Google Nexus 7 Review

Posted by Chloe Parker On September - 22 - 2012 1 COMMENT

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.

Kindle Fire Review

Posted by Baby Jane Paguirigan On September - 22 - 2012 2 COMMENTS

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.

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Sony PRS-950

Posted by Randy Thomas On February - 19 - 2011 ADD COMMENTS

The newest premium eBook reader, the Sony PRS-950

Get the lowest price on the Sony PRS-950 here! And check out our review below!

The Sony PRS-950 is the company’s leading eBook reader as the second generation of the Sony Daily Edition. It has several more advanced features than its siblings the PRS-350 and PRS-650, the most important among them being wireless connectivity i.e. it offers both Wi-Fi and 3G connections. Its Wi-Fi connectivity enables you to browse the internet using the new web browser while its free 3G services allow you to browse Sony’s eBook store to get the news, new releases or any other eBook title wirelessly.

The Sony PRS-950 also features an improved glare-free 7” touchscreen with a new Pearl display that makes reading easier under any lighting conditions. This is due to the latest incarnation of the Sony Reader Daily Edition having the extra protective coating layer on the screen removed to greatly decrease reflectivity issues. Also, NeoNode’s zForce infrared technology has made its touchscreen very responsive, something previously unavailable with e-ink screen technology. Lastly, for its size the Sony Daily Edition is very compact and light, weighing in at 9.5 ounces.

Let’s have a look on the specifications of the Sony Daily Edition PRS-950:

  • 7” e-ink Pearl display touchscreen with 16 levels of gray scale and 1024X600 pixels.
  • Built-in 2GB storage. Also gives you a SD card slot & Pro Duo card slot.
  • Stores around 1200 e-books.
  • Regular newspaper delivery.
  • Built-in WiFi as well as 3G connectivity.
  • WiFi works for web browsing.
  • Supports the Adobe ePub and PDF, BBeB, TXT, RTF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, MP3, AAC formats.
  • Features 2 English dictionaries with 10 translations.

And now some of the feature highlights of the Sony Reader Daily Edition PRS-950:

  • Impressive Touchscreen – This is the latest feature of the Sony Daily Edition e-readers. Its high contrast and much darker blacks make it as easy to read as an actual book. Coupled with the infrared touch sense technology and reduced glare, this really makes the Sony eBook readers stand out. A stylus is also provided for using the touchscreen.
  • Web Browser – The Sony PRS-950 makes its move into the “premium” category with the inclusion of a web browser (only accessable through WiFi, not 3G, same as the Kindle and Nook). Sites can be loaded in either web or mobile versions and the results show that regular sites are easily readable. You can even bookmark your favorite URLs with the help of an onscreen keyboard. Activating hyperlinks is also very easy with the touchscreen.
  • Smart Text Handling – Adding memos, notes or scribbles is a breeze with an interface that straddles the line between an ereader and a 7″ tablet. Bookmarks, built-in dictionary, manual controls for adjusting the contrasts, hyperlinks activation, creating, managing and deleting collections , etc. all give the Sony Daily Edition the feel of more than just an eBook reader.
  • Exclusive Size – The Sony PRS-950 is the only available e-ink eBook reader with a 7-inch display, perfectly balanced between a portable pocket model like the PRS-350 and the unwieldy 9.7” Kindle DX or iPad.

Here’s our quick pros & cons list for the Sony PRS-950:

Pros

  • Very compact given the large screen size
  • Glare free touchscreen
  • Wireless connections with WiFi & 3G connectivity
  • Supports EPUB

Cons

  • Minor limitations with the web browser
  • Stylus is unnecessarily large

Verdict

The Sony Daily Edition PRS-950 is an advanced touchscreen eBook reader featuring wireless connectivity. Its metallic looks are very appealing and it’s light and easy to handle. Possessing a unique feature set, it’s a great, full-featured ereader for just about anyone.

Buy the Sony PRS-950 here!

Samsung E6 and E101- the first eReaders from Korean manufacturer

Posted by Artash Arakelyan On June - 29 - 2010 1 COMMENT

Samsung E6 and E101 are the first e-book readers from the manufacturer which were recently revealed at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Both e-book devices are touchscreens: the Samsung E6 comes with 6-inch E-ink display, while the E101 features 10-inch one. Unlike other portable devices, Samsung E6 and E101 were introduced with handwriting capabilities directly onto the display. The tool allowing users to annotate their reading selections, calendars and to-do lists is an electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen which utilizes EMR technology. The Korean giant was also serious about low power consumption of e-books’ displays delivering natural reflect light similar to that of printed paper.

The Samsung e-readers support a wide range of file formats include e-pub, PDF/a, TXT, BMP and JPG. The E6 and E101 are equipped with Samsung’s text-to-speech (TTS) built-in technology. Both models come with Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) capability allowing customers download books and newspapers wirelessly as well as transfer them from other devices thanks to built in Bluetooth 2.0. The readers are powered with 2GB internal memory and microSD memory card with maximum 18GB storage. The company’s partnership with Google means there is a lot of content available for E6 and E101 users. When speaking about battery it may deliver up to two weeks of use only with 4 hours of charging.

