by Penn on January 25, 2012
While many so-called "tablet" eReaders seem quick to abandon the simplicity and practicality of their original iterations to offer web browsing, apps, and multimedia applications, the Nook Tablet has pretty much positioned itself as an eReader with some bells and whistles, rather than a tablet PC.
The good news is that the Nook Tablet lends itself well to ebooks, especially the multimedia children's books that they have cranked out. If you haven't seen them, take a look, they're pretty darn impressive.
However, the big fault here is that, because it's a tablet PC, it doesn't employ e-ink technology, which is pretty much the best thing about dedicated ereaders. Fortunately, there are a host of other features, like brightness switching, long battery life, and an SD card input.
by Penn on January 18, 2012
Qualcomm announced at CES the introduction of the Hanvon C18, the unfortunately-named eReader that utilizes Mirasol, a type of display technology that offers brighter colors in the sun, a refresh rate fast enough to play video, and longer batter life than e-ink, the industry standard.
The C18 is so far the thinnest eReader coming in at 10mm and the lightest at only 300 grams. Qualcomm's Mirasol technology is so far just around abroad, haivng not made a dent yet with B&N, Amazon, or Borders. However, the company is hoping that once they show the versatility of the technology in reader form that US firms will be interested in straying from e-ink.
My guess is that it will be a while before the big three tinker with the formula that has taken them so far so fast.
by Penn on January 16, 2012
Wow. In researching this piece, I found out that not only is Polaroid entering the eReader business, but they're doing so as an extension of their ventures into smartphones and tablet PCs.
While a discussion of the latter two devices are outside the scope of this site, the reviews for the eReader are in. And it's not great. The screen doesn't have the same quality e-ink technology as its Amazon, B&N, and Sony brethren, it's got the same screen size as those devices, but is bigger overall.
No price point is available yet, but unless the devices are selling for pennies on the dollar, it's a safe bet that these things are a strong "don't buy."
That said, it appears that they are rolling out a 7-inch version for kids, and that could offer a very rugged protective case. No further details are available, but keep your money in your wallet for now.
by Penn on January 11, 2012
Lifehacker has taken to finding the best ereader for the iPhone, which is a bit like finding the tallest mountain in Kansas, but whatever. I'm sure there are instances when iPhone owners need or want to read, and I suppose an iPhone is better than nothing. Sure, it's small, but it's doable, if not ideal.
It's best to read the article (linked to above) in its entirety, but they find the Kindle app to be the best one, citing a simple interface and a variety of controls over setting, typeface, etc, and it's also free. Also free are runners-up iBook and the Kobo. The Nook is deemed a rip-off even though it's free, and ebookmobi is considered a bargain at only two bucks.
So if you find yourself without a larger reader onhand, grab one of these apps for your iphone or ipad and get to readin'.
by Penn on January 5, 2012
It's not a great time to be a brick-and-mortar book store, so the advent and rise of ereaders has served as a saving grace for all the big retailers. So, it should come as no surprise that when B&N spoke of spinning off their ereader division as a different company, their stock price got hit hard. I'm not sure why they would do that, but the CEO of the firm said that splitting them makes sense because it allows a valuation of both separate business models without conflating the two.
Ok. I GUESS that's a reason.
This sounds like the logic of a company that is willing to jettison one division that they feel will hold back the future growth of another. I'll let you guess which is which.
In the meantime, enjoy that little B&N logo that pops up on your Nook. It might not be there for much longer.
by Penn on December 19, 2011
One more question facing possible eReader customers is whether or not they should pony up the extra $49 bucks to get 3G access from their devices, rather than "just" Wi-Fi. $49 may not sound like a lot, but considering it could be as much as 1/3 of the product's total price, it's one of the bigger decisions to make.
Considering the cost, my recommendation is almost unequivocally "no." For 1/3 of the price, you would think that you would NEED that attribute for emergencies, but when he you ever had an emergency when you NEED a book? It's not like it's insulin. You're never too far from a hotspot, so unless you're perhaps a book critic that likes to procrastinate, don't worry about ponying up the extra cash. You can get a new book when you get to the hotel.
by Penn on December 18, 2011
With ebooks becoming fairly ubiquitous, it seems that we are just now scratching the surface of the potential of the technology. RIght now, the vast majority of the people who use ebooks are simply using them as a more convenient or affordable alternative to regular books. However, ebook technology far exceeds the capabilities to the printed word, and now we're beginning to see some people exploit that.
For instance, tablet or ereader users will soon be getting "enhanced" ebooks that will feature illustrations, music, interactivity, and enhanced footnotes. You can check out the upcoming tome "It's Cool To Be Clever" to see these things in action, though you will need the Agio enhanced ebook app.
If you've got the means, check it out, and see where this technology will b taking us over the next few years.
by Penn on December 14, 2011
Once you get your nifty new ereader, you're still on the hook for filling that bad boy up with ebooks so that it can fulfill its intended purpose. Fortunately, there are more than a few free ebooks out there, only the titles are constantly in flux based on publishers' promotions and the like.
So...here are a few ways to load your ereader up with free books, rather than pay for them. Amazon's Kindle Bookstore has a free section. So does Apple's iBooks. Browse around. Remember that the books may not be free forever, so take advantage of ones you want immediately. Go to books.google.co.uk to get free reads from Google as well. Finally, any of these sites: Free-ebooks.net, oboko, and Project Gutenberg. That should set you straight for a while. If you exhaust those options, just wait a while. Or buy some books. It's up to you.
by Penn on December 11, 2011
That sounds about right.
Even with the proliferation of tablets, dedicated ereaders are expected to show huge sales increases over the next few years. The surge is anticipated to be due to the positive reception of e-ink, longer battery lives than tablets, and plummeting prices.
Further, some experts believe that the lack of versatility of ereaders actually makes them MORE desirable. The theory goes that people are already getting email, streaming video, and whatever else they want through both their smartphones and laptops, so the idea of having a device free of those constraints is actually liberating and more desirable.
So, not only are ereaders here to stay, but they actually will become more commonplace. So, if you are straddling the fence this holiday season on compatibility or the duration of an ereader gift, breathe easy. You should be fine for years to come.
by Penn on December 5, 2011
Don't get me wrong - I still think eReaders are amazing devices, it's just with this new development, you might not need to buy one. You can check one out from your library. At the Edmonton Public Library system in Alberta, Canada, you can not only check out an eBook, but also the reader to view it on.
Right now, their device of choice is a Sony model, but expect other libraries to just go with whichever one is cheapest at the time.
You can check one out for up to three weeks at a time, perfect for anyone who is going to go on vacation and would like to test out a reader before they commit to one. Late fees are a dollar a day (just like Blockbuster!) and the replacement cost, should you suffer some misfortune, is $215 bucks.
It's a great deal, but I can imagine there will be quite a waiting line for these guys.
