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All iPads iPad e reader - any takers?
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You can turn off Page Refresh on page turns if you mean that flash/blink that occurs when turning the page.
Yes, during page turns. With e-ink, the only option is to experience a page flicker or a smoother update of the page that results in a ghosting after a few page turns (which can be controlled in a setting).
Although it's not a major annoyance, I don't like it. I find the non-blacklit LCD screen of the Aluratek Libre Pro to be more pleasant to my eyes, (and physical page turning buttons an added bonus)... but I use both it and the Kindle for reading in strong light. My iPad Mini is my omni-reader that handles everything from text-only ebooks to full-color magazines.
I had bought a Kindle Oasis for myself (Woot! had a terrific blow-out sale on previous gen models) because I really like physical buttons for page turning... but my wife who is a Kindle Paperwhite fan saw it, wanted to try it... ended up keeping it.
So I bought a base Kindle to supplement my Aluratek and will wait for the next Oasis deal.
Yep. I don't care for the matte screen protectors at all, but my 11 year old son LOVES the cheap matte film I installed on his iPad. He is constantly drawing with his Apple Pencil and does not like the slippery feel of the glass. I have been pleasantly surprised by how well that cheap film is holding up. Sure it gets kind of marked up--he is 11 after all--but the texture/feel of the protector hasn't changed, and it DOES cut down on glare when he wants to draw or read outside.I have found matte screen protectors to significantly cut down on glare and reflections that I'm able to adequately read in the shade on my iPad Mini 5. Yes, the brightness needs to be turned up a bit... a little over 50% for me. I don't PREFER to read on my Mini outdoors, but it is possible with a matte protector.
e-ink ereaders are not my first choice either. The screen refresh rate can be distracting, even on the most responsive ereaders. I prefer my Aluratek Libre Pro which not only has physical buttons for turning pages, but uses a non-backlight monochrome LCD screen. The brighter the ambient light, the sharper it looks and with none of the limitations of e-ink devices. But then again, I'm an oddball, so there's that.
This is off topic, but consider the Ambison matte glass screen protector. I have used various matte screen protectors over the years and have been willing to live with the hit on clarity for the feel, glare reduction, and fingerprint resistance. The Ambison matte glass protector does not have that rainbow glitter look that the PET protectors do. It also doesn’t show marks from the pencil.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve been looking for a matte screen protector that has minimal or no rainbow effect (gives me major eyestrain).
It has a different look than the bare screen, but all I can think of is “smooth velvet”. It may just be the lack of glare. Definitely no rainbow sparkles, though. I can’t remember whether I got one for the iPP 11 or Mini 6 first, but as soon as I tried the first one I got, I ordered for the other device.
Screen protectors are definitely a very personal preference so it may not be to your taste but it’s worth a try. I will be interested in your impression if you get one.
Wouldn't the new 11 gen kindle be better than the Oasis?Yes, during page turns. With e-ink, the only option is to experience a page flicker or a smoother update of the page that results in a ghosting after a few page turns (which can be controlled in a setting).
Although it's not a major annoyance, I don't like it. I find the non-blacklit LCD screen of the Aluratek Libre Pro to be more pleasant to my eyes, (and physical page turning buttons an added bonus)... but I use both it and the Kindle for reading in strong light. My iPad Mini is my omni-reader that handles everything from text-only ebooks to full-color magazines.
I had bought a Kindle Oasis for myself (Woot! had a terrific blow-out sale on previous gen models) because I really like physical buttons for page turning... but my wife who is a Kindle Paperwhite fan saw it, wanted to try it... ended up keeping it.
The Oasis is the premium line and gets features before the Paperwhite. The current Paperwhite was just playing catch up (display size and adjustable warm light). Also, no physical page turn buttons on the Paperwhite.
The Oasis is also the most ergonomic reader I’ve tried (moreso than my Kobo Libra). That humpback looks weird but it makes the device so comfortable to hold. Just can’t justify the ~$300 for the 32GB model when I know I’d still be reading on the iPad most of the time (comics and quick access to non-Kindle books). I have Calibre but it’s a pain connecting the Kindle to the PC to transfer format-shifted ebooks.
The Paperwhite? It's Amazon's most popular model. Great balance of features and price. Happy reading!
Yeah paperwhite, it’s nice, so much zippier than the 10th gen my wife has, bigger screen is great. Pages turn almost like a iPad now, was one of my pet peeves with them.
I really prefer reading on e-ink. I also think the slow and simple UI on something like my Kobo is actually an asset. In fact, I routinely use Pocket to send longer articles and things to my Kobo instead of trying to read them on my phone or comptuer.
The biggest problem with using an iPad as a reader is the distraction factor. It does everything which makes it all the more challenging to stay focused on the one thing I want to do: read without "multitasking" because an alert came up.
I have all notifications except messages and calls disabled so the distractions are about the same. Even if I was on my Kindle or Kobo, I still have my iPad or iPhone nearby on standby for important calls or messages.
