Hey all,

I would like to know if anyone is using a tabletpc as their reader, and what their experiences with it are. I am thinking of buying one later, but I just wanted to know if they make good readers or not.

It would be nice to be able to read several different reader formats on a single device, and have other features like web access, and music playback capabilites.

I think there are three complaints about e-books on a tablet:
1) Weight - these can be pretty hefty and big unless they are a Nokia internet tablet or a UMPC
2) Outdoor visibility - like any LCD screen, it might not be great outside.
3) Battery life - they tend to have fairly short battery life

However, if these issues are not a big deal for you, it would have one serious advantage - it would, well, also be a tablet pc! If you are buying one for the tablet pc features anyway, why not use it as an e-book reader also.

If you go that way, it would be interesting to hear what you think.

David Rothman spammed TeleRead blog quite a lot with posts about his $155 tablet from eBay:
http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6572

Heh, can you spam your own blog, then? :laugh4:

I bought a 250$ or so used Fujitsu tablet last year (before my Nokia, after my Ebk) mainly to read technical stuff in bed.

It runs W2000, has a 10GB drive, the wifi card it came with works with my router so I can use the net in bed quite nicely, it's reasonably fast though typing is slow with the pen, it's 10'' 800x600 and can be rotated vertically, usb works ok, battery about 2.5hrs, weighs about 2.5 lbs, hard to use it one handed, but works nicely supported on the knees like a fat hardcover...

I installed all the standard programs (MsReader, Adobe, uBook) and I use it ocasionally though not for fiction where I vastly prefer my handhelds, but it's nice to read on it, oriented vertically, with your reading software maximized and the turn page buttons placed within convenient finger reaching, it's like a big hardcover.

My bag has both a laptop/tablet and a Sony ereader. It may seem silly but they really do serve two different needs. Like it was mentioned earlier, the tablet can read anything you throw at it since it is a working computer. I use it to quickly overscan documents, download new ones, clean up and convert formats as well as normal day to day computer tasks like email, surfing and TV.

So why carry a reader? Because its faster, lighter and can be read easily in more environments. While the computer does more I actually read more on the ereader since it's up and running in a couple seconds as opposed to several minutes. It holds everything I'm reading currently or planning to in the future and in an easily used form (light to hold, easy to handle like most eink devices).

So is ANY reading done on the tablet? Sure! Large PDFs, searchable tech documents, articles and reports with detail graphics, all these are still (generally) better with a large color screen with a little horsepower and an instant screen refresh behind it. Occasionally I want to read something that is DRM locked out the wazoo and usually that will also require a computer to do (though it looks like the Iliad ereader has that licked for the Mobipocket DRM side).

So basically the ereader is faster, lighter and easier to handle with a better reading time between charges while the tablet is more compatible with every format, easier for viewing detailed drawings and PDFs, and much faster for document searching and reference work.

(These results are not typical. See your doctor before starting any reading plan.)

Don't forget heat. Laptops and tablets heat up when in use, cooking your knees (or whatever else they rest against). The iLiad and eBookwise stay nice and cool (and I'm assuming the Sony Reader and other e-ink devices do, too.) Here in the northern hemisphere, we're really heading into the season where that can make a big difference in reading comfort! ;)

If only tablets had eink!?!

Unfortunately for a good number of the ereadership the flicker brought on by the actual displays used by tablets is all but bearable for old tired eyes... but the idea of one with a colo(u)r eink screen is an attainable dream... someday!

I agree with what everyone else here has stated. I've had a TabletPC for several years now and initially thought I'd use it more for reading digital content than has actually been realised. It fairly balanced with pros vs cons, but while I can throw anything at it to read, ultimately the battery life (used to be 6, now only about 2.5 even with a new battery) + high heat (a little toasty) + reading a backlit LCD in dark places takes a toll on your vision (at least after long stints) + little weighty = better to use my Reader for casual reading and break out the TabletPC when I really gotta read that huge PDF with the tiny fonts.

I'm about to spring for a new UMPC, we'll see where that goes...

I wonder how much longer a battery would last if tablets had eink instead of LCD?
The question is impossible to figure out at this point since no refresh rate has been set and if eink can stand a refresh rate at all?