A Few Pointers On E-Book Reader Selection

There are a lot of reviews of e-book readers available on the internet today. You will also find them in newspapers and magazines from time to time. It’s a reflection of the fact that e-book readers have really taken off – driven to a large extent by Amazon’s release of the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009. Today there are plenty of e-book readers to choose from and a lot of people are looking for help in order to make a buying decision.

A lot of reviews, quite naturally perhaps, have a very strong focus on the hardware – the Kindle screen is this size, the Sony Daily Edition screen is that size, this one has touch screen controls, that one has no wireless, and so forth. Which is all well and good, but if you’re buying your first e-book reader then in all probability you will be making a mental comparison not between different e-book readers but between e-book readers and “real” books.

Firstly, to put your mind at ease, a recent survey of American e-book reader owners found that four out of five of them prefer to use their electronic devices rather than to read a “real” book. Based on that sort of feedback, it doesn’t look as though those who have changed from paper to electronic books regret that decision in any way. It appears that handling hefty paper volumes is not an attractive prospect for those who have experienced e-book readers.

The display is one of the key things that you should consider when selecting your e-book reader. Assuming that the main purpose of your e-book reader is to read books, as opposed to surfing the web or watching video, you will certainly want to go for a reader which has an e-ink technology display. These really are very much like reading normal text printed on normal paper – much more so than reading on a backlit computer screen. They also require very much less power and this means you can go for a long time between charges. When you turn the page, the screen will flicker and go black very briefly. This is not a big problem. In the beginning you will notice it because it is something new but, after just a couple of reading sessions, you will be completely unaware of it.

Another important factor to take into account is the layout of the controls and the overall usability. The Amazon Kindle controls for example, are very well laid out and easy to use. It’s simple to operate the Kindle with only one hand, something that makes it ideal for use on a crowded bus or train, or just sitting propped up in bed. Sony’s Daily Edition reader features touch screen controls – but this comes at the expense of a slightly lower quality display as today’s touch screen technology is not completely transparent and also requires the use of a screen which is a little more reflective.

Finally, do not jump to the conclusion that e-book prices are the same across all readers. A recent study, performed by the New York Times, showed that there were significant differences in the price of books across different e-book reader models. The difference in certain cases was so large that someone who reads an average of a book each week could save enough money to pay for the e-book reader in the space of a year – and still have a few dollars left over to buy books. Clearly book pricing is changeable – so be certain to check the average price of e-books for whichever reader you are considering buying.

Discover the Amazon Kindle for yourself – and don’t forget to pick up a Kindle cover – it’ll customise and protect your device.

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