Electronic ebook reader or tablet PC?

[zetareticuli]

Guys, with the tablet PCs becoming lighter and with the introduction of new tablet PCs this year and beyond, does it really make sense to purchase a dedicated ebook reader? Why not purchase a 10.2" tablet which would sell for around the same price and has significantly more features?

[HansTWN]

For the following reasons:

1.)For most people, not all, a netbook screen is not comfortable to read on.
2.)Battery life. I can take an ereader on a 2 week trip without a charger.
3.)A netbook runs hot.
4.)A netbook is awkward to hold, it can only be comfortably be used when propping it up on a table. How do you read on a netbook while lying down?
5.)A netbook is much heavier.
6.)Why a buy netbook at all? If computers were the answer, then I would just use my laptop. Netbooks are slow with lousy features compared to real laptops. We probably all already have 2 gadgets that can do everything what a netbook can do, our phones and our laptops. I don't feel the need to get another one. Now a tablet that is good enough to replace my laptop with a super screen, that makes sense. But they must still do a lot better for above points 2-5. And good screens are at least 12-18 months away, probably more.

[zetareticuli]

I agree with most of you've said. In my particular case, though, I find my Netbook an indispensable tool. I have a $5,000 latop (supplied by my employer) and an iphone, also supplied by my employer. They are awesome devices in their own regard and each serves a purpose in how I use them. They cannot take the place of my netbook, however. The laptop is too heavy and clumsy and the iphone is too small and limited. My netbook runs Ubuntu and I virtualize Windows 7 and Windows XP. I can write and compile simple to moderate source code, I can run advanced mathematics and scientific software and make presentations. It is easy to carry and has a battery life of 9 hours. While this netbook cannot compete with my $5,000 notebook, it easily blows away my iphone on all counts except portability and battery life. I have tried to replace it with the iphone but it is definitely not possible based on what I use it for.

Now, what you said about dedicated e-reader vs. tablet makes perfect sense and I think you are right that it is better to wait for the more feature-rich tablet PCs.

[HansTWN]

Well, actually now that phones are getting up to 4.3" screen sizes, that makes them quite useful for browsing, video, and such (even better than the iphone). E-mail and IM work fine, anyway. Of course, with your laptop provided by your employer, that is a different story. If you had to buy both a netbook and a laptop, there are some very light and handy, yet extremely powerful computers that could easily fill all your needs that you now have two devices for. Netbooks are just too underpowered, usually just used for browsing and e-mail, a phone can handle that just fine and is much more portable.

[zetareticuli]

I will wait a while until more high-powered laptops in smaller packages become available. I need something that is an all-around device. Maybe when the phones come out that support projection and virtual displays. Some phones now support basic projection. The next step in evolution would be virtual displays. Now, that would be awesome! I think that's probably 2012 - 2015, though.

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by zetareticuli

Guys, with the tablet PCs becoming lighter and with the introduction of new tablet PCs this year and beyond, does it really make sense to purchase a dedicated ebook reader? Why not purchase a 10.2" tablet which would sell for around the same price and has significantly more features?

I don't think it makes sense for me to buy a dedicated eink reader for many reasons; perhaps most of all being too closely tied to a single retailer. On the other hand, tablets aren't quite there yet as far as my needs go. When the right Pixel Qi tablet comes along though, I'll probably be all over it.

I'm at odds with you guys though. I don't want a powerful everything in one machine to do my reading on, just a decent media tablet with a host power-saving functions. 7ish", Pixel Qi, snapdragon + a decent part time GPU, 12-20 hours battery life on a 2-4 cell battery.

[Katelyn]

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

I'm at odds with you guys though. I don't want a powerful everything in one machine to do my reading on, just a decent media tablet with a host power-saving functions. 7ish", Pixel Qi, snapdragon + a decent part time GPU, 12-20 hours battery life on a 2-4 cell battery.

Ditto

[Sweetpea]

To each his own and to each situation its own device.


Would I replace my Mini with a tablet? No.
Would I buy a tablet and use it as an ereader? Yes.


I'd bring the Mini on camping trips or when I'm waiting somewhere. Lack of charging points doesn't matter then. I'd take the tablet on the couch at home, or on those holiday trips where we'll be staying in an apartment. I'd leave the laptop at home then.

Originally Posted by HansTWN

For the following reasons:

1.)For most people, not all, a netbook screen is not comfortable to read on.
2.)Battery life. I can take an ereader on a 2 week trip without a charger.
3.)A netbook runs hot.
4.)A netbook is awkward to hold, it can only be comfortably be used when propping it up on a table. How do you read on a netbook while lying down?
5.)A netbook is much heavier.
6.)Why a buy netbook at all? If computers were the answer, then I would just use my laptop. Netbooks are slow with lousy features compared to real laptops. We probably all already have 2 gadgets that can do everything what a netbook can do, our phones and our laptops. I don't feel the need to get another one. Now a tablet that is good enough to replace my laptop with a super screen, that makes sense. But they must still do a lot better for above points 2-5. And good screens are at least 12-18 months away, probably more.

