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Having decided that you want to buy an ereader one of the first decisions that you will have to make is whether to go for a color screen or e-Ink. The latter is designed to give you more of a feel of reading a real book, whereas color makes viewing multimedia and pictures easier. Needless to say there are pros and cons for both choices.
As most users of computers know looking at a color screen for a protracted period can lead to eyestrain. Many users of the colored LCD screens admit to encountering this when using their ereaders. However, E-ink which is not backlit and does not make use of a refreshing image – so your eyes won’t get so tired.
To be fair some experts maintain that eyestrain is not a problem or it has been over estimated by the pro E-ink lobby.
On point that cannot be denied is that the battery life of e-ink screens is vastly superior to that of the LCD screens. This is due to the Fact that with the E-ink the battery is only used to turn the page whereas with the LCD it is used constantly to refresh the screen. Therefore is battery life is a major consideration for you then the E-ink is the best option.
Some E-ink screen users complain that the page turns considerably slower than with the LCD screens. Also as the page turn the screen flashes dark for a second. It can also it can be slow to browse through text or quickly skip a number of pages at once. This isn’t an issue with LCD screens, and LCD screens have the potential to perform more complex features as a result.
Lastly, if you’re the kind of person who travels a lot and likes to read on the beach, you’ll be better off with e-Ink. LCDs are notoriously difficult to read in bright daylight due to reflections, whereas e-Ink looks just like a real book. On the other hand, the backlight of LCD screens mean you can read in the dark, whereas you’ll need to purchase a separate reading light if you want to do the same with e-Ink.
As you can see from this article, there is no best eReader screen: it all comes down to personal preference. Those who want their eBooks to perform as much like real books as possible often opt for e-Ink, as it’s easier on the eyes and looks great in the sun. Those who want faster performance, or the ability to see color photos, will choose color eReader screens.
The original Barnes & Noble Nook was a huge seller in the world of eBook readers. Now there are two new models to choose from: the new Nook Color, and the Nook Touch. The latter is branded as “the simple eReader” by Barnes & Noble, where the focus is solely on the reading experience. But is this the right device for you?
Nook Touch eBook Reader
Nook Touch Key Specs
Average Price: $139
Release Year: 2011
Battery Life: Two Months (Wi-Fi off)
Screen Size: 6 inch
Screen Type: e-Ink touchscreen
Weight: 7.48 oz
Storage Size: 2GB (expandable by 32GB)
Internet: Wi-Fi
Main eBook Format: ePub
Pros Of The Nook Touch
Design: The Nook Touch is noticeably shorter and wider than other eReaders like the Kindle, but it weighs pretty much the same as the Kindle Touch. It’s compact, and sits well in your hand for reading. Because Barnes & Noble used soft-touch paint for this reader, it looks rubberized and sleek.
Touch Screen: As the name suggests, the Nook Touch features a touchscreen. The technology makes use of infrared sensors built into the border around the screen (the same technology employed by the Kobo Touch and Sony Reader Wi-Fi). As a result, it’s extremely responsive to even the slightest touch (which is a good thing). Using a touchscreen eReader is generally intuitive, and far easier than using a directional pad to make your way through menus.
Page Turns: The page turns are relatively fast on the Nook Touch. No current e-Ink reader has instant page turns, but the “flash” effect on the screen (it turns black for a second each time you turn the page) has certainly been reduced since the previous Nook models. E-Ink screens are never going to work as fast as LCD eReader devices, such as the Nook Color, but users probably won’t notice much delay on the Nook Touch.
Battery Life: The battery life on the Nook Touch really is excellent. As long as you don’t keep the Wi-Fi turned on, you won’t have to recharge the device for up to two months. This is double the battery life of the standard Kindle, but equal to the Kindle Touch and Kindle Keyboard. It’s excellent news for people who don’t want to worry about charging when they read, and means you can probably take it away on vacation without ever needing to recharge the device.
Extra Features: There are a number of extra features built into the Nook Touch, on top of standard reading features such as the dictionary, a variety of font sizes and so on.
Barnes & Noble had put an emphasis on the social side of reading, with features that will let you share what you’re reading with friends, or post highlighted book passages onto Facebook and Twitter (like with the Amazon Kindle). You can even ask friends to borrow books you’ve seen on their lists, though note that some publishers don’t allow their eBooks to be lent out.
User Interface: The Nook Touch has been well designed, and is easy to use without the need for an instruction manual. It doesn’t work in quite the same way as the Nook Color, but the touchscreen means that it’s easy to get to where you want to go.
