On The Search for the Perfect EReader - Ipad vs Kindle DX (Long)?

[ncage]

I have been researching this topic so much it has almost has driven me mad (about a month). I hoping someone here can help me make up my mind. This post might be a little lengthy.

My researched started about a month ago. I am a programmer by trade and I read very technical material. I have amassed a pretty good collection of ebooks. I would guess the split would be close to (70% PDFs and 30% CHMs). I also of course buy dead tree books from amazon (some 800 pages+). First of all it’s a pain to carry a 800+ book around with you. My electronic consumption of my ebooks to this point have been my standard 15in notebook (Lenovo T61). This is getting to be a little unwieldy. While its not horrible setting up my notebook (say at work or wherever is kind of a pain). I decided I really wanted a better device to consume these ebooks.

I can admit at first a netbook was in the running especially because of it being more functionality (maybe I could try out ruby on rails development on Ubuntu). There were a couple problems. First of all is the form factor. While it’s a lot more convent than a full fledged labtop (especially my business class Lenovo)….its still not REALLY what i want. It still has a keyboard. Try reading on a netbook in bed. Also I don’t want to run one with XP and I also think Windows 7 is a little heavy for a netbook. I would definitely run Ubuntu which brings up another problem…..trying to get the kindle software to run. While people are able to get kindle software running on WINE they have to go back to a beta version of amazons software to run it. So you’re pretty much asking for issues in the future. So I threw the netbook out of my list.

I was excited to hear of the new kindle 3 launch and the “better” pdf performance. Well I’ve seen countless reviews on the kindle 3 and , to be honest, for the type of material I read the kindle 3 isn’t well suited. 6 inches is just too small of a screen.

Then there is the Kindle DX Graphite of course. It has the same size screen as the ipad. To be honest I really think I would enjoy the eink screen especially because I primarily wanted a device to read. I would also love the long battery life. Also it seems to have no glare of any kind and really doesn’t use any power when your reading just as long as you don’t have wireless turned on. Only seems to use power when you turn pages. I’ve watched a bunch of reviews on the PDF portion of the Kindle DX. In most cases it seems to do extremely well. It seems like a few PDFs would crash the device but probably because there are using weird PDF functionality like javascript. I wouldn’t be able to read my CHM Books though unless I want to convert them which I’m sure not perfect and will cost additional money (like ABC converter) unless you want to use open source tools which will take additional time. Then you start looking at the price (even though amazon lowered it). Its $379 which is getting awefully close to the price of the Ipad and of course the Ipad is going to have more functionality (which I don’t know if I will use that much).

Ok now there is the Ipad. The big con for the IPad of course is price. $500 for an ebook reader is getting REALLY pricey. Yes I know it does more but I don’t know if I will use the (more). I will get to more of that later. Anyways. I will be able to see my books in color. While being a (+). I wouldn’t say its that big of a deal. Also, in true apple fashion, the decided to fit a glossy screen to the device. Most say the glare really bothers them when they are reading. Others say it doesn’t. Its kind of hard for me to say since I haven’t used/held/looked at the device.There is no question, for reading, the kindle dx screen will be better though. I was able to find an CHM (CHMMate) for the ipad which means I will be able to consume my CHM Books. Also I can get the kindle software on it which is great. One thing I thought I might of used a little bit on the Ipad is the video functionality. I’ve read a couple people saying there video functionality though isnt’ that great. First is the format problem. As far as I know the Ipad accepts H.264 video and that is it. My video always comes in a variety of formats avi/mkv/wmv/ect….. I even heard one person say (not confirmed) that he tried downloading some video podcast from itunes and it wouldn’t even play unless he got the HD version (some might not have HD Versions). That’s just bad design on apple to not convert those on the fly from their own store. Also the ipad is 4x3 rather than 16x9 like it should be. Oh yes and then there is installing ITunes which I hate with a passion. I’ll probably just install it on a virtual machine so I don’t have its crappiness infect my main machine. If I get an Ipad it will definitely be the 16GB Wi-Fi version.
I of course have been following the development of the galaxy tab. Right now I think it’s a no go. It looks like they are going to be selling it subsidize and between $200-$300. There is no way I’m going to pay $200-300 for a device (especially with a smaller screen (7 in)) when I can get the ipad unsubsidized for $500. No thank you to the data contract.

