Tech
The best e-readers to shop during Amazons Big Spring Sale
While you can't replace the feel of paper, the beauty of bound hardcovers, and the ritual of turning the page, an e-reader brings convenience and portability that a book just can't beat. Sure, you can throw a book in your tote bag, but what about an entire library?
When you think of e-readers, your first thought is likely an Amazon Kindle, and while it wasn't the first e-reader to hit the market, it is indeed the one to dominate it. While Kindles are great — there's certainly no denying that — you can find a couple of equally wonderful alternatives.
But a big question is when to buy an e-reader. While annual shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day typically offer the best deals, we're always looking for sales on these devices throughout the year. Coming March 25 through 31 is Amazon's Big Spring Sale, and we hope to see big savings on these devices.
If you're gearing up to read more books in 2025, an e-reader will help you get there, and these are the best ones you can buy.
Which e-reader is the best?
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
Unless you're trying to avoid the Amazon ecosystem at all costs, the Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader for most people. (And if you want to de-Amazon your life, opt for the Kobo Libra Colour). However, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best e-reader for you.
Choose an e-reader based on price, special features, and where you get your books. For instance, most e-readers and tablets are easily compatible with Libby, but Kindles and iPads work best with the popular library app. And if you use Kindle Unlimited, your choice is even easier.
Consider the overall design that best suits you as well. Is a touchscreen okay, or do you need buttons? If you want to take your e-reader near water, whether it be a bathtub or a pool, you'll also need to make sure you have a waterproof device.
Plus, it's worth considering special features. Are you an annotator who wants to scribble, doodle, and write in the margins of your e-book? Or would you prefer a tablet that you can read and stream on? All of these questions help you determine which e-reader or tablet will blend into your habits.
However, I can definitively tell you what is not the best e-reader. Among all the e-readers I've tested, the only device I can't recommend is Barnes & Noble's Nook. Compared to the other e-readers here, it has slow and glitchy performance, no Libby integration, and a short battery life.
No Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition?
If you're familiar with the Kindle line-up, it may come as a surprise that the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition isn't on this list. Don't get me wrong, it's great, but I think there are better options. The Signature Edition is an upgraded version of the Paperwhite, and we've compared the devices head to head. The short version? The Paperwhite is a better value, even with the SE's added features like auto-adjusting brightness and 32GB of storage.
If you are prepared to spend $200 on an e-reader though, I say skip the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition and go for the Kobo Libra Colour.
SAVE $50: As of Aug. 6, buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 for $349.99 at Best Buy and get a free $50 e-gift card.
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A good smartwatch can be your constant companion when it comes to handling your day. It can track your fitness, handle notifications and texts, and even help you make calls, all while giving you a full spectrum of body-centric metrics. If you're already using an Android phone or want a reliable brand for your purchase, you should consider heading to Best Buy to grab a Samsung smartwatch and get a little extra.
As of Aug. 6, buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 for $349.99 at Best Buy and get a free $50 e-gift card.
The 2025 Galaxy Watch8 has a slew of features, including Google Gemini integration, something Samsung managed to get before Google could implement in its Pixel Watch lineup. It also has a wide variety of health and fitness options, including preset workout data, sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and much more to help you make sure you can face the day at your best.
Beyond those things, the Galaxy Watch8 also lets you handle comms straight from your wrist so you can make calls, text, use some of your favorite apps, and organize your life. Your personal AI assistant is voice-activated as well, so it can help you get things done even when your hands are busy.
You'd think Android and YouTube would work together flawlessly, but early this week, that wasn't the case.
As reported and confirmed by 9to5Google, YouTube users on Android devices couldn't change the playback speed on videos. Changing the speed to anything other than 1x would simply not work, as the setting change wouldn't save, acting as if you hadn't done it at all. Obviously, that's not a great user experience, considering that Android and YouTube are both Google's responsibility. It seems a bit strange for Android users specifically to lose access to a core YouTube feature, but that's what happened.
Thankfully, it seems that as of Wednesday morning, the issue has been fixed, per a YouTube community note. The note states that any users still experiencing the issue should simply close and reopen the app. Hopefully, by doing that, you can fix the problem and get back to frame-by-frame analysis of movie trailers at 0.25x speed.
For once, it paid off to use a Google app on iOS instead.
On top of directing horror hits Get Out, Us, and Nope, Jordan Peele has produced several exciting genre projects, from Dev Patel's Monkey Man to Nia DaCosta's Candyman, which he also co-wrote. Next up on his production slate is the football horror film Him, directed by Justin Tipping.
Co-written by Skip Bronkie, Zack Akers, and Tipping, Him introduces promising young football star Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers). Not only does Withers have acting experience from projects like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Atlanta, he was also part of Florida State University's 2017 football team as a wide receiver. Hopefully his experience playing was nothing like Cameron's in Him, though, because the trailer makes it out to be a full-on nightmare.
After suffering a traumatic brain injury at the hands of an unhinged fan, Cameron thinks his football dream is dead. But when his hero, legendary quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), offers to train him at his personal compound, he's excited to accept.
However, Isaiah's training methods are far more violent than Cameron realized. (And football is already pretty violent!) We're talking smashing footballs into players' faces until they bleed as punishment.
But that's just the start of the horrors that await in Him, which demands that Cameron sacrifice everything to be the GOAT he so badly wants to be. Check out the unsettling trailer above.
Him also stars Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, and MMA fighter Maurice Greene, as well as hip-hop artists Guapdad 4000 and Tierra Whack.
Him hits theaters Sept. 19.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 at Best Buy and get a free $50 e-gift card
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