Is An eReader Right For You?

Tyson: There is a constant debate on many book forums, should I buy a eReader? While a few of us at Speculative Book Review have eReaders many of the books we receive are physical copies. Yagiz and I both have eReaders. I have an Amazon Kindle. When I first bought it I fell in love with it but I also enjoy my physical copies as well.

When I decided to make the switch from brick and mortar bookstores and move to the electronic book I had to approach it with logic. While the eReader is expensive right out of the box the majority of releases are the same price as the physical book or in many cases, they are cheaper. Especially when one compares the price to a nice new hardbound copy. That was a major selling point for me. Another selling point was the fact that I was already planning on moving to South Korea and to say shelf space is limited, is putting it nicely.  I tend to keep only a select few of the titles I end up purchasing or receive in the mail and donate the rest to my school's library for the kids to enjoy (assuming the material is appropriate). The Kindle has a virtual limitless amount of space for new and old books alike. It is also perfect for travel as it fits in nearly any bag imaginable.

The Kindle 2, the model that I have works perfect for someone who wants to read books. It has an easy access dictionary that is literally available with a flick of your finger and it does not interfere with your progress as you can continue to read unhindered. The feature my mom likes is that with certain titles the Kindle will read the book to you. It has the ability to keep notes on what you are reading. It also has wireless capability that allows you to download a book in less than a minute. While I have never downloaded a book in under a minute, Amazon claims that it is possible. When I used Amazon's WhisperNet I lived in Seattle, home of Amazon, and had great access to wireless network and still it never happened. It was around two or three minutes. which may not be as advertised but that is not bad considering you continued to eat Cheetos and flipped channels on your TV all in the space that it took to download a 800 page bestseller. You can surf the web but it is slow and not recommended unless you have no alternative. No matter how you look at it, the Kindle does as advertised and it does it well. The extras that came with it are not top of the line but they work.

The problem that I have with my eReader isn't in the hardware. The Kindle works and operates flawlessly. It is in the formats of the books and the fact that a lot of the books that I am looking forward to are not readily available for purchase when I want to read them. Nearly 80% of the titles I want to read or look forward to reading are not available on the Kindle, or at least not right away. I do not like to wait so, a lot of the books that I read currently are not through my Kindle.

Another problem that a few people have is not with the Kindle device but with Amazon. Not long ago an illegal copy of 1984 by George Orwell was removed from individual's Kindles without authorization or warning through the wireless network. This caused an understandable uproar which lead to an apology from Amazon and a refund from the company. Since operating their digital books this is the only case that I know of where big brother has stepped in. While Amazon has stated that it will try not to do this in the future it is a possibility and it has rubbed some consumers the wrong way. Another reason to back up your purchases and to turn off your wireless to save battery power.

Yagiz, on the other had has the Sony PRS 505. While he likes the Kindle it was not an option at the time that he made his purchase (2 years ago). The reason he went with with the Sony eReader was it was the best eReader for the money. He also has a terrific program for the device called Calibre. With Calibre he can read magazines and newspapers, as well as novels.

The major issue that Yagiz has stated with his eReader is that there is a limited amount of titles available. Yagiz goes on to say that this is slowly changing with Google teaming up with Sony to provide more titles. The problem he has with most eBooks is that they are regionally protected so even if a title is available in one country it may not be available for another. DRM or Digital Rights Management is what protects copyrighted material from certain devices or in this case countries. It is a very controversial format that is delaying access to certain titles and media around the world.

It should be noted that if I did not purchase my Kindle when I lived in the United States that it would be much harder for me to use the Kindle abroad. However, since I purchase my titles through my American bank account and then download my titles through my computer I am able to read anything Amazon has to offer. Kindle is now offered in the United Kingdom and a few other countries, but it is still used mainly in the United States but it is a growing market.

There is always the option to go with the new Apple iPad as well. I myself have considered making the switch as all of my titles for the Kindle would be available to read through a simple downloadable program. I have yet to try the iPad yet, as it is currently illegal in South Korea, I am told that many people love it. Others who have used the iPad to read say that it causes eye strain and the battery is rather lackluster and it is nearly impossible to use outside due to the sun blocking some of the content on the screen. Since I have yet to play around with it I really can not comment on it. The iPad is an eReader, plus a bunch of other electronic devices, where the Sony PRS and Kindle models are first and foremost an electronic device to read novels.

