iPad as a reader

[SomeThingWickd]

Been reading on my iPad all day....as mentioned above, if I turn down the brightness, and tweak font, and size.....it is a very pleasurable experience!

Coupled with color, web browsing et al...and it really does rock. Pity Stanza is not an option, but I found that if I take my hoard, and convert it in Calibre to ePub, then save and import to iTunes Books, and sync....(Happy Hamster Dance....)

The whole bookshelf view is kind of cool..till I realized I had downloaded 100+ books, and now had to hunt and peck to find something to read..(Target rich environment...note to self...YOU CAN NOT READ 100+ BOOKS AT ONE TIME....LOL)

I LOVE my PRS- 505, don't get me wrong...2 weeks of reading on a charge, light weight, easy to travel with, durable with the cover closed, and such... But I have longed for a device that would let me read the 200+GB of CBZ, and CBR format in COLOR.....This is it...

It is a bit heavy, when compared to the 505...and requires a bit of a learning curve...(It took me a YEAR to transition from hardback/softcover books to the 505....and I fought it tooth and nail till I realized that I could take 2-3 months worth of reading on a carry on during travel then suddenly...I could not be parted with it...)

I see the same thing happening with the iPad as well, with the learning curve ramp up being much faster...(I have had an iPhone since day one, and have 3 generations of transition, jail-breaking, reader tweaking etc to use as a base...)

Overall, as a reader...I am VERY happy with it as a READER....much more so than with my iPhone with Stanza...(the iPhone is just TOO small to read on, except on a train, or sitting in a waiting room killing time...when my 505 is not at hand...)

I find myself picking up my iPhone now, and thinking iPad Nano???? I give the iPad 5 out of 5 stars as a reader...and then some for comic support, browsing, movies, and all the rest...

Am sure that MORE reading options will present themselves as Apps get added, and they jailbreak it...(And I will be jail-breaking it....)

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

It shouldn't...it's just an LCD. Proper use shouldn't cause any more eyestrain than paper.

I think that really depends on so many other factors though...font size, spacing, the actual font, how bright the screen is and of course the light around in the room too. add in someones actual vision conditions and it varies quite a bit.

[dmaul1114]

I read some on my girlfriend's iPad last night in iBooks and the Kindle app.

I really like it. Turned the brightness down and I didn't notice any eyestrain. Only read for an hour or so, but that's about as long as I ever read my Kindle in any one stretch.

I may even like reading on the iPad better with the larger pages, clearer text, whiter "page", faster page turns etc.

[All4Fun]

So far, I'm liking my iPad for reading. No more attaching a book light to the PRS-505 that I previously owned or turning on the lamp and annoying my wife while I'm in bed. That in itself is part of the value of reading on the iPad.

Plus, I could flip over to Safari and type this reply as I'm doing now.

I have many computing devices including an Asus eeePC 1000HE netbook and a Macbook Pro and there is definitely a place for the iPad in my arsenal for casual reading, browsing the web and with access to several apps for a price that rivals the Kindle DX for the base model.

[leebase]

Just a refresher after having the iPad for 9 months, and reading some 30 or so books on it.

I can read for hours and hours with no eye strain above what reading a book for hours and hours gives me.

There are now lots of book apps, including Stanza. I prefer the iBook app most for reading. That little extra "looks like a book" just does something in my brain to make it nicer. Totally subjective.

The iPad case really helped with the iPad being heavy. I don't actually hold the ipad in my hand, I rest it in my lap or on my belly and hold it up with a finger.

Love GoodReader for reading pdf's. The iPad was terrific for a 7 week set of classes I went through this year -- the books being in pdf form. I had the manuals, but far preferred following along with the iPad, and highlighting/annotating with Goodreader.

Comics are amazing -- but I'm just not a comic reader.

Flipboard is a fantastic RSS reader -- and has lots of it's own sourcing for content as well. I have my morning "flipboard session" rather than my morning paper.

For novels, I'm just as happy to read on my iPhone as my iPad -- EXCEPT -- that with my iPad enjoy flipping over to the internet, webmail, instant messaging, twitter while I'm reading (cuz I can read for hours, and enjoy the occassional mental breaks). I like that with iBooks or Kindle I can switch off between the iPad and iPhone and be at the same place in the book.