Samsung E6 should be available in March for $399 with black and white colors. The 10-inch version of E6 will cost $599.

Sony Daily Reader PRS900

Posted by Artash Arakelyan On June - 29 - 2010 1 COMMENT

Sony Daily Reader PRS900 is the company’s first model with wireless broadband connection that has been released in December of 2009. The Daily Reader comes with brilliant 7-inch touch display which can be used by fingers or stylus. Much like the Amazon Kindle, the Daily Edition uses 600 x 1024 Vizplex e-ink screen providing users flawless navigation and comfortable layout of content. In portrait mode, the eRader features about 30-35 lines of text visible making the experience very similar to that of a printed paperback book. When the reader is in landscape mode, you have the option of switching to a 2 page at a time view. The eReader is also optimized for newspapers and provides crisp text and images that are very natural and easy to read.

Most notable for PRS900’s customers, will, however be the capabilities for wireless access via AT&T;’s 3G mobile broadband network. With Sony’s latest generation Daily Edition on your hands you will access to over one million free public domain titles from Google Books and sharing sites to Raeder Store and personal publishers. Unlike the Amazon Kindle which limits the ebook formats to their own amazon.com and pdf ebook formats,the Sony PRS900 supports a wide range of file formats including EPUB, Text, RTF and Word, in addition to Sony’s own BBeB (LRF) formats.

Measuring just 0.6-inch thin and weighting only 12.75 ounces the Rader Daily Edition is also really compact and easy-to-hold device. Sony was also serious about PRS900’s long battery life allowing it to display around 12000 continuous page turns from a single charge or to deliver 7 days with wireless switch on. The PRS900’s package comes with 3.5mm stereo jack and up to 1.6 GB Dual Memory Card Expansion Slots for Memory Stick Duo and SD Card up to 32 GB. Additinal accessories will include AC adaptor, leather cover, travel case, USB cable, pre-installed SIM card and stylus. Joining two other new Sony models the Reader Pocket and the Reader Touch editions the Sony PRS900 will be available at a price of $399.

IRex Digital Reader 1000s

Posted by Artash Arakelyan On May - 19 - 2010 1 COMMENT

IRex DR1000sSpeaking about digital readers, you may have noticed new marketing models for e-books being developed as of 2010 and bringing along new electronic gadgets that take the world by storm. E-readers can enhance the reading experience with their design and form, ease of use, and advanced features. Having the world’s largest e-readers series IRex Technologies pick all the incredible features you’ve come to expect in IRex digital reader.

Coming in the market at the end of the first quarter 2010, the impressive IRex Digital Reader 1000s is the largest, yet thinnest e-reader ever and it is packed with features. The 1000s completely substitutes paper, not only featuring store ebooks and different documents, but also letting you to make your own handwritten notes in your documents. Yes, you are not mistaken; using a conventional pen, you will write on your digital paper as you would on original. Let’s continue see other interesting details that are starting to emerge in IRex’s new reading device.

The 1000s e-book reader is a light as a real book, has a sleek design and easy to hand it everywhere. Dimensions of the 1000s include being only 1.2cm deep and weighing less than 570 grams. As sharp and natural as reading ink on paper, user will enjoy DR1000s digital reader and will be able to get access to the largest online newspaper kiosk offering over 1020 newspaper titles from 81 countries, including The Telegraph, Washington Post, USA Today, Die Welt, NRC Handelsblad, Le Figaro and The Wall Street Journal Europe.

One of the most obvious distinctions you will find on the IRex DR1000s is its huge screen. At 10.2 inches, this e-book offers ideal reading experience almost with any digital document, even A4 or letter-sized documents look great on the IRex digital reader. IRex have integrated Wacom Penabled touch sensor input with stylus. Use its stylus to navigate freely around your digital library, or even to annotate your books and documents and manually enter your notes. Around the edge of the screen you will find also nine capacitive buttons that are dedicated to fingertip use.



A good e-reader starts with a good base- an exceptional operating system. Interestingly, the iLad runs an open Linux operating system, allowing developers to create third party applications for it. Still, the company was serious about that level of functionality, it would surely have provided some enhanced features beyond. The IRex digital reader is a great device for its intended purpose of document management in a fully electronic office. Currently supported formats include PDF, Mobipocket, TXT, HTML JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and BMP and is expected additional formats to be supported in the future. All these file format documents can be directly printed into a readable format on your IRex Digital Reader, allowing you the convenience to always have all your paperwork at hand.

For connectivity 1000s is equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and features a basic browser. The 1000s don’t have wireless access to an ebook store but as noted above, IRex 1000s will have access online newspaper kiosk offering over 1020 newspaper titles from 81 countries. The digital reader comes with 2GB of storage, which should hold around 1,500 books. The battery used is a lithium iod and with software version 1.0 the reader consumes about 150 mA per hour, resulting in about 8 hours of battery life.

The IRex digital reader 1000s finally offers a way for companies and individuals to cut out the billions of pages of printed paper they produce each year. The IRex digital reader 1000s can be a great choice for the business professional, offering great readability for large digital documents, a lightweight design, and connectivity. It does, however, retail for $750 USD.

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