I will say that with the older eReaders like the Sony PRS 505 and the Kindle use eInk which looks just like a page in a physical book and does not cause any eye strain. You can take it outside and read them and they are not effected by the sun. They also have an amazing battery life. My Kindle requires a charge every 2 weeks and Yagiz reports a similar battery life. They also are extremely lightweight. They weigh no more than the average paperback (less in most cases), and they contain a decent amount of memory to store a nearly infinite amount of books.

While Yagiz and I both love our particular eReader we both have difficulty using it as much as we would like to due to certain restrictions. However, if you are thinking about taking the plunge, we suggest you do some research. See what titles are available for the particular device that you are interested in. See what features you want in your device IE: dictionary, battery life, memory, weight, etc. and then find one in a store to see if it is comfortable enough to use in your hands. They do take a few days to get use to holding them and using them. It should also be noted that a new version of the eInk has been developed cubbed eInk Pearl it is said to offer better contrast and will be used in the latest Sony eReaders and is currently being used successfully in the new Kindle DX. The Kindle DX offers a larger screen than its predecessors the Kindle and Kindle 2.

Yagiz: As Tyson mentioned previously, I have been a proud owner of a Sony PRS 505 for more than 2 years. Why did I buy my eReader in the first place? Because I love reading and I love having books with me at all times. From this point of view, it's really hard to beat an eReader.

In terms of reading quality goes, there are many display technologies out there. However the most popular technology is the ePaper technology used in Sony's readers, Amazon's Kindle and B&N's Nook, among many others sharing the fast-growing eReader market. ePaper is very different from the regular back-lit screens that we see on our TVs, notebooks, tablets or phones. It doesn't strain the eyes like an LCD screen would do. I, personally, find the ePaper quality almost identical to the dead-tree format. I haven't seen it yet (only from online pictures and videos) but the new E Ink Pearl technology improves the current ePaper's contrast by 50%. This is a great improvement and I'm sure most readers will find it very satisfying.

eReaders have other advantages:

A 6" eReader is as light as a small paperback. The 5" devices are probably ligther than most paperbacks. While I can compare an eReader's weight to a paperback, there's obviously no comparing it to a hardback. I hold my PRS 505 with one hand only, because it is very light. I don't have to use my other hand to stabilize the book or to turn the pages.

It's size and weight makes an eReader a great day-to-day companion. Especially the 5" devices are easily slipped into a pocket or in a bag. They are great to read in bed too. They are silent as there are no physical pages to turn. They are easily held in various positions such as laying on your side or on your back.

It may weight as much as a paperback, but an eReader can hold thousands of books in his memory or in a memory card. This has two direct implications: First, the user is not limited to carry one book at a time and is not burdened with two physical books. I travel regularly, for work and for leisure. I often take with me more than one book because the trip may be long or I may be nearing the end of a book. So if I finish my book in the middle of a flight, I don't have to have a second physical book with me. My eReader contains it already. And it is a matter of a few seconds for me to turn the first page of the second book. Second, as an eReader can store a great number of books in his memory or memory card, considerable physical space is saved. This may not be an issue for people living in big houses but for people who have limited space at home, it is a bliss.

Furthermore, with an eReader, you don't have to read only commercial books. I regularly read work-related papers on my eReader. I also store some online articles for later reading. As Tyson mentioned above, Calibre is an eReader owner's best friend. Not only it helps you to organize your electronic library, it also helps you with various conversions and regularly downloading of newspapers, online magazines etc. Its Fetch News functionality gives the user the ability to select feeds among hundreds of online resources such as The New York Times, The Observer, El Mundo, BBC, Le Monde, The Irish Times, etc.

But do I only read eBooks? Not at all. I regularly receive reading copies from publishers. Almost all of them are paper books. I much prefer them but I rarely get electronic advanced reading copies. For instance, I've only gotten 6 of them this year.

This is all great but when is the right time to buy an eReader? If you wait for the next technology you can never buy an eReader (or any electronic device for that matter). Because by the time a product hits the shelves, its next generation is already being tested/talked about/advertized and future generations are being researched & developed. So, rather than being mesmerized by a technology, it is important to set your priorities right. Are you interested in a device, then go and talk to the other users on MobileRead forums. Some of their regulars are amazingly knowledgeable in various devices, the technologies used and their pros and cons. It is definitely worth your while if you are considering buying an eReader.

Last but not least, a quick word about Apple's iPad: I own an iPad through work (I work in a software development house where we develop iPhone and iPad applications among other types of applications). In my humble opinion, iPad is too heavy to be a successful eReader. It is very awkward to hold with one hand and its display technology is not as comfortable as ePaper.

Tyson: Yagiz and I hope that this post has been informative and that if you do find yourself in the market for an eReader that you enjoy your purchase.