Portable Ebook Reader

If you admit to being a lover of reading, then you probably spent many years hauling books around with you wherever you went. Sure, they were heavy and took up room but not having your current story with you was just not an option.  You might have made room in your travel luggage just for books and left other things behind just so you could indulge in some quiet time by the pool with your favorite author.    Today, with the advancement of technology, nobody needs to carry a book because we have so many e-readers to choose from.  There are still those people out there who love holding the physical book and they might never make that switch to a e-reader, but there is still hope for them.  With so many to choose from, it is up to each person to compare them all and their features so they purchase the one that suits them and their needs.

The Nook and Kindle have been around for a few years now and Sony joined in the game with its pocket edition. When you read how these three compare, you will find there are pros can cons to each so you continue your search to discover e-readers that offer more, which can take you to the Google Nexus 7. You will first notice it to be slim and so portable as it fits perfectly in your hand, so watching the 7″ display with over one-million pixels will have you enjoying stunning clarity of HD movies.  With ten hours of web browsing, nine hours of HD video playback and up to three-hundred hours of e-reading stand by time, you can understand how the Nexus 7 can go the distance. If gameplay is your niche, then you will be interested to hear that gameplay is responsive and smooth and this is due to the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor.  ASUS knew what they were doing when the put this jewel together.

Here’s some of the primary features of the Nexus 7:

• 340 grams
• 8 or 16 GB internal storage
• 7″ HD display
• battery life:  9 hours of HD video playback, 10 hours of reading, and 300 hours of standby
• NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Android 4.1
• Wifi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth
• Micro USB
• Microphone
• GPS
• 1.2 MB front-facing camera

It’s important to note that the Kindle Fire has similar features and is priced the same as the Google Nexus 7, so make sure to do your research and choose the device that is best for you.

It is easy to see how technology is growing by leaps and bounds and we hardly have time to become acquainted with our current piece of technology before something faster, better and with more features comes along to grab our attention.  E-readers/tablets today are more than just a library at your fingertips, they offer GPS, WIFI, movies, games and so much more.  If you are in the shrinking population of physical book lovers and have held out till now, but ready to enter the world of e-readers and tablets, do your homework, read reviews and do comparisons. This way your first e-reader/tablet experience will be an eye-opening discovery and then you will wish you had joined the rest of the e-reading world a lot earlier.

Whether you are thinking about purchasing just an e-reader, such as the Kindle or Nook or you want the added option of movies and internet connectivity, you won’t be lacking in devices to make your choice from.  It makes you wonder what next invention will have us reading in a new and interesting way.

This article was contributed by Chloe Parker, an editor from MobilePhones.org.uk, where you can find more information on the Google Nexus 7.

After seeing a friend of mine, who owns this gizmo, early this year, I was fascinated by the features of this more-than-just-an-e-book- reader mini-tablet computer. I searched its name on the web later that day to learn more about its features. The following day I had my own Kindle Fire, which is the finest among the Amazon Kindles as of now.  It goes without saying that this gadget is quite useful to my daily life.

The Kindle Fire was launched in the U.S. market late last year on November 15, 2011. Currently, Amazon.com Inc. claims this gadget captured 22 percent on tablet sales in the U.S. alone after 9 months. This makes the second most profitable tablet after the Apple Inc.’s iPad. Let me tell you what makes this mini-tablet computer very popular.

Kindle Fire is the first colored screen among the Kindle tablets of Amazon.com Inc. The touchscreen’s color is superb with extra-wide viewing angle. This handy Android gizmo has external dimensions of 7.5×4.7×0.45 inches and you can hold it comfortably with one hand. The size is just perfect which is neither too small for the images on the screen to see, nor too big to fit inside the bag’s pocket. The weight is only 413 grams, it is very portable indeed. It weighs lesser than an iPad but much bigger screen than smartphones for better viewing. The power button is the only physical button this gadget has and everything including the volume adjustments will be manipulated through the option menu on the screen’s software button. Some people do not like it but I found it as a user friendly and simple. The mini-tablet’s display is extra durable Amazon says it is chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic. Battery life is up to 8 hours of continuous reading of e-books or may vary depending on the type of Wi-Fi usage such as video playback, web browsing and downloading content. However, charging time takes 4 hours which I suggest you doing it when sleeping at night or when not using your Kindle Fire.