Book Format: The Barnes & Noble Nook Touch uses the standard ePub book format. This is useful thanks to the fact that a number of other reading devices and bookstores also use this format. This is one benefit over the Amazon Kindle, which reads its own AZW books and the Mobi format – not ePub. The Nook Touch can also read PDF files (standard on most eReaders) but not Word documents. The book format also means it’s easy to loan books from the library, though this is something that Kindle have also just started to implement.
Cons Of The Nook Touch
Lack Of Features: There are a few features missing from the Nook Touch, notably a web browser. Its main rival – the Kindle Touch – does come with a browser, albeit a very basic one. Some other features that you’ll find on the Kindle Touch and not on the Nook Touch include the ability to play MP3 files.
Price: Although the Nook is more affordable than it has been in the past, it’s still beaten by the Amazon Kindle Touch in terms of price. The latter offers a discount if you buy the model with special offers (ads) shown on the screensavers and home menu. Barnes & Noble have previously voiced their opinion on the use of ads on their readers, saying it’s not something they’re planning to do in future. Kindle also has the standard option, without the touchscreen, which is cheaper again.
When you compare the price of the two devices without the ad discount, the Kindle Touch and Nook Touch are largely identical in terms of price and the features they offer. Both are touchscreen eReaders, both have access to excellent bookstores, but the Kindle Touch provides a web browser and the option for a (more expensive) 3G version if you want it.
No 3G Option: As previously mentioned, the Kindle Touch offers the choice between Wi-Fi and 3G, whereas the Nook Touch only comes with Wi-Fi. This is not a problem for most users, as you can do all your buying and downloading when you’re near a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Is The Nook Touch Worth Buying?
When the Nook Touch was first released, it was king of the touchscreen eReader world. With the release of the Kindle Touch, things have changed a little. In truth, the reading experience is very similar on both: they both have intuitive menu systems, and both have a high quality e-Ink display. It all comes down to which store and book format you prefer. And, if you want 3G internet access, you’ll have to go with the Kindle.
Although the cost of buying an ebook reader has fallen over the last twelve months it is still worth time to study the market before buying one. These days there are even alternatives to the ebook reader such as smart phones or I Pads. However, if you are a serious bookworm the ebook reader is the nearest thing to a real book. It replicates real paper look by the use of e-ink which makes it similar to reading the printed page rather than a computer screen.
Which ebook Reader?
A dedicated ebook reader just serves that one main purpose unlike smart phiones and iPads and this makes them easy to use. eBook readers have simple forward and backward page turning controls and is around the size of a standard paperback. Most do have a few extra features such as dictionary definitions, note taking and the ability to buy and download ebooks directly to the device.
Although the black and white e-ink is used by the majority of ebook readers it is possible to get versions that come with coloured screens. If colour is important to you then just be aware that it will use more battery power and is not always as easy to read in sun light as the e-ink readers.
Most ebook readers are reliant on one source for their ebooks, for instance if you buy a Kindle you will have to get your ebooks from Amazon and if you have the Nook you will have to go to Barnes and Noble. There is little variation in the size of the various ebook reader screens; they are mainly around 6 inches in size. If you need a larger screen then there is the option of buying an I Pad with its 10 inch screen although this will be much more expensive.
Although a lot has been said about the storage space on ebook readers they can all store at least 1500 books which should be enough for most people. Although the external size of readers may vary, for instance some will fit into your pocket, most are more traditionally the size of a paperback and easy to carry around.
The more features you require from an ebook reader the higher the price will be. Currently it is possible to buy readers from around $60 and the basic Kindle is priced at $89. You can pay up to about $180 for the more sophisticated ebook readers but in what is becoming a very competitive market you can expect further price reductions plus additional features in the coming year.
Last Christmas Amazon sold over 4 million Kindle ebook readers and as a result it is becoming a common site to see people on trains, aircraft and in fact just about everywhere using their readers. If you want to get a reading devise the ebook reader is not the only option. The Tablet computers such as the iPad also offer an ebook reader capability as part of their multimedia package. So is is better to buy a dedicated reader or go for the multi featured tablet? Here’s a brief rundown of the pros and cons of choosing either device.
i pad 2
Features Available
The first thing you’ll notice is that eBook reading devices like the Kindle or Nook don’t have many features. The focus really is on reading, and the only extras you might find are music players or very, very basic web browsers.
Tablets, on the other hand, can do so much more. Because they use an operating system much like a computer does, you can download a whole range of applications. The exact apps you can download varies from device to device, but they usually include games, email programs, browsers, word processors and more.
Price
There is a benefit to the lack of extra features on an eBook reader, and that is the fact that they cost far less than tablet computers. The best eBook reader, for some, could simply mean the cheapest, in which case a standalone device is definitely a better idea than a tablet computer.
