Reader or tablet?

[Wrzlbrmpft]

Good day,

recently my old tablet had an unfortunate incident with the stone-tiles and since then it is rather difficult to use

Well, I thought about what to use in the future and decided to try an ebook-reader for the „usual” reasons, like being less restraining for the eye and such.

My first try was a tolino epos, which I bought, turned on, realised I am forced to register and have advertising use up 1/3 of the home screen, and returned to the shop.

My second reader is a pocketbook colour 3. I tried it and yes, it does display a fine image and is quite comfortable to read, BUT...

I’d like to use it for newspapers, magazines and technical papers mainly. Real books I prefer in my shelf

So first thing I noted was epub is widely used but lacks formatting suitable for such papers, especially magazines.

Second, beside the (sometimes coloured) cover image, there are only a few books for children which actually have photos and images. Even my newspaper doesn’t include a single picture.

Third, my favourite newspaper has a neat app which tells me about available papers and lets me download and display in a jiffy. The reader needs to use an included browser and open, navigate to the link, download, open from library.

So I wonder, am I wrong saying there is no actual advantage using an ebook-reader over a standard tablet?

The display is less friendly to the eye. But it needs some lighting anyway and in common indoor-conditions there is only a small difference between a dimmed tablet and the color 3 reader.

The „screen refreshes too much and hence fatigues the eye is - in my humble opinion - a bit of urban legend since LCD screens do not refresh as noticably as old cathode-ray tubes (some of you might remember)

So, should I just return the reader and go for a tablet instead?

[Quoth]

An ebook reader is best for novels. If the content doesn't reflow, or is complex or interactive the eink is quickly useless.

Not all tablets are equal. Some are worse than decent CRTs and some nearly as good as eink for a novel.

There is no eyesight issue with a good quality tablet and correctly dimmed backlight. USA TV CRT were 30 fps / 60 Hz interlaced and refreshed by slowly redrawing half the lines on the screen taking 16.7 ms.

Eink takes longer than that to update the screen and a complete refresh without ghosts and all grey levels takes maybe 100ms, or over 1500 ms on aecp color (used for adverts). Current eink colour are all mono eink with a colour filter, just like LCD (which is mono) and thus need the front light LEDs quite bright.

A good LCD panel can run at 120 fps / 120 Hz and update as fast as 0.3ms. Also even at lower refresh rates there is no flicker with a static image. Some cheap LCD panels (backlight) and eink (frontlight) have flicker from poor design of LED illumination (too slow PWM brightness control).

A shiny surface causes the most eye strain and headaches to due unconscious focusing on the further away reflection rather than the screen. Some of the most expensive tablets are worst for this.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Wrzlbrmpft

So I wonder, am I wrong saying there is no actual advantage using an ebook-reader over a standard tablet?

There is an advantage when reading ordinary mostly black-and-white novels, which presumably is what most ereader users use their devices for. As to magazines, newspapers, technical PDF files and such, tablet is better for sure.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

There is an advantage when reading ordinary mostly black-and-white novels, which presumably is what most ereader users use their devices for. As to magazines, newspapers, technical PDF files and such, tablet is better for sure.

Yes, ordinary reflowable novels. Not print replica.

[Wiggo]

If it's just for home, then tablet (for epub, pdf, whatever) and as big as possible - I'm reading everything on an iPad12''.
I love the double page layout for PDFs.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Wiggo

If it's just for home, then tablet (for epub, pdf, whatever) and as big as possible - I'm reading everything on an iPad12''.
I love the double page layout for PDFs.

For PDFs, yes. And for magazines, newspapers etc. But I certainly don't want to read non-illustrated, reflowable novels on any tablet. And I only read at home. I want to read novels on a dedicated, lightweight, eink reader.

I do have a Surface Pro tablet with a 12'' screen. I don't read books on it. So a tablet for everything is not everyone's cup of tea.

