Kindle or tablet

25931

25931

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I am a complete novice in these matters so I would appreciate some advice.
I like the idea of being able to read books on an electronic device. Is a kindle so much betterfor this purpose that it warrants the considerably higher price ? If so which model and if not what is the best alternative ? Thenking you all in advance.
 
The difference between a device like the Kindle and a tablet is the screen, the Kindle does not use an LCD display, but "electronic ink". This uses very little power, and does not cause fatigue.

The new Kindle Paperwhite is awesome! Not only is the screen superb, but it has an "X-Ray" function that brings up references to any names or places on the page you are reading, or in the whole book. Definitely the best Kindle ever!
 
My very electronically able son had the view that the regular kindle is great for reading books (it has a special black &white screen which reduces eye strain) but the higher spec kindle fire is a regular tablet much like a nexus or iPad mini
 
The Kindle Fire is good for browsing, email, iPlayer, radio, etc but very much a portal to Amazon with adverts always present. There may be plans to make these removable - on payment of a fee! It is very easy to use, and also serves as a book reader, but with 10 hour battery life compared a basic Kindle 40 hours plus. It is not in same league as a Nexus, ie limited apps, no GPS; consider carefully what you really want to do before deciding.

For reading books the paperwhite is excellent.
 
For occasional reading a Kindle app on a tablet is fine. But for anything more than a few minutes at a time the standard kindle is far better.


It can be read in any conditions, including bright sunlight, rain, snow etc (You cant do that with a tablet). Its really well made and can be thrown around nearly like a real book with little damage.The battery life is fantastic, mine only needs charging every 7 or 8 books and lastly a basic model is stupidly cheap (but I do agree with the above, the paperwhite is well worth the extra).

If all you do is read for 10 minutes a day on a train, get a tablet, it has far more uses. If you use it for reading for a couple of hours at a time it has to be a Kindle.
 
Another vote for Kindle Paperwhite-for reading books the screen is excellent. Also subscribe