MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Ars Tecnica tests the 5 best e-readers for every budget 20190523

leebase · 05-24-2019, 11:26 AM

The iPad Minis have always been very nice reading devices. The New Mini improves the screen and is even faster. But...really...for reading purposes, even the original iPad's were more than fast enough and always much faster than any eInk reader at any price.

Horses for courses and budgets. There is no reason one MUST choose an iPad mini for the purpose of ereading....at the price of $399.

What I like over Android tablets (that I've used which doesn't include any of the expensive ones) is the fluidity of the motion on the screen. I like that an iPad doesn't need to be turned off....at idle, it doesn't run down the battery.

The reading apps for iOS are just way better than those on Android. IMHO. But, having said that, I've recently developed a fondness for FB Reader which is cross platform. It is not my favorite app, but it meets all my personal requirements and works on both iOS and Android.

My favorite Android reading tablet is the Kindle Fire series. You can't beat the prices. Someone looking for a "general Android" tablet might not choose them. I find that I like Amazon's custom interface. All I use it for is reading and watching tv shows and movies when I'm traveling. eBooks take up little space, but not so with video files. So the external memory card is very nice. Plus losing an $69 tablet always hurts a lot less than losing a $500 one.

Where I find the Android tablets fall down most is in the 16/9 aspect ratio. Good for video content, not so good for reading and really not good for web browsing. And finally, it annoys me that my Android tablets are always dead when I go to pick one up. I don't use them every day, if I did, they'd get nightly recharging.

BTW, you have to do a bit of work (not that hard) to enable the Google play store on the Kindle Fire tablets. Without that, you don't have access to the alternative to Amazon ereader apps.

The New Mini is a great size, nice and light, beautiful screen, nice and fast. I bought it to replace my iPad Air which is now over 4 years old and suffering from battery retention. A new battery would fix it, but I treated myself.

When I go back to it now, it seems HUGE. The iPad mini is a terrific reading size.

05-24-2019, 11:26 AM	#11
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,969 Karma: 26738313 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	The iPad Minis have always been very nice reading devices. The New Mini improves the screen and is even faster. But...really...for reading purposes, even the original iPad's were more than fast enough and always much faster than any eInk reader at any price. Horses for courses and budgets. There is no reason one MUST choose an iPad mini for the purpose of ereading....at the price of $399. What I like over Android tablets (that I've used which doesn't include any of the expensive ones) is the fluidity of the motion on the screen. I like that an iPad doesn't need to be turned off....at idle, it doesn't run down the battery. The reading apps for iOS are just way better than those on Android. IMHO. But, having said that, I've recently developed a fondness for FB Reader which is cross platform. It is not my favorite app, but it meets all my personal requirements and works on both iOS and Android. My favorite Android reading tablet is the Kindle Fire series. You can't beat the prices. Someone looking for a "general Android" tablet might not choose them. I find that I like Amazon's custom interface. All I use it for is reading and watching tv shows and movies when I'm traveling. eBooks take up little space, but not so with video files. So the external memory card is very nice. Plus losing an $69 tablet always hurts a lot less than losing a $500 one. Where I find the Android tablets fall down most is in the 16/9 aspect ratio. Good for video content, not so good for reading and really not good for web browsing. And finally, it annoys me that my Android tablets are always dead when I go to pick one up. I don't use them every day, if I did, they'd get nightly recharging. BTW, you have to do a bit of work (not that hard) to enable the Google play store on the Kindle Fire tablets. Without that, you don't have access to the alternative to Amazon ereader apps. The New Mini is a great size, nice and light, beautiful screen, nice and fast. I bought it to replace my iPad Air which is now over 4 years old and suffering from battery retention. A new battery would fix it, but I treated myself. When I go back to it now, it seems HUGE. The iPad mini is a terrific reading size.