E-book reader... any recommendations?

[llama64]

I'm going with a Kindle.

The device is easily the best one I've used (haven't touched the Barnes and Noble one though). If there was any other use for an iPad in my life I'd probably get that instead, but 800$ for an e-reader is silly.

I'm not worried about DRM or vendor lockin with the Kindle. In the next couple years, single store devices will fall by the wayside and so far Amazon seems like the only store to have it's platform on multiple devices already. Meaning, I can buy a ton of books on the Kindle and still have access to them on my computer, iPhone, netbook, etc...

Only draw back is that you can't do e-books from the library. But considering I haven't been to a library in over 10 years, it's not a huge loss to me.

My wife got a kindle a few months ago. Since then she's read about 15 books. It's more then tripled her reading pace - she loves it. 3-4 of the books she read so far have been free offerings.

[Burninator]

I've been using the iPad as an e-reader since it came out. So almost two months now. I like it a lot, and I use it all the time and not just for reading. I think it's pretty obvious what the iPad can do, but I will just talk about it as an e-reader.

Advantages:
It has the largest access to ebooks. You can buy books from the major sellers, Kindle, Kobo and iBooks. This is good for finding the lowest price, but I don't find a lot of difference between the Kindle and Kobo stores in terms of selection. But usually one is cheaper than the other. There are also other apps that focus on free books (project Gutenburg books) It's colour, can do video and audio and it's fast. It's very easy to use and the battery lasts for around 10 hours. You can read magazines on it, I haven't yet though.

Disadvantages:
The screen is an LCD and that can bother some peoples eyes. To be honest I don't think it's that bad. It's not as easy to read as paper (nothing is) and it hasn't been an issue for myself. I can't say how it compares to e-ink as I haven't used one of those. Worse than that is the glare. The thing has a piece of glass on it, it's reflective. This is not really an issue inside, unless you near a window, but it is an issue outside. It is unusable in bright, direct sun, even with the screen brightness turned all the way up.

I read on the train everyday, so I have some control over the lighting. I always sit on the side of the train opposite the sun, I did this with regular books as well as I found it hard to read because it's so bright. However there was still glare. I ended up buying an anti-glare film that help a lot. It did reduce the clarity a bit, but it was worth it. It also it kind of heavy. Not an issue for a long train ride, but you need two hands.


Overall I am quite happy with it. It would be nice if Apple sold one with a matte screen finish. Is it the best e-reader out there? I don't know, maybe not. But it does so much else that it's worth the price for me. But I would say if you are only interested in a stand alone e-reader I would go with the Kindle. The Kobo is slight cheaper, but it's so bare bones that it's totally worth the extra $40 for the Kindle which has much more functionality.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by llama64

If there was any other use for an iPad in my life I'd probably get that instead, but 800$ for an e-reader is silly.

The iPad starts at $550.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Log

I am in the exact same book as you.

I was leaning towards the Kindle.

However we were thinking of buying a laptop for Christmas this year.

I was thinking of just getting an iPad for both.

Can anyone shed some light into how the iPad is for browsing?

Awesome Freudian slip right there. Not dirty, but it'll do.

When you say browsing do you mean reading or internet browsing? I expected to need my laptop once I got the iPad, but since I bought it the laptop hasn't been turned on. I still use my desktop in the basement for photo editing and video editing, but for everything else the iPad remains on my coffee table.

For reading books and the internet I haven't seen a laptop that comes close to it's portability and level of comfort. Like I said, not a device for everybody, but if you're in the market for an ebook reader and a laptop for generic usage I think the iPad deserves a very strong look.

Originally Posted by llama64

If there was any other use for an iPad in my life I'd probably get that instead, but 800$ for an e-reader is silly.

I'm not sure what crack addict is attempting to sell you an iPad, but they're trying to rip you off!

[JerzeeGirl]

I may be one of the few out there that actually like reading books on my iPod Touch but I just thought I'd mention it as a possibility. It's smaller and can be held in one hand, is backlit so there's no problem reading with the lights out, doesn't have any DRM problems, comes with wi-fi connectivity (where available) and isn't as heavy as I've found the iPad to be. Certainly the screen is smaller but you can adjust the size of the text to be whatever is comfortable and scrolling isn't a big deal.
I love reading at night in bed and this is, to me, the best device I could use.
iBook is a great app as well that you can use to get current & classic titles that read just like a book (flipping pages instead of scrolling).

[Log]

Originally Posted by Russic

Awesome Freudian slip right there. Not dirty, but it'll do.

When you say browsing do you mean reading or internet browsing? I expected to need my laptop once I got the iPad, but since I bought it the laptop hasn't been turned on. I still use my desktop in the basement for photo editing and video editing, but for everything else the iPad remains on my coffee table.

For reading books and the internet I haven't seen a laptop that comes close to it's portability and level of comfort. Like I said, not a device for everybody, but if you're in the market for an ebook reader and a laptop for generic usage I think the iPad deserves a very strong look.

As for browsing, internet browsing was the intended purpose.

I think you hit the nail on the head as I am looking for both an ebook and a generic usage laptop. I will have the desktop in the basement for photos, videos, MS Office stuff and printing functions.

The only worry is the whole issue of using the iPad as a reader in direct sunlight or even in broad day light.

Thanks for your input!