8+ Readers in comparison

[jocampo]

On a side note.

If Amazon release or improves the Kindle DXG, I would think about selling one of my iPads and probably then, I would think about buying the Touchpad+DXG together.

Because lack of editing features and not so fast when moving among chapters, I was forced to sell my DXG. And damm, I miss that ereader. But GoodReader app on IPad is way much faster.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

I guess, that's what we can expect of iOS5/iPad3. I wouldn't be surpassed, if most of the great features we find on BlackBerry PlayBook or HP TouchPad would be "adapted" rather quickly by iOS and Android.

That would be awesome. The ipad2 interface feels and look outdated when you use the Touchpad. I can't believe I'm not able to balance my bank account and use the calculator on my iPad , it just does not work.

[emai7s2]

Hi mgmueller,

I love reading your comments but feel a bit guilty that I am benefiting from all the money you have put into your gizmo collection over the past few years.

I take another approach - I try to limit myself to about 1 new gizmo per year. Rather than buying the latest and greatest, I try to get what I consider the best of last generation technology. These gizmos generally have all the bugs worked out, are reliable, and are available at a fraction of the price of the newest generation.

Towards the end of the year, I expect there to be a veritable flood of updated and new machines - Nokia WP7 smartphones, iPad 3, iOS5, Android 4.0, new TouchPad hardware, Android compatibility for the Playbook, and so on. That will make all the current 'must have' products relatively obsolete.

Assuming it's now December 2011 and all the updates I just mentioned have actually occurred, what do you think will be the 'Best of last generation technology ...' in 2011? In other words, something that will continue to work well and doesn't really need to be updated.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by emai7s2

Hi mgmueller,

I love reading your comments but feel a bit guilty that I am benefiting from all the money you have put into your gizmo collection over the past few years.

I take another approach - I try to limit myself to about 1 new gizmo per year. Rather than buying the latest and greatest, I try to get what I consider the best of last generation technology. These gizmos generally have all the bugs worked out, are reliable, and are available at a fraction of the price of the newest generation.

Towards the end of the year, I expect there to be a veritable flood of updated and new machines - Nokia WP7 smartphones, iPad 3, iOS5, Android 4.0, new TouchPad hardware, Android compatibility for the Playbook, and so on. That will make all the current 'must have' products relatively obsolete.

Assuming it's now December 2011 and all the updates I just mentioned have actually occurred, what do you think will be the 'Best of last generation technology ...' in 2011? In other words, something that will continue to work well and doesn't really need to be updated.

Ok, good approach. So what was your 2010 Purchase ?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by emai7s2

Hi mgmueller,

I love reading your comments but feel a bit guilty that I am benefiting from all the money you have put into your gizmo collection over the past few years.

I take another approach - I try to limit myself to about 1 new gizmo per year. Rather than buying the latest and greatest, I try to get what I consider the best of last generation technology. These gizmos generally have all the bugs worked out, are reliable, and are available at a fraction of the price of the newest generation.

Towards the end of the year, I expect there to be a veritable flood of updated and new machines - Nokia WP7 smartphones, iPad 3, iOS5, Android 4.0, new TouchPad hardware, Android compatibility for the Playbook, and so on. That will make all the current 'must have' products relatively obsolete.

Assuming it's now December 2011 and all the updates I just mentioned have actually occurred, what do you think will be the 'Best of last generation technology ...' in 2011? In other words, something that will continue to work well and doesn't really need to be updated.

Lots of my friends still have their iPad1s. And actually I've re-discovered mine as well. With the Incipio NGP cover, iPad1 is extremely convenient to hold and kind of my "don't really care, handle it as I please" unit.
So, from this experience, I'd clearly say, lifetime of your average tablet easily is about 18 months. Meaning: Would you buy, let's say, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1(v) or iPad2 now, you couldn't make any huge mistakes.
My recommendation simply would be: "Go with the big ones, not some exotic gadgets". For example, I really love my BlackBerry PlayBook. And as 1 of my top 3 tablets, I can live with the limited supply of apps. But I'd be highly frustrated, would it be my only tablet.
I'd always go with a "major player". Chances are, you'll still get apps or spares or add-ons for these in 1 or 2 years...

Right now, my personal favorites:
eBook readers:
I'm not buying dedicated readers anymore. But if I'd have to choose, I'd consider one of the PocketBooks. I love my PocketBook 360.
Of course you never can go wrong with Kindle.
Tablet:
Although I'm a huge Apple sceptic, even I have to admit: You can't go wrong with iPad2. Or wait for iPad3, if you're not in a hurry.
I admire the progress, Google is making. They still are kind of "underdogs", compared to Apple. But considering Google's muscles, any Honeycomb tablet of one of the bigger manufacturers will be fine for at least 18 months. Most seem to agree: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the Honeycomb flagship for now. But Motorola Xoom is extremely close as well...

[emai7s2]

Originally Posted by aceflor

Ok, good approach. So what was your 2010 Purchase ?

In 2010 I bought a Sony PRS-650. It was either that or a 'new generation' ereader with color screen.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

I love my PocketBook 360.

I don't want to say it, but, oh, ah, here it comes..........................
TOLD YA !!!

Originally Posted by emai7s2

In 2010 I bought a Sony PRS-650. It was either that or a 'new generation' ereader with color screen.

Good choice, solid reader, I like it very much too.

[davidsmartin]

What about the HP touchpad as a (now) cheap ereader?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by davidsmartin

What about the HP touchpad as a (now) cheap ereader?

