Need help: choosing a ebook reader/tablet

Anish

Spectre
Hi friends,
I need to buy a tablet/ebook reader for my everyday use.
I will be reading ebooks in pdf format and also i need support for ppt , pptx , webbrowsing.
This rules out the basic kindle.

Now, can any one suggest me a good tablet?
budget - 10 to 11k
Requirements: support for above mentioned formats, wifi, good battery backup, less strain on eyes (I buy this mainly to stay away from my laptop for sometime).

also, how about the b&n nook color?

Thanks
 

digitalkerala

Broken In
A: Choosing between E Ink Reader or Tablet

Both have their own advantages & disadvantages. If you need an exclusive portable gadget for all your entertainment besides reading then go for any tablet instead of exclusive E Ink Reader.

Recommendations:

Ipad or Ipad mini
Any android tablets (with minimum 1GB, dual core processor & high resolution).

In India, you have a good choice of tablets now, anything from 5K onwards which might meet your needs.

If you need the purest & nearest experience of print technology reading without eye strain with added advantage of reading outdoors (in parks, beaches) without glare of sun light, then go for E Ink Technology based readers.

Recommendations:

Amazon Kindle
B & N Nook
Kobo Reader

Kindle & Nook readers are easily available in India.

I’m not sure about the availability of Kobo readers in India. But it cost around 5000 to 6000 INR & u might find this with some eBay sellers.

Kobo eReader Touch Specs (Kobo Touch). This 6 Inch version, is extremely light & about 185 gram (weight of Galaxy Note) and is very flexible to read in bed, couch, travel without any stress on your wrist / palm.

Though I don’t own either kobo or kindle personally I have experienced the models own by my friends & kindle is very heavy when compared to kobo. If color display is not a fancy and for a decent budget <6K, kobo Touch will be my advice. (Pros: Extremely light weight, 20 to 30 days battery life. Cons: Grey scale display, very rarely it might freeze / or hang).

B: Choosing the Screen Size (7 Inch or 9Inch+)

Screen size of the gadget is a very important factor when you are considering eBook reading. Please keep the following things in mind before you finalize your eBook reader / tablet. Some ebook formats have text reflowing (epub & mobi) & some doesn’t support text reflow (pdf, txt etc). So, decide the screen size based on the priority of your reading sources.

When u might need 9+ Inch Screen?

PDF formats are not designed for small screens & practically impossible to read without zooming in any 7 Inch readers. 90% of digital books required by engineering / management students are available only in pdf format nowadays. Even converting them to .epub or .mobi format with softwares like Calibre will not give any justice due to the embedded diagrams, illustrations.

Mostly all PDF doesn’t support text / image reflowing (except few specially compiled with that options) and u need a large screen. So, if your source of books are mostly PDF then u should consider a large screen display.

Further, mostly all digital magazines (both Indian & International) are available in PDF version only & their layout is in proportion to the actual printed magazines. I’ve used ZINIO application once in a 7 Inch tablet & subscribed to Readers Digest, Business Today, Filmfare etc & realized it was a big blunder to consider a small screen for magazines. Even the small sized Readers digest was not comfortable to read on a 7 Inch tablet. You need to tap & zoom the pages as & now to read them.

Another situation where you might need to consider a 9+ Inch screen size is when you plan to read lot of documents / text. Every document will not support text reflowing based on screen sizes. And yes, if you are a comic lover, then u should consider large screen. But, some comics like Archies series will fit well on a 7 Inch tablet.

So, to conclude if you have lot of .PDF files, Documents (.txt, .doc, .xls formats), Comics (.cbr, .cbz) then consider a large screen tablet. And if your requirement need editing of documents (excel, word, text etc), then definitely a 9+ inches screen is an advantage.

But, remember for a regular use as an ebook reader, any tablet more than 7 inches & weigh more than 320 to 340 gram are stressing to palm & wrist. They are not comfortable to read from sofa/ bed with single hand holding.

