Kindle Questions: Can you read a Kindle in the dark?
Since I’m the only one of my friends and family that owns a Kindle, I often get questions from them about the device. I decided to share these questions with you since many of them are worthwhile questions that either aren’t answered in other places or aren’t addressed directly.
The first question I was asked about my Kindle is “Can you read it in the dark?” Well, yes and no. Without the aid of book light
The backlight is what causes glare on your computer, what makes your eyes tired if you try to read long articles online, and what makes little kids’ eyes tired after playing hours of portable video games. The Kindle screen was specifically designed without a backlight to make the reading experience more like reading a book than reading off an electronic device.
So technically, no, you can’t read a Kindle in the dark without an outside light source. However, the Mighty Bright gets a four-and-a-half star review on Amazon, and high praise from Kindle owners.
If you have a question about the Kindle, feel free to email me at cj@kindlenewsandreviews.com.
UPDATE (3/10/09): This information also applies to the Kindle 2. Amazon did not add a backlight to the Kindle 2. As mentioned in my original post, however, there are several booklight-style lights compatible with the Kindle and Kindle 2.
Other Posts of Interest:
- 12 Days of Kindle, Day One – Win an M-Edge e-Luminator2 Booklight
- A Review of the iPhone as an E-book Reader
- Leather Kindle Case and Reading Stand
- Kindle Questions: Can you read it on a treadmill?
- Kindle Holiday Gift Guide 2008
43 Responses to “Kindle Questions: Can you read a Kindle in the dark?”
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The Sony Digital Reader has a back light so you can read in the dark.
Is the kindle waterproof or water resistant if we wanted to sit in the pool and read?
Hi Kim. No, the Kindle is not waterproof or water resistant. I have heard of some people slipping the Kindle into a Ziploc bag to read in poolside or in the bathtub. You’ll still be able to see the screen through the clear plastic bag, and you can turn the pages with the buttons without a problem. Some people recommend two Ziplocs, facing opposite ways, just in case your Kindle takes a dunk.
how come i cant find and of the original 7 harry potter books anywhere on the kindle?
Hi Beckyy, Not every author has licensed their books for electronic publishing yet. The Harry Potter series is not yet available for Kindle or other e-readers.
I just read about the reasons for not including a backlight. I find that I need a stronger light for the Kindle than I do for a regular book. What a pain.
I think the kindle should come with a button to turn on or off the backlight to make everyone happy. I feel its very inconvenient to not have the light in darker places since when looking at the screen I need more light.
The backlight option is a great idea…
i think having the option is a great idea. i am tired of having to read books by light at night in the dark. not having a backlight option is the only thing that has stopped me from buying a kindle. it would be good to have the option to use if wanted.
What’d be really cool would be a backlight option and the option to set the brightness of it to accommodate for different light levels. This would also help eye strain and save battery life.
I think that option’s called iPad.
I agree though, this would be a nice added feature.
I don’t understand the mindset of companies, like Amazon, who don’t heed the advice of its customers…I’ve seen over and over the suggestion that Kindle gives the option of a back light…But, to no avail…I guess Amazon feels it knows better than those who buy their product. Amazon, a note to the wise, there are other options in the marketplace, and those options are getting better every day!!!
Typical these days. Sounds like the stuff that Apple does. They know best!
I have a ebook reader with adjustable backlighting and finds that it just messes my eyes up completely. That’s why I ordered a Kindle 3 WITHOUT any backlighting. Thats’ basically the whole idea of E-ink – no backlighting and as close to normal paper as possible.
I just received a Kindle as a BD present. If I leave it in my unheated car in 0 degree temperature, will it be damaged?
I accidentally left my DX in the car overnight, in about 20 degrees. The screen froze on the screensaver, until I let it warm up. It worked fine after that, but I’d recommend *not* leaving it in the car all the time. Once or twice on accident may not kill the Kindle, but it’s certainly not good to do so. And you’re likely to void your warranty that way, too. Amazon may view that as “abuse” or “neglect” and not fix it for you.
Haha neglect. Makes the Kindle sound like a child. Seriously though don’t leave it in the car. And yeah I’m totally for the back light that was one of my major problems while reading an actual book
Hi Please helppppppp me
My kindle is new I dowloaded my first book but I cant received the book cause it said my memorie is full.What is the problem
Thanks
Sarah
Hi Please helppppppp me
My kindle is new I dowloaded my first book but I cant received the book cause it said my memorie is full.What is the problem
Thanks
Sarah
I think your best resolve is to go directly to Kindle Support…That number is 1-877-453-4512. I hope that helps.
can i mark a book finished or ‘read’ on the kindle 1?
