MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - P-book vs. E-book

Kumabjorn · 08-27-2010, 05:23 AM

I had a Kindle 2i for about two weeks before returning it because the Kindle 3 was announced. That would leave me several weeks without my E-book reader, so I decided to treat myself to my "last" P-book. A hardcover book for a change. Since I now had the experience of reading from an E-book reader I decided to see how they compared. Te E-book reader being the future, I decided I should read the P-book the same way I would use my Kindle. Here is what I discovered.

1. Windbreaker
Kindle wins hands down. Reading outdoors when the wind is blowing was a tad frustrating with a P-book and a piece of Kindle with an E-book.

2. Page turning
A brand new hardback will at times have pages sticking together. Luckily this one didn't require a knife to separate them. Sometimes the Kindle would require an extra tap on the Next Page button before it would turn a page. I guess it is a tie.

3. Returning
With the hardback I insert the flap of the protective cover on the page I left. I usually take the front flap if I'm on the left page and the back flap if I'm on the right page. Sometimes the book is too thick to do that. So when I return to reading it takes a couple of seconds before I find my place. Kindle has only one page and it brings you back there when you slide the On-switch. Advantage Kindle.

4. Olfactory component
My nose is an abomination to the French perfume industry. Lets call it a tie.

5. Bed reading
A fair amount of reading takes place in bed. I can hold the hardback resting on my underarm with two fingers over the back and then extending over the top to separate the pages. This is a comfortable way for me to hold a book. Doesn't work with the Kindle. The Kindle is however much lighter and the leather from the jacket is smooth on my hand and fingers. However, I suppose I can get leather covers for P-books as well, so I'll leave that part out and say advantage for P-book until I find a better way to hold the Kindle while being vertical.

6. Reading novels
I noticed my reading pattern began to follow the pace of the novel with the Kindle, fast paced and I would push Next Page button while beginning the last line of a page. Do not have the same reaction with a P-book. Score one for Kindle.

7. Reference reading
This one is really difficult. With a P-book you have two huge pages often with color photos or graphs explaining and clarifying. With the Kindle you have instant search and look-up functions. Undecided.

8. Multiple books
I like to read several books at a time. I have four or five on my nightstand at any given time. With the Kindle you switch books in absolutely no time. With P-books you close them, put them at the bottom of the pile, open the next one, have to find your place etc. No-brainer; Kindle.

9. Language selection
This is the clear advantage of the P-books. I read in several different languages, some that aren't even supported by the Kindle (however the K3 claims support, we'll see). Once a book is printed you can read it, no matter what language. With an E-book reader you need to have language and font support, some languages have very long words, so without support for hyphenation you get some odd looking pages.

08-27-2010, 05:23 AM	#1
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	P-book vs. E-book I had a Kindle 2i for about two weeks before returning it because the Kindle 3 was announced. That would leave me several weeks without my E-book reader, so I decided to treat myself to my "last" P-book. A hardcover book for a change. Since I now had the experience of reading from an E-book reader I decided to see how they compared. Te E-book reader being the future, I decided I should read the P-book the same way I would use my Kindle. Here is what I discovered. 1. Windbreaker Kindle wins hands down. Reading outdoors when the wind is blowing was a tad frustrating with a P-book and a piece of Kindle with an E-book. 2. Page turning A brand new hardback will at times have pages sticking together. Luckily this one didn't require a knife to separate them. Sometimes the Kindle would require an extra tap on the Next Page button before it would turn a page. I guess it is a tie. 3. Returning With the hardback I insert the flap of the protective cover on the page I left. I usually take the front flap if I'm on the left page and the back flap if I'm on the right page. Sometimes the book is too thick to do that. So when I return to reading it takes a couple of seconds before I find my place. Kindle has only one page and it brings you back there when you slide the On-switch. Advantage Kindle. 4. Olfactory component My nose is an abomination to the French perfume industry. Lets call it a tie. 5. Bed reading A fair amount of reading takes place in bed. I can hold the hardback resting on my underarm with two fingers over the back and then extending over the top to separate the pages. This is a comfortable way for me to hold a book. Doesn't work with the Kindle. The Kindle is however much lighter and the leather from the jacket is smooth on my hand and fingers. However, I suppose I can get leather covers for P-books as well, so I'll leave that part out and say advantage for P-book until I find a better way to hold the Kindle while being vertical. 6. Reading novels I noticed my reading pattern began to follow the pace of the novel with the Kindle, fast paced and I would push Next Page button while beginning the last line of a page. Do not have the same reaction with a P-book. Score one for Kindle. 7. Reference reading This one is really difficult. With a P-book you have two huge pages often with color photos or graphs explaining and clarifying. With the Kindle you have instant search and look-up functions. Undecided. 8. Multiple books I like to read several books at a time. I have four or five on my nightstand at any given time. With the Kindle you switch books in absolutely no time. With P-books you close them, put them at the bottom of the pile, open the next one, have to find your place etc. No-brainer; Kindle. 9. Language selection This is the clear advantage of the P-books. I read in several different languages, some that aren't even supported by the Kindle (however the K3 claims support, we'll see). Once a book is printed you can read it, no matter what language. With an E-book reader you need to have language and font support, some languages have very long words, so without support for hyphenation you get some odd looking pages.