Posts Tagged ‘ebook readers’

Ebook Readers: Which Is Right For You

February 26th, 2010

By now, most of us are familiar with the concept of an ebook reader. They are those cute handheld devices growing in fashion and number that make reading books so much more convenient. Ebook stands for electronic book, and what a lot of people do not know is that these ebooks come in variety of formats, and are not all compatible with every ebook reader on the market.

Some people do not like the idea of books being turned into another electronic form, due to possible eye strain. Moreover, where you may enjoy the actual story on the reader, you do loose that snuggled next to the fire feel and smell of an old library. However, if those factors are not the reason you read books, then you have nothing to loose by purchasing an ebook reader.

Once you have made the decision to purchase an ebook reader, the next step is deciding which one is right for you. Many people believe that they are all the same, except in brand name, but this is not the case. There are a variety of ebook formats, including PDF, DRM’d MOBI, and Adobe EContent, and not all readers are compatible with each of these. Moreover, some readers have other functions included, besides simply opening an ebook.

Another factor to take under consideration is the ease of changing pages. You want this function to be as hassle free as possible, since it is going to be something you will be doing a lot. Make sure that however you switch between pages is not going to interfere with your reading. For instance, can you use your thumb, do you have to enter in the next page, do you have to use the stylus? Everyone has different preferences, so try out the readers and see which you prefer.

Also consider the screen size that is best for you. A small screen may seem fashionable to carry, but maybe a larger screen is easier for you too look at for long periods of time. Be sure that you can hold the reader at a comfortable level, and that you do not have to squint to read it. Generally, there will be zoom and font size options for your reader, check these out while your testing the devices.

Also, consider how you would like to obtain the book. Do you want to purchase the book and be able to save it directly to your device, would you like to be able to transfer the file to other devices, or do you simply want to rent the ebook? Not all ebook readers allow for each of these features, so if there is one that catches your eye, make sure that your ebook reader supports the application.

Do some research into the types and books you would be interested in reading on your device before you buy it. You may find that the ebook reader you are interested does not have many books available for it. Not all ebook readers are equal, so once you decide to get one, take your time and pick the one that is right for you.

There are lots of new ebook readers popping up recently. The Kindle from Amazon is not the only player in this market anymore. Before spending money on any ereader, be sure to check out Micheal’s blog to discover the best ereader on the market. You will find some useful ebook reader reviews there that will help you to make a better selection.

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The iPad- Which Ebook Readers are Doomed?

February 7th, 2010

With the eminent release of the iPad from Apple, it’s a tougher choice to choose which ebook reader to buy. Do you spend a little more money and get a “super-device”? Or just get a basic ebook reader? Now that the game has changed, I think the Nook and Sony Reader will probably lose out to the iPad and Kindle 2.

Amazon’s Kindle 2 has always been an ebook reader, and nothing else. It’s arguably the simplest design of ebook readers with the E-Ink screen and button navigation system. The fun included with the ebook reader is the book you are reading and not bell and whistle features.

The Barnes and Noble Nook has many added features that seem almost silly now that the iPad has been released. Google’s Android software is on the device, hoping to attract software applications. But is this actually going to happen? How will the apps work on the 1″ color navigation screen? We have yet to see the uses possible.

The Sony Reader Daily Edition- The Sony Reader Touch and Pocket Edition are obviously just an ebook reader. The touch having a little more robust memory, operating power, and touch screen display. The Daily Edition is the newest of the 3 models that offers a larger screen, touch screen, wireless and 3G, and other great features making it a quality e-reader.

Apple’s iPad compared to the rest- Now that the iPad is coming, some of these devices will be overshadowed. Their features just won’t make as much sense to spend good money on.

If you want a colorful device that runs applications and allows you to read ebooks, one probably isn’t going to think of the Nook. It has a 1″ tall color screen and basically a Kindle 2 rest of the device attached. The devices intentions are confused- is it an app-driven super device, or a basic ebook reader?

The Sony Reader Daily Edition has a lot of features that many will find quite appealing. Adding all the new features has Sony pricing it a bit higher, though. So if someone is spending that much on a device, is it a real stretch of the imagination that they will just pay a little more to get the iPad?

So now we have the Kindle 2 standing strong as the basic ebook reader in the market. There is no comparison between the iPad and the Kindle 2. The Kindle 2 is much cheaper and is an ebook reader. The iPad is much more expensive and is an all-in-one device. The confusion isn’t there.

So it’s the iPad and Kindle 2 which, in my opinion, will be a popular choice. Those with less budget, or little desire for the iPad, will get the Kindle 2, while those with some more money to spend or desire for a “turbo-gadget” will get the iPad.

Apple’s iPad and Kindle 2 will probably gain even more ground on the competition with their international service.

Find the best deal on the Kindle 2, or visit www.gadget-freak.info to learn about the various models and pricing for the new iPad.