I have so many on there and I’d like the option of seeing the title in bold or a mark next to it saying I’ve finished it. That way I don’t have to open it and scan it to try and remember if I’ve already read it? Is this possible?
I know I can ‘delete it’ from the kindle and it will still be on Amazon but I like having them all on there to reference when necessary.
Help?
If you will notice on the “Home Page” of your Kindle (where the book titles are), each Title has little dots below them…The dots represent how far you’ve read into that book and are darker for that section you’ve completed. If a book is completed, all the dots are darkened. I hope this helps.
Tom,if thats right then how come alot of my books that I have not read have the black dots half way and some of the books I have finished dots are only about an inh long?
Question:
If I ‘download’ a ‘Kindle’ file, will it be in MP3 (or can I ‘convert’ it to MP3) format?
Hi Gregory. Kindle files are in .azw format, which is a proprietary format used by Amazon. Only your Kindle and Kindle-related software (such as Amazon’s Kindle for PC or Kindle for iPhone applications) will be able to read it.
i have a dyslexic daughter that i am thinking about buying the kindle for. because i spend alot of money in the audio books and purchasing the books. how do i know if they come in audio or if i have to buy it seperate?
On a Kindle you don’t need audiobooks! They have text-to-speech which is always an option. And you can read the book while it is being read out loud. I use it if I want to read while working on other things. It would be a great tool for your daughter.
I have looked at them on line and the kindle 2 and the kindle dx have a the option to have it read to you from the built it speaker or headphones
Is there anyway to download books I already own?
Hey, I am thinking of buying a kindle, not sure if I will totally love it or not. Some of the comments that I read discourage me abit.
It seems to me that they would put a back light on the thing that you can turn on or off as needed or wanted.
No back light so that I can use it in the dark is a deal killer for me.
Just bought a kindle after wanting one after seeing it on the Oprah show about 4 years ago, Love it all accept NO BACKLIGHT!!!!! Come on .. with this kind of technology how simple is a back light.. Even the bodgy of mobile phones have a back light.. Come on Amazon make one optional even. Derrr
The lack of a backlight is also a deterrent for me, but I’m not so hard on Amazon on that. The decision to put a backlight is not only a matter of component cost and battery life. A backlit LCD will reflect less of the external light, that means you’ll have more difficulty reading it under broad daylight. Unless they come up with prefect trans-reflective materials, backlight is a tradeoff between being able to read in dark and being able to read in light…
I completely agree. I do think a backlight option would be great, but I don’t think the lack of a backlight is a deal breaker at all.
I ordered a Kindle for DH deployed in Afghanistan and wanted to load some books on there before I shipped it to him, do I have to actually turn it on to download the books for him
You don’t actually have to turn the device on to load books onto it. If it’s already attached to your Amazon account, you can send books to it from Amazon.com and they will appear when your DH turns on the device. This is assuming you bought the international version and that he will have wireless signal in Afghanistan. You can check on Amazon’s wireless service with this handy map: http://client0.cellmaps.com/tabs.html#cellmaps_intl_tab. To add books to the device, go shopping on Amazon.com and use the “Deliver to” dropdown option to choose your DH’s Kindle from the dropdown. If it’s not available there, you may need to turn the device on to register it with your Amazon.com account. I hope that helps!
Seems to be some confusion about how long the book is yours once you have ‘bought’ it. Will it be mine forever or will it disappear in six months as has been suggested by my more sceptical pals? Thx SDK
Is there anyway to have the kindle show the page number of the page you are reading?
The Kindle shows the location numbers, not page numbers, because the page numbers can vary depending on the size of the font you’re using. If you want to know how many pages a book has, you can usually check the product page for that information.
I’m also thinking of getting a Kindle. Reading in bed without disturbing my husband with the light on, I like the idea of a backlight, also. One that can be turned on/off would be ideal. Any hope of that in the near future?
Can the brightness of the Kindle page be changed?
I preordered my Kindle 3 earlier this week with a ship date of before or on Sept. 10th. Anyone know if it is likely I would get it before this date?
Thanks for this post… have been contemplating Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad for a while- don’t want the Kindle/Nook without a backlight & don’t want the iPad because I most often read in the sun! Would LOVE the Kindle with a built-in booklight instead of a backlight to maintain the paper-like appearance of e-ink. Still watchful waiting but all this info helps!