eReader, do you use one?

[tmb]

I have used the Kindle and Nook and the Kindle is by far the better option. Only thing I miss compared to traditional books anymore is the writing/highlighting. I know you can do a virtual version of these but its not the same at all. I have seen a company is coming out with e-ink stylus so perhaps we will see that option in the near future which would be incredible.

Also the ipad is not an e-reader and comparing it to one is pointless.

 

[Floris]

Also the ipad is not an e-reader and comparing it to one is pointless.

Only if you want not just a book reader, .. for those it's a valid consideration.

 

[Mikey]

I like that there is no backlight, and that you can adjust the text size, highlight certain text, and play games and puzzles.
This really sounds like what I'm looking for, simplicity, and at a great price.

If it looks like what you need, that's all that matters. If you think that you will use it, and as well enjoy it, I think you should buy it for you

I understand the want for feedback from those who have it already, but if you already want it, all we can do is talk you out of it, which I don't think is what you want

 

[EQnoble]

I have to agree with Floris on this...I am considering an ipad as a portable reader for php and c++ books alone for the simple fact that you can do a whole bunch more when you can't bring yourself to read anymore....and that fact that I can jailbreak it with ease vs the jailbreak for kindle which is just sickening in comparison including upgrading with a hacked unit. Even so the one thing I can and will say is free 3g internet access is awesome and that is one reason kindle I think will be a viable option for a long time. Now that my mother has had hers for a while she kind of doesn't like the fact that there is no back-lighting...but that is why the device is as simplistic and lightweight (resource-wise) the made it a book reading device with access to the internet almost anywhere with no signup. If all you need is a reader then hey why not a kindle or similar. But for anyone that uses a computer more than 2-3 hours a day...which I think I can safely assume is 90% of the people here... I can offer that there isn't a way you couldn't make secondary use of an ipad if you acquired one for reading...



Floris I have not much experiance with the ipad...do you have a 3g one or a wifi one?

I have 2 sim cards with active lines that I do not use ATM and am wondering how the 3g one works specifically to the end that I would like to just throw one of those in the 3g version if possible as both of those sim cards are locked into unlimited data forever and I keep them active for that reason. I was just going to setup my old iPhones as mobile 3g access points...but thought an ipad could do that and be a full size screen to use on the run whether it be iApps or vnc controll of my windows desktop. Do you know if they work the same as iPhones as far as swapping of sim cards go? I know it's not a standard question for this subject/thread but it can make or break my decision to purchase so I thought it relevant.

 

[Floris]

I am waiting for the iPad2, so I have none atm, but I have used it, reviewed it and played with the 3g one as well.
Having used the 3g one, then going back to wifi you realize how much of a brick it is without 3g.
And for a little bit more i can get a second microcard for the iphone4, which i can use on the 3g, and i will have unlimited data on it as well.

 

[Luke F]

I find reading black-on-white text on a screen for long periods of time uncomfortable without the near-infinite contrast ratios of CRTs and my Galaxy S phone's SAMOLED screen.

When you keep the brightness around 0-10% like I do, I find there just isn't enough contrast on LCD screens to keep my eyes following the text properly (and I have flawless vision). Contrast really does make a huge difference (just look at eInk) - if Samsung released a large SAMOLED tablet it would almost certainly blow the iPad out of the water as an eReader (at least hardware-wise).


Personally I haven't read an ebook in ages - the last eReader I used was Bookr on PSP with dark-yellow-on-black text and minimum brightness. It was actually pretty comfortable to read, despite the poor DPI of the original PSP screen.

In case I ever need it, can anyone recommend any decent basic ebook readers for Android? All I need is .txt support, colour/font controls and bookmarks.

 

[EQnoble]

I am waiting for the iPad2, so I have none atm, but I have used it, reviewed it and played with the 3g one as well.
Having used the 3g one, then going back to wifi you realize how much of a brick it is without 3g.
And for a little bit more i can get a second microcard for the iphone4, which i can use on the 3g, and i will have unlimited data on it as well.

That is what I wanted to know...I will have to get micro-sims flashed to replace my old clunky ones I guess. That being the case...I may have another reason to splurge.

 

[EQnoble]

In case I ever need it, can anyone recommend any decent basic ebook readers for Android? All I need is .txt support, colour/font controls and bookmarks.

A friend of mine had mentioned moon to me before I assume this is what he was talking about..I can't recommend it as I don't own any android device but I have heard him bring up moon more than once.... this may net you something to look at.

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Book reader with powerful controls & full functions.

*Read thousands of ebooks for free, supports online ebook libraries.

*Read local books with smooth scroll and tons of innovation.

Support txt/html/epub/umd/fb2/zip/OPDS, key features:

•Full visual options: line space, font scale, bold, italic, shadow, justified alignment, alpha colors, fading edge etc.

•10+ themes embedded, includes Day & Night mode switcher, 20+ background images.

•Various types of paging: touch screen, volume keys or even camera, search or back keys.

•24 customized operations (screen click, swipe gesture, hardware keys), apply to 15 customized events: search, bookmark, themes, navigation, font size and more.

•5 auto-scroll modes: rolling blind mode; by pixel, by line or by page. Real-time speed control.

•Adjust the brightness by sliding your finger along the left edge of the screen, gesture commands supported.

