I did not know that, thanks for the heads up. Looks like I will be packing my kindle just in case!!
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iPad 3 vs Kindle reading expereince
- Thread starter Rian Gray
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I did not know that, thanks for the heads up. Looks like I will be packing my kindle just in case!!
Never happened to me and I've been on a countless number of flights since I got my iPad.
Also, you may want to note that all of the trouble case manufacturers are having is because Apple changed the sleep/wake sensor in the iPad so that it only responds to magnets of a certain polarity. This was done intentionally to avoid magnets from inadvertently triggering the sensor from behind the iPad.
That makes sense as my smart cover does nothing when placed behind my iPad. Thanks
Kindle screen size too small
I read a lot of non-fiction, philosophy and other subjects and I find my Kindle touch's 6 inch screen size so inadequate that the reading experience is not at all engaging for me.
The content displayed per page is just too less. May it works for fiction, no idea i dont read fiction, but for me doesnt serve the purpose.
The best product for me would be a 10inch kindle with backlight but it doesnt look like amazon is interested in making anything like that. Theyre supposedly discontinuing their 10inch Kindle DX line.
The ipad 3 with its crystal clear display seems to be perfect but i wonder if anti-glare screen fixes the problem of reading in day light.
Even if it doesnt, i'd rather read my stuff at home on ipad 3 than on my way-too-small kindle touch which is actually just 2 inches larger than my mobile phone
I read a lot of non-fiction, philosophy and other subjects and I find my Kindle touch's 6 inch screen size so inadequate that the reading experience is not at all engaging for me.
The content displayed per page is just too less. May it works for fiction, no idea i dont read fiction, but for me doesnt serve the purpose.
The best product for me would be a 10inch kindle with backlight but it doesnt look like amazon is interested in making anything like that. Theyre supposedly discontinuing their 10inch Kindle DX line.
The ipad 3 with its crystal clear display seems to be perfect but i wonder if anti-glare screen fixes the problem of reading in day light.
Even if it doesnt, i'd rather read my stuff at home on ipad 3 than on my way-too-small kindle touch which is actually just 2 inches larger than my mobile phone
It has nothing at all to do with fiction vs. non-fiction, I have a Kindle that I love and adore, and I read both fiction and non-fiction on it, and both are wonderful experiences.
What I don't read on it are PDFs, because the viewing experience is horrendous with PDFs. I've just started a degree programme and I've got loads of PDFs to read and I'm looking for a device on which to read them. I'm hoping that Apple do an iPad Mini with an excellent display that I can view and read with ease PDFs. The form factor of my Kindle is actually perfect, and a smaller iPad that could still display well PDFs would be the ideal product for me. The regular sized iPad is just too large, and doesn't really complement my other device, an 11" MacBook Air.
If Apple doesn't release an iPad Mini, or the one they release doesn't meet my screen resolution requirements, I'll look at the Kindle Fire HD (or Nook, which has an even better screen). If none of those work for me, I'll then go back and look at an iPad 3, but it'll be a last resort - it's just too big for my needs, I'd like an iPad 3 in the form factor of my Kindle, which I find perfect.
I never thought I'd say this because I was previously such a staunch advocate of reading on the iPad, but after picking up a Kindle Paperwhite, I've noticed two things.
First, the iPad is too big. It's not that it's heavy in absolute terms. It's not. But it gets uncomfortable to handle after long periods of reading relative to a Kindle. I'm convinced now that a 7-8" form factor is the right size for tablets. Not that there isn't a place for 10" tablets, but the 7-8" size is much more portable and easier to hold, which makes all the difference in the world. With the Kindle, I can just pop it in my bag and I'm good to go. Don't even notice it's there.
Second, I always used to laugh at people who said that they like the Kindle because its a single purpose device. You can't do anything else but read on it. Well lo and behold, I've noticed that I read for much longer per reading session simply because I'm not distracted by all sorts of notifications. The Kindle is just a more immersive experience.
The Paperwhite also eliminates a lot of the annoyances of past Kindles. Refresh rates are much higher, and the built in light increases contrast tremendously which makes text much easier to read. I used to get eye strain reading on previous kindles because of the dark gray on gray text. Not anymore.
If I had I choose one, I would pick the iPad. I read photography, cooking, interior design, art and other books that are better with color and a large screen. I personally have no issues with the size or weight of the iPad. I usually balance it on something and use one hand to stabilize it. I am balancing it with one finger while I type this.
I do own a kindle (3) and I do like the fact that it is smaller and less conspicuous than the iPad when I am reading in public. I also like that I can read it in the sun. With Amazon, I can use either and pick up where I left off, so I am happy to have both.
I do own a kindle (3) and I do like the fact that it is smaller and less conspicuous than the iPad when I am reading in public. I also like that I can read it in the sun. With Amazon, I can use either and pick up where I left off, so I am happy to have both.
This. The iPad gets too heavy in bed for an extended reading session. The distractions are too many. The Paperwhite has an amazing screen for reading and is vert light. I only wish it was a little bigger.