I use Calibre web server and Apple's safari browser to move my epubs into iBooks - very convenient.

The iPad is a hit for me for so many other reasons. I didn't buy it primarily as an eReader. However, it is my main eReader, I read lots of books (not compared to some of you insanse readers on the board), I read for hours at a time -- and find the iPad to be a genuine joy.

The batter lasts "all day". I never worry about battery life. I have no problem plugging my phone and my iPad in at night as part of my daily routine.

Lee

[mjhudston]

Having had one now for best part of six months, I find the Ipad a good ereader as well as ideal for my emails etc. It means as a travelling businessman, I no longer have to carry my laptop, ereader, and or several books with me. Just the ipad.

As for reading for any length of time, I do not find it a strain on the eyes or hands, but I must admit I am often seen with it resting on a hotel bar or table as I tend to do my reading as I eat and drink.

[Mirrorlike]

Tip: for reading websites, use Readability. It's a great tool for formatting pages.

To get it working on the iPad, create a new bookmark, then go to edit & paste this in the URL section.

javascript: (function () {
    readStyle = 'style-newspaper';
    readSize = 'size-medium';
    readMargin = 'margin-wide';
    _readability_script = document.createElement('SCRIPT');
    _readability_script.type = 'text/javascript';
    _readability_script.src = 'http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/js/readability.js?x=' + (Math.random());
    document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(_readability_script);
    _readability_css = document.createElement('LINK');
    _readability_css.rel = 'stylesheet';
    _readability_css.href = 'http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/css/readability.css';
    _readability_css.type = 'text/css';
    _readability_css.media = 'all';
    document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(_readability_css);
    _readability_print_css = document.createElement('LINK');
    _readability_print_css.rel = 'stylesheet';
    _readability_print_css.href = 'http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/css/readability-print.css';
    _readability_print_css.media = 'print';
    _readability_print_css.type = 'text/css';
    document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(_readability_print_css);
})();

[revfish]

Maybe it is just a case of the New not wearing off yet, but I just realized that I have not picked up my Sony 650 since I finished my last book. It isn't because I am reading novels on my iPad but I am re-reading some comics on there and then I have one novel that is in PDF that I bought from Books on Board that would not reflow so maybe once they are finished, then I will go back to the Sony for general novels.

BTW, I do love my new electronic friend.

[fantasyfan]

I first got an iPod touch and last summer, an iPad. The iPad has many virtues as a general device for reading e-books. There are a huge number of Apps for reading available--for me the main ones would be Stanza, iBooks, and the Kindle App. Of these, I make most use of the first and third and between the two I can read material in epub, azw, and mobi. iBooks offers good pdf support too. Stanza offers a beautiful customizable screen and easy access to a large number of sources for books both for sale and free. The font choice is also much greater than on any other reader I have seen. I have read a great deal on the iPad and it is a good experience.

Just this month I received a Kindle 3. Quite honestly, I found it marvelous to use. The screen using e-ink technology is very easy on the eyes. I did find that long stints of reading on an iPad did create a certain amount of eyestrain. The Kindle is far more effective when read in natural light--but you do need light. Unlike the iPad the Kindle has no backlight to enable reading in the dark or lowlight conditions. The Kindle's monochrome screen is fine for print and for black and white illustrations. It is very light, easy to handle, and portable. I would never take my iPad on holiday; it is too expensive and delicate a machine. Further, the Kindle Battery life is extraordinary. Without wi-fi, one can go a month between charges. All-in-all, I now use the Kindle for most of my reading. I imagine most of the points I make here would apply to almost any other e-ink reader.

I wouldn't dismiss the iPad though. Its ability to use colour means that material which uses colour illustrations can be seen as intended {e.g. the Rackham illustrations to Alice in Wonderland.} Manga is certainly more effective and easier to read on the iPad.The size of the screen makes surfing the web and reading newspapers much more practical. In moderately muted lighting conditions in a home environment the beautiful iPad screen comes into its own.