There you have it. As you can tell I’v e put a lot of thought into this and your feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Bateluer]

I wouldn't consider the iPad if reading ebooks is your goal. The device is over priced for that purpose, and its LCD screen is a MAJOR short coming. Reading books is for more pleasurable on the e-ink screens of the Kindle or nook.

 

[Kanalua]

$139 v. $500, that I need to know.

 

[pm]

I wouldn't consider the iPad if reading ebooks is your goal. The device is over priced for that purpose, and its LCD screen is a MAJOR short coming. Reading books is for more pleasurable on the e-ink screens of the Kindle or nook.

As the owner of an iPad and a Kindle (I just won a 6" WiFi+3G Kindle about two weeks ago at my company), I don't agree. I prefer the screen on the Kindle, but I wouldn't say the iPad screen is a major shortcoming nor is the Kindle far more pleasurable.

In my opinion, reading on the Kindle is better but not substantially better, but it does depend on circumstances. I was reading out on our balcony a few evenings ago andI thought the iPad looked better in the post-sunset lighting. In broad daylight or in strong light, the Kindle is hands down better - among other things the iPad screen is too glossy. I was on a plane on Friday flying from Boston to Denver and it was dark (red-eye flight) and I thought the screen on the iPad looked better. In another thread someone suggested getting a little book light for the Kindle and that probably would work... but I don't have one and so when it's not bright, I prefer the iPad. I will say the Kindle is a lot lighter, and the battery life is amazing - the iPad has good battery life but the Kindle is much better. I'm still deciding what to do, but I'm likely going to Ebay the Kindle and keep the iPad as my e-reader.

I think these blanket statements about e-ink is way better and LCD's cause eyestrain are opinions. I think it depends on the person and beyond personal preference, since most of us read more text on LCD's (ie. your laptop or computer screen), I don't understand this whole LCD's cause eyestrain thing at all.

I read a lot of books - on the order of 1-2 per week. Beyond posting here at AT, and playing the occassional computer game, reading is my primary hobby. I read a lot - more than anyone else that I know. I also travel a lot - I made premier on United last week... I e-ink looks very nice and the 6" Kindle is very lightweight and cheaper and has vastly better battery life, but the iPad works well as an e-reader too, and given that it can do other things, I tend to prefer the iPad.

$139 v. $500, that I need to know.

The OP said he was mostly looking at the Graphite Kindle DX because the 6" was too small - the Kindle DX is $380, not $139.


nCage, I haven't read a lot of PDF's on my iPad and I haven't read any on my new Kindle. I can't comment much on the performance. I did use GoodReader a bit on my iPad over the summer and for large books, I was not super impressed. It was slow and laggy and the screen updates took a while to fade in and did this sort of JPG-like "start off blurry and clean-up over time" thing. It worked, and it looked good once it had finished rendering, but overall I wasn't impressed. I've heard iBooks supports PDF too but I haven't tried that.

I agree the iPad screen is too glossy... it's a real problem in bright light, or outdoors. The Kindle looks massively better in those conditions - it's really not even close... the iPad is washed out and you get a lovely view of your face while you are reading while the Kindle looks like a real printed page. On the other hand in very low light conditions - like on a plane or in bed with the lights off - which are two conditions that I seem to spend an unfortunate amount of time in nowadays, I prefer the iPad. Once I figured out that you could dial the brightness in the iPad Kindle control (it's on the font menu... go figure), I started to really like it. I could get a matte screen cover... I may one of these days. Whether you will think it's glossy or not or great... I really think it's a relative thing and you should try them both. Any Best Buy with an Apple area will have an iPad, and of course Apple stores. For a Kindle-like experience you could head over to Barnes and Nobles and check out a Nook and see what you think of the screen on that.