I haven't seen the Paperwhite in person yet, but that screen does look more like actual paper and eliminates the objection I had to e-ink being grey on grey. I'm seriously tempted to get one, but the main thing that holds me back is that most of what I read is news articles I find on the web. On the iPad, I spend a lot of time with apps like Zite and Flipboard, and news sites like NY Times, ABC News, etc, and send articles to Instapaper. Now once I have the articles in Instapaper, I understand I can send them to a Kindle, but to get the articles in the first place, I need my news apps and a good web browser, therefore I need a tablet rather than a dedicated ereader like the Kindle.
As for the iPad getting too heavy, I just prop it up on my knees, or on pillows. I find that the Smart Cover helps stabilize it -- I just fold it up, and poke my ring and small fingers into the triangle, then use the rest of my fingers and thumb to hold up the iPad. I find that I can read for hours without feeling the iPad is too heavy. As for distractions, I suppose not having distractions like notifications popups is a plus, but I'm so used to ignoring them, it's not a major factor. The slight improvement in concentration doesn't override the hassle of having another device to carry. So despite the attraction of that new Paperwhite screen, I'm sticking with my iPad.
Different people different needs...
I personally have both and find uses for both. The kindle ("keyboard" as it's now known) is read in bed and the only device I'd take on a foreign holiday. Two years in a row we've stayed at great French campsites but the wifi wasn't free. So I could check my gmail, even used google maps once to check the motorway junction parc asterix was on as our Michelin map had the legend over it!
I can read it in full sun and I find it is more like holding a paperback than the ipad.
I don't get eyestrain using either, but agree the ipad is too distracting when you're engrossed in a really good book. I don't really notice it's a kindle as opposed to a "regular" book anymore, which I think is the highest praise I can give it.
I personally have both and find uses for both. The kindle ("keyboard" as it's now known) is read in bed and the only device I'd take on a foreign holiday. Two years in a row we've stayed at great French campsites but the wifi wasn't free. So I could check my gmail, even used google maps once to check the motorway junction parc asterix was on as our Michelin map had the legend over it!
I can read it in full sun and I find it is more like holding a paperback than the ipad.
I don't get eyestrain using either, but agree the ipad is too distracting when you're engrossed in a really good book. I don't really notice it's a kindle as opposed to a "regular" book anymore, which I think is the highest praise I can give it.
I love reading on my iPad, but do agree with and earlier poster that it is not that comfortable to hold for long periods. What solved that problem for me was using a soft cover (very similar to the original Apple cover on the original iPad). Interestingly, this also makes the iPad *seem* lighter. I attribute this to the improved grip the cover provides.
My iPad 3 is my primary reading device for both print and audio books. I can read kindle books, nook books, kobo books, ibooks, and pretty much every other kind of book. One of my favorite readers to use on iPad is Overdrive, with which I can check out ebooks, both print and audio, from our public library system for three weeks at a time; and, of course, they're free. I read and/or listen to 10-12 books per month so free is important to me. I'm VERY happy with my iPad.
The paperback fiction novels are mostly about 6 inches. But textbooks, or books on serious non-fiction subjects(without images) dont exist in 6 inch format for the most part, theyre much bigger. There's must be some reason behind that. I can't imagine reading a book on public administration on a 6inch kindle, its like reading on a slightly bigger mobile phone. Well, may be its just me.
And hey, if kindle works great for you and ur looking at ipad as an option only for its PDF support , check this great free software called 'calibre e-book management' which converts PDFs to .mobi format, making them perfectly readable on Kindle. You just need to input a pdf and it has a specific 'output' for kindle.
I think i just saved you a few hundered dollars on ipad mini 🙂
And i just borrowed an ipad 3 for sometime. Will try reading on it and share my experience
Not necessarily. In Japan, a lot of "serious" books, including classical literature, are avaiable in paperback format. Come to think of it, in the US, there's the Penguin Classic series -- classic literature in paperbacks. I suspect that the reason why not many nonfiction books are avaiable as paperbacks is that they don't sell enough copies for the paperback publishing model to be profitable, not because of some inherent issue with taking in "serious" content in paperback size print.
Now books with illustrations and diagrams, yes, they need to be larger. But a text-only book, I don't see why nonfiction should have to be in larger format than fiction.
Oh, and as for converting PDF to other formats, I find that they often turn out horribly formatted. Line breaks in wrong places, page numbers folded in with regular text, etc.
I was talking about readability on the Kindle for average fiction and non-fiction, not for text books. For books (fiction/non-fiction) the Kindle is great. For text books, I'm with you, the Kindle is crap, the size *and* poor resolution are the problem. It displays PDF files horribly, which is expected given the screen resolution. I have Calibre, I use it to manage my ebook library, and I've tried the PDF to MOBI conversion feature, and it's crap. I've tried loads of other conversion software, they're all crap. The best way to view a PDF is as a PDF on a device that has good resolution. My gen 1 iPad displayed them well, and I'm sure the iPad 3 is marvellous at displaying them, but it's just too big and doesn't complement my 11" MBA well (though I'm not ruling it out completely yet). I'm anxious to see how all the 7" tablets display PDFs (iPad Mini included) because if any of them do really well, it'll capture my interest and my money.