more clean and crisp, greatly influence reading. And where they are used is hugely influential. While serif may be useful in text in physical media, it’s not advised to use such fonts on digital screens.
Changing the size of the text deals with what you can physically see. But the influence of a specific font is a psychological operation. A font interacts with your brain, and depending on how your brain works, your reading speed may increase or decrease, cause headaches, or lead to confusion. There is no right font; there is only the one that fits how your brain works.
Depending on your model, you’re likely to have around 10 font options, which is a decent pool from which to choose. Don’t just go with the default font that is set up when your first start your Kindle. Try out each one and read a few pages to see which one works the best.
Kindle has issues with Dark Mode
The popular setting wasn’t widely available
The fact that there is even a discussion around dark mode on various Kindle versions is absurd. It’s not a part of every model, and that’s a horrendous, cruel oversight on the part of Amazon.
For those unaware, Dark Mode on any screen or app simply inverts black and white, swapping out black text and a white background for the reviews. It’s a common option on countless apps, programs, websites, and devices. Some folks enjoy it because the black background is less intrusive than the white; people find readability easier. It can help those who are sensitive to bright luminescence, and it can also help readers when reading in dark environments.
Kindle accessibility features include Assisted Reading, which allows you to listen to the text as you read along, and the Reading Ruler, which puts a color overlay across the lines as you go.
It’s worth noting that Dark Mode is not suitable for some folks with astigmatism or low vision. The black background can create issues with contrast. Still, it should be available on every device so that users have the option.
It’s a feature on some Kindles; the entirety of the interface, including books on the Kindle, is inverted. However, the Colorsoft Kindle did not come with this feature. Eventually, the update arrived, and users were granted Dark mode, albeit slowly. That Amazon released a new Kindle model without this popular, simple, and helpful feature is insulting.
Customize your tracking preferences
Percentage and time alerts can be helpful or distracting
One of the underrated components of the Kindle its ability to learn your reading speed and keep tabs on your progress. This option is can play a significant role in the psychology of reading, and it can be helpful or harmful to the reader. Fortunately, you can toggle options.
For me, it’s helpful to have an idea of how much story I have left, both in terms of time in the chapter and the book as a whole. I like knowing what I’m going to get into and can find added motivation when I’m nearing the end. However, it can also make reading daunting depending on the story you’re reading. If you’ve 20 hours to go when you start a book, you may feel like you’ve a long way to go.
That tracking isn’t always the most accurate either. When you scroll quickly through some title pages and dedication, the initial reading speed clocked will be much faster than actually reading a whole page of text. It’s also not always aware of breaks in the story that may serve just as well as chapters.
The Kindle also doesn’t take into consideration pages at the end of the ebook that aren’t part of the story. Some ebooks come with previews of other books, while others may have pages of reviews or publisher info. And for anyone who reads a lot of nonfiction, the time noted until you finish the book can be way off. I’ve read heavily researched books where 50% of the ebook are endnotes.
The progress feature is helpful, but needs to be used with caution.
Easy access to countless ebooks
Tablet supports digital library entry
The Kindle is terrific for those who may not be easily able to leave the house to acquire books. The abilty to send ebooks right to the tablet in your hand is a huge boom for many, removing any number of barriers that may it difficult for people to go outside, whether its physical, psychological, or neurological concerns.
Similarly, the Kindle is useful for anyone who may not be able to make their way to a library or bookstore, or who has limited options. And because you can take out ebooks from your local library, the Kindle provides access to free books. The ebook itself presents an easier way for some to explore new stories and find out what they like. Most online outlets and apps give you a chance to read a bit of a book first to see if you might like it. Having a bunch of options on your tablet means you can jump around, find the exact right book for your current mood, or read multiple stories at once.
Amazon encourages distraction
Shopping is a priority for the Kindle
Amazon can’t help but push everyone towards its marketplace, creating the fastest and most seamless purchasing model imaginably. It wants it, so there is little barrier between you thinking about wanting a product, buying it, and having it arrive at your home. Amazon wants that process to happen as fast as possible.
It’s harder to pull off with a tablet, but Amazon is still trying. The ideal use, according to them, is to keep your Kindle connected to Wi-Fi and hooked up to your Amazon account so you can purchase or rent ebooks and have them synced instantly to your device. But you shouldn’t use your Kindle for shopping. I think it should be a distraction-free experience where it’s just you and your stories.
I strongly recommend the Kindle always be in airplane mode. This limits ads, prevents you from shopping, and generally keeps out distractions when you’re reading. Yes, it prevents easy syncing, but I’d argue that the process doesn’t need to be as convenient as it is. There’s nothing wrong with dragging and dropping files from a computer. You can also turn off airplane mode every so often when needed before turning it back on.
