I'm not so sure I would want one of these. To me there is nothing like the feeling of holding a good book in your hands, cracking it open. The sound of pages turning and the smell of an old book. There is nothing quite like it. But on the other hand, it would be nice to be able to carry an entire library with you to read whenever you want Having said that, if I was going to buy something like that Would it be better to get a dedicated E-Reader, like the Kindle, or to get the iPad, where I can have iBooks, but also games, music, the internet, etc...
eReader it only does one thing and one thing only really. iPad does just about everything. More usable.
I have an iPad and love it to death! It's just amazing. While I agree with you when it comes to smell of an old book, new books don't have that smell so I'd rather just get it for my iPad Kindle app (yes they made Kindle for the iPad and it's like fifty times brighter, faster and all around better compared to the iPad). Plus it's lovely being able to watch movies on the iPad, do my work on it, etc. It's just AWESOME!
On the other hand a dedicated e-reader's battery life will be much better as it only really uses power when the page needs to be changed whereas the iPad would use power anytime it is on.
If you're planning on primarily reading, the e-ink display in an ereader is easier on the eyes and higher resolution than the iPad, and much better outside / near a window / no glare. As you mention an upside to the iPad is other functionality. Consider also that an ereader is typically much less expensive. Don't believe the Reality Distortion Field. An eReader typically has much better battery life. With an eInk display, power is only consumed during page changes, and the device is essentially "off" otherwise. The display is completely passive. Battery life is typically rated in DAYS or WEEKS and thousands of page changes. Battery life is better with Radios turned off.
You amuse me lol though I will say if you ONLY need an e-Reader my friend, then get an e-Reader because the iPad is quite expensive.
I'll also add that Amazon has an app for iPad / ipod touch, so if you buy a Kindle and decide you want an iDevice you can still read the same books.
I totally get what you mean. There is nothing like the smell of a new book or actually holding it in your hands. That being said, I did buy the nook and I love that thing to death! So freaking awesome. If you are looking for something JUST to read then def go with the e-reader (which ever, but I think the nook is the best out there right now). You can read outside with the e-reader and not get a glare which is what really made the decision for me. I love reading outside, beside the pool, at a park, etc. the battery also lasts for days and it feels really comfortable in your hands.Oh, also, the e-ink won't tire your eyes like a bright screen will. The thing that makes it AWESOME for me is that you can get as many samples from books as you want. I love that I can try out a book without having to go out to B&N and find it. Not to mention that they sometimes don't even have it. E-books are also much cheaper and easy to carry many of them. Also, all the free books I would go nook rather than the kindle because the kindle forces you to stick with their format which means you can't buy your books from another provider just in case amazon doesn't have it. -------- On a side note. The ipad just sucks xD Its not even a computer and apple will make you buy other devices in order to make your ipad work as a normal computer. Freaking ridiculous.
Have you bought either yet? The ipad is more expensive probably, but does indeed do a lot more. I have one and love it. Mostly I love the portability and the apps (I've found a bunch of decent free ones too). I haven't used the e-reader function of it much at all I have to admit. I really prefer real books still also. Good luck!
there is also the apad on ebay http://shop.ebay.com/sis.html?_nkw=7+Apad+Google+Android+MID+WIFI+Tablet+PC+Touch+Screen
I really want to buy an e-reader, it's my goal for when I've finished school and get a job with monthly pay. I have my eyes on the Sony e-reader with touchscreen, it looks awesome. I wouldn't buy an Ipad for reading purposes 'cause I've read that they are quite a bit heavier than the typical e-book reader, and that the e-reader usually have a longer battery time. The Sony Touch Reader (the one I want ;-)) has a battery "life" for up to two weeks, it lasts about 7500 page turns (lots of books in other words). The Sony (and some other readers, like the Iriver Story) supports PDF and EPUB files, which means you're not bound to a specific place to shop for e-books.
Buy an E-Reader if you only want to read books but the iPad will cost more and provide more functionality. However, don't buy the iPad just yet, Apple is rumored to release the second iPad a year after its predecessor (they usually do that with all of their stuff).
I finally decided to do it and buy an e-book reader. I bought a Sony Reader Touch Edition (PRS-650). After a few months of reading reviews, roundups, and trying out different demo units in stores I decided on this one. I was a little bit apprehensive about the Sony Reader initially. The demo unit I tried in Best Buy was an older model (the PRS-600) and the screen was extremely reflective. The PRS-650 screen is much better with almost no glare. I've been reading pretty regularly (about 2-4 hours per day) for on it since I got it about a week ago and the battery-icon still shows 3/3 bars. Had they not improved the screen I was leaning towards the Kobo reader from Chapters/Indigo/Borders. They sort of market it as a basic e-reader meant for just reading. No web browser, no MP3 player, etc. In retrospect I'm glad I didn't go for that because there are certain features that I believe should be essential to any e-reader, even the most basic e-readers. The ability to bookmark pages, highlight sentences, supporting more than just EPUB and PDF (RTF and TXT formats can't be that hard to implement), a dictionary. Initially I never gave a dictionary feature a second thought but now that I've had a chance to use the Sony Reader it is nice to be able to double-tap a word as I'm reading and have the definition pop-up. There are some features I'll probably never use on it though. The MP3 fuctionality is useless to be. I don't listen to music while I read although I suppose it might be neat to read along with an audio-book. I'll probably never use the doodling app. Basically lets you draw pictures with the touchscreen. You can draw on the pages of a book though so I guess you could use it for circling words or something. One little downside but I worked around it was that on Sony's e-book store I wasn't able to download any J.R.R. Tolkien books and probably others too due to licencing restrictions and me not being from the United States. It supports Adobe Editions so I was able to just download it from the Kobo ebook store instead despite being from Canada. Somehow they are licenesed to distribute it but Sony isn't. Oh well, at least it's nice to know I'm not locked into Sony's e-book store. (very un-Sony of them if you ask me). All in all I'm very pleased with it.
I would love a ipad. i prefer real books, but ipad i think can get a kindle app now, plus ipad has more uses and power than ebook readers. Enter a contest at my campus to try to win a ipad... here is hoping my english major pays off in the naming contest.
