Tablets driving out ebook readers?

[patrickt]

I do laugh. It's like people who buy an expensive big-screen television and only watch the news. Sure. And I don't believe readers buy a tablet to read. Tablet buyers play games, watch movies, surf the net, listen to music, oh, and read something once.

I almost always have an ereader with me but if I don't my phone with a Kindle app will suffice but I don't have the phone for reading. I don't even have it for phone calls. I'm deaf. I text, I use my dictionaries, I check the current exchange rate, I use Google Keep for my grocery list and Google Calendar for my schedule. If I'm expecting a package via UPS I can use the phone to track it. And, when caught short, I'll read my current book on the phone.

I'm amused by people who know how long the ereader battery will last when the ereader isn't turned on. There hasn't been a day in the last five years when I didn't read on my ereader.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by patrickt

I do laugh. It's like people who buy an expensive big-screen television and only watch the news. Sure. And I don't believe readers buy a tablet to read. Tablet buyers play games, watch movies, surf the net, listen to music, oh, and read something once.

I bought a Fire HD6 because I thought I would watch Prime movies on it, listen to Prime music etc. -- but, when I do use it, I basically read on it. It does have one feature that I do like, however. I can copy text from my books and paste them into Evernote for reference on my computer. I still prefer one of my eReaders to the Fire.

[conan50]

Choices, choices, choices :-) My Paperwhite does one thing, and does it well. But it is nice to have options. My 2 Kindle Tabs allow me to switch to text-to-speech and enjoy audiobooks as well. My Android devices allow me to use Google Books including its text-to-speech and audiobooks, also I can read Kindle books there. I can look things up on Wikipedia or the web if I want more info on an author or subject--lots of options with tablets. The either/or argument is a moot point for gadget lovers who enjoy plenty of choices and options with their books. And then there is also Moon+ and other readers for tabs increasing choices even more, and the ability to read a variety of formatted ebooks. So is it stupid, or simply being a connoisseur of ebooks? :-)

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by conan50

I think smartphones are cutting more into the ereading space than tablets at this point. With the move toward phablets I think it gets harder to justify carrying two devices that large.

Not hard at all. Reading too much on your phone on a bright day drains your battery rather quickly, leaving you unable to make phone calls.

[conan50]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Not hard at all. Reading too much on your phone on a bright day drains your battery rather quickly, leaving you unable to make phone calls.

Use cases vary with individuals. For guys is can be harder to tote around two devices in the 6" size range. Dealing with just one device with pants pockets can be a pain. When out and about I rarely read except for doctor's office waiting rooms, and my phone works fine for short reading stints in that case. Of course if I were sitting outside all day under a tree reading, I would bypass reading on a phone :-)

[Hermit77]

It's just you, I find my Ereader far better than my IPad. Why it's lighter in weight, battery lasts about 7 to 8 weeks, it's easy to read in sunlight, what more do I need to say. EREADERS for me. iPads have other uses.

[radius]

I agree with the premise; I think many people are reluctant to buy a ereader when reading on a tablet is good enough. I started getting serious about reading on electronic devices back on the original Palm Pilot and Psion series 5 (man I used to hate Mobipocket back in the day) so I'd have no problem reading on today's high DPI LCDs if that was my only option.

I do most of my recreational reading on e-ink devices, but for some things, tablets just work better -- I recently bought a Surface 3 Pro and Nexus 9 for comics. And if you have the tablet already anyways, why not just use the Kindle or Kobo app instead of buying yet another device? I can see how that makes sense for a lot of people.

[radius]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Not hard at all. Reading too much on your phone on a bright day drains your battery rather quickly, leaving you unable to make phone calls.

When I've been caught in those situations, I typically turn on airplane mode, and switch the reading app to light text on black background (on an AMOLED-screened phone) and I can get hours of reading done perfectly satisfatorily.

Many phones have battery-saving mode which turns off radios and background updates which is convenient too.

[peaceridge]

Looking again at the PW2, I think I might use it if I didn't have to use the Kindle reader app, even though the PW2's screen, I think, gives me eye strain. I looked at the Voyage and am impressed with the screen quality (at least in the specs). However, I'm really attached to the PocketBook app. So, ereaders are off the table until I can find one (other than the PocketBook reader itself) that allows the app.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by ebusinesstutor

For me, I don't like to read outside. Never have, even with paper books. When I am outdoors, I have other things to do than read.