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E-Book Reader Segment Growing Rapidly

January 22nd, 2010

Whilst they may be the hot gadget of the moment, it’s worth noting that e-book readers have been available for quite a while. In 1999, the Franklin eBookman was launched (generally held to be the first example of a dedicated electronic book reader). Sony’s PRS reader launched in 2006 and, in 2007, the original Amazon Kindle was released.

However, it wasn’t until 2009 that the popularity of e-book readers really rocketed. Amazon were very instrumental in this – the February launch of the Kindle 2.0, followed shortly after by the launch of the larger DX version in June produced a storm of publicity around e-book readers in general and the Kindle in particular. E-book readers were in the news, they were the hot, “must have” gadget of 2009. The Kindle reader quickly became the top selling product on Amazon and, during the 2009 festive gift giving bonanza, became Amazon’s “most gifted” product ever. Both Sony and Barnes and Noble had a good tilt at the Xmas sales by releasing their own new readers – but an inability to guarantee delivery in time for the big day coupled with the Kindle’s well established brand presence, meant that Amazon cleaned up at Christmas.

At the moment there is no shortage of readers to choose from. The list of companies who are developing their own e-book readers is both long impressive. For the first time ever, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas in January 2010, had a separate section dedicated to e-book readers. All the signs are there that 2010 is going to be an even more successful year for e-book readers and we can probably expect to see sales continuing to grow rapidly.

What this represents, is the creation of a completely new market segment which, until very recently, simply wasn’t there. Over and above the manufacturers of the e-book reader devices themselves, this represents a significant development for traditional book publishers, educational authorities, suppliers of accessories and, of course, the customers who read the books at the end of the process.

The sudden appearance of this brand new market has been great news for manufacturers such as M-Edge who produce a range of accessories – chargers, reading lights, covers, etc. – for the Kindle. Other accessory suppliers are also making hay while the sun shines. Right now, most of the accessories on offer are for the Kindle – but other readers will emerge and they will almost certainly be catered for in a similar manner.

The e-book reader market is still nascent. It is growing and developing at an incredible rate. Amazon has been instrumental in the development of the market to date and enjoys a 60% share of the American market as a result. Their dominance will be strongly challenged in 2010, as will Sony’s current second place (with a 35% market share). However, this new market offers plenty of opportunity for companies with the vision and innovative skills to establish themselves at this early stage.

Read more about Amazon’sKindle reader and see the full range of Kindle accessories available to help you customise your Kindle.

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How to Choose a Color Printer

January 21st, 2010

If you have begun your investigation for a color printer for your office or home, you will have surely found that there are several types of color printers available. First you will need to appraise why you need a color printer to start with. The good news is that the present age of printer technology can be considered as a golden age with costs on the affordable side and features on the higher side.

How will You Use a Color Printer?

First, prior to choosing the type of color printer you want you must decide what you will mainly use it for. If you want one exclusively for printing out your digital photos then you should choose a photo quality ink jet printer. Although marketed for producing beautiful color photos many of these printers can be used also as an everyday home printer for documents besides.

Then again, if you need a printer for text with color images, graphs or diagrams then you can choose between a color laser printer and an ink jet printer. To begin, let us take a look at the specifications and the terminology that are used by the color printer manufacturers and what to search for if you want the best results for your color printing needs.

The Printers Resolution

The resolution is normally the 1st specification that folk look at when choosing a color printer. Nevertheless it isn’t just the resolution of the printer that decides the print quality. If you are printing images with a high resolution printer you will require an image with a high pixel count or image file size to make a good sized print. The resolution of a printer is based on the number of dots per inch (dpi) that the printer lays down on the paper. The higher the dots per inch, the smaller the dot will be produced by the printer. The smaller the dot, the harder it is to differentiate one dot from the next with the naked eye. Printer resolutions can differ from 300 up to 2,400 dpi or even higher.

How Many Colors?

On the whole, color ink jet printers use either three, four, or six colors for printing and now you can get ones with eight colors. Ink-jet printers can use 1 cartridge with 3 colors in a multi-chambered ink cartridge as well as another cartridge for black, or 3 separate cartridges containing the 3 primary colors so that you can renew one cartridge when that color finishes. All color printers use cyan, magenta, and yellow which are the three primary colors used in printing in color printing.

Color printers use either of the following color combinations:

3 color printers (cyan, magenta and yellow) – the 3 colors when mixed produce black

4 color printers (black, cyan, magenta and yellow)

6 color printers (black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta)

8 color printers (black, light grey, medium grey, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta)

Clearly, the six and eight color printers create better color images than the 3 or 4 color printers. The 8 color printers can do a much better job at printing B&W images thanks to their grey inks. Some of the 6 color printers can print excellent B&W images but as the shades of grey are produced by mixing the 6 colors, you may end up with sepia tinted images.

The Importance of the Correct Paper

Even though the printer has a high resolution and 6 colors, your printed photos will not look good if you don’t use the correct paper. You will not get good results from cheap, porous paper that isn’t intended for printing photo-quality photos. Instead, buy paper and ink that is recommended by the manufacturer of the printer. After you have more knowledge you can try out different brands and grades of paper.

