E-reading

I have written recently about e-books and on earlier occasions, but this topic is advancing fast enough that I felt moved to visit it yet again. As I have mentioned before, my first serious foray into e-reading has been using my much-loved iPad. This has served me very well and convinced me that e-books are now the way forward. I often meet people in social situations, who claim that their love for “real” books will never allow them to “defect”. However, I have observed that the smarter book lovers – of all ages, I might point out – are open minded enough to give the technology a chance and tend to become converts quite quickly.

My e-reading has moved on: I just bought a Kindle …

A valid question might be: why would I want a Kindle, as I already have an iPad, which can read Kindle e-books and do a whole lot more besides? And I was asking myself this for some time and arrived that the conclusion that a Kindle might add just enough to my life to make it a worthwhile investment. Let’s look at the pros and cons of an iPad [as an e-book reader] and a Kindle:

Advantages of an iPad:

• Reads Kindle books very well.
• Can also read other e-book formats.
• Does lots of other things.
• Illuminated screen means reading in low light is easy [like in bed without disturbing anyone else].

Drawbacks of an iPad:

• A little heavy to hold for long periods [though iPad 2 is improved].
• Illuminated screen disturbs some people’s sleep patterns.
• No good for reading in bright light or sunshine.
• Battery life is limited for long trips.

Advantages of a Kindle:

• Very light and easy to hold.
• Fantastic battery life.
• Good visibility in bright light and sunshine.
• Does not affect people’s sleep patterns.
• Very reasonably priced.

Drawbacks of a Kindle:

• Cannot read unaided in low light. [Needs more light, I feel, than a paper book – my bedside light is barely adequate.]
• Has very limited additional functionality.
• Cannot read other e-book formats [except PDF].

I think that this analysis shows that the two devices are quite complementary. Only time will tell whether my usage pattern bears this out.

My life is slightly more complex, as I also use a very small notebook PC [netbook]. I am beginning to think that I really could get away with just having the iPad when traveling, but I have not yet been brave enough to try that. For someone with no iPad, I think that a netbook and a Kindle would play together very well.

Ask me again in 6 months …