Selecting an ebook reader

[QuantumIguana]

I believe the newer Kindle Fire tablets have text to speech.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by edebill

Want to hold a drink in one hand while you read? Tablets are probably not the thing for you.

I think this is going to vary drastically from person to person as well as tablet to tablet. I regularly read one-handed with my Nook HD+, which is an 8.9" tablet. It's lighter than the first generation Kindle Fire I have, but I also read one-handed with that without issues as well. And I have fairly small hands. This is just something you have to try before you'll know if it'll work for you or not.

[Apache]

When I am dining alone, I use my Nook HD+ one handed. it works great.
Apache

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Apache

When I am dining alone, I use my Nook HD+ one handed. it works great.
Apache

Fine for sandwiches but how do you cut up your steak? Scissors?

Helen

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Fine for sandwiches but how do you cut up your steak? Scissors?

Helen

just cut it into a bunch of pieces first.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Fine for sandwiches but how do you cut up your steak? Scissors?

Helen

Can't afford steak, I spend too much on books


Seriously though, I eat/drink all the time while holding my tablet (8.9 Fire HDX) in the other hand and reading/turning pages (or read with it sitting next to my plate).

[crich70]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Can't afford steak, I spend too much on books


Seriously though, I eat/drink all the time while holding my tablet (8.9 Fire HDX) in the other hand and reading/turning pages (or read with it sitting next to my plate).

I use one of these click when I need both hands free for eating and want to be able to read on my paperwhite. They work great for the job and are both sturdy and inexpensive.

[edebill]

Originally Posted by Manabi

I think this is going to vary drastically from person to person as well as tablet to tablet. I regularly read one-handed with my Nook HD+, which is an 8.9" tablet. It's lighter than the first generation Kindle Fire I have, but I also read one-handed with that without issues as well. And I have fairly small hands. This is just something you have to try before you'll know if it'll work for you or not.

Oh, interesting. Maybe my technique is bad. How do you do it? I can never hold the device securely while simultaneously freeing up a finger to tap and change the page. I've got a Nexus 7, which seems like it ought to be small/light enough, but maybe it's just not designed for this use-case? The iPad certainly isn't.

[shanghaichica]

Originally Posted by edebill

Do you want to read in full sun? You need e-ink. Do you want to read in the dark? You need backlight or reading light. Want to hold a drink in one hand while you read? Tablets are probably not the thing for you. Super picky about text display? Kobo will let you tweak more than Kindle. They all handle novels competently. You probably want a tablet if you're reading something like programming books that has larger technical illustrations and color. It's a rare programming book that looks good on the e-ink devices or cell phones.


I'll add some specifics:

Kindle Paperwhite 1: nice screen, beautifully put together. Cannot turn off the backlight. You can just set it really dim. It was able to go as dim as I wanted, though. I never have a reading session where I don't have some trouble getting it to register my touch at some point. This can be really frustrating as I try to turn a page over and over.

Kobo Mini: Small. Really small. I love the size. I can palm it and turn forward and back one handed. The screen seems to be slightly lower resolution than the Kindle Paperwhite. Page turns are sort of slow and it doesn't automatically sync new books. I have to manually hit 'sync'. Touch response is about like the PW1. No backlight means you need a reading light. Kobo sells the best I've seen (used to be sold by Octovo), but they're a bit large and heavy on this tiny reader.

Kobo Aura HD: Noticeably larger than the PW1. Thicker, wider, etc, but not much heavier. Screen resolution is great. I don't see jaggies like I have with every other e-ink device I've owned (this is #5 or 6). You can turn the backlight on and off. It will NOT adjust low enough for me to comfortably read in complete darkness - it's just slightly uncomfortable, but not so much as most tablets. Touch response is really really great. I almost never have trouble getting it to register, but DO sometimes have it jump backwards several pages instead of forward one page.

One thing to note: All of the above can be set to have asymmetric touch areas, where most of the screen is forward and only a smaller part is back. I find this much better than a symmetrical one. I have fairly large hands and this tends to let me find some way to read one handed.

In general Kobo devices and software give you more control of how text is displayed - more fonts, more sizes, more line spacings, etc.

None of the e-readers have had battery life issues - I can go a week or two without recharging and never try going longer than that.

Tablets and phones:

Naturally I've tried both the Kobo and Kindle apps. They're roughly equivalent in most ways. The kindle app has slightly nicer page turn controls. For some reason the mobile reading apps don't do the asymmetric touch areas that the dedicated readers do. This really sucks.