The real problem with the iPad is that I feel like it's too expensive. "Too expensive" is a relative term. If you make a lot of money per year or you really need it, then $500 isn't too bad, but if you are buying it and don't really need it and don't make lots of money, then it starts to feel like "wow. this was $500... I'm not sure I think it's worth $500 to me". But I use my iPad a lot as an e-reader and for watching movies, playing games and checking email and I mostly get my money's worth and now that I have both a Kindle and an iPad one of them is going on Ebay... and I think it's the Kindle.

 

[Synomenon]

...I don't understand this whole LCD's cause eyestrain thing at all.

Have you experienced eyestrain with LCDs? If not, that's probably why you don't understand it.

I am in front of a LCD monitor all day and I have to take a break from it at least once an hour because it causes eyestrain. It's a nice U2410 too, not some cheap, junk LCD monitor.

On my Kindle, I can read for hours straight with no problem.

If all the OP is looking for is an e-book reader (and he wouldn't be using all of the features of the iPad), I'd recommend the Kindle DX.

 

[Kanalua]

THe best thing about iPads...people off loading their Kindles/eReaders for CHEAP! One of my wife's friends is selling her Sony eReader to my wife for cheap because her husband just bought a iPad.

 

[Bateluer]

The release of the iPad did fvck up the pricing on the ebooks though. Apple talked a number of publishers into increasing their pricing and selling on the iPads. Amazon and B&N were trying to keep ebook pricing at least in line with physical book prices, Big Content didn't like that. Since Apple customers are usually financially foolish, they have no problem forking over 800 dollars for an iPad plus 14.99 per book.

Digital books should be 20% less than their physical counterparts, not the other way around.

 

[pm]

Have you experienced eyestrain with LCDs? If not, that's probably why you don't understand it.

I am in front of a LCD monitor all day and I have to take a break from it at least once an hour because it causes eyestrain. It's a nice U2410 too, not some cheap, junk LCD monitor.

On my Kindle, I can read for hours straight with no problem.

If all the OP is looking for is an e-book reader (and he wouldn't be using all of the features of the iPad), I'd recommend the Kindle DX.

No, I've never experienced eyestrain that I know of. I don't use glasses/contacts and never had Lasik or anything like that. I look at LCD's 8-10 hours per day, if not longer. When there's crunch time at work, I'll put in 16+ hours a day - all on LCD's. I don't think my LCD's at work are anything special (two 19" made by IBM)... but even if they are amazing LCD's, I use my HP laptops screen when I'm travelling 8-10 hours per day and never have problems either. But I don't get eyestrain from books either... at least I don't think so.

You might have a point... maybe I'd understand it better if I suffered from it... but for me, LCD or Kindle it makes no difference at all... and in fact, the backlit screen of the iPad is preferrable when it's dark... With books/e-books, all that I care about is that I can read a good book and feel like I'm in the place the author is describing and I get that sensation with either a Kindle or a paper book or an iPad.

The release of the iPad did fvck up the pricing on the ebooks though.

No argument there. I think e-book pricing is messed up and it started getting messed up around the time the iPad was introduced. I'm not sure of the causality of that, but I do know that I find the whole thing immensely frustrating. Lately, I just don't buy expensive books. With Amazon, you can search for "people who bought this, also bought this" and find lots of good books with a little searching that are $5 or less.

But, yeah, the whole paperback for $7, ebook for $12 is totally messed up and really annoys me. I'm one of those Apple people with apparently usually messed up financial sense, but I just use the Kindle app. Any publisher that thinks that I'm going to pay more than a paperback price for a book is going to be disappointed.

