BVS Reader's Blog

Archive for the ‘Ebook Reading Devices’ Category

Amazon with their Kindle, Barnes & Noble with the Nook, and Sony with it’s e-reader have been engaged in a price war for sometime as all of them compete for dollars with each other and from outsiders like iPad which offers a much more robust  device at a much higher price.

The winner in the escalating battle for market share in e-readers (and the books that buyers of e-readers will buy over time) has a clear winner…readers.

Amazon has recently announced the release of the third generation Kindles which are smaller (but with the same 6″ screen size), lighter, with better contrast in the display, faster page turns, as well as increased support for PDF files. It’s introducing the third generation devices in two forms…the one with the 3G support that they have always had which allows you to connect to Amazon to shop for, and download books from anywhere with cell phone service is selling for $189. That’s a drop of about $100 on the one that we purchased for our April 30 giveaway for around $279.

The second version, which is ideal for people who don’t anticipate the need to shop for books or download previously purchased books in areas away from a wi-fi network has all the features of the more expensive $189 version but for $50 less at a price point of $139, which many readers will find acceptable.

It’s clear the winners in this race are readers who can now enjoy a great reading device for $139…or a version which allows wireless browsing, purchasing, and downloading away from wi-fi for $189.

The new versions are available for pre-order now at Amazon. If ordered now they will ship on August 27.

Check them out here:
$139 version
$189 version

We’ve talked a lot about ebook readers and I’ve provided links to other blogs and sites which have provided more information about ebook readers and other devices that can serve as ebook readers…like the multi-function iPod Touch which can serve as an ebook reader, calendar, note taking device, game device, and an MP3 player among other things.  

Now, just when you thought you knew the basic benefits of the top ebook reading platforms there is a new one to consider. The new Apple iPad is not a dedicated reader like the Nook, Ebookwise, Sony Reader, or Kindle. From what I’ve read of the new device the Apple iPad is more of a cross between a laptop and a device like the iPod Touch which I mentioned above. The main difference between the iPod Touch and the iPad seems to be the larger 9 inch screen on the iPad…which is MUCH larger than the 3×5 or 3×6 size of the iPod Touch.

If the $259 price tag of the Kindle put you off the starting price of $499 for the iPad may put you off more…unless you are looking for a multi-purpose device and are willing to pay more for a larger screen. The iPad comes with the same Wi-fi connectivity that the iPod Touch has but can be purchased with optional 3G network for connectivity anywhere your cell phone would work.

As I was looking at the features of the iPad I was simultaneously thinking — I WANT IT! IT’S COOL! and wondering what would I do with it — because it doesn’t do much/anything that my other devices (iPod Touch, laptop, Kindle) do not already do. The size, 9 inch and 1.6 pounds for the version with the 3G network makes the device large enough to be without some of the things I like most about the iPod Touch. It’s small size makes it perfect for taking into doctor’s offices, keeping in the car for reading in the car while waiting for people or slow moving lines, and moving around the house. One thing that would be nice about the iPad is the larger touch screen…which would make it easier to type information into the device…but then I wonder if you wouldn’t need to put it flat on a table or desk to type into it…and if you had to do that…wouldn’t the laptop be equally good? 

For a look at the new iPad and its many features which include a full color touch screen and Wi-Fi connectivity or optional 3G network connectivity click here.

This audio from NPR’s Morning Edition explains why publishers embrace iPad though it also sheds some light on reasons why readers, especially readers of primarily fiction, may not flock to the device if what they are looking for is primarily an ebook reader. There is no doubt the new iPad does allow publishers to do things not done before in ebook publishing — like embedded music and video within the text of an ebook — and publish in full color in electronic format.  I do see the new possibilities as a positive for some readers…children’s books for example…would be great in electronic download to a large formatted reader like the iPad. Also cookbooks…non-fiction books…books which require color and graphics. But do we really want music and video within the text of our romance novel, our mystery novel? Given the price tag of $499 for the basic version with no 3G network…I’m not sure I see enough benefit over other devices…like the laptop.

