Kobo Aura HD or a Tablet?

[apocalipto9]

Hello everyone! I searched this forum while not registered in hope of finding an answer to my questions.
I want to buy a device which will be used to read ebooks and manga.
several questions have risen since i started my research(right before black friday).
for an e-reader i consider only the kobo aura hd since it has a high resolution and is open (thats why i wont consider kindle, because it is close to everything not amazon).


1. are tablets causing eye strain when reading for long?
only when reading in the dark? maybe there is an app to help (i read something about that)
2. are the zoom+ drag options on the kobo aura hd sufficient to read manga?
3. is the kobo aura hd's screen big\with high enough resolution that mostly you wont come into small texts that you have to zoom to read?
4. is the black refresh really annoying when reading?

im really looking for feedback from people using the HD or H2O(same resolution and size), and from people reading books on tablets, since i already understood that for reading manga, reading on a tablet is much easier.

[booklover6]

Did you make a purchase yet? I will answer some of your questions. I used to have a Kobo HD, but I sold it in favor of a Kindle Fire HD 6 tablet. I also use a Nexus 7 (2013 version) but prefer to read on the HD 6.

Originally Posted by apocalipto9

1. are tablets causing eye strain when reading for long?
only when reading in the dark? maybe there is an app to help (i read something about that)

Not to me. Tablet lighting is very adjustable. There is an app called Screen Dim which many people find useful.

Originally Posted by apocalipto9

2. are the zoom+ drag options on the kobo aura hd sufficient to read manga?

Sorry, I never tried doing that on the Aura HD. But tablet screens are going to be much faster and easier, zooming in and out.

Originally Posted by apocalipto9

3. is the kobo aura hd's screen big\with high enough resolution that mostly you wont come into small texts that you have to zoom to read?

For epub reading, yes it was fine. Many font sizes to choose from. I never tested a PDF or manga.

Originally Posted by apocalipto9

4. is the black refresh really annoying when reading?

To me, not at all.

Originally Posted by apocalipto9

im really looking for feedback from people using the HD or H2O(same resolution and size), and from people reading books on tablets, since i already understood that for reading manga, reading on a tablet is much easier.

I find I prefer reading on my 6" tablet for many reasons.

1. screen size. I found the 7" tablet screen too big and awkward for me to enjoy reading on. Even the screen on the Aura HD was a bit large for my taste.

2. I found that the blacks were blacker than on the Aura HD.

3. high resolution (254 ppi) Even small font sizes look fantastic on this screen.

If you don't want to go with an Amazon device, I highly recommend the 2013 Nexus 7. It has better resolution than the HD 6 and is faster. You really can't go wrong with that one.

[eschwartz]

Amazon is not closed to non-Amazon content, who told you that myth? Convert your books. If they have DRM, well, congrats, you were locked in to some platform anyway.
DRM is the only actual lockin, and that is on the content itself, not the reader device.
The Kindle Voyage has the best resolution ATM I think, but past a certain point that doesn't really matter and that point has long been crossed.
The Voyage is kind of expensive though.

1. That is a matter of opinion, not everyone is alike. Reading in the dark is not terribly good for your eyes regardless of tablet vs e-ink, and most e-ink ereaders have frontlit models.
2. No e-ink ereader really does that very well, for heavy reading of manga/image-laden ebooks, a tablet is advisable. However, I have seen it suggested that only KEPUBs do pinch-to-zoom. I could be totally misremembering though.
   The Kindle will zoom in when you hold down on an image and press the magnifying glass. Dragging the picture around to view it all is horrible, because it is slow on the limited RAM that E-Ink ereaders have...
3. That is a matter of the font size. Assuming you don't have a miniscule font enforced in the CSS, any device will be perfectly readable. If the book is badly written, that is not the ereader's fault, although certain Android apps can completely override the ebook CSS.
4. I have set the refresh to every page on my Kindle, and within an hour or so I stopped noticing it at all. It has been a while, though, so I am not certain, it may have been more or less. I have been happily oblivious for years, thank you for reminding me that it happens at all.
   To me, ghosting is far more annoying, I want it to refresh properly every time.

[burnafterreading]

tablet with colors reversed (negative). white text on black background. plenty of reading apps should let you do that as a standard function. much less strain on eyes, and i think less drain on the battery.

unless you're reading outdoors with plenty of sun around you. i'd presume a tablet would be crap in those conditions, and an e-ink reader would win hands down simply due to being able to see what you're actually reading.

[khalleron]

The eye-strain issue is somewhat controversial. I, and most people I know personally, cannot read on a tablet for more than 20-30 minutes without experiencing eyestrain. However, all of us are over 40, so it may be an age-related issue.

Other people here swear up and down that tablets do not cause eyestrain, for anyone, anywhere!!!!1!!!eleven!! The 'I don't have a problem, so you don't have a problem!' contingent is pretty strong here.

So I'd answer that question with a 'maybe.' You might or you might not. I can guarantee that if you don't suffer eyestrain while reading a paper book, you won't suffer it while reading an eink device.