Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Which one should I buy?

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 05-30-2007, 12:41 PM   #1
GiovanniGambini
Junior Member
GiovanniGambini began at the beginning.
 
GiovanniGambini's Avatar
 
Posts: 9
Karma: 10
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Austin, Tx
Device: None Yet
Question Tablet ?

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.
GiovanniGambini is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2007, 12:53 PM   #2
Bob Russell
Recovering Gadget Addict
Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bob Russell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Bob Russell's Avatar
 
Posts: 5,381
Karma: 676161
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Device: iPad
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.
Bob Russell is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 05-30-2007, 03:56 PM   #3
igorsk
Wizard
igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 3,442
Karma: 300001
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Belgium
Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear
David Rothman spammed TeleRead blog quite a lot with posts about his $155 tablet from eBay:
http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6572
igorsk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2007, 04:21 PM   #4
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Heh, can you spam your own blog, then?
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2007, 07:59 PM   #5
Liviu_5
Books and more books
Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.Liviu_5 juggles neatly with hedgehogs.
 
Liviu_5's Avatar
 
Posts: 917
Karma: 69499
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: White Plains, NY, USA
Device: Nook Color, Itouch, Nokia770, Sony 650, Sony 700(dead), Ebk(given)
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.
Liviu_5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 05-31-2007, 08:03 AM   #6
stxopher
Nameless Being
 
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.)
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-31-2007, 08:22 AM   #7
nekokami
fruminous edugeek
nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
nekokami's Avatar
 
Posts: 6,745
Karma: 551260
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Northeast US
Device: iPad, eBw 1150
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!
nekokami is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-31-2007, 08:24 AM   #8
yvanleterrible
Reborn Paper User
yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
yvanleterrible's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,616
Karma: 15446734
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Que Nada
Device: iPhone8, iPad Air
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!
yvanleterrible is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-31-2007, 07:35 PM   #9
Azayzel
Cache Ninja!
Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Azayzel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Azayzel's Avatar
 
Posts: 643
Karma: 1002300
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear
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...
Azayzel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2007, 08:56 AM   #10
yvanleterrible
Reborn Paper User
yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.yvanleterrible ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
yvanleterrible's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,616
Karma: 15446734
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Que Nada
Device: iPhone8, iPad Air
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?
yvanleterrible is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Tablet PC - has anybody tried it paaThaka Alternative Devices 19 10-21-2010 06:58 AM
Eros tablet Nate the great News 5 01-21-2010 04:35 PM
Tablet PC. shighfield Legacy E-Book Devices 17 05-16-2009 08:42 AM
The £99 laptop/tablet AdrianWerner Alternative Devices 5 02-29-2008 12:24 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:07 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.