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eBook Reader: The best one available?

M

MacNoobGuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
497
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hey all, i was just wondering what's the best e-reader available right now. i've got a Sony E-Reader PRS-T1 and it has been ok, but i was wondering what else is out there for me to check out. i know the PRS-T2 came out, but it seems like the exact same thing.

how are the amazon and nook e-readers better? i'm not familiar with e-book readers at all.

thanks, i'd really appreciate any help.
 
MacNoobGuy said:
hey all, i was just wondering what's the best e-reader available right now. i've got a Sony E-Reader PRS-T1 and it has been ok, but i was wondering what else is out there for me to check out. i know the PRS-T2 came out, but it seems like the exact same thing.
Click to expand...

I have a T1 too and for me it's no question that the T2 is better! But not good enough to buy it. Really, a faster page turning is nice, but not forth $120 or so.

The PaperWhite looks interesting. But then, there are also T1 cases with illumination....

What is great about Sony is that it can read all sorts of formats. Not sure Kindle can do the same.
 
I think Kindle Paperwhite but I also think this category of devices is on the endangered list. More people will be opting for the full tablets. Why spend 119 on (as Alton Brown of Good Eats says) a unitasker, when for a little more money you can get a Kindle Fire 2012 or a Nexus 7 that does a whole lot more. Just my $.02
 
maflynn said:
I think Kindle Paperwhite but I also think this category of devices is on the endangered list. More people will be opting for the full tablets. Why spend 119 on (as Alton Brown of Good Eats says) a unitasker, when for a little more money you can get a Kindle Fire 2012 or a Nexus 7 that does a whole lot more. Just my $.02
Click to expand...

Battery life.

I've got an iPad but I've also got a Sony Reader. The Sony needs charging every month / couple of weeks (depends on usage). If I use my iPad to read it'll need charging every other day.
 
I have a Nook Simple Touch and I love it. My sister has a Kindle Touch and its great too but I prefer the Nook because it has a MicroSD slot and it has physical buttons on either side of the screen that you can use to turn pages.

If you do alot of night reading I'd suggest getting a Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight.
 
maflynn said:
I think Kindle Paperwhite but I also think this category of devices is on the endangered list. More people will be opting for the full tablets. Why spend 119 on (as Alton Brown of Good Eats says) a unitasker, when for a little more money you can get a Kindle Fire 2012 or a Nexus 7 that does a whole lot more. Just my $.02
Click to expand...
Insane battery life, weight, somebody might want something even smaller than those tablets, no interest in a tablet for a computing device, need for emulation of crisp paper for better reading, full integration with Amazon, price is lower, etc.

I mean really, there's a bunch of reasons why this is not on the "endangered list".
 
maflynn said:
I think Kindle Paperwhite but I also think this category of devices is on the endangered list. More people will be opting for the full tablets. Why spend 119 on (as Alton Brown of Good Eats says) a unitasker, when for a little more money you can get a Kindle Fire 2012 or a Nexus 7 that does a whole lot more. Just my $.02
Click to expand...

I have an iPad 3, 7" Galaxy Tab+, and a Kindle keyboard. I'm not a big reader but for reading a book, I definitely prefer the Kindle. It's just much much easier on the eyes and much more comfortable to hold. I'll probably upgrade to the new Paperwhite. 8 weeks of battery life with the light on is amazing. I actually don't remember the last time I charged my Kindle keyboard and it's still at 50%.

So IMO the Kindle Paperwhite is the best dedicated e-reader out there.
 
maflynn said:
I think Kindle Paperwhite but I also think this category of devices is on the endangered list. More people will be opting for the full tablets. Why spend 119 on (as Alton Brown of Good Eats says) a unitasker, when for a little more money you can get a Kindle Fire 2012 or a Nexus 7 that does a whole lot more. Just my $.02
Click to expand...

There are many reasons to get an e-ink reader over a tablet. I think the main ones are these:

1. Price. E-ink readers are less expensive. One of the new Kindles introduced is only $69.
2. Size. They are smaller than tablets, and weigh a lot less.
3. Outdoor readability. E-ink is very easy to read in bright sun.
4. Battery life. My Kindle can go 3 weeks on a single charge.
 