 

[Bateluer]

But, yeah, the whole paperback for $7, ebook for $12 is totally messed up and really annoys me. I'm one of those Apple people with apparently usually messed up financial sense, but I just use the Kindle app. Any publisher that thinks that I'm going to pay more than a paperback price for a book is going to be disappointed.

Barnes and Noble does a decent job with pricing, but new releases still carry a price equal to or greater than the physical book. There's a few books I want, but I'm waiting for the pricing to drop first. I want Megan McCain's new book and Greg Cox's Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Sta...I=khan+noonien

8 bucks, sod off though. 4.99, I'd be all over it.

Moving forward though, I definitely want to try get the electronic versions over the physical versions. Better for the environment and saves a crap ton of space in my house.

 

[QueBert]

$139 v. $500, that I need to know.

OP said Kindle DX, they're $379.

 

[ncage]

Thanks everyone for their replies especially PM for your thorough +/- of each unit. Ya Its a really hard choice. I think the eye strain things comes down to the individual. Like PM i like at a LCD most of every working hour. Does it bother me? Maybe a little bit but i don't notice it most of the time i think. To be honest neither the IPad or the Kindle DX is the perfect EReader. Hey both have their +/-. Kindles would be the lack of color, the inability to work with all formats (chm,ect....). The pain of trying to convert things that are supported to a format that is. The lack of epub support. Then you have the ipad with Price + screen really being the hard nocks of the Ipad. Now unlike most people i don't say its overpriced. I think the thing cost Apple over $200 to make. They have to make some money on it but when i say price i'm referring to spending 500 on an EReader. Also apple should have added things like MicroSD,ect...but in true apple fashion they don't. Why? How could they charge people so much for the 64GB versoin then? The higher the model you buy the more money they are going to make. I believe its like $139 extra for just a 3G add-on which probably cost them very little to add.

Of course say if i buy an ipad. There are those crazy people on ebay that will pay as much for a used one as a new one.

To bad what i read just isn't normal novels in that case the 6 in kindle would be perfect and i could get away with just spending $139.

 

[gorcorps]

I have a smaller e-reader, and I really enjoy the e-ink display. Not having built in back light is kind of a drawback, but for readability and battery life it's fantastic. If you plan on using it for mainly ebooks, I can't imagine paying such a premium for an ipad when it (IMO) is subpar for specifically reading.

Now, if you plan on doing anything else like watching movies or taking it on travel I can see getting an ipad if you don't already have a smartphone. It does a decent enough job with books, plus has all the other features you might want. But if you have no desire for other functions than just reading, go for the device built for such a thing.

 

[ncage]

I have a smaller e-reader, and I really enjoy the e-ink display. Not having built in back light is kind of a drawback, but for readability and battery life it's fantastic. If you plan on using it for mainly ebooks, I can't imagine paying such a premium for an ipad when it (IMO) is subpar for specifically reading.

Now, if you plan on doing anything else like watching movies or taking it on travel I can see getting an ipad if you don't already have a smartphone. It does a decent enough job with books, plus has all the other features you might want. But if you have no desire for other functions than just reading, go for the device built for such a thing.

Agreed problem is there isn't such a device. Kindle are made really for kindle books. Granted they will try to deal with PDFs the experience is not that great. The problem with PDFs is the text isn't reflowable. I just listend to Steve Gibson on security now in a review of the original kindle dx and he wasn't impressed. He got it primarily for the same thing i'm looking for as a pdf reader and wasn't to impressed. Granted this was the original kindle the new one isn't THAT much better. Ipad isn't perfect but unfortunately its as good as your going to get unfortunately and to get it your going to spend 500+. Shoot maybe i'll just stick with my current setup and wait until there are more options in the future.

 

[aphex]

I own both.

If i'm sitting down to read a book i grab the kindle.
If i'm sitting down to do ANYTHING else, i grab the iPad.

I much prefer the iPad for everything, except reading books.

 

[corkyg]

For sustained reading under all light conditions, it's Kindle hands down. For entertainment, iPad. For work - use a laptop.