According to Amazon, Kindle Fire has up to 20 million songs download capacity. Now this is very appealing to all music lovers! The gadget’s sound system is 3.5mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers. The audio has a fantastic quality! What a fortune to have this gadget by playing the appropriate music when having an instant party with friends, picnic in the park with your family or sunset dining in a beach resort with your significant someone.

In the meantime, movies and TV program fanatics have the benefit to free download, purchase, rent or stream more than 100,000 movies including new release and favorite TV shows. Long travel time inside the bus or train will no longer be boring or sleepy as you can now watch your favorite currently released movies.

For those who are bookworms, the Kindle store is offering over 1 million books which includes 800,000 titles for only $9.99 or even lesser. Also there are over 2 million copyright free and classic books such as Pride and Prejudice, Les Misérables, Oliver Twist and many others to download. For your kiddos, there are more than 1000 delightfully-illustrated children books for them to read or for you to tell bedtime stories. The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library allows you to choose from over 145,000 books, these includes 100 new release and former New York Times best sellers.

Do you like publications? Well known magazines such as Popular Mechanics, Marie Claire, and Better Homes and Gardens have shiny, full-color layouts, photographs and illustrations. While Vanity Fair, Wired, and GQ come with built-in video, audio and other interactive features.

Well, those who are Amazon Prime members have greater advantages compare to those who are not. Prime’s benefits includes unlimited, instant streaming of more than 10,000 popular movies and TV shows, Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items, and admission to 100,000 popular Kindle books through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. If you are not a Prime member yet, Amazon automatically gives you a free month to try it through your Kindle Fire.

With the assistance of the Amazon Cloud, which is like a huge warehouse that keeps all Amazon digital content, there is no need to rely on your memory to locate all downloaded materials from the Amazon store. Amazon Cloud makes it simple and easy for you retrieving organized music files, movies, etc. on the screen.

Attention to all responsible parents! There is no need to worry for your kids to see unnecessary images when this gadget is in their hands. With Kindle Fire’s Parental Control feature, children are prevented from web browsing and most of all content purchasing. This is done by simply putting a password in the settings menu. So let kids read children e-books or play multiple kinds of games with worry free on your part. By the way, there are thousands of Game Apps that are available for download which includes the popular Angry Birds, Plants Vs. Zombies and Words with Friends.

Downloading e-books, music and movies from the Amazon store to tablet computer wasn’t very easy not until Kindle Fire came. This is because it has a fast Dual-Core Processor for speedy and powerful performance. This allows you to stream music or read e-books while downloading movies.

The gadget has a built-in Wi-Fi called Amazon Silk which makes streaming videos and web browsing extremely fast. Amazon Silk is an innovative, cloud-accelerated browser to leverage the computing speed and power of the Amazon Web Services cloud. This feature supports Adobe, Flash and Player. Now this enables you to read email messages from your Yahoomail, Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, etc. accounts into a single inbox only. This also enables you to send email documents including Word, PDF and more. Sending documents is done through Send to Kindle which available on the Amazon website for a free download.

The Kindle Fire doesn’t have a digital camera, video and audio recorder, GPS and other unnecessary features you don’t need anyway in a tablet. I have a digital camera with video recorder so it’s okay. I don’t expect this mini-tablet that only costs $199 will have all the features.

In spite all those great features of Kindle Fire that I mention above, the great thing is that it is affordable. It is reported that the cost of manufacturing a single unit of this gadget amounts to $150. Amazon may have a small profit margin for Kindle Fire but this mini-tablet computer serves its purpose for it is made for consumers to buy more e-books, music, movies and TV programs from the Amazon store. Greater profit for Amazon.com Inc. is not from this hardware but from the software the company sells downloaded through this mini-tablet computer.

If you’re looking for a feature-packed yet affordable ebook reader and/or tablet , then the Kindle Fire is a good fit for you. Check it out today.

The ebook readers market has mostly been dominated by a few companies. Sony Readers and Kindle from Amazon are the most popular ebook readers in the world.

Content is the only real difference between these devices. Amazon is known to distribute content directly from its store. Though a closed system, it is accessible widely through apps on smart phones and PCs. Many other companies including Sony do not have across platforms provision or an integrated bookstore experience, but they offer open format support.

The Kobo eReader has been in the ebook market for quite a while and Smartphone users may be familiar with the preinstalled app. The manufacturers of the Kobo eReader are moving from pure content to both content and hardware with the aim to provide a complete solution like Amazon. The Kobo touch eReader is a good and genuine alternative to the Kindle.