Advantage of 7 Inch Tablet / Reader

Most 7 inch tablets / readers weight from 280 to 340 grams. If you are an avid fiction & non fiction reader then you will not regret on buying a 7 inch tablet. Most of the fiction & non fictions ebooks are available in .epub & .mobi format. If you are using an android tablet, then consider Aldiko application for .epub format & kindle app or Moon reader for .mobi formats.

Browsing websites on 7 Inches screen might not be a great experience. But, they are quite ok for short & essential browsing. Actually when there are awesome apps like Flipboard & Pulse which are good news aggregators & customize the contents in a magazine style to your personalized taste, you don’t need to spend plenty of hours on browsing different websites. They will fetch your required topics automatically from all your favorite sites & compile them in a magazine format with frequent updates. Together with read later apps like Pocket, I’m sure 7 inch tablet will be more than enough for staying away from laptop & enjoy reading all your favorite websites.

Final Recommendations

My advice is opt for either of the following

1) Ipad mini (if you can extend your budget). With 300 gram & close to 7.9 Inches, they might be good for reading even .pdf books too. Some people might say the ppi is 165 & not upto the mark, but for an all rounder entertainment / eBook reader / media / internet needs, this will be worthy for every money you spend.

2) Any good android tablet with AMOLED screen display / 1GB Ram / Dual Core processor with Android 4.0 + . The most popular android tablet used by avid ebook readers was samsung galaxy P6810 (the 7.7 Inch version). With super AMOLED HD screen that was an excellent choice for continuous reading without eye strain. But, it is still over priced & outdated. Since AMOLED screen tablets are expensive, you should consider IPS screen tablets as the next best choice & there are few in the 8 to 12K budget.

3) Considering the budget android tablets (opt for some with IPS display to reduce eye strain). Ainol Novo 7 Crystal (priced around 8K, have IPS display, dual core, 1GB Ram, 1024 by 600 pixel resolution). I guess AINOL have many variations of IPS Screen models from 7 to 10 Inches and everything comes with good IPS screen. If you can ignore the service / warranty risks in India, then they are far better than Micromax / Karbonn / Iberry tablets sold in India considering the IPS panel which will be still better for ebook reading.

4) Consider Amazon Kindle , yes u should not rule it out for the lack of PPT support, when there is android behind Kindle. Apps like documents to Go, quick office etc can handle PPT. And I guess all Kindle comes with IPS display. Besides there are many tools to convert PPT to Kindle.
 
OP
Anish

Anish

Spectre
Hi thanks for your response.. This is a nice guide indeed. But one question though,
Can I browse the web in kindle? (I mean mail, TDF, FB, etc)

PS: I am going for a portable solution mainly to reduce eye strain caused from reading from laptop.

Thanks.
 

digitalkerala

Broken In
Amazon.com: Kindle Fire apps: Appstore for Android (pls check the Amazon Kindle Android App store )

Mostly all the android apps working in any other tablet will also work with Kindle. But, you will not have Google Play store installed on Kindle. But, there are many ways to load google play store to kindle. If not, you can find essential apps from kindle app store. Yes, u can browse web in kindle & use any email or social networking client apps on kindle.

Have you finalized your model ?
 
OP
Anish

Anish

Spectre
Hi, I have just finalized the models . I am very much confused between nook tab and kindle fire.
according to this specs which can be worth the purchase : reading comfort, battery, web browsing. I wont be using google play and all. I ll only surf and read. thats it.

Thanks.
 

mastervk

In the zone
Though there are advantage to buying dedicated e book reader like kindle you might wanna buy tablet with good screen and resolution(IPS panel)..You can use kindle or other apps to read books and also do other tasks like email,browsing,games etc..

If you want to buy a good tablet in 10k price range i will suggest ainol aurora 2 (Rs 8000) or ainol crustal (RS 11000).
Reg size 7 inch is very good .10 inch tablet are heavy and if you are reading for few hours continuously it starts affecting your hands...

personally i use ainol aurora to read ebooks (kindle format) in kindle apps...I have read for whole day without much break and didnt had any eye strain.Only issue will be battery which will be definitely less than dedicated ebook reader.
 
Top Bottom