It’s now been three years since Amazon launched the original Kindle reader. Despite the enormous influence of the Kindle, it’s worth bearing in mind that it was not the first ebook reader on the market. However, the public are quickly becoming accustomed to ebooks – chiefly due to the Kindle’s influence. Whether traditional printed books could eventually become obsolete or not is open to debate – but it looks as if ebooks are here to stay.
However, ebook readers seem to have been adopted by the public and many people are buying them. Recent price cuts by Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Sony means that ebook readers are now a much more affordable option for many customers. Whilst the Kindle is the clear market leader, it’s far from the only option available. So, if you’re looking for your first ebook reader, what are the main factors to take into consideration?
One of the most important factors that you need to consider is the quality of the display. Special e-ink technology displays are used in most ebook readers. This gives a reading experience that is surprisingly similar to reading text printed on paper. It’s considerably easier on your eyes than reading on a back-lit computer screen. It is also easy to read in direct sunlight or even glare from fluorescent lighting. A further advantage of e-ink technology displays is that they use power only when “turning the page” – so battery life is extended.
It’s tempting to go for the largest display possible. Obviously readers with larger screens have a higher ticket price than those with smaller displays. They are also physically larger of course – and they weigh more. This will impact upon the portability of the device. That may not represent a problem for you if it’s your intent to read mainly at home. However, a larger reader will be harder to operate with one hand – something which many users like to do.
One of the major factors in the success of Amazon’s Kindle was its ability to browse and download books in under a minute from virtually anywhere. However, Amazon and Barnes and Noble now have Wi-Fi only versions of their readers available. These cost a little less than the 3G readers and could be a good option for anyone who doesn’t foresee the need to download books without using a computer or connecting via a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Obviously there’s little point in owning an ebook reader unless there’s a wide selection of books available to download for it. At the moment, no standard format for ebooks has been agreed. The ePub format is used by Google – but Kindle books are in a format which is proprietary to the Kindle. However, Amazon has released a number of free apps that lets users read Kindle books on a wide variety of different devices – without the need for a Kindle reader.
Ebook prices can be very different on different readers. If you read a book a week, then choosing the right reader could save you enough money on ebooks to make the reader self financing in a matter of months. Before you decide which reader to go for, it’s well worth checking.
Check out the Amazon Kindle for yourself and view the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you personalise your reader.