Reading Experience
Another benefit of standalone eBook reading devices is that they generally deliver a better reading experience. Although color LCD screens exist, most eReaders make use of a technology known as e-Ink. This looks like real paper, is easy to read in sunlight and won’t strain the eyes. Tablets, on the other hands, light up like computer screens, and many people find this less comfortable to read for a length of time.
Images And Multimedia
If you do opt for an e-Ink screen, note that you’ll be limited to black and white images only. However, if you choose a color eBook reader or a tablet, you’ll be able to view photos and images within books and magazines, and may also be able to access other multimedia. The more advanced you get, the more likely it is that you’ll need a tablet computer.
So Which Do You Choose?
The truth is that the best eBook reader for you will not be the best eBook reader for everyone. We all have different preferences. Some would rather pay more money for a device that can do everything, whereas others embrace the simplicity of an eBook reader. Make sure you think carefully about what you want to get out of the gadget before making your final decision.
Kobo Touch Edition Review
The Kobo Touch Edition isn’t quite as popular or as well known as eReaders like the Nook Touch or Kindle, but it is a viable option in the world of budget eBook readers. Keep reading to find out more about the pros and cons of choosing this particular device.
Kobo Touch Edition Key Specs
Average Price: $129
Release Year: 2011
Battery Life: One Months (Wi-Fi off)
Screen Size: 6 inch
Screen Type: e-Ink touchscreen
Weight: 7.05 oz
Storage Size: 2GB (expandable by 32GB)
Internet: Wi-Fi
Main eBook Format: ePub
Pros Of The Kobo Touch Edition
Price: There are two major rivals to the Kobo Touch Edition: The Nook Touch and Kindle Touch. Both of these come in at $139 (though the Kindle is cheaper if you opt for the ad-supported version). The Kobo Touch is slightly cheaper, at $129, yet still comes with a sleek touchscreen and a variety of eReader functions.
Touchscreen: Touchscreen eBook readers are by now becoming the norm. Having a touchscreen on the Kobo Reader means it’s far faster to look up words in the dictionary (simply click on the word rather than scrolling through the page with the directional pad) and to access the menu items you want to use.
Memory Expansion: 2GB of internal memory is less than the Amazon Kindle Touch, but can still store around 1,000 books – more than enough for most users! The good news is that, unlike the Kindle, the Kobo Touch Edition does come with an SD memory card expansion slot to expand your memory up to 32GB (for 30,000 eBooks). It’s unlikely any of us will have enough eBooks to fill the expanded memory, but it’s always useful to have the expansion option available should you ever need it.
Web Access And Browser: The Kobo Touch Edition comes with Wi-Fi connectivity built in, as you’d expect when its main rivals are the Kindle and Nook. You can simply use this to shop for new books from the device, or you can take advantage of the included browser. Like most e-Ink reader web browsers, it’s not perfect but it’s a great feature to have on hand.
Design: Like any good eReader, the Kobo Touch Edition is designed to be compact and portable. It is lightweight, making it comfortable to hold as you read. The real thing that sets the Kobo apart from other eReaders, however, is the quilted back design. It comes in a number of different colors to suit your personality, and looks stylish and fun. The design also means that you’ll have a good grip on the device.
Battery: With the Wi-Fi turned off, the battery on the Kobo Touch Edition will last around one month, which is more than enough time for most users not to have to worry about charging all the time. Note that this is less than the two months boasted by the Kindle Touch/ Keyboard and the Nook Touch, but is still considered an excellent battery life.
Some Unique Features: Just like the Kindle Touch and Nook Touch, the Kobo Touch Edition comes with some of its own unique features. For example, the Reading Life function allows you to keep track of everything you’ve read, providing you with detailed stats and rewards when you meet certain requirements. Just with the Kindle and Nook, you can also share what you’re reading with Facebook and Twitter.
Apps For Other Devices: Like the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook, the Kobo has a variety of apps available to download for Android, iPhone/ iPad and your computer. This means that you’ll have your books available on you no matter which one of those devices you may be using.
Page Turns: Like the latest generations of Nook and Kindle, the manufacturers of the Kobo reader have gone to some effort to reduce the black screen flash that occurs when you turn the page on an e-Ink screen. This means that you won’t notice the screen going black every single page turn, which is nice (though most users don’t usually notice the page turns once they get used to using their eReader). Note that you can either swipe or tap the screen to turn the page, which is very intuitive and easy to do.
Cons Of The Kobo Touch Edition
Less Intuitive: When you compare the Kobo Touch Edition to its main Kindle and Nook rivals, you’ll find that the touch functions are less intuitive than the competition. The user interface isn’t quite as well designed and laid out, though you can still find your way around pretty easily.