The prices that iTunes will be charging for books will likely be on the high side since unlike Amazon which has set the price of most Kindle books at 9.99 or less iTunes is leaving it up to the publishers to set their own prices. Many larger publishers have signed deals with iTunes to make their books available in that store…but their books will likely be more costly since publishers will be able to set their own prices and many publishers saw the 9.99 ceiling imposed by Amazon as less than they wanted to charge.

The iPad is definitely positioned to compete with Kindle, Sony, Nook, etc. but it seems to me that their biggest competition would stem from laptop computers.

I’ve talked quite a bit about various e-reading devices and have included other links that I’ve thought helpful as I have run into them because I know many of us here either have ebook readers that we use or are hoping to acquire one and are looking for information to help make choosing which one easier.

101 Tips for All Your eBook Reader Needs gives some useful advice for those who already have ebook readers as well as for those who are trying to make a decision about which ebook reading device to purchase. One of the bits I found most interesting was the tip on how to hide the embarrassing titles from the reader when showing the device to someone else. It is true that ebook reading devices are still new enough that people are fascinated with them. I often find myself sharing the Kindle or iPod with someone else. I have too much stuff on my Kindle to make hiding its erotic titles feasible, but it is nice to know how.

Several folks have mentioned that I have posted a lot about ebooks in general and about different reading platforms including the Kindle, Ebookwise, and Ipod Touch, all of which I personally own. While I’ve written about these other ebook readers I have been very quiet about the Nook, simply because I do not own one and do not have any personal knowledge which I could share.

My husband sent me a link to an interesting article about the Nook written by someone who recently purchased one, so I thought I would share the link to that article.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for quite awhile now — since bought my Ipod Touch in order to add an additional MP3 player (for the car) to our house of geekdom.  I had started out looking for something that would play audo books and pod casts because that’s what I listen to in the 40 minutes or so I am on the road each day. But in searching for an MP3 player I discovered the Ipod Touch and it was love or lust, I’m not sure which, at first site. What attracted me was that the device with its nifty touch screen was able to do so much more than play audio books, music, and podcasts. It can also serve as a calendar, notepad, gaming device (with inexpensive games available to help keep youthful folk entertained when eating out or waiting in the car somewhere), ebook reader…well…when I learned I could read ebooks on it that was kind of the point at which I knew that I was in love — or lust.

Though the device is not cheap — my 8 Gigabyte version — which holds ebooks, a bunch of programs, several audio books, some podcasts, and a fair number of games with a lot of space (several gigabytes)  to spare — was $207 including shipping from Amazon.

I’ve been delighted with the device. One of the first things that I did was download the Kindle Ap from the Itunes store so that I could read books that were in my Kindle library on the IPod touch while waiting for my niece at school drama practice, after work, or while waiting for my husband after work. Next I discovered that there was an ap for reading books from my Fictionwise library, so I downloaded that ap as well. Both the Amazon Ap and the Fictionwise ap were free. Barnes and Noble has an ebook ap as well. I’ve recently downloaded their ap as well, but haven’t used it yet. What I’ve just recently discovered is that there is another free ap which allows you to download books from All Romance Ebooks or their non-romance site Omni Lit. Even better than that, the good folks at All Romance Ebooks have prepared a YouTube Video  to walk you through the entire process of downloading Stanza (the ap that reads epub files–an ebook format you can download at All Romance Ebooks as well as other sites) and using it to search their online catalog.

While I have not read any books using the Stanza ap, I have read several using the Kindle ap and it is slick! The text is sharp and crisp and since you turn pages by sliding your finger across the touch screen turning pages is not tiring.

The Ipod Touch is such a great device for reading books that I had thought of doing a giveaway and giving one away. With the launch of the Amazon International Kindle I am wondering which people would prefer to win…