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sf.me > Blog > I Changed My Mind About Physical Books
Posted on: 28 September 2024
Reading time: 2 min Category: Software && Technology
Around half an year ago, I made a post stating my opinion on why people should read books physically, and not on a digital medium. However, my opinion changed when I won a reMarkable 2 from my university. I started using it for reading books. This has been a total game changer in terms of the comfort, the amount of books I can read at once, and my reading habits.
The reMarkable tablet's advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a long shot.
My focus on the reMarkable is the closest I have ever come to physical books. All it has are files. There is no internet, no games, no gimmicks, nothing. It feels purposeful compared to other e-readers like the Kindle or the Boox smartphone.
Running out of charge on the reMarkable is never on my mind, ever. The only time I charge the device is when I am at home, and all of my other devices are fully charged. I have never seen the device drop even a tiny bit of charge when it's sleeping.
To everyone asking, yes. The reMarkable feels exactly like paper. Taking notes, drawing diagrams and highlighting sentences all feel and look the same as paper. The company did a fantastic job replicating the feeling. As a result, I feel like I remember the thing I write better than writing on a normal tablet.
The reMarkable has an e-ink display. Those who have never seen one will be surprised at how much it looks like paper. It is very easy on the eyes. I can't tell the difference between normal paper and the reMarkable display.
The tablet has around 8GiB of storage. Theoretically, it could hold almost 820 10MiB PDF files. But, pratically, it equates to an infinite amount of books.
The amount of time I spent reading literally skyrocketed after I started reading on the reMarkable. It checks off all the parameters of forming a good habit as mentioned in the book 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear. If you haven't read the book, they are the cue, craving, response and reward. The device is always with me, I love the experience, it's easy to access and it's gratifying when I finish a few pages in my free time. Thus, it is positively reinforced.
The reMarkable has some things to it which may be dealbreakers for some people.
One drawback is that the screen does not feel like paper to the touch. Swiping the screen does not replace the tactile, scratchy feeling of physical books. An electronic device also cannot give out the 'new book' odour. That is the only thing I miss from physical books.
No file format lasts forever. If I lose my reMarkable, or my account gets deleted, all books and my reading progress will be gone. To combat this, I only read books on my reMarkable if I have a physical copy. I take ownership very seriously.
To sum it all up, the reMarkable has changed my view on physical books. I still prefer the experience and longevity of physical books, but it is hard to deny that the reMarkable offers better practicality and comfort.