Can you read books in the dark on a Kindle Paperwhite?
When it was introduced some years back, the Kindle pretty much revolutionized the way that people read books. Instead of carrying around often hefty paper books, now they could carry thousand of books on one device. The first Kindles could, however, not be read in the dark without turning on the light. That was because they did not come with back-lighting. So, can you read books in the dark on a Kindle Paperwhite?
The Paperwhite
The “Paperwhite,” in a Kindle Paperwhite pretty much denotes that the device comes with back-lighting. This addition took the amazing reading experience that was introduced by Kindle to the next level. Now instead of turning on the light in order to read your favorite book, all that you need to get going is adjust the brightness on your Kindle.
Reading books in the dark on a Kindle Paperwhite
So, yes, you can read books in the dark on a Kindle Paperwhite. The device comes with LED backlighting, which you can adjust to various levels. On my device, I find that the optimal lighting level is at 10.
Is the backlight automatic?
The Kindle Paperwhite is still pretty basic, which is good in a way. It does what it was designed to do and it does it well without resorting to gimmicks. The only drawback to this is that the backlight on a Kindle Paperwhite is not automatic. What it means is that you have to remember to turn it off in the day. Otherwise, you will be needless wasting battery life.
Not that the battery life on the Kindle Paperwhite is bad. On my device, I find that I can go for a week while extensively reading on the device. Amazon claims that the device will go for three weeks without needing to be recharged, but that is based on 30 minutes of reading. Whoever came up with that as a benchmark probably did not know what they were talking about. Once I get hold of a book, I read it to the end.
Is reading books on a Kindle in the dark bad for your eyes?
To be honest, in the time that I have been using my Kindle, I have read countless books in the dark and I have not yet had reason to believe that doing so is bad for my eyes. Before acquiring the Paperwhite, I used to read my books on my Google Nexus 7 tablet.
Now, that was bad for my eyes! I would get a headache after each reading session. However, on the Paperwhite, nothing like that happens. Thanks to the amazing e-ink display, reading a book on a Paperwhite is pretty much similar to reading an actual book that is printed on paper.