What e-reader to purchase?

tedtcf · 05-26-2010, 10:47 AM

I'm a newby interested in purchasing a reader, however most of my reading is done at night in a dark bedroom.

What reader will be the best to buy that would be easy to read in a dark room?

Tamara · 05-26-2010, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedtcf

I'm a newby interested in purchasing a reader, however most of my reading is done at night in a dark bedroom.

What reader will be the best to buy that would be easy to read in a dark room?

The majority of readers use e-ink which is useless in a dark bedroom without a decent light pointed at the screen.

The iPhone/Touch/iPad all give an excellent reading experience in a dark bedroom.

tedtcf · 05-26-2010, 11:02 AM

Thanks Tamara!

surrealmind · 05-26-2010, 11:23 AM

If you're interested in ancient technology, you could always get the venerable eBookwise 1150. It's a backlit reader, and one of my favorite features is being able to read in bed without disturbing my wife.

That said, however, it is old technology. It is hard getting newer ebooks on it without advanced conversion techniques, which requires one to be a bit of techie. And the typeface is not near as nice as the more recent readers (though it is very comfortable to hold and has good annotations ability). And it's relatively cheap, about $100 new.

Anyway, just wanted to get you a little more information. Again, it is not user friendly like any of the new readers; it's more like a cult classic. For ease and more modern ebook accessibility, Tamara's options are a better choice.

mr ploppy · 05-26-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tamara

The majority of readers use e-ink which is useless in a dark bedroom without a decent light pointed at the screen.

The iPhone/Touch/iPad all give an excellent reading experience in a dark bedroom.

Pocket PCs are also good for that, and are very cheap on the second hand market now that they have been pretty much replaced by phones. There is a version of Mobipocket for them, and if you turn the brighness down to its lowest setting it won't bozz your eyes up.

Worldwalker · 05-26-2010, 01:36 PM

I take the e-ink + booklight approach myself. That gives me the most flexibility for the least eyestrain.

By the way, ted, there's a whole section for "Which one should I buy?" down in the device forums. That may have some more useful information, and also you might want to ask a mod to move this thread there.

Tamara · 05-26-2010, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Pocket PCs are also good for that, and are very cheap on the second hand market now that they have been pretty much replaced by phones. There is a version of Mobipocket for them, and if you turn the brighness down to its lowest setting it won't bozz your eyes up.

I had completely forgot about pocket pcs.

With the iPhone, I can reverse the image so the background is black and the text is white for night reading.

m-reader · 05-26-2010, 02:28 PM

I say try both before making your decision. I'd been reading on back-lit screens for a few years before switching to e-Ink (with a light). There's no way I'd go back to back-lit.
Reading a pocket pc or my tablet always felt like having a flash light shone into my eyes.

Having said this, many other people are very happy reading on back-lit screens. You really should try both and make your mind up based on your experience.

Tamara · 05-26-2010, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m-reader

Having said this, many other people are very happy reading on back-lit screens. You really should try both and make your mind up based on your experience.

I'm guessing that your backlit devices weren't capable of reversing the image to make the background black and the text white. It nicely takes care of the "flashlight" effect.

tedtcf · 05-26-2010, 08:38 PM

Many thanks to all your advice, I'm happy to get all your input!

SaraD · 05-27-2010, 02:57 AM

You should look at the "Which one should I buy?" forum. It is very helpful. Good luck!

Justy · 05-27-2010, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tamara

I'm guessing that your backlit devices weren't capable of reversing the image to make the background black and the text white. It nicely takes care of the "flashlight" effect.

I have been reading on various eInk eBook readers for the last couple of years and recently tried reading on my iPhone at night. I love the idea of not needing a book light, but did find, even with the image reversed or using a 'blue on dark blue' theme, that I had more eye strain than I do when I use my book light. But everyone is different and I did read for years on my Pocket PC without any issues.

sabredog · 05-27-2010, 04:24 AM

My HP PDA and Samsung Omnia smartphone still serve me well enough for reading. The HP has both Freda and Mobipocket reader software installed whilst the Omnia has just Mobipocket.

