Hello everyone.
I want to get back into healthy habits. This includes reading books before bed and no screen before bed.
The thing is that (for now) my partner and our child all sleep in the same bedroom. I tend to get to bed after they are already asleep and don’t want to disturb them.
What’s the best option to read in the dark that doesn’t involve blue light screen (smartphone) or high luminosity?
Are there e-readers with very very dim light that still allow comfortable reading?
Thanks for your input.
Braille would be the best.
I’ve had kindle devices for over a decade, and my latest (kindle paperwhite) is perfect to read in bed at night while my wife is sleeping, adjust the brightness down to 2-3 and it’s easy on the eyes to read in the dark, and dim enough that you can’t even use it to find your way to the bathroom.
I have a cheapish samsung tablet that has blue light filtering, a black and white option, and super low screen brightness options. Low enough that if you’re in a dark room, it’s low enough that i can’t have it all the way down and still read.
I read in the dark on my iPad with white text on a black screen and night mode on. It’s easy on the eyes and I can read in the dark without disturbing anyone.
Any e-ink display eReader will work for you, but I personally recommend Kobo. They have a more open approach to loading files compared to Kindle, and they tend to be very affordable for a high quality device.
Upvote for Kobo - I have a kobo Clara. The backlight can change colour with time of day and brightness can be changed.
Or what about listening to audiobooks or podcasts?
Agree. Also the new Kobo Libra 2 has a dark mode option (white text on black background).
@sonovebitch@lemmy.world TBH an e-ink device with dark mode works well for me
@sonovebitch@lemmy.world Forgot to mention: some have 2 different types of light, a blue one and a warmer, yellow-ish one. Turn off the former, leave the other and turn the e-ink with a black background and white letter.
Kobo and pocketbook are good e-readers. Kindles have harder time with piracy and independent bookstores and you give money to bezos.
I had pocketbook. Not the best way to read comics or pdfs but for books is great. Customization is tricky but doable.
Audiobooks with earphones? There’s wispersync so your progress matches across devices. It’s also much cheaper to buy an audiobook if you have the epub/mobi/kindle version
I read in my phone using an ebook reader app with amoled black background and a peach-ish font colour. I keep brightness on minimum, have phone’s night light setting on (it reduces blue light). Also ensure that my phone is on silent and dnd mode. Best combination IMO for reading in the dark before going to sleep. Another idea is, listen to an audiobook with sleep timer on.
Braille
Turn a light on
Where I live, I would a Nook GlowLight 3 because the device filters blue light when you read late.
But I usually like to read with the lights on instead though I hope this answers your question better.
I have a Kobo Clara 2E for pretty much this reason. The lit screen has multiple levels of luminosity and adjustable yellow tone. I keep mine at a cool stone white but it can go really yellow if that’s what you want. On top of that, Kobo is much more user friendly for loading ebooks, it’s compatible with a whole range of ebook formats unlike Kindle.
The Kindle Paperwhite is great. I think the Oasis gets even dimmer, but you’ll need to pay a premium for it. Personally, I prefer to stay away from Amazon e-readers now that there are other good options available, though.
If you don’t want to be locked into the Kindle ecosystem, the Kobo Libra 2 is a good option. It lets you set the warmth of the front light, lights the screen very evenly, and even supports dark mode for ebooks.
I really like the Onyx Boox line myself (though my experience is admittedly limited - I’ve only used the Note Air 3C), but their full Google Play store support might be a negative for you, if you don’t trust yourself to not install social media apps. My experience is that having apps for Hoopla, Libby, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, etc., all on the device is a huge improvement to my experience.
The Onyx Boox e-readers are also a bit more expensive than alternatives - the cheapest e-reader by them that I would recommend is the Poke5 at 180 USD and the one I personally want is the Page at $250. (There’s also an in-between model, the Leaf2, at $200, that looks solid.) Of course, if you want a phone-sized e-reader, the Onyx Boox Palma is the only good option that I know of. Unfortunately, it’s also $280.
All that said, is there a comfortable place outside your bedroom (or at least outside your bed) that you can read? It’s technically better if you don’t read in the same place that you sleep (though reading on an e-reader in bed is still gonna be better than being on your phone late at night).
I use a $15 book light with adjustable brightness. It has a flexible arm so it only shines light on the page, versus an electronic device which shines light on your face.