•Intelligent paragraph; indent paragraph; trim unwanted blank spaces options.

•“Keep your eyes health” options for long-time reading.

•Real page turning effect with customized speed/color/transparent; 5 page flip animations;

•My Bookshelf design: Favorites, Downloads, Authors, Tags; self bookcover, search, import supported.

•Highlight, Annotation, Dictionary (Offline & Online), Translation, Share functions all in this ebook reader.

•Localized in Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Macedonian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian.

-

***Moon+ Reader Pro is available now in Android Market, search "Moon+ Reader Pro" to get it***

Additional benifits in pro version:

•Ads free

•Multi-point touch supported

•Shake the phone to speak (Text-to-speech, TTS engine supported)

•Option for password protection at startup

•Headset keys control

•Customer email support

Package: com.flyersoft.moonreader

Tags: moon reader, moon, moon reader android, moon reader pro, moon android, ...

 

[whitetigergrowl]

EReaders (including the IPad) are over-rated IMO. Seriously. I can do more with a $400 laptop than I can with a $600+ IPad. Let alone an E-Reader.

 

[EQnoble]

True but it is much easier to hold one of those than a laptop which also puts out a lot of heat if your say sitting in bed with it on your lap...kindle ipad and all of those devices are light and put out way less heat...use less power and therefor have a WAY longer battery life and most can be charged off of usb which can with an adapter be plugged into pretty much anything. Also remember a lot of people who use these devices are probably not as computer savvy as yourself. One click installs goes a long way. No setup. It is a great selling point for your average person.

 

[Peggy]

Well i did it! I went to Best Buy and bought the Kindle. I actually looked at all of them with the salesman and tried all of them out. I almost changed my mind and purchssed the Nook. But went back to the Kindle at the last minute. I also treated myself and went with the one that has 3G.

I'm sitting in Perkins restaurant, having breakfast, and typing on it now!

 

[EQnoble]

GIGGITY

 

[tmb]

Didn't know they sold Kindle at BB. Thought they only did Nook for some reason. Nice that you can compare and contrast the two in person though.

I will say if you live in a sunny area having an e-ink device is a godsend. I am in Orlando so sitting poolside and reading on an lcd screen is impossible. Its a terrible life.

 

[EQnoble]

I am in Orlando so sitting poolside and reading on an lcd screen is impossible. Its a terrible life.

SOOO terrible...it's snowing here now....

I now that you have said something will to bench the kindle next to the iphone outside.....I didn't even think of this...

 

[Peggy]

Didn't know they sold Kindle at BB. Thought they only did Nook for some reason. Nice that you can compare and contrast the two in person though.

I will say if you live in a sunny area having an e-ink device is a godsend. I am in Orlando so sitting poolside and reading on an lcd screen is impossible. Its a terrible life.

Yep BestBuy has the Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony, and one other one. BB, along with Target and Staples, has been selling the Kindle for only a short time.
After testing them all out, I almost purchased the Nook, like I said. The others are too large and felt "bulky" in my hands.
But in the end, the Kindle won out, due to not having a backlight. The others were difficult to read due to the reflection and glare right there in the store.

 

[Fred Sherman]

The benefit to a tablet is that instead of being tie to one format, ie. Kindle, you can download several e-reader apps and use them all.

The drawback to any e-reader for purposes beyond entertainment reading, is that there is no way to quote an e-book in an academic paper. Several suggestions have been made, such as referencing chapter and paragraph number, but in a long chapter, that becomes tedious as well.

I anxiously await an e-reader format that can be used for serious academic purposes, since paper books are too damned expensive.

 

[Anthony Parsons]

I've looked into all these, and I have to say that if all you want the device for is to read books, then just get a book reader, ie. Kindle. If you want an all-in-one solution, use something like an iPad.

As already mentioned... your eyes get tired much faster reading on an electronic device vs. reading a book. If you want to store hundreds of books, then an ereader is the go... they have their pro's and con's.

I have an iPad, I have two apps on it, Kindle, for downloading and reading Kindle publications, and Goodreader, which is a current highly downloaded reader app for pretty much most standard file types. It also allows you to draw on, highlight, mark, tag, etc etc etc.... all the good things you can't do with Kindle and most ereaders, though you obviously need a PDF or other document format to use Goodreader. Still... hurts your eyes faster than reading a paper book. The Kindle app is the same as reading on a Kindle only device, except you get the benefits of the iPad features, zoom, enhance, etc.

I can sit there and read a couple hundred pages in a book consistently, I can't using an ereader, as my eyes become sore after 20+ pages.

 

[Anthony Parsons]

I anxiously await an e-reader format that can be used for serious academic purposes, since paper books are too damned expensive.

Absolutely... beyond novels, ereaders are useless. Anything I need to reference often, quote, etc, all normal old book versions.

 

[Jeffin]

My cousins got an ipad and he does a lot of things with it. It's like a simplified version of a netbook. Android alternatives to ipad might be cheaper and good too. I haven't seen anyone use them though.

 

[Pope Viper]

I have a Kindle as well. For me, it's the perfect thing for books, it's easy on the eyes, and while it isn't backlit, they have things like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Lighte...UTF8&coliid=I1O2Y22CEYZ6LQ&colid=R6LNMRG5VE34

For me, the Kindle does exactly what I want it to do.