I do however notice the difference between a backlit LCD screen and the e-ink screen of my Sony PRS-300 when reading for extended periods. the backlit LCD, even with more eye friendly colour schemes does cause eyestrain and more tiredness.

Gwen Morse · 05-27-2010, 07:06 AM

You may want to hold off until about mid-late summer this year. A number of tablets are coming out, at least a few of which will have the Pixel Qi display (combined e-ink + backlit screen).

Google for "Pixel Qi" if you're curious about how the screen works.

mr ploppy · 05-27-2010, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabredog

the backlit LCD, even with more eye friendly colour schemes does cause eyestrain and more tiredness.

Tiredness not necessarily being a bad thing when you are reading in bed at night ...

05-26-2010, 10:47 AM	#1
tedtcf Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: none	What e-reader to purchase? I'm a newby interested in purchasing a reader, however most of my reading is done at night in a dark bedroom. What reader will be the best to buy that would be easy to read in a dark room?

05-26-2010, 02:28 PM	#8
m-reader Guru Posts: 785 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)	I say try both before making your decision. I'd been reading on back-lit screens for a few years before switching to e-Ink (with a light). There's no way I'd go back to back-lit. Reading a pocket pc or my tablet always felt like having a flash light shone into my eyes. Having said this, many other people are very happy reading on back-lit screens. You really should try both and make your mind up based on your experience. Last edited by m-reader; 05-26-2010 at 02:44 PM.

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05-26-2010, 11:02 AM	#3
tedtcf Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: none	Thanks Tamara!

05-26-2010, 11:23 AM	#4
surrealmind Connoisseur Posts: 71 Karma: 22 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Nook Color CM7, EB 1150, TC1100	If you're interested in ancient technology, you could always get the venerable eBookwise 1150. It's a backlit reader, and one of my favorite features is being able to read in bed without disturbing my wife. That said, however, it is old technology. It is hard getting newer ebooks on it without advanced conversion techniques, which requires one to be a bit of techie. And the typeface is not near as nice as the more recent readers (though it is very comfortable to hold and has good annotations ability). And it's relatively cheap, about $100 new. Anyway, just wanted to get you a little more information. Again, it is not user friendly like any of the new readers; it's more like a cult classic. For ease and more modern ebook accessibility, Tamara's options are a better choice.

05-26-2010, 01:36 PM	#6
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	I take the e-ink + booklight approach myself. That gives me the most flexibility for the least eyestrain. By the way, ted, there's a whole section for "Which one should I buy?" down in the device forums. That may have some more useful information, and also you might want to ask a mod to move this thread there.

05-26-2010, 08:38 PM	#10
tedtcf Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: none	Many thanks to all your advice, I'm happy to get all your input!

05-27-2010, 02:57 AM	#11
SaraD Groupie Posts: 161 Karma: 2670 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mead, WA, USA Device: Sony 650, Basic Kindle 7th generation	You should look at the "Which one should I buy?" forum. It is very helpful. Good luck!

05-27-2010, 04:24 AM	#13
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,630 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	My HP PDA and Samsung Omnia smartphone still serve me well enough for reading. The HP has both Freda and Mobipocket reader software installed whilst the Omnia has just Mobipocket. I do however notice the difference between a backlit LCD screen and the e-ink screen of my Sony PRS-300 when reading for extended periods. the backlit LCD, even with more eye friendly colour schemes does cause eyestrain and more tiredness.

05-27-2010, 07:06 AM	#14
Gwen Morse Addict Posts: 254 Karma: 59872 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: New York, USA Device: Kindle 3 (wifi) + nokia n900 tablet phone	You may want to hold off until about mid-late summer this year. A number of tablets are coming out, at least a few of which will have the Pixel Qi display (combined e-ink + backlit screen). Google for "Pixel Qi" if you're curious about how the screen works.