Which one is best for me?

[DinoNYC]

Hey guys,

I've made my decision to get an e-reader over a tablet as the only the only real appeal of a tablet was the colour display for comics, however I make due on my laptop for that. Now I'm stuck of which e-reader to get.

I've been looking at the Nook, Kindle, and Kobo models. Hopefully you guys can help me decide what's best for me, here is what appeals to me:

(1-5, 1 being a must have and 5 is not much of a selling point, but a bonus)
1 - Easy to read with little to no eye strain
1 - NY Times and other periodical apps
2 - Long battery
2 - Good memory space via internal HD or external
3 - Audio book compatible
3 - Lightweight/Portable
5 - Available cases


If there are other features you guys think is should consider as I'm in the market for e-reader, please let me know. Any advice is greatly appreciated.


Cheers,
Dino

[susan_cassidy]

No eink reader that I know of allows installation of apps. Most apps require the use of color, and a higher refresh rate than is possible on eink devices.

That being said, the New York Times is available for Kindle. Newspapers are mostly text, after all. Check the newsstand section of the Kindle store for all available publications. Always check the list of supported devices, though, as some are only available on Fires, etc.

No Kindle currently sold that is eink has any audio capability, though. You need an mp3 player or tablet or smartphone for that. If you already carry a smartphone, you are all set for audio books.

Otherwise, a Kindle would work fine for you.

[DaleDe]

There are actually quite a few E Ink devices that run Android including some listed by the OP but the Kindle is not one of them. The nook uses its own private version of Android, some Sony models, PocketBook makes several. Some restrict the space available for uploading books or the space available for apps. You can see many of them in our wiki.

Dale

[DinoNYC]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Kindle was definitely on my radar. Would the Kindle Fire make any sense for me do you think? The color support for images of articles would be nice, but again it's not a deal breaker if it's to come with eye-strain or glare issues.

[cybmole]

Kindle fire battery life 10 hours. It is not e ink

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by DinoNYC

Hey guys,

I've made my decision to get an e-reader over a tablet as the only the only real appeal of a tablet was the colour display for comics, however I make due on my laptop for that. Now I'm stuck of which e-reader to get.

I've been looking at the Nook, Kindle, and Kobo models. Hopefully you guys can help me decide what's best for me, here is what appeals to me:

(1-5, 1 being a must have and 5 is not much of a selling point, but a bonus)
1 - Easy to read with little to no eye strain

Most any E-Ink ereader will do this.

1 - NY Times and other periodical apps

Apps require an Android device, usually a tablet although some ereaders use ancient versions of Android.

As mentioned, Amazon sells Kindle periodicals. It's like an ebook, except with the newspaper in it.

2 - Long battery

Any E-Ink device. Tablets and long battery life are a mutually exclusive goal.

2 - Good memory space via internal HD or external

Most any device has 4GB internal storage (Amazon experimented with 2GB, but no longer sells those models).

4GB is far more than enough, unless you read comics/manga on the device, since pictures are heavier than text.
Some ereaders (e.g. Kobo) come with expandable memory, if so.

3 - Audio book compatible

Older Kindles have audio capability, but I urge you to get an mp3 player...

3 - Lightweight/Portable

Any ereader, although the Kobo Mini is smaller than the typical 6 inch device (if that is what you mean).

5 - Available cases

There are available cases for all the major ereaders.

If there are other features you guys think is should consider as I'm in the market for e-reader, please let me know. Any advice is greatly appreciated.


Cheers,
Dino

Don't get a Nook, because the B&N ecosystem is dying.

A nice review comparing the Kindle to the Kobo: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=258378

[Hrafn]

Onyx and Boyue both produce eInk eReaders running Android 4.X (I don't know if I'd characterise that as "ancient"), which would therefore run "NY Times and other periodical apps", that would probably meet all your other requirements. You can find discussion/comparison of them on the Onyx & Android subforums. Current latest models are AfterGlow2 (aka C67, with slightly different software) and T62+ respectively.

[eschwartz]

Those are E-Ink tablets, I'm not sure if they count as mere ereaders.

Good point and should be mentioned -- there are also E-Ink tablets that may serve.

[HarryT]

Worth noting too that if you use Calibre you can have it convert and send to your reader in ebook format pretty much any newspaper or magazine that has a website.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Those are E-Ink tablets, I'm not sure if they count as mere ereaders.