But a really important point to make is that comparing or contrasting the standard e-ink reader and the iPad is rather like comparing apples with oranges. With the The iPad, Apple have created a wonderful and powerful media retrieval device and I love it! I use mine for films, web browsing, games, and--as a good subsidiary e-reader. My Kindle is an excellent dedicated e-reader the function of which is simply to read e-books, and if all I wish to do is read that's what I usually use and for that purpose, I think it does its job very well indeed.

[leebase]

My thread was "the iPad as a reader" not "the iPad compared to eInk". But HAD I wished to compare I might have pointed out:
- can read in dim light or no light
- can buy from any book store, not tied to Amazon or B&N
- great for PDF's including highlighting and annotating
- no delay in turning pages
- no blink when turning pages
- My bible (Olive Tree) is fully integrated with maps, commentaries, dictionaries, topical analysis etc.
- color
- Magazines, newspapers, web look fantastic
- Flibboard has turned my rss feeds into a fantastic "magazine" that I read daily to keep up on tech.

I don't sit in the sun to read, and I have no problem plugging the iPad in at night.

But, this wasn't a thread about the ipad being better, just what the iPad was like as a reading device. Pretty FanDeDamnTastic IMHO.

Lee

[fantasyfan]

Sorry, I overdid the comparative aspect. It's just that I thought it was a way of showing the advantages and disadvantages of the iPad as a reader.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by leebase

My thread was "the iPad as a reader" not "the iPad compared to eInk". But HAD I wished to compare I might have pointed out:
- can read in dim light or no light
- can buy from any book store, not tied to Amazon or B&N
- great for PDF's including highlighting and annotating
- no delay in turning pages
- no blink when turning pages
- My bible (Olive Tree) is fully integrated with maps, commentaries, dictionaries, topical analysis etc.
- color
- Magazines, newspapers, web look fantastic
- Flibboard has turned my rss feeds into a fantastic "magazine" that I read daily to keep up on tech.

I don't sit in the sun to read, and I have no problem plugging the iPad in at night.

But, this wasn't a thread about the ipad being better, just what the iPad was like as a reading device. Pretty FanDeDamnTastic IMHO.

Lee

Well, Lee, A couple of things, first you don't OWN this thread, this is a discussion,
Second, if you want to discuss the iPad as a reader then it is certainly up for comparison to existing ebook readers -- that IS the topic of discussion.

[Marcy]

Funny I found the iPad sucked as a reader, not because the reading experience was bad, but because the library organization was abysmal at best.

It's fine if you only have a hundred or so books on it, but once you put a couple thousand it is unusable because

--pdfs and epubs are stored separately. What is the point of that? I have some series where I have some of the books in epub and some in pdf. Now with iBooks that series is always in two different places.

--There is no decent browse feature. The only way to browse is to scroll down through all your books. This gets old when there are 2500 books. My PRS-600 has the alphabet down the side of the reader, so I can choose where to browse from.

--You can't browse collections by just collection name. You are stuck browsing through your 2000+ books even in collection view. The books are just ordered by collection, but you're still wandering about the 2500+ books in collection alphabet order.

--Separately but still important is that putting books on the iPad was a royal PITA, involving first sending the books to iTunes then syncing to the iPad.

I like reading on the tablet screen, especially as I do a lot of reading at night and prefer a backlit screen and the light off. I also loved how perfectly the iPad displayed my pdfs. I just couldn't deal with the poorly organized library and not being able to browse my books. I pick which book to read next by browsing either my individual books randomly or the series names randomly. This is too painful with the iPad.

-Marcy

[murraypaul]

Those are all issues with the iBooks app, rather than with the iPad.

[leebase]

I only store a dozen or so books on my iPad. I use Calibre on my computer to manage my ebook collection. I have the Calibre server running and can view my books via the iPad's Safari browser, click on a book and open it in iBooks.

iBooks did add collections in the last version -- haven't tried to see if I could put epubs and pdf's in the same collection. I use GoodReader to read my pdf's anyway. I use DropBox to manage my pdf's as well, and do not keep them all on my iPad.

I can also remote into my PC from my iPad if I want to have full control of Calibre from my iPad.

Lee