tablet over ereader ?

[guanaco]

Yes, now I almost always read on my Android tablet and my poor PRS-650 lies in some forgotten drawer.

[Bittybye]

I recently got a Samsung Tab 2 and I still use my ereader more. I love the tablet for games, surfing the web, and watching YouTube vids, but I am a hardcore reader. I read for HOURS at a time. The eyestrain alone would get me, but the battery life? Pfft, even if it's not the weeks and weeks of battery life they all claim to have, ereaders sure as heck beats the tablet hands down.

It's and apple and oranges situation. They are different products. So there is no fair way to compare the two.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Bittybye

It's and apple and oranges situation. They are different products. So there is no fair way to compare the two.

Repeating stuff like this doesn't really make it true.

Look... I have no problem with people stating that THEY don't like reading on tablets ... or that the longer battery life of ereaders works better for THEM... or that THEY get easily distracted. But honestly, to suggest that the reasons are anything more than personal preference or personal circumstance is just silly. There is no inherent, irrefutable superiority of the dedicated ereader for the purposes of reading. To suggest there IS smacks of the same annoying disdain with which physical book purists first held (and still hold) those who embraced electronic books.

[ilovejedd]

I've always used the PRS-350 less often than my backlit devices (iPhone or tablet) for reading. I'm seeing the same hold true for the Aura HD. I tend not to read in well-lit environments so built-in lighting is a must for me. The Aura HD would've been great had it allowed for more customization in terms of tap zones and page turns. Perfect for me would be the PRS-350 running PRS+ with front lighting, wi-fi, OPDS support and a slightly faster processor for dealing with a large number of books (I've got around 4,000 fanfics taking up just ~250MB of space).

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by l_macd

Don't read on my tablet at all (except for reading web pages!), much prefer eink for books.

I'm interested in those who say they have barely touched their ereaders since getting a tablet, what kind of reading do you do?

Exclusively novels for hours at a time on both my Samsung GMP5 or my Nexus 7.

My GMP5 saves my sanity when I'm commuting to & from work since if I don't want to hear other people yapping on their phones or any other foolishness I just put in my earphones start playing my music files and read in peace. Nor do I have any trouble reading it outside in sunny weather while I'm waiting for the trolley. My Nexus stays at home for reading there.

I have zero problems with eye strain, being distracted just because my tablet/player can do more than just display books or any other reasons people give for not liking to use tablets for reading.

There are no hard rules when it comes to using either an eink or a tablet. It doesn't have to be either or. It all comes down to personal preference I can/will read on any device, just don't tell me I shouldn't be doing so on one because it is so inferior. Both are equally fine to me.

[Geralt]

I read pdfs on my tablet, books on kindle keyboard.
I honestly don't remember starting and finishing a book on a tablet. I use it sometimes to continue reading if my kindle is not with me, which is very rare.

Originally Posted by Geralt

I read pdfs on my tablet, books on kindle keyboard.
I honestly don't remember starting and finishing a book on a tablet. I use it sometimes to continue reading if my kindle is not with me, which is very rare.

It's pretty much the same story here, except that it's a Kobo instead of a Kindle Keyboard.

The only reason for not finishing a PDF on my tablet is because the PDFs that need a tablet tend to be reference material, i.e. it is not stuff that you'd read from start to end. Most of the PDFs that I'd read from start to end are short enough to read on a computer shortly after downloading, or are formatted in a way that is (marginally) acceptable on an eInk reader.

[5thWiggle]

Tablet, always has been and probably always will be (though, to be fair, my first tablet did have an E-ink screen). I have no trouble reading from LCD, not even in the low ppi days of the PalmPilot. Extra features do not distract me (my kids however are constant distractions. Games, the web and e-mail, not so much). Battery life is in the 10-12 hr range, and I charge it when I sleep. I have charging options for pretty much everywhere I go. The only place I read outdoors is at our cottage which is in a forested area, so plenty of shade*.

Dedicated ereaders really don't hold that much of an attraction for me, but I can see why they would for others.

*Pick the right tree. Avoid White Pines. I have a p-book with three chapters of pages glued together by pine sap...

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by 5thWiggle

Dedicated ereaders really don't hold that much of an attraction for me, but I can see why they would for others.

Wait a minute! Wait!

You mean we're allowed to state our own preferences while simultaneously, understanding (and acknowledging) that those preferences might not be be universally held?

Well that certainly changes the internet drastically.

[5thWiggle]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Wait a minute! Wait!

You mean we're allowed to state our own preferences while simultaneously, understanding (and acknowledging) that those preferences might not be be universally held?

Well that certainly changes the internet drastically.

Darn, tried to logon and saw this:


Had to renew my membership in the CAPS LOCK SHOUTING AND INDIGNATION SOCIETY, and do penance (self flagellation with a cat5 cable) for my transgressions. Don't let this happen to you!

[sakura-panda]

I don't carry my e-ink readers around; I already carry around a smartphone and a tablet. Also, if I carry around my ebook, then it won't waiting for me at home. (I'm a bit lazy and like my book to Always Be There, rather than sitting down to read and then realizing I'd left my book Somewhere Else and have to get up and go figure out where Somewhere Else is. )

I don't use my e-ink readers less; I use it just as much as I always have. I am, however, starting to use my tablet more for reading when I'm away from home both because I've stopped carrying around knitting and also because I bought a NOOK book and I am using NOOK apps to read it.

[WillysJeepMan]

Originally Posted by Bittybye

I recently got a Samsung Tab 2 and I still use my ereader more. I love the tablet for games, surfing the web, and watching YouTube vids, but I am a hardcore reader. I read for HOURS at a time. The eyestrain alone would get me, but the battery life? Pfft, even if it's not the weeks and weeks of battery life they all claim to have, ereaders sure as heck beats the tablet hands down.

It's and apple and oranges situation. They are different products. So there is no fair way to compare the two.

True, they are different products. But there is an overlap in functions. A tablet can do what a dedicated ereader can do, but also do other things. Depending upon how one uses their devices for reading, an ereader might be better than a tablet... or vice versa.

In my use cases, iPad 4 for reading vintage comics, magazines, and catalogs. I'll occasionally use it if I want to read a book in a dimly lit room. I use my Kobo Touch as my primary device for reading books.

[Indio777]

After reading ebooks for the last couple of years on a modified Nook Color, I guess some might say I have kind of "regressed" because I bought both a Nook Glow and a Kindle/keyboard several months ago. I decided I wanted something that was lighter, with longer battery life and was basically just for "regular" books. So far I am happy with both readers.

All of these devices (phones, readers, tablets, etc.) have their pluses and minuses. I think it ultimately comes down to personal preference and what works best for people depending on where they are and what they want to do.

[BeccaPrice]

this is a question for a friend, who is looking at getting a tablet - are there any that allow book collections or shelves? (other than the iPad, which is right out for various reasons) - preferably something that will work with Calibre.

[tomsem]

I don't currently have a tablet device that is pleasant to read on: the Xoom doesn't have a great screen, the 1G Fire is too heavy and the reading app is inferior, the iPad is too big, the iPod Touch has a pathetic battery. There are better devices to be had but I'm in no hurry to get one: the longer I wait, the better (and cheaper) they'll get. Also I think tablet reading apps need to improve more (speaking mostly of the major vendors, there are a few nice 3rd party apps).