NOOK Simple Touch with Glowlight - Worth every penny. It works in the sun and in the dark. E Ink is so easy on the eyes that I wouldn't use anything else if you really plan on reading. The battery is great. It's light, compact, and easy to hold. It has both buttons and a touch screen.
 
ucfgrad93 said:
There are many reasons to get an e-ink reader over a tablet. I think the main ones are these:

1. Price. E-ink readers are less expensive. One of the new Kindles introduced is only $69.
2. Size. They are smaller than tablets, and weigh a lot less.
3. Outdoor readability. E-ink is very easy to read in bright sun.
4. Battery life. My Kindle can go 3 weeks on a single charge.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying the kindle e-reader does a poor job, quite the contrary its an exceptional product, but for a little more money you get a fully functioning tablet. MY point is that I think as tablets mature, we'll see the popularity of e-readers wane as more people opt for the tablet over the e-reader.
 
maflynn said:
I'm not saying the kindle e-reader does a poor job, quite the contrary its an exceptional product, but for a little more money you get a fully functioning tablet. MY point is that I think as tablets mature, we'll see the popularity of e-readers wane as more people opt for the tablet over the e-reader.
Click to expand...

Smartphones popularity will wane as for a little more money you can get a desktop PC.
 
maflynn said:
I'm not saying the kindle e-reader does a poor job, quite the contrary its an exceptional product, but for a little more money you get a fully functioning tablet. MY point is that I think as tablets mature, we'll see the popularity of e-readers wane as more people opt for the tablet over the e-reader.
Click to expand...
My wife and I went the other direction. We had a tablet, but it doesn't cut it when you are reading for extended periods of time. The E-ink readers are so much easier on the eyes. I believe as tables mature, so will e-readers. I think they are for two different markets and will remain so. I can't see an LCD ever replacing my e-reader. Now, if LCDs are replaced with some other technology, maybe that's another story.
 
I love my basic Kindle because it's a dedicated e-reader and I am not tempted to do other things like when I read on my iPad.

However, I just pre-ordered the new Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi.

I've had the basic Kindle since November 2011, but I really like the idea of the new light display on this new Kindle - which is the only reason I ordered it. I'm looking forward to getting it and using it a lot because I tend to read a lot in the evenings or night and don't usually like having a lot of lights on in the apartment.
 
I've got the original kindle and I love it. I buy from amazon, check out library books and put PDF ebooks on it. When it wears out I will get whatever the Amazon equivalent at the time is.
 
grapes911 said:
My wife and I went the other direction. .
Click to expand...
My kindle touch is basically unused at this point, I have little desire to use it, because the iPad provides a better experience. I know my experience may not be typical but still I think as time goes on e-readers will fade and tablets will expand
 
Bear in mind Kindles are very delicate. The screen on mine broke while it was in a case and safely stored in the car and I'm not exactly the first one either.

TBH tablets like the Nexus 7 or even the new Kindle Fires are so cheap these days you're far better off opting for one of those.
 
maflynn said:
My kindle touch is basically unused at this point, I have little desire to use it, because the iPad provides a better experience. I know my experience may not be typical but still I think as time goes on e-readers will fade and tablets will expand
Click to expand...

I'm going to go the opposite way and say that dedicated e-readers will be around for a long time. There are millions of book worms who like having the dedication and lightweight device to read with. I don't know if all the brands will stick around, but I think the Kindle line will be the king in this category. I also think there are many folks out there who are not tech savvy and only have an e-reader and no desire for a tablet.

I love my iPad but when it comes to extended reading, I prefer the Kindle.


0dev said:
Bear in mind Kindles are very delicate. The screen on mine broke while it was in a case and safely stored in the car and I'm not exactly the first one either.

TBH tablets like the Nexus 7 or even the new Kindle Fires are so cheap these days you're far better off opting for one of those.
Click to expand...

I actually dropped my iPhone 4S yesterday, corner first, onto the screen of my $79 Kindle screen and it never hurt it or marked it up at all. I think it was a 4 to 6 inch drop too, all by accident of course. So I would say they're not too delicate and fragile.
 
grapes911 said:
My wife and I went the other direction. We had a tablet, but it doesn't cut it when you are reading for extended periods of time. The E-ink readers are so much easier on the eyes. I believe as tables mature, so will e-readers. I think they are for two different markets and will remain so.
Click to expand...

People who prefer the movie over the book will never understand what you are talking.

Any good illumination one can recommend for my T1?
 
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one other thing i'd like is to be able to take notes with a stylus. what devices have a stylus? the sony T1 did and it was pretty good.

the other thing was a keyboard for me to be able to take notes about the book. it doesn't have to be a physical keyboard, just something i can make notes with.

basically, i want to be able to make notes really well.
 
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