Hardware

The Kobo touch eReader is well designed and has an interesting “quilted” back finish. It is of course not a real quilt, but the plastic material is sturdy enough. The device has a diamond pattern that is nice to hold and provides a user with something extra to hold on to. At 185g, it is lighter than the kindle touch, but slightly heavier than the new Kindle from Amazon.

The Kobo touch ebook reader is built with an E-ink display of 6 inches and just like many other models, it will easily fit into a small bag or jacket pocket. The device also has USB connections and also a microSD card slot on the side in case you need to expand the memory. This device only has a home button below the screen and a power slider at the top. All other operations are by touch, thus no need for more buttons.

Getting content

In order to sync the Kobo eReader, the user will require a Kobo account. Unlike the Kindle which offers users PC free operation, the Kobo touch requires a user to download software from a Mac or PC before connecting to your device.

If you as have an account all you need to do is key your details in the application and all content you have purchased will be available and ready to sync to the Kobo touch eReader. If there is no existing content, you can navigate and purchase them via the desktop application. PayPal is included in the payment options on the Kobo store which makes things very easy for most users.

The advantage of having a Wi-Fi enabled device is that you can easily browse and search free ebooks or even download a preview of a book without necessarily having to use a computer. The Kobo store is easy to navigate and is accessible from the device’s home page.

Any book purchased on the Kobo store is made available on your eReader, mobile device and desktop computer on one same account. It is not a must you connect to your computer as long as you do the initial setup well and if you will only stick to the Kobo bookstore.

This device has the ability to perform cross device bookmark syncing, which means that you can continue to read a book on your eReader from the point you left off on the phone and vice versa.

The Kobo touch is an EPUB ebook reader and so it does not restrict you to Kobo’s bookstore. Of course the reading experience is better if you stick to the Kobo store but if you buy EPUB titles and authorize your device with Adobe Digital Editions, you will have the ability to read from these collections as well.

This ability of the Kobo touch lets you have more freedom than the Kindle. This is because you can shop around to find the best prices and you get to choose where you source your books from. The only downside to this is that you will lose the syncing function, meaning that your EPUB ebooks will not be automatically mirrored to other devices.

Reading Experience

In actual reading, the Kobo touch offers readers a great experience. The E-Ink screen has good contrast and the letters are well formed and crisp. For your preference, you can select a different font and even change the font size. The device has highlight and dictionary functions and offers the share on facebook function. Page turning on this device is fast and very easy as you only need to tap at the edge or swipe across the page. It is however possible to sometimes turn pages by accident with a stray finger.

The e-ink display of the Kobo touch has 2 distinct advantages that you get over LCD displays. One is that they are not glossy which makes it easy to read in bright conditions or outdoors. They are great for poolside reading. The second advantage is that the battery life for this device is very efficient because there is no backlighting.

The battery life is one month but this very much depends on the reading you do. The Wi-Fi also shortens the battery life considerably, so it is advisable to use flight-safe mode if you do not need a connection.

The Extras

There are some few extras in the Kobo touch. These include a browser in case you want to browse the internet although it is still an experimental browser and may be a bit slow with tricky navigation. A Sudoku game and a sketchbook are also some of the extras hidden in this device.

Another feature is the Reading Life section which is available on the home page and offers a social side of the eReader. This section is basically a kind of an achievements system where upon taking various actions readers earn awards. From this section you can also see the stats of activities like number of books read, page turns and even hours spent on reading.

Verdict

There are many eReaders that are technically proficient but not all of them impress. The service offered by the Kobo touch rivals that of the Amazon Kindle and it’s impressive because there is a full system to explore. It is a good and interesting alternative to the Kindle and it is competitively priced.

The cost and availability of content should also be considered. A quick glance at some recent titles in the kindle reveals that the prices are the same with occasional higher priced titles in the Kindle store and vice versa.

Overall the Kobo touch is a great option that should be considered by anyone planning to buy an ereader.

Buy the Kobo Touch here.

Reading a favorite book in a comfortable bed before finally retiring into the night is one of the best stress relievers that I could ever think of.  Reading a book or telling bedtime stories have been proven to be an effective and practical non-pharmaceutical tranquilizer for an exhausted brain because of the usual wearisome activities we have gone through the rest of the day.  Some of us probably can recall those times when we use candles or an oil lamp while reading or maybe using a flashlight under the blankets as we flip through the pages of an engrossing book that we just can’t get enough of.

