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Snidely Whiplash · 08-24-2010, 01:17 PM

Best Buy carries the Sony reader and in passing I stopped and took a quick look at those today.

It seemed the print was pretty big on a small screen and would require a lot of "page turns" , which happened pretty slowly and with some flicker. Is this the norm for these electronic readers?

haha · 08-24-2010, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snidely Whiplash

Best Buy carries the Sony reader and in passing I stopped and took a quick look at those today.

It seemed the print was pretty big on a small screen and would require a lot of "page turns" , which happened pretty slowly and with some flicker. Is this the norm for these electronic readers?

The Kindle is quick, and I have the old one. My battery seems to be failing though.

Ha

REWahoo · 08-24-2010, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snidely Whiplash

Best Buy carries the Sony reader and in passing I stopped and took a quick look at those today.

It seemed the print was pretty big on a small screen and would require a lot of "page turns" , which happened pretty slowly and with some flicker. Is this the norm for these electronic readers?

Not sure about other e-readers but on DW's Kindle the font size is user selectable. Hers turns pages briskly, with no flicker.

kramer · 08-24-2010, 01:34 PM

Re: which is easiest to read

If I recall, Kindle is about 167 pixels per inch and the Ipad 132. Not sure what a paperback is, 300? Although I have seen some sloppy paperback printing. A paperback would have higher contrast, the Ipad the least.

I think the ease of reading is in this order for default font size:

Paperback, Kindle, Ipad

But for the latter 2, you can adjust font and font size to fit (although Kindle 3 only has 3 fonts). In low lighting, I think Ipad would be better. But print on Paperback and Kindle much clearer, higher pixel density plus black and white (no RGB pixel division which lowers contrast). I have seen close up pictures of a couple pixels comparing Ipad and Kindle, and it is not even close, Kindle is way better.

On page turn speed, the Kindle 3 is 20% faster than Kindle 2. According to the forums, the quick page blanking only bothers beginners. Everyone else is used to it and doesn't think anything of it (in fact, Kindle 2 owners apparently don't really value the page turn speed increase, it is just not an issue). I'll let you know after I get mine!

Kramer

kramer · 08-24-2010, 01:37 PM

Some Kindle 3 reviews are just out:

Amazon Kindle Third Generation With 3G + Wi-Fi | Wired.com Product Reviews

Hands-on review of the Kindle 3 | Crave - CNET

The device should start shipping next week. The reviewers all love it!

Kramer

Katsmeow · 08-24-2010, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer

But print on Paperback and Kindle much clearer, higher pixel density plus black and white (no RGB pixel division which lowers contrast). I have seen close up pictures of a couple pixels comparing Ipad and Kindle, and it is not even close, Kindle is way better.

Personally I think the print is much clearer on the iPad. Maybe it is just how I have it set up but for me there is no contest that the iPad is clearer and easier to read.

That said, the thing that the Kindle does have that is way better than the iPad is size and weight. There are places where I don't want to use the iPad to read (say I was standing in line somewhere) but where I would use the Kindle quite easily.

kramer · 08-24-2010, 02:59 PM

Here are pixel close-ups of Ipad versus Kindle (Kindle 2, I think):

iPad and Kindle Screens Compared Under A Microscope

the original article here:

Kindle and iPad Displays: Up close and personal. | BIT-101

It appears that it is not just more pixels per inch, but a better representation in between pixels.

Kramer

08-24-2010, 04:15 PM

I am an avid reader but I have a major problem in that I am very allergic to the dust on older books as the paper ages. When I go to the library I have to stay out of the sections that have old books.

I plan to buy a Kindle as soon as I find out when the next generation will come out. I only need an 3 reader for reading books.

Norm

george76 · 08-25-2010, 10:40 AM

Thanks to both Kramer and Katsmeow for your insight. Kindle 3 sounds very interesting.

haha · 08-25-2010, 03:38 PM

When this thread began I was lukewarm about the Kindle. Then one was given to me and now I am sold. Just came back from sunbathing in the park. The screen is completely clear in bright sun. When I am on my back it is light enough to hold up at arm's length and block the sun from being directly in my eyes. It is small and light, I keep it in a manila envelope in the map pocket of my rucksack. And I love the feature where it automatically bookmarks where I last finished reading.

Best of all, while the Seattle library has a limited selection of Anthony Trollope's books, I can find pretty much all of them free or cheap on the Kindle.

Question- is there a way to bookmark a passage you really like to come back later and fetch a quote?

Ha

Katsmeow · 08-25-2010, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha

Question- is there a way to bookmark a passage you really like to come back later and fetch a quote?

Ha

You can select a passage and highlight it.

Cattusbabe · 08-25-2010, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha

The Kindle is quick, and I have the old one. My battery seems to be failing though.

Ha

Which generation do you have?

Cattusbabe · 08-25-2010, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by george76

Does anyone know what might be better for the eyes, whether it is kindle, iPad or an old-fashioned book?

As I have posted before my husband and I bought our kindles because we were having difficulty in reading printed text.

The e-book allows us to adjust the font to a size we are both comfortable with. That has eliminated the need to purchase magnifiers in order to read. Therefor for us "old fashioned" books are out. As far as the Ipad is concerned we just want to read books, nothing more, so a dedicated reader is all we need. I tend to read for long periods of time at a clip and a back lit screen is very uncomfortable.
We are still using the K1 and are fine with that. We see no need to purchase the later generation devices.

I am looking into getting a Sony reader so that I can access library books but I plan to do more research since I have some concern about the availability of books this way.

Onward · 08-26-2010, 11:45 AM

From the WSJ Online:

Should You Buy an E-Book? - WSJ.com

Cattusbabe · 08-27-2010, 08:43 AM

I just found this and thought to post it here. It is the mother of
all Kindle FAQ and it is growing daily.

Unofficial Kindle Support - Index page

haha · 08-27-2010, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cattusbabe

Which generation do you have?

I just got this figured out. It is the 2nd generation.

Ha

urright4me · 08-29-2010, 09:10 PM

My wife and I both have Kindles. They have been very useful overseas. We can carry them with multiple titles anywhere we go, the beach, China, Bhutan, India, Egypt, Oman, etc. We have a little netbook too that we can keep up with banking online, news, etc. Kindle for PC lets you have all the same books on your PC. I like to have financial planning books on my PC, so I can capture good advice in a spreadsheet. But for pleasure reading the Kindle is by my bedside. For the future, I want to get rid of most of our paperbacks and hardcover books. I know from experience that there is nothing heavier than boxes of books. Even in the smallest container, they pile in there so easily, but when you have to pick up the boxes, it gets old very quickly if you have more than 5 boxes or so. In the spirit of a travelling lifestyle, we know we will have to get rid of most of them. So for us, the cost is ok, since we don't know of any libraries in most of the places we travel, and even if, they may not have books in English. The only drag so far, when you nod off, the kindle will hit you in the nose, its top heavy.