Should you be considering buying an eBook reader, you might be a little
overwhelmed with the options which are available as well as all of the
technical information that's shown for each device. It's not very
difficult to understand once you realize a little bit about the
technology, and you could do lots of the research you would like by
simply reading the websites that sell the devices.
Outlined in this article will be the essentials of what you should know
when choosing the best eReader.. If you find yourself exploring a website
that sells an e-book reader, you might want to find a section called
"Technical Specifications" or Tech Specs for short. Some internet sites
probably have this underneath the regular description of the product
rather than within the own section. It can feature lots of specialized
information, and I'll explain what it all means below. With this
particular knowledge you can make a knowledgeable decision.
Display Size and Type
The vast majority of eReaders currently available have six inch screens,
and a few have seven inch screens. Devices such as the Kindle, Kobo, Sony
Reader, and Nook have E-Ink screens. These screens aren't back-lit such
as your monitor. Instead, they've got a matte finish that doesn't reflect
light and minimizes glare. E-Ink gives a reading experience which is much
like reading from paper. It means you can read even in bright sunshine,
the disadvantage is that unlike LCD screens you'll need a light source.
So if it is dark or low light you will not be able to see the screen
unless you buy an attachable cover with a built in light or a straight
light.
Devices such as the Nook Color, and tablets such as the iPad, have LCD
screens. These are basically the same as your laptop or PC screen or
computer monitor. Since they display light, your eyes can grow tired more
easily, additionally they use considerably more battery power. These
devices can also be more than just eBook readers, plus they tend to be
more expensive, but do have the advantage of being able to be read in the
dark - ideal if your partner wants to sleep, but you want to read.
Price
When deciding which type of e-reader to acquire, pricing is an important
part of the selection for most of us. As of this writing, the Amazon
Kindle 4 (non-touch) is the cheapest priced at $79 and the lowest priced
touch screen models are: the Kindle 4, Nook Simple Touch and Kobo all at
$99.
Size and Weight
When you see these details inside the description of the product, it's
pretty self informative. The dimensions will in most cases be listed as
Height x Width x Thickness. A number of people prefer smaller devices,
but some prefer larger. The majority of eBook readers are very
lightweight -- between about 5 to 20 ounces. An average paperback book
weighs around Ten ounces, so that you can use that like a guide.
Furthermore, if you do a lot of travelling the extra weight of the device
could make a difference in your baggage. File Types Supported
This is often quite significant since it determines the types of eBooks
you will be capable to read while using the device. If you know that
you'd like to have the confidence to read PDF files, find that within the
list of supported file types. If you wish to be able to purchase current
popular eBooks from eBook stores, you will need an e-reader that supports
Adobe DRM. Look for that within the list as well. This really is one case
where it's safer to buy a device which is more well-known. The more
obscure the device, the less likely that you'll be capable of getting the
content you would like for it.
Quite a few eBook readers can play MP3 music. If that is essential for
you, look for that within the product details.
One important note: The Amazon Kindle will only read ebooks that are
purchased at Amazon.com. If you wish to be able to buy eBooks from other
ebook stores, carefully consider this restriction. Saying that, Amazon
does have a huge selection of books and is arguably the best eBook store
around.
Battery
The battery life for eBook readers was usually shown as the amount of
page turns that may be carried out during one charge. As an example: if
an internet site shows a battery life of 8000 page turns, and you figure
that the average book may have 300 pages, that works out to over Twenty
five books you could read before you had to charge the battery again.
These days, each of the manufacturers quote the battery life in hours,
days or weeks. This will be calculated with the Wi-Fi turned off and with
30 minutes of reading per day.
Memory
eBook readers incorporate on-board memory, that is shown in GB
(gigabytes). Most also have "expandable" memory, which means that you can
add your own storage card (usually a SD card) for more storage space. The
technical specifications for every e-reader will specify the amount of
storage comes with the e-reader itself, and how big of a memory card it
will handle. This can be useful because this is how your eBooks are saved
on the device. The more memory, the more eBooks you can use it. Many of
these eBook readers can store 1000s of books, that is probably be more
than you're ever going to own, therefore, the difference between the e-
readers gets negligible unless this is really a problem for you.
Free Content
A number of companies are bundling their eBook readers with free content.
The Kobo eReader, for example, comes with 100 free classic eBooks pre-
installed. Should you have a Kindle you can download many free classic
books on Amazon's website. Most other eBook readers will permit you to
read just about any free PDF or EPUB file which you download online.
Often most of the classics will be out of copyright and will be available
to download for free - a great bonus eReaders have over physical books
WiFi or 3G
Look out for the terms "WiFi" and "3G". If a company is offering you a
selection between these types of connectivity, the 3G option will be more
expensive. This is due to the fact you could download pretty much
everywhere and don't need to be in the vicinity of a Wi-Fi hotspot or
home Wi-Fi network. WiFi lets you use your WiFi connection at home to
download information directly to the device, without the need to use your
computer. Depending upon the device, you might also be able to browse the
internet. 3G is the same kind of connection that your cell phone has, so
that you don't need to be on a WiFi network to download eBooks. Some e-
readers don't have either of these capabilities.
Design
Finally, when choosing the best eReader, you can consider the overall
design of the device. The Sony Readers look more technological as opposed
to others, while the Kobo looks more friendly, while the new Kindle 4
looks more functional. The Nook incorporates a rounder appearance, and
the Amazon Kindle displays a full keyboard (Kindle 3) on the bottom.
There is probably an eBook reader that features a design and style that
will fit your personality. Most eBook readers right now also come with a
touch screen.