As time goes by, reading books has evolved into a more sophisticated manner.  The E-reader was first introduced to the market in 1999 when Gemstar promoted the eBookman which was an e-reader that could record and play sounds.  E-book readers were never very popular until 2007 when the Amazon Kindle was widely promoted.  Many say this was the kick start of the public’s acceptance of this great, new technology, and paved the way for the newest E-readers available in the market today.

It was in October 2009 when Barnes & Noble released the first version of the Nook E-reader which originally came with Wi-Fi and AT&T 3G wireless connection capability. This amazing device was subsequently followed by its successors – the Nook Simple Touch, Nook Color and the Nook Tablet.

Then came the latest innovation in E-reader technology – the Barnes & Noble NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™ . This is the latest version of the Nook E-readers and it comes with revolutionary technology that creates a gentle glow that is optimized for the most convenient low light reading. It has the Easy-to-Adjust GlowLight that could be customized for preferred glow intensity.

The SimpleTouch is the lightest of all Nooks, and is 6.5 inches by 5.0 inches by 0.47 inches and also weighs the lightest at just 6.95 ounces. It also comes with an installed chargeable battery which could be attached to a computer via USB or from a wall outlet using an adapter. Its 6-inch touchscreen with 16-layer grayscale is very easy on the eyes with its 600×800 resolution that supports 6 adjustable font styles and 7 font sizes. It also supports wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi® (802.11b/g/n). It has the original data storage capacity of 2GB which could hold up to 1,000 books, which should be plenty for any avid reader.

Nook GlowLight also supports ePub and PDF file formats and JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP for graphics.  This means you can buy ebooks from many different websites and easily upload it to your Nook.  Other e-readers force you to only purchase e-books from their own store which really limits your choices as far as pricing and availability goes.  You can also syncronize the last page you’ve read on your Nook, with your smartphone or computer using the FREE NOOK Reading App™.

As you can clearly see, with the latest innovation in Nook e-Reader technologies, bedtime reading has never be so comfortable and sophisticated. A lot of happy customers have expressed their satisfaction with the new Barnes & Noble NOOK Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™, so check it out for yourself.  It makes a great gift for friends and family.

The expanding popularity of portable e-book readers has e-gadget manufacturers climbing the walls to improve, innovate and expand operations, portability and user convenience. Amazon’s Kindle broke open the e-book reader market, although it wasn’t the first e-book reader on the scene. Barnes & Noble’s Nook is a terrific product as well, and its now-generation reader offers some tough choices for e-book fans that has Amazon concerned. Then bring in Sony products to further complicate matters. These top three e-book reader options can make an e-book reader’s head spin, so let’s compare them on size, capability and adaptability.

The information below reflects the common models within the same price range; it wouldn’t be fair to compare a “deluxe” model with a “basic” model. The approximate price range is roughly $115 to $160 and notes the Barnes and Noble Nook Touch Reader, Amazon’s Kindle 3 and Sony’s Reader Pocket Edition.

Size and Weight Comparison

BN’s Nook Touch Reader, hereafter called NTR for typing convenience, sports a 6-inch display and a 5 x 6.5-inch profile. Weighing in at 7.48 ounces, you barely know you’re holding or carrying it.

The Kindle 3 also offers a 6-inch display and a 4.8 x 7.5-inch profile; it’s a little longer than the Nook but not prohibitively so. The negligible weight difference with Nook, 8+ ounces versus 7.48 ounces, is noticed, but after the conscious notation, you barely notice it.

Sony’s Reader Pocket Edition boasts the smallest and lightest numbers of the three at 4.11 x 5.71 inches and 5.47 ounces. It also has the smallest display screen at 5 inches.

Capacity and Accessibility

The NTR can hold up to . Its battery can last up to two months on charge under minimum use capacity. In other words, you can’t get two months of use under full WiFi use or downloads—just reading. (Those general conditions restrict all battery use comparisons, however.)

The Kindle 3 can hold up to 3,500 e-books in its 4GB memory. The built-in, permanent battery can last up to a month on a single charge if WiFi is turned off. However, its WiFi capability draws a definite plus to this device.

Sony’s device can hold up to 1,200 e-books with a 2GB memory. It can also support word documents, Adobe PDFs, EPUB/ACS4 formats. The Pocket Edition is compatible with both Macs and PCs. Coming in a distant third in battery capacity, it provides only two weeks maximum average use prior to recharging. Sony’s product has no direct Internet access capability, so you must download from a PC or Mac into the device.