As for battery life, my phone lasts the day and plugs in when I get to sleep. I have never run out of power.

So neither of these two reasons gives me any incentive to carry a second device and force me into a device's walled garden.

I love to lay in the hammock and read on a beautiful summer day, with a small breeze flowing around me. Or on holiday, sitting in front of the tent/at the waterside/anywhere beautiful and tranquil, reading my book.

The problem with my phone (though its screen is perfectly readable in bright sunlight and the battery does last more than a full day) is that it simply is too small at 4.7". I'd like at least 5" 4:3 or 7" 16:10. Even that 5.5" Note 3 my mother has I find too small for comfortable reading (but I love reading on my 5" BeBook).

And none of my readers ever forced me into a walled garden. I have a Onyx Boox, a Sony 650 and a BeBook and my husband has only had Kindles so far. We both read all books on all devices.

Would I ever stop reading on my tablet however? No. At night I simply prefer a dark background with a gray letter (absolutely not white!) and I hate bed lights (always have, always will, they simply are too heavy, too cumbersome and too annoying).

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

The problem with my phone (though its screen is perfectly readable in bright sunlight and the battery does last more than a full day) is that it simply is too small at 4.7". I'd like at least 5" 4:3 or 7" 16:10.

I have to ask... what phone do you have that's perfectly readable in bright sunlight? I've yet to ever see one that does that.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I have to ask... what phone do you have that's perfectly readable in bright sunlight? I've yet to ever see one that does that.

Me too. My iPhone is usable in sunshine, but it's certainly not "perfectly readable".

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by radius

I agree with the premise; I think many people are reluctant to buy a ereader when reading on a tablet is good enough. I started getting serious about reading on electronic devices back on the original Palm Pilot and Psion series 5 (man I used to hate Mobipocket back in the day) so I'd have no problem reading on today's high DPI LCDs if that was my only option.

I do most of my recreational reading on e-ink devices, but for some things, tablets just work better -- I recently bought a Surface 3 Pro and Nexus 9 for comics. And if you have the tablet already anyways, why not just use the Kindle or Kobo app instead of buying yet another device? I can see how that makes sense for a lot of people.

I'd agree about using a tablet for comics.

But for reading books, for a significant stretch at a time, tablets are certainly harder on the eyes (at least mine) than an ereader. And I say this as someone who stares at a computer screen for much of the day.

To boot, the backlight does seem to affect my internal clock more at night than reading on a Kindle.

I personally find that lately I use my tablet mostly to play games

But if I have to give one or the other up, my iPad will have to go....

[ebusinesstutor]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

That's fine that you don't prefer an ereader, that's why thankfully we all have choices for our own preferences. I can't see tablets pushing out ereaders anymore than I could imagine ereaders pushing out tablets. Choices are always good.

And when you sideload all of your books and purchase them from wherever it's cheapest, there is no walled garden to worry about even with ereaders.

You can't see it but I can. Ereaders can't push out tablets because they can't do the other functions that tablets do. But tablets can be used as ereaders.

Sideloading and DRM removal are only options for a few computer literate people, not for the vast majority of those who read ebooks.

[ebusinesstutor]

Originally Posted by KevinBurke

Whatever, although a tablet can do many more things than an e-reader-- reading books on tablets is just stupid :

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/bu...tractions.html

People who want tablets instead of e-readers were never avid book readers to begin with. You illiterate people don't seem to get that an e-reader is a dedicated niche reading device for book readers and it does its job extremely well unlike a tablet which is a jack of all trades but master of none. You dumb illiterate tablet people should stop trying to ruin it for the more erudite intellectual people who actually read more than you do.

Not true. I read solely on my smart phone.

I am not illiterate, I read voraciously every day and go through many books every week. I have an extensive library in my home and am currently making a huge dent in the 500,000+ ebook collection on ScribeD.

I speed read and I bet that I actually read more than you do.

I have nothing against dedicated ebook readers, but tablet readers are just as serious about reading as you are. E-Ink snobs need to get over themselves and realize there is room for both devices.