Problem: What app to use?
A forum member from the US has posted, on his HP TouchPad there was a beta release of Kindle app pre-installed.
Question is, whether this (now that HP TouchPad is close to EOL) ever will make it to the public or even a final release.
So you're stuck with the Kindle cloud reader. I use it on BlackBerry PlayBook. It's great, but to me it wouldn't be enough to call such a unit a full blown reader.
Else HP TouchPad certainly is a great gadget and you can't go wrong for that kind of price (I've paid some 600 Euro only 2 months ago and had hoped for 3rd party apps trickling in)...

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Problem: What app to use?
A forum member from the US has posted, on his HP TouchPad there was a beta release of Kindle app pre-installed.
Question is, whether this (now that HP TouchPad is close to EOL) ever will make it to the public or even a final release.
So you're stuck with the Kindle cloud reader. I use it on BlackBerry PlayBook. It's great, but to me it wouldn't be enough to call such a unit a full blown reader.
Else HP TouchPad certainly is a great gadget and you can't go wrong for that kind of price (I've paid some 600 Euro only 2 months ago and had hoped for 3rd party apps trickling in)...

Mine ... ... it was the Kindle , not the Kindle for Cloud version.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Mine ... ... it was the Kindle , not the Kindle for Cloud version.

...Which unfortunately probably never will make it to my HP TouchPad. Why should Amazon bother about a final release? So I'll probably have to stick to the cloud version.
BTW: I've just checked the HP website and Amazon. In Germany, the prices didn't change yet.

[jocampo]

@mgmueller

I don't know exactly what kind of books you read or like, but one of things I did not enjoy of that Kindle for webOs version is that there is no "true landscape" mode. In other words, when you are in landscape mode, the page is divided and gives the illusion of a real book with two pages side by side. For a novel, that's fine. But if you read computer or programming books, that basically defeats the purpose of the landscape mode and makes really difficult to read the code.

I will cry really loud, if Kindle decided to do the same on the iPad application. If that ever happens I guess I will have to go back an get a Kindle DXG or a 10" Android tablet.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by jocampo

@mgmueller

I don't know exactly what kind of books you read or like, but one of things I did not enjoy of that Kindle for webOs version is that there is no "true landscape" mode. In other words, when you are in landscape mode, the page is divided and gives the illusion of a real book with two pages side by side. For a novel, that's fine. But if you read computer or programming books, that basically defeats the purpose of the landscape mode and makes really difficult to read the code.

I will cry really loud, if Kindle decided to do the same on the iPad application. If that ever happens I guess I will have to go back an get a Kindle DXG or a 10" Android tablet.

What you describe is one of the (many) reasons, why I've never been able to decide for a single reader.
Basically, I read 2 types of books:
a.) Casual reads, your average Jeffery Deaver and such.
b.) "Professional" books, such as management books, self help, psychology, ...
For a.) I don't care that much about format or layout or display size of the reader. For now, I mainly read those on BlackBerry PlayBook, as I simply love the form factor, weight, display quality and the likes. Before that, it was Kindle DX. I always liked Kindle DX better than its smaller sibling, although the bigger display wouldn't be necessary for the kind of books I've read on it.
For b.) I care more about layout of the pages or how to sort the content. I've loved the concept of iRex, touch screens can be helpful for marking text passages or using the dictionary.
For neither books I like the column view, I don't see any use for it.
Sony 900 praised it, but I never could make any use of it.

I'm not side loading into the Kindle app. For the type of books I buy from Amazon, the cloud reader is great. But I don't want to rely on a single reader app and a single source for buying books.
For now, I have no idea what to make of HP TouchPad. I haven't used it so far (maybe 5 hours in total for installing some apps and initially testing the OS). As a "naked" tablet, it easily beats iPad. But what good is that without apps?

And as sole ebook readers, I never got fond of tablets. I don't have a problem with glare of the display. But I don't like the battery duration and the weight. And I don't see any advantage of, let's say, iPad2 as a reader in comparison to, let's say, Kindle DX.
I accept the argument "I've got my tablet with me anyway, so I might as well read on it". But if I don't have any additional use for the tablet, this kind of defeats the purpose and the argument...

[jocampo]

Well,

The thing is that most of my database books can be found on Amazon and O'reilly only. So why should I bother and get anything that is not Kindle? It works, good price, and I can find all my books there.

The iPad is a bit different because besides being an ereader, it also fun to use, like for Magazines, browsing Internet, etc. It is a tablet, has more potential.

I combine Kindle 3 and iPad 2 with no issues, but wish the Kindle DXG could get a better firmware, specially for PDFs. It is too basic for a PDF. But I really like its weight and the fact that it is a true eink device.

Moving to another reader that is not Kindle will imply breaking DRM and all that stuff. I see no reason for that as long as I can use the iPad or Kindle 3 for it.

[mgmueller]

I've got me a new MacBook Air 11".
Surprisingly speedy.
And it's almost as mobile as iPad. And the display seems equally good.
I'm not sure yet, whether I'll ever read on it (I mean books, I'll certainly read emails and webstuff of course). I simply don't find a convenient reading position, whereas I easily can hold my iPad in one hand (although iPad is bit on the heavy side for me).
MacBook Air as a convertible probably would be a great replacement for iPad...
Still, even if I'm not reading on it (yet), it already is my permanent travel companion.
For now, I'm usually taking BlackBerry PlayBook, Samsung Galaxy Tab 7", some Android Honeycomb 10" tablet (most of the times it's Xoom, I haven't found a good cover for Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v yet) and for 2 weeks now MacBook Air on a trip.
Since I've got the MacBook Air, I haven't used any tablet for surfing on the sofa anymore. I wonder, whether notebooks will become more important for me and other users again, being that mobile and having 6 to 8 hours of battery as well...