Distinct Advantages and Disadvantages

Sony’s device is great for short-term use and storage swaps, but its lack of direct connectivity is a drawback for many. It’s slimmer, lighter, more compact design is a plus over the others, however.

Nook’s longer battery life and expandable memory slot allows slight advantages over both the Kindle 3 and the Pocket Edition. Its multiple platform readability matches Kindle 3′s, and both Nook and Kindle stand above the Pocket Edition in direct Internet access.

Kindle 3′s biggest advantage is that the $114 price tag for the Kindle-With Special Offers edition. Completely identical to Kindle 3 in other ways, the Special Offers version provides a $25 discount for non-intrusive ads in the screen saver mode and on the main menu. Because there are no ads while reading, the ad-supported version is highly recommended.

However, the touch screen and button resign puts Barnes & Nobles’ Nook a half a notch above Kindle 3. Its longer battery life secures it in the number 1 slot—for now.

The author of this post is Holly Miller, who writes for Coupon Croc. In the market for the hottest gadgets? Save big when you shop online and use an Argos discount voucher.

Carry your library with you anywhere with the Sony PRS-350

Get the lowest price on the Sony PRS-350 here!  And check out our review below!

The Sony PRS-350 is a great small sized e-reader that is highlighted by an exclusive and easy-to-use touch interface. It is a second edition reader also known as a Sony Pocket Reader as it can easily fit in your pocket. This 5-inch e-reader is the smallest & lightest ereader available on the market. Being 5.75”x 4.13”x 0.34” and 5 ½ ounces in weight it is surprisingly small, hence the name Sony Reader Pocket Edition. The Pearl display of the PRS-350 also gives amazing resolution.

Its aluminum front and back panel make it very visually impressive. Unlike Sony’s previous ereaders, the touchscreen of Sony PRS-350 does not present any glare problems so gives an exceptionally clear and dark text. You can even borrow eBooks from libraries with Adobe EPUB which also supports a large number of eBooks from various eBook stores. Wherever you go Sony Reader Pocket Edition brings your library with you. Its e-ink high contrast display makes it very easy to see in bright sunlight and does not affect your eyes. It also provides you with six font size choices for ease of use. The PRS-350 also includes a built-in dictionary for finding the definitions of any word.

Let’s have a look on the specifications of the Sony Pocket Reader PRS-350:

• Dimensions: 5.75”x 4.13”x 0.34”
• Built-in 2GB memory
• 5” monochrome e-ink display screen
• 4-bit image with 800×600 pixel display resolution
• Supports JPEG, PNG, BMP & GIF image file formats

And now some of the feature highlights of the Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350:

• Impressive Touchscreen – Unlike previous Sony models, the Sony PRS-350 has a new touchscreen with no additional layer over the top of the screen. NeoNode’s zForce infrared technology has made its touchscreen very responsive both with your finger and with the stylus.  Fingerprints are easily wiped off and are so much less noticeable.
• Hardware & Software – The Sony Pocket Reader has a 2GB built-in memory out of which 1.4GB is available for use. You can store around 1200 eBooks & documents. Its battery life is about 15 days or 10,000 pages per charge. Here are few on-screen features of the PRS-350:
• Favorite pages can be bookmarked.
• On-screen keyboard to add notes.
• Change font sizes within 6 given choices.
• View full page or split into 2 or 3 columns.
• Lock the page with a custom zoom dial.

• Added Text Styling – Out of the box The PRS-350 supports only one font, but you can add as many more as you want. Margin cut settings are also available in the case of some eBooks with white space.
• Formats & Languages – The Sony PRS-350 supports a wide variety of formats like Adobe DRM for EPUB & PDF. Thus you can even read eBooks from local libraries. RTF, TXT & Word files are also supported. Languages support includes English, German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Here’s our quick pros & cons list for the Sony PRS-350.

Pros

• Lightest ebook reader on the market
• Easily fits into a pocket, highly portable
• Clear, high contrast touchscreen
• Supports EPUB

Cons

• Lacks WiFi & 3G
• No audio player

Verdict

The Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350 slips easily in your shirt or coat pocket, is as light as it gets and has a brand new glare-free incredibly responsive touchscreen. It’s perfect for anyone looking for a portable eBook reader with all the basic ereader functionality they need at a very competitive price.

Buy the Sony PRS-350 here!