If one wishes to be picky, one could claim that all eReaders are in fact tablets. I assumed, from the context, that by eReader he meant one with a non-backlit eInk display, rather than specifying that it should not be Android-based. Certainly the "NY Times and other periodical apps" suggests an openness to a system that is sufficiently open as to allow installation of third-party apps.

Speaking for myself, I view any 'tablet' whose employment of eInk technology specialises it more towards eReading over more generalised computing activities to be an 'eReader', regardless of whether its operating system allows it some limited utility for those penumbral tasks. You say "E-Ink tablet", I say 'flexible new-generation eReader.'

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

If one wishes to be picky, one could claim that all eReaders are in fact tablets. I assumed, from the context, that by eReader he meant one with a non-backlit eInk display, rather than specifying that it should not be Android-based. Certainly the "NY Times and other periodical apps" suggests an openness to a system that is sufficiently open as to allow installation of third-party apps.

Speaking for myself, I view any 'tablet' whose employment of eInk technology specialises it more towards eReading over more generalised computing activities to be an 'eReader', regardless of whether its operating system allows it some limited utility for those penumbral tasks. You say "E-Ink tablet", I say 'flexible new-generation eReader.'

There are differences, though. In particular, open eInk Android tablets generally have a much shorter battery life than dedicated eInk readers do. They'll typically need recharging every few days, rather than running for several weeks on a charge as the typical dedicated reading device does.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There are differences, though. In particular, open eInk Android tablets generally have a much shorter battery life than dedicated eInk readers do. They'll typically need recharging every few days, rather than running for several weeks on a charge as the typical dedicated reading device does.

Yes, battery life on an Android (eInk) eReader will be less than on a locked-down eReader (to what extent will vary depending on how well optimised they are). However it will still be better than that of an active-display tablet.

[barryem]

If you want it to be easy on your eyes you need an e-ink reader. Tablets use LCD and the constant staring at them that you do while reading causes a lot of people to have eyestrain. Some people aren't bothered by this but many are. Also you can't easily read a tablet outdoors. E-ink ereaders can be read as easily outdoors as indoors.

That said, e-ink ereaders, the good ones, don't meet many of your other criteria. They do have long battery life but that's about it. I charge my Kindle Paperwhite on Saturday whether it needs it or not. My tablets need to be charged after a day of use, or less.

E-ink ereaders no longer have audio. There are a few cheap ones that do but the reviews say they're pretty buggy. If you want audio you need a tablet or an older model ereader.

My suggestion is to get an e-ink reader for books and a tablet for everything else. I prefer the Kindle but I also have a Kobo Aura and at one time I had a Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight. I think the Kindle is the nicer of these devices but they're all okay.

The real difference, to me, is the stores. Amazon's books cost less, as a rule, than either Kobo or Nook stores. Kobo is quite a bit more expensive and Nook is a little more expensive. Given that and that the Kindle has a better screen and adequate features, all of which work better than corresponding features on the other devices, it's my reader of choice.

However, if all I had was the Kobo or the Nook I'd be perfectly happy with them. They're very good devices, too.

Barry

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

If one wishes to be picky, one could claim that all eReaders are in fact tablets. I assumed, from the context, that by eReader he meant one with a non-backlit eInk display, rather than specifying that it should not be Android-based. Certainly the "NY Times and other periodical apps" suggests an openness to a system that is sufficiently open as to allow installation of third-party apps.

Speaking for myself, I view any 'tablet' whose employment of eInk technology specialises it more towards eReading over more generalised computing activities to be an 'eReader', regardless of whether its operating system allows it some limited utility for those penumbral tasks. You say "E-Ink tablet", I say 'flexible new-generation eReader.'

I simply wish to claim that multipurpose devices are tablets, and dedicated one-job-only devices meant for reading ebooks are ereaders.
The devices in question may put a focus on ereading, but that doesn't make them ereaders, any more than the Tab 4 Nook is an ereader.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I simply wish to claim that multipurpose devices are tablets, and dedicated one-job-only devices meant for reading ebooks are ereaders.
The devices in question may put a focus on ereading, but that doesn't make them ereaders, any more than the Tab 4 Nook is an ereader.

I would suggest that the terms are orthogonal: "tablet" refers to a physical form factor, but "eReader" to a usage.