Yeah, I guess to each their own, but I read books and things specifically to get away from electronics. Notifications are just the tip of the iceberg. Literally all it takes to pull me out of reading with my wrecked attention span is one "huh, maybe I'll just look that word up really quick..." E-books a great compromise. And e-ink doesn't feel like reading on a screen, which to me is a strength and I guess to some people a liability ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is likely true. The problem I have with ebooks in general (using the kindle here as the exemplar) is the restrictions imposed on the formats. For example, in addition to some awz books, most of my books are ePub and PDF and some other more obscure formats.
The other problem I have with ereader/kindles is the inability to scribble notes as I am reading along. Granted, I have the same problem when using the kindle app on the iPad and the Books app to read epubs, but at least I am able to access OneNote and scribble therein. I don’t think I could do that with a kindle.
The above being given, I am still toying with the possibility of picking up the iPad mini simply for the smaller footprint in terms of size and weight without giving up the 11” IPP 2020 that I have. Maybe I should just buy it, try it for a week or so and then decide.
PDFs are the only issue for me (well, comics, too). Even a 7” display is too uncomfortable to read technical PDFs on and panning and zooming is painfully slow on e-ink.
For other formats, there’s Calibre. Granted, no/difficult wireless sideloading of ebooks on e-ink devices means I’m on the iPad more often than not. I need to try the newer Kobos with Dropbox. That might get me to use e-ink more.
I actually can’t remember if it allowed scribbling in books but my old Sony PRS-350 came with a stylus and had a Notes app.
I’m intrigued by the 10.3” Kobo Elipsa. Just not sure if I’m willing to shell out $450 (with tax) for it.
What do you mean? Do you convert an ePub document into a format for the kindle? If yes, what format? Does this conversion mess with the formatting of the document? Thanks in advance.
Either MOBI or AZW3. Usually to mobi since those have covers even if I transfer via Explorer or robocopy and I can filter sideloaded books as Personal Docs.
I normally convert EPUB (Adobe or Nook) and KEPUB (Kobo). I also have some Microsoft LIT books purchased from BooksOnBoard and Fictionwise before i♥cabbages released de-DRM scripts for Adobe and Nook.
As for formatting, I’m converting novels so there’s really not much to mess up.
PDFs, you pretty much can’t convert without messing up formatting so I use iPad + GoodReader for those.
I have a kindle oasis and I prefer using that for reading than any of my iPads. I just find E-ink devices easier on the eyes. I can read for hours on an E-ink device and I’m fine. But if I read for more than 30 minutes on an LCD/OLED display I start to get eye strain and then I get a headache.
I actually started off E-reading on the iPhone 3G. I read quite a lot of books on that thing. Then in 2009 I got my first E-reader a Sony device and then in 2010 I got my first kindle (first one available in my country). I’ve been using kindles since 2010. Not only are they easier on my eyes but I find they have less distractions.
Depends on what I’m reading though. For Novels it’s the kindle. However the iPad is better for comics,PDFs and news articles.
I think out all my non eink devices (iPhone 12 pro max , iPad mini , iPad Pro 11 and MacBook Air 13) if I had to pick one to use for reading I’d go for the mini 6, even in portrait mode as it’s about the right size and easy to hold.
I actually started off E-reading on the iPhone 3G. I read quite a lot of books on that thing. Then in 2009 I got my first E-reader a Sony device and then in 2010 I got my first kindle (first one available in my country). I’ve been using kindles since 2010. Not only are they easier on my eyes but I find they have less distractions.
Depends on what I’m reading though. For Novels it’s the kindle. However the iPad is better for comics,PDFs and news articles.
I think out all my non eink devices (iPhone 12 pro max , iPad mini , iPad Pro 11 and MacBook Air 13) if I had to pick one to use for reading I’d go for the mini 6, even in portrait mode as it’s about the right size and easy to hold.
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Now I don’t do conversions anymore but back in the day I used to use calibre and Alf the apprentice tools for books I’d bought in EPUB format that I wanted to read on my kindle.
I bought my wife a Remarkable e-ink tablet a few years ago to use to take notes in her therapy practice. It's a really slick and beautiful device, and closely approximates writing on paper -- but with niceties like OCR, syncing/backup, password protection, etc. Obviously you could do all this on an iPad, but she really appreciates the fact that this thing is basically just a magic notebook and not a distracting "everything device" like iPads are. It also works nicely with PDFs and will let you annotate them with the stylus. It also works with ePub files apparently. If you like working with e-ink, it's a very capable device.
Damn! This looks amazing. If I had known about this before I bought the iPad, I likely would have bought it. Price wise though, including the “marker with eraser” it would be a bit more expensive than the iPad Mini. But still, from reading a bit about it and watching the videos on the site, it seems like it would be worth it. Maybe instead of upgrading my iPad next tie around d, I may just get this. Or, I could just get it to try it. They have a 100-days trial period, which is quite good too.
Edit: If there is a weakness - at least based on what I could find - it is regarding saving/synching text/notes. I could not find a way by which annotated documents can be synched to the cloud (I use OneDrive, for example). The only way seems to me to be to email them, which no doubt works, but is cumbersome and likely creates doubles of PDFs and ePub docs. But it is a fascinating device.
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