Fewer Features: The Kobo Touch Edition has fewer features than the Kindle equivalent. Like the Nook, it doesn’t come with the ability to play MP3 files, nor does it have a text-to-speech function. That said, you can read PDF files and the device does support library lending formats.
Newspapers and Magazines: The Nook is famous for the way it can display magazines, and the Kindle also has an excellent selection of titles available in its store. The Kobo, on the other hand, has far fewer titles to choose from.
In short, the Kobo Touch Edition is an excellent upgrade to its line of eReaders. There are a number of features on the device that help it stand up against rivals such as the Kindle Touch and Nook Touch, and the design certainly stands out. Although Kobo don’t offer as many books in their own store, the eReader is open enough to allow you to read content from other sources. All in all, the Kobo Touch Edition comes in at a good price and is a solid eReader.
One of the factors that put many people off getting an ebook reader is the cost of buying ebooks from Amazon or one of the other ebook publishers. It is not uncommon to find that a digital ebook download can actually cost more than the paper back version of some books. However, the good news is that it is possible to quite legally get free ebook downloads if you know where to go.
The law states that all books whose authors have been dead for over seventy years are out of copyright and therefore are in the public domain. Although the laws may vary slightly from country to country the classic from earlier time are now all in the public domain. By using a search engine you should be able to find copies of books by authors such as Dickens, Jane Austin and other authors available as free downloads.
If you are looking for free ebooks a good place to start is the online ebook stores such as Amazon Kindle Store. If you type in “free ebooks” into the sites search engine you will find several pages of free books. Both Amazon and Apple I Books have a selection of free ebooks as well as a selection of cheap books which can be purchased for a dollar or less.
Other Online Collections
When you’ve exhausted the free eBooks of the main eBook stores then here are a few other resources you may want to check out:
1) Project Gutenberg: This website is the most famous, and has thousands of free eBooks available to download in a variety of eReader formats.
2) Google Books: If you’re looking for classic books, Google Books is a good place to start. Google also run their eBook Store in the US for a greater selection of eBooks, both free and paid.
3) MobileRead.com: This isn’t just a resource for free eReader books – though it has many, organized by category – it’s a whole resource where you can chat with other avid readers. They will often make announcements here when Amazon launches new devices or when there are new free eBooks added to the store.
Borrow eBooks From Friends
All eBooks that you buy from stores such as Amazon will be protected, making it difficult to share them with friends. The good news, however, is that some eBook readers let you lend out books for a limited period of time. You’ll have to check the particular book and your device to make sure this is possible.
Borrow eBooks From Digital Libraries
Lastly, don’t forget your local library! Although they’re famous for physical books, many are now offering free eReader books to members. They may or may not be available for your particular eBook reading device, but most users can at least access the books through their computers.
One of the big advantages of the Micro Cruz Reader is that it allows you to access ebooks from a wide range of sources including Borders, Barnes & Noble and of course Amazon. The built in applications include a dictionary, notepad, calendar, alarm clock, contacts, games and a range of useful apps.
Velocity Micro Cruz Reader, Black (R101)
In appearance it resembles an I Pad having a seven-inch (diagonal) touch screen with 800 x 600 pixel resolution. The Velocity Micro Cruz Reader has the Android OS as its operating system and this Google designed OS works well. We found the screen easy to read and the slim and attractive design, (it weighs less than 1 lb and is only 0.6 inch thick) ideal for use at home or when traveling.
With the Cruz you can bring your favorite movies on a plane without the hassle of a portable DVD player or laptop, with support for MPEG-4 and H.264 video formats. Listen to your favorite tunes in MP3, WMA, AAC, or WAV formats. Or share pictures from your last vacation with JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP support.
The Cruz Reader offers 256 MB internal storage, expandable via both USB and SD card slots. A 4 GB micro SD card is included with the device (pre-installed)An extended life, user-replaceable lithium-ion battery is included, offering up to 10+ hours of life on a single charge (24+ hours on standby).
On the downside it would have been nice to have received a full manual with the ebook reader and some people have reported that the screen can smudge easily. However, generally comments have been positive and we think that the Velocity Micro Cruz Reader, Black (R101) represents good value for money. Definitely one to be considered if you do not want to be limited to downloading from just one source.
The PRS-350 is a well designed with a aluminum casing. It has a nice sturdy feel to it and is the lightest of the Sony ebook readers. It has 5 control buttons on the front of the reader as well as a touch screen. For technology it uses the new Pearl e-ink screen not dissimilar to the one used on the Kindle.