Testing Before Buying

Your best bet is to visit a shop specializing in printers that stock several brands. Get the salesperson to demonstrate the printers that you’re interested in. Ask them to print a few pages of text to check the quality of the printer and then a page with text and images, and lastly a full color photo. Compare the same pages from different printers.

Test how many pages per minute and compare that to the printer’s specifications. Also, check if the amount of noise the printer makes when operating. Lastly, ask how much the replacement ink cartridges cost for several different printers. Sometimes a printer can seem really cheap but when it comes time to buy new ink you might find that they are really expensive.

Michael Tait enjoys writing articles about his interests like electronics, technology, and gadgets. Visit his new website about Portable eBook Readers where you can read his review of the RCA eBook Reader.

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Digital Reading: The Ebook Reading Device Explored

January 1st, 2010

We all saw it coming. Digital cameras, digital camcorders, digital music. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out how to make books digital. The ebook reading device was born! Since 2007, when the first highly publicized ebook reader was released, others have come out of the wood work. Some of them more expensive, other less. They were hailed as ingenious devices. Three years later, more advanced Readers exist!

There a lot of readers out there, so that gives everyone plenty of choices. That doesn’t mean everyone is happy about it. However, the positive outweighs the negative by a wide margin. These devices are definitely increasing in popularity, but it’s not with some debate. Readers, authors and publishers all have one thing in common. None of them can come to a general consensus about the effect the digital age of books will have on the printed book in the years to come.

The debates about the pros and cons of the ebook from a readers’ points of view is continuous, and often heated. So like the compact size of the ebook reading device, and the fact that they can easily carry more than just a few books at a time without the burden of hard covers causing extra charges on a flight due to weight issues.

Obsoletes of the printed book is the argument given by others. They fear the explosion of the ebook and it’s accompanying devices will make it impossible in a few years to find the printed book anywhere. They find the Readers heavy and troublesome. They also cite not being able to curl up lose themselves in the story practical reasons not to get one. A more common problem is the battery life of most devices. Most do not last long enough to read for the full amount the time average reader will.

From an author’s point of view, the ebook phenomenon can be considered just another marketing strategy. Authors can use reading devices to promote their books by offering samples of the work for free so that potential readers can decide whether they want the full book or not. This is how some authors get their sales: by having their work accessible. What a wonderful way to get the word out about up and coming authors too!

Rising to the occasion, printing presses and publishers see the new technology as a new chance to make money. They offer to let their customers choose. And some publishing houses have even switched over completely to ebook publishing.

Whatever side you decide to take, the ebook reading device demand is growing at an astounding rate. It makes you wonder what is going to go digital next!

Read real customer reviews for the latest ebook reading device and find great offers at http://www.handheldebookreaders.org.

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Save Your Back And The Planet With A Handheld EBook Reader

December 24th, 2009

Everybody who loves to read needs to have a handheld ebook reader. Books can be difficult to move and carry, something anyone moving to a new home has learned. Readers have willingly carried their heavy books for years. Wouldn’t it be great if you could carry every book you ever owned in a device weighing ten ounces?

E-books will become the future of publishing. One of the features of the eBook is the lack of paper. This has obvious environmental benefits. In this age, many have begun to worry about renewable resources. The eBook has reduced the need for one of these resources, which is good news for trees.

The public sees three predominant competitors in the ebook market. Competition in the market has turned ebook readers into amazing devices, with awesome features. Even though ebooks have not been around very long, the devices are getting better and better.

Ebooks have the ability to simulate the look of real ink on real paper. This breakthrough is possible because of the technology known as e-ink. These displays need a lamp or other source of light, because they do not have back-lighting. This makes them more like real books.

One nice feature of these displays is that they do not bother your eyes the way other electronic displays might. Plus, the e-ink makes the screen seem similar to normal paper, but it has a secret weapon. The size of words can be adjusted, depending whether a reader would like bigger words or smaller.

The bestselling device on the market is Amazon’s Kindle. There are two sizes available. Customers can purchase new books and download them to their device using a free wireless connection that comes with the Kindle.

The earliest major competitor for the Kindle was the Sony Reader. This device costs less than the Kindle does, which is nice for those on a budget. Unfortunately, the selection of books available to the Sony Reader is not as big as the selection at Amazon.

Recently, Barnes and Noble released their new ebook reader, the Nook. Tech and book enthusiasts think the Nook could become more popular than the Kindle. One of the reasons for the Nook’s popularity is the massive book selection. However, the biggest appeal of the Nook is probably its color touch screen. The Nook is a very attractive and very sensible purchase for people who love books.

So book lovers can rejoice. Soon there will be no need to carry heavy boxes of books from home to home. A handheld eBook reader holds thousands of books, weighs less than one hardcover book, and uses less paper.

Read real customer reviews for the latest ebook reading device and find great offers at http://handheldebookreaders.net.

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