Hmm, I believe the question was about tablets, not netbooks. I agree with you 100% on netbooks, but not on tablets

My points would be these:

1) Some people don't find LCD screens not comfortable to read on
2) Battery life. I can take an ereader on a 2 week trip without a charger.
3) No idea about temperature on tablets, as I've never had one...
4+5) A tablet will probably be heavier than an e-ink device of the same size, so you'll have to support it somehow
6) Buying a tablet just for ereading sounds like a waste of money. Unless you want functionality that e-ink devices just won't offer, like backlighting (which would be my main reason to buy LCD instead of a comparable e-ink screen) or the ability to watch pictures in full colour.

Why would I buy a tablet instead of an e-ink screen of equal size? Because it's backlit, more functionality (I could use it to watch my pictures), it'll most likely be smaller and lighter than my laptop and I have more options in reading formats (provided it contains a real OS and not a mobile OS).

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Hmm, I believe the question was about tablets, not netbooks. I agree with you 100% on netbooks, but not on tablets

A tablet is basically a computer without the keyboard. So all that applies to a netbook/computer also applies to a tablet. Unless it is not really a computer but just an overgrown iPod wannabe.

It must be small and thin, but also have a fast processor and a hard disk (unless it is really pricey with those new SSD disks). That means it will get hot, just as a computer with the same specs would.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

A tablet is basically a computer without the keyboard. So all that applies to a netbook/computer also applies to a tablet. Unless it is not really a computer but just an overgrown iPod wannabe.

If you want to use it as an ereader (amongst other things), the lack of keyboard becomes significant. And that's why I agree with you on the netbook, but not if you take a pure tablet.

And I don't want an overgrown PDA, I already have one.

[donovan1983]

I already have both an iPhone and a netbook so a tablet PC would be completely redundant to me. Compared to a dedicated ereader they are also more expensive, have much shorter battery life, are larger, are heavier, and have a screen that isn't as easy to read for hours on end. With the combination of its display, form-factor, and battery life my ereader offers me something none of my other devices do.

[John1997]

I just started using a Fujitsu ST4121 tablet largely as an eReader. My experience is largely positive. I tried this while waiting for the Jetbook Lite I bought to get some firmware that would make it usable (and thanks to Ectaco for v15)

Yes, it is considerably heavier than the Jetbook Lite. And it does run hotter. Neither bother me particularly as I generally sit in a chair while reading. I never sit in one posture for very long, so sometimes I find myself supporting it on my knees, sometimes I'm just holding it in one hand (it's really not _that_ heavy). Even if I decide to read lying in bed it's comfortable to hold and read--more so than a real book.

The charge will last for a solid five hours, longer than I usually read at one time. When I get up, I just plug it in while I'm not reading. I have a rectifier from Radio Shack, so I can charge it in the van if need be. That said, it is nice not to have to worry about a charge on the JBL.

On the real plus side, I can read almost any format on it--actually I think I could read anything, I just haven't gotten all the possible readers. I have Adobe Digital Edition, the eReader.com ereader, the B&N eReader, and mobipocket. I haven't branched out beyond that. The large size is really great with the ADE books. I'm reading The Jesus Dynasty right now. I previewed the eReader version, and it doesn't have the illustrations. With ADE all the drawings and photos are right there on the page where they should be. It's great. Plus, I can browse the ebook stores, buy books, check my email, all those useful things. It has excellent handwriting recognition. But if I want I can prop it up on a stand, connect a usb keyboard and mouse, and use it very much like a standalone computer.

The one remaining negative is that it takes a long time to boot up. The JBL is almost instant on. I'm still working on that. Mine runs Tablet XP, and there may be some tweaking I can do to speed up the boot process. It also came with only 256 Meg of memory. I'm getting another 512 Meg (about $50) and I think that alone will help a lot.

I won't give up the JBL or even my pocketable Tungsten E, but for general reading the tablet has become my favorite.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

If you want to use it as an ereader (amongst other things), the lack of keyboard becomes significant. And that's why I agree with you on the netbook, but not if you take a pure tablet.

And I don't want an overgrown PDA, I already have one.

You misunderstood me. You said computers and netbooks are different. My point was that the difference (keyboard) does not affect any of the problems I mentioned. I was referring to the fact that a tablet will heat up, exactly like a netbook, because all the components still have to be there. It will also have the same battery life issues as a netbook. The only difference (when used as a reader) between a netbook and a tablet is that a netbook is not comfortable to use as a reader because holding it is too awkward with the keyboard attached. And it will be a little heavier.

[DDHarriman]

Hi John1997

My advice about your tabletpc, just hibernate instead of turning it off.
It will be not so fast to open next time as a eBook reader is but it will be much faster then power on from “zero”.

Best regards,

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by DDHarriman

Hi John1997

My advice about your tabletpc, just hibernate instead of turning it off.
It will be not so fast to open next time as a eBook reader is but it will be much faster then power on from “zero”.

Best regards,

Stand-by can be fairly speedy for XP, but in my experience it tends degrade with the age of the XP install. At first it's snappy, but over a period of several months it tends to bog down a little. Some fresh restarts will be necessary intermittently as well.

Instant on is a great feature for mobile computing, but XP was never that good at it.