Unlike the Kindle Touch the Sony Reader PRS-350 does not have any audio capability.
Essential bits of information about this device: It has a screen size of 5 inches which can be displayed in portrait or landscape view. Because it has PDF reflow capability it can hadle PDF files well and there are 5 font sizes available. However it only has one serif font and this cannot be changed. 
The Sony Reader pRS-350 It uses a 16-level gray-scale to display images
and can use epub, .PDF, .lrf (BBeB), Microsoft Word, .rtf, .txt, .jpg, .gif, .png, and .bmp
formats. It comes with 12 pre installed dictionaries including 2 Oxford English dictionaries plus English- French-German-Italian-Spanish and Dutch dictionaries.
The battery is charged from your computer via a USB and a single charge lasts about 2 weeks.
On the downside apart from the lck of audio capability there is also no Wi Fi or 3G capability. You will also need to buy a case for the reader as Sony do not supply one.
No doubt Sony fans might like this reader but at around £135 ($147) it is a little on the expensive side compared to the Kindle Touch. It is a good reader with a nice feel but personally it would not be my first choice.
Amazons Kindle ebook readers have been leaders in their field ever since their introduction. However, in 2011 Amazon has adopted an aggressive pricing policy which is making the Kindle a very attractive proposition for anyone looking to buy their first ebook reader. Starting at $79 with special offers (£89 in the UK) the Kindle is looking very affordable for most people. 
Each e-ink Kindle is available at different pricing depending on whether you want on screen special offers, which is another term for advertising. . According to Amazon, “special offers and sponsored screensavers display on Kindle when you’re not reading.” The premium to avoid advertising is $30 for the base Kindle or $40 for the Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G.
The basic Kindle is the smallest and lightest of the 3 models. Unlike the other two models it does not have touch screen and relies on side buttons for page turning. It also lacks any audio facility so cannot give either text to speech or background music. The lack of sophistication is reflected in its price.
For the additional $20 with “special offers” or $30 without the Kindle Touch offers touch screen and audio backup. It also has a new x-ray feature that allows you to view what Amazon call the “bones of the book”. How useful this will be I am not certain. The Kindle Touch like the Kindle 3G is bigger and heavier than the Kindle but against this the battery life is considerably longer and the Touch represents good value.
The Kindle Touch 3G comes in at $149 or $189 without “special offers”. The basic difference between this and the Touch model is that you get 3G wireless connection which allows you to download and gain Internet access when you are way from normal Internet or Wi Fi access. Whether this represents a good buy depends upon the amount of time you expect to be away from .civilization! The good point is that unlike most 3G connections there is no charge.
My personal choice is the Kindle Touch which has more than enough features for the price
• E Ink display with multi-touch
• Read in Sunlight – Kindle’s high contrast, E Ink touchscreen reads like real paper, with no glare.
• Text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s
• Over 800,000 titles for $9.99 or less
• Long battery life
• Transfer MP3 files to Kindle Touch to play as background music while you read.
With the launch of Amazon’s Kindle DX electronic reader it looks as though small is no longer beautiful The Kindle DX comes with a 9.7 in (24 cm) screen which is almost 4 in (10 cm) larger than their current Kindle e-book reader.
With the DX, two major markets, newspapers and text books. The problem with smaller ebook readers is that whilst they are fine for many books they not so good for text books that contain charts and graphs. The Kindle DX with its larger screen is ideal for these types of publications. A swell as textbooks the larger screen is also suited to highly formatted information found in cookbooks and computer related publications.
One area where Amazon hope the Kindle DX will come to the forefront is electronic newspapers. Already The New York Times and The Washington Post offer a subscriber service that delivers the newspaper directly to the Kindle DX using the cell phone network.
The Kindle DX has a memory that is large enough to store 3,500 e-books which can be purchased and downloaded directly from Amazon. Currently there is over a quarter of a million titles a available.
The new electronic reader has some very useful features for text book readers. It provides the capability of annotating or highlighting text. It is also possible to bookmark specific pages or to switch pages to landscape view.
Joe Bezos , the founder of Amazon said at the launch of the Kindle DX that “Cookbooks, computer books and textbooks and anything that is highly formatted will shine on the Kindle DX”.
As part of Amazon’s ongoing trials Princetown students are to be given Kindle DX readers as part of a trial this autumn. However many students appear to be sceptical of the new technology. Among the problems students have is the fact that for some work you need ready access to four or five different textbooks at the same time. Cost is also going to be another factor for hard pressed students because at $489 it is hardly cheap.
Amazon is currently only available in the USA although it is expected to be available worldwide later this year.
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