Nexus 7 (android 7" tablet) is really awesome for the price. Heavier than all the e-readers and also larger. Great DPI on the screen, but can never be set dim enough for me to be 100% comfortable reading in complete darkness (even when app is set to dark background light foreground). Good battery life. Can almost read comfortably in daylight. I can just barely manage to use this one handed, but you really want a stand of some kind.

Nexus 5: Smaller cousin to the Nexus 7. Can't turn the damn brightness down very far. Can't turn it up very far, either. So... super sharp screen that's hard to read in 2/3 of my use cases. I think on paper it has the same diagonal size as the Kobo Mini, but feels a lot more cramped.

iPhone 5: Tiny by comparison. Better screen - can go dimmer and brighter, but still not great in full sun. I feel like I'm reading through a keyhole or something. Not as bad as the days of palm pilots and the iPhone 4, but still. I can't remember if it went as dim as I'd like.

iPad Air: Ditto on the screen. Better brightness range than Nexus 7, but still not really good in full sun. This is 100% a 2 handed device. You need a stand or 2 hands to read on it. Pages are almost too big unless I'm reading a technical book. Then the larger screen and full color display really make a big difference.

Android devices tend to run out of battery sooner than iOS devices. Neither is going to get you through a weekend without recharging and some android phones won't even make it through a single day.

I agree for tablets. My iPads last a lot longer than any android table I've owned. However for phones I don't see much of a difference. I had the iPhone 5S at the beginning of this year and didn't find that the battery lasted any longer than the note 3 that I replaced it with.

There are advantages and disadvantages with each device.

When I'm buying a phone a don't evaluate it in terms of ereading.

For tablets I prefer iPads which are better for reading for me because, the kindle app (which I use) has better features and the battery life is better.

I prefer kindles because IMO they have the better hardware, software and ebook catalogue at the best prices.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Apache

When I am dining alone, I use my Nook HD+ one handed. it works great.
Apache

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Fine for sandwiches but how do you cut up your steak? Scissors?

Helen

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

just cut it into a bunch of pieces first.

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Can't afford steak, I spend too much on books


Seriously though, I eat/drink all the time while holding my tablet (8.9 Fire HDX) in the other hand and reading/turning pages (or read with it sitting next to my plate).

Originally Posted by crich70

I use one of these click when I need both hands free for eating and want to be able to read on my paperwhite. They work great for the job and are both sturdy and inexpensive.

I am right handed and just lay my Nook HD+ on the table to my left. I read fine when me reader is lying flat. I only need to touch the reader when I need to turn a page. This allows me to use both hands to eat while reading.
Apache

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Onyx - Buy this one if you want a color ereader

Ummm ... no.

The vast majority of Onyx-buyers, myself included, buy B&W readers.

Say rather:
Onyx & Pocketbook:

1. FBReader, and thus any font you want and highly adaptable formatting
2. Directory-based navigation, and thus fully-customisable library structure
3. Physical page-turn buttons
4. Lack of tie-in to a (DRMed) walled garden.

Onyx - not a major ereader thus they do not have the clout to get the best deals.

I simply bought it direct from China (where they're made), and got a fairly good deal regardless. Pocketbooks do however tend to be fairly pricey.

[eschwartz]

Wat is wrong with having the option of an integrated walled garden? I can read any non-DRMed book on my Kindle -- no one is forcing you to only read books from the garden.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

[*]Lack of tie-in to a (DRMed) walled garden.

I still don't get the "walled garden" argument. Kindles can read non-DRM mobi books from anywhere. Nooks can read any non-DRM ePub books from anywhere. Where's the wall? It seems with Kindle or Nook you get more choice. All the non-DRM books for each format, plus the DRM books at Amazon or Barnes & Noble that the other eReaders can't read -- or, at least, they can't read before applying Calibre and Apprentice Alf.

[meeera]

rcentros: The walled garden does apply with library books, however - in the vast majority of the world you can't borrow a library ebook with a Kindle.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by meeera

rcentros: The walled garden does apply with library books, however - in the vast majority of the world you can't borrow a library ebook with a Kindle.

That isn't because of the walled garden, though.

Any ereader that doesn't support ADE would be exactly the same, regardless of whether it has the Kindle Store.

The ereader is not the walled garden -- the library is. Anyone who gets upset about walled gardens to the point where they get morally offended and cannot abide the existence of the option should be going on strike against the library too.