[Wiggo]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

For PDFs, yes. And for magazines, newspapers etc. But I certainly don't want to read non-illustrated, reflowable novels on any tablet. And I only read at home. I want to read novels on a dedicated, lightweight, eink reader.

I do have a Surface Pro tablet with a 12'' screen. I don't read books on it. So a tablet for everything is not everyone's cup of tea.

Yep, suum cuique, but non-fiction books on eink and then look things up on the web - have fun.
I've never understood the weight problem either. And my tablet is sharper and has faster page turns than my Libra2, but again, to each his own.

P.S.: Quoth's reference to this 14'' tablet has made me curious

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Wiggo

Yep, suum cuique, but non-fiction books on eink and then look things up on the web - have fun.

I do it all the time. It's easy enough - I usually read on my sofa, holding an ereader in my hand, with a laptop or a tablet (on a stand) on a small sidetable. Whenever I want to look something up, I just use my other hand.

Why I don't read everything on that tablet or laptop, then - I just like eink better for long, black and white text. I do read web articles (usually with photos) on my tablet and laptop often enough. Not books.

[Wiggo]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I do it all the time. It's easy enough - I usually read on my sofa, holding an ereader in my hand, with a laptop or a tablet (on a stand) on a small sidetable. Whenever I want to look something up, I just use my other hand.

Then you don't seem to have high standards. With libra2 page loading, scrolling, no tabs - pure PITA

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Wiggo

Then you don't seem to have high standards. With libra2 page loading, scrolling, no tabs - pure PITA

99% of what I read are just novels without any bells and whistles, or fancy formatting. Why would I need tabs or scrolling when reading a fantasy or a mystery novel? Page loading is quite sufficient for me, I'm no speed reader.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Wiggo

Then you don't seem to have high standards. With libra2 page loading, scrolling, no tabs - pure PITA

Ordinary epub novel reading doesn't need scrolling or tabs and the page turn speed for reading a novel is fine.

I'd use my nxtpaper 11 for anything more complicated.

[readthinksurvive]

i use s7+ tab for web comics & ereader for manga got from libby/hakuneko

sounds like you need best of both worlds ... android epaper device!

[Wiggo]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

99% of what I read are just novels without any bells and whistles, or fancy formatting. Why would I need tabs or scrolling when reading a fantasy or a mystery novel? Page loading is quite sufficient for me, I'm no speed reader.

Sorry Sirtel, that wasn't clearly expressed by me.

Page loading, tabs and scrolling were referring to Libra2 browser and you not having high standards to the second device.

A second device could hardly be more uncomfortable. Typing everything on the second device every time instead of highlighting and simply searching or just switching the app - no thanks.

I don't read enough books where I don't have to look anything up, even if it's just the high-resolution map of a fantasy novel.

Long story short, I don’t like eInks at home.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Wiggo

A second device could hardly be more uncomfortable. Typing everything on the second device every time instead of highlighting and simply searching or just switching the app - no thanks.

Heh. It's not at all uncomfortable for me. I'm a fast typer, but a slow and clumsy highlighter (unless I use a mouse for highlighting). I don't like touchscreens and gestures at all, and prefer a keyboard any time.

I guess people are just different. I find my setup very comfortable, you find yours.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Wiggo

Page loading, tabs and scrolling were referring to Libra2 browser and you not having high standards to the second device.

After initial tests on each new model and having Chrome, Firefox and einkbro on an Android eink, I conclude that eink is for reading real ebooks, not PDFs or webpages or Print replica.

Novels. I'm almost never wanting to look up something on the Internet while reading a novel.

I can see little value to getting an eink device if you don't read many novels.

The main value of Andriod on eink seems to be to use loans and other ebook reading apps for bought books, especially if you can't be bothered removing DRM. Except for loans it's better to remove DRM.

Kindle & Kobo can use their associated shop's subscription loans and in some countries the public library. In those situations there is no need for the Android bloat.
Some Andriod Apps won't work on eink (that should work) and the App developer isn't going to have Boox, Boyue, Meebook etc to test on.