Nexus7, ipad mini, nook hd? Could use some help... : )

[broadsteel]

Hi everybody!
I have some questions, I'm about ready to buy my second ebook reading appliance.

Love reading on my ereader - have a Sony Daily Edition. I've enjoyed it very much - only thing I don't like is the gray paper background, it really annoys me, this is nowhere near the white of a real book so I never understand the praise for e-ink. That being said, I've read a ton of books on it, its over 2 years old now so I'm looking for something else. I like the look of the page on Kindle Paperwhite, would be ideal on my Sony but... I do NOT want to be restricted to buying my content from one place.

Kind of leaning toward a Nexus 7, but then I hear that for reading books, this will irritate my eyes... now, I work all day on a computer, so I wonder if I am acclimated enough to not get eyestrain... is the brightness adjustable?

Its pretty much between the N7 and Ipad mini... I figure I can maybe surf a little w/o dragging my 15" laptop upstairs and downstairs all the time, but this is primarily for my LARGE selection of epub books. So what I want to know is:

Can I put all of my epub books on these? (Nexus 7/ipad mini)
Can I read my books on the beach or in the sun easily (ie: no glare)
Can you vary the contrast/brightness and make fonts larger?

Anybody have any opinions here? I'm not necessarily against the Nook HD either, but leaning toward Nexus.... again, primarily for reading epub books, surfing secondary. Thank you in advance!!!

[Shack70]

Can I put all of my epub books on these? (Nexus 7/ipad mini)? YES
Can I read my books on the beach or in the sun easily (ie: no glare)? No
Can you vary the contrast/brightness and make fonts larger? YES

If you use Calibre you can convert your books to a format the Paper White can use. These other devices are tablets and not e-ink so they perform differently

[Canuck_in_Japan]

If you're keen on reading outside then eink is the way to go. If you don't like the the Kindle then how about a Kobo Glo?

[gwynevans]

As the others have said, if you're happy with eInk, then get the Kindle - it's easy enough to use Calibre to convert non-DRMed books from ePub to Mobi format, which the Kindle reads - you can get non-Amazon books onto it, you're not locked it to a single source.

If you want a tablet though, the others are both good devices - if you've not got an investment in either infrastructure, then I'd probably go with the N7, particularly for using out and about, although there's not a lot in it.

[Lemurion]

When it comes to choosing between the Nexus and the iPad Mini, you're not choosing the hardware so much as the ecosystem.

Decide whether you want to go Android or iOS, then pick the appropriate hardware. Both will do just about anything you need them to do (especially when it comes to reading epubs).

[bluecapsule]

The Kindle paper white can load DRM free ebooks, especially if you use Calibre which will auto-convert any format into a format that Kindle can read. Personally I think the iPad Mini has a nicer reading experience because of the larger 4:3 screen, but either should do nicely.

I use my iPad mini to do some light reading (mostly e-magazines), but for any extended reading session I vastly prefer to use my E-ink reader. Much more comfortable on the eyes. If you're talking about reading outside, I wouldn't try it on any tablet that isn't e-ink.

[Sregener]

Originally Posted by broadsteel

Kind of leaning toward a Nexus 7, but then I hear that for reading books, this will irritate my eyes... now, I work all day on a computer, so I wonder if I am acclimated enough to not get eyestrain... is the brightness adjustable?

I have a Nexus 7. Bought it because holding up my iPad1 was just too difficult for reading, and the text wasn't very sharp on the lo-resolution screen. The Nexus 7 is an excellent device, and I wouldn't want to chase you away from it.

But it is horrible for reading in moderate to bright lighting. Too much glare, which leads to massive headaches for me. Yes, the text is sharp and clear. The brightness is adjustable (to a point... it's still too bright on its lowest setting for me in a completely dark room.) But the daylight/glare issue led me to purchase a Kindle ($69 basic version) for daytime reading.

I have become convinced that the best solution is a combination. Some things require a tablet to be done well. Others require eInk. If your budget will allow it, you might find an eInk reader plus a 10" tablet to be the ideal. Archos is coming out with a line of 9.7" tablets any day now that look real tempting to me. The Nexus is too small to be a useful tablet, in my experience.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Sregener

The brightness is adjustable (to a point... it's still too bright on its lowest setting for me in a completely dark room.)

Try ScreenDim, I find it helps.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Try ScreenDim, I find it helps.

Or Lux.

[broadsteel]

I did get a Nexus 7 and LOVE IT. I still have my Sony Digital Edition if I "need" e-ink which I can hardly fathom since I HATED IT (the e-ink not the Sony). But maybe it'll get packed to the ocean w me just in case. I think I'd try the black background w white type first in the Nexus --surprisingly soothing.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by broadsteel

I did get a Nexus 7 and LOVE IT. I still have my Sony Digital Edition if I "need" e-ink which I can hardly fathom since I HATED IT (the e-ink not the Sony). But maybe it'll get packed to the ocean w me just in case. I think I'd try the black background w white type first in the Nexus --surprisingly soothing.

Congrats on your new tablet; and an excellent choice as well

[mointer]

Why don't you try kindle fire. Amazon is famous for e book reader. Kindle fire has better reading experience!

[flips01]

Originally Posted by mointer

Why don't you try kindle fire. Amazon is famous for e book reader. Kindle fire has better reading experience!

In what way is the Kindle Fire reading experience (in your opinion) better?

[Teknikal]

Originally Posted by JustinCox

If you want something that is sleek and thin go for iPad mini. It is also best if you travel a lot.

Bit late to the party he got a Nexus 7 and I think it's the right choice far higher res screen than the iPad mini so much crisper fonts.

[Scarpad]

Originally Posted by broadsteel

Hi everybody!
I have some questions, I'm about ready to buy my second ebook reading appliance.

Love reading on my ereader - have a Sony Daily Edition. I've enjoyed it very much - only thing I don't like is the gray paper background, it really annoys me, this is nowhere near the white of a real book so I never understand the praise for e-ink. That being said, I've read a ton of books on it, its over 2 years old now so I'm looking for something else. I like the look of the page on Kindle Paperwhite, would be ideal on my Sony but... I do NOT want to be restricted to buying my content from one place.

Kind of leaning toward a Nexus 7, but then I hear that for reading books, this will irritate my eyes... now, I work all day on a computer, so I wonder if I am acclimated enough to not get eyestrain... is the brightness adjustable?

Its pretty much between the N7 and Ipad mini... I figure I can maybe surf a little w/o dragging my 15" laptop upstairs and downstairs all the time, but this is primarily for my LARGE selection of epub books. So what I want to know is:

Can I put all of my epub books on these? (Nexus 7/ipad mini)
Can I read my books on the beach or in the sun easily (ie: no glare)
Can you vary the contrast/brightness and make fonts larger?

Anybody have any opinions here? I'm not necessarily against the Nook HD either, but leaning toward Nexus.... again, primarily for reading epub books, surfing secondary. Thank you in advance!!!

Between the two I like the Ipad mini, better size , weight. Yes many apps are available to read epubs with including Ibooks. No LCD ereader is able to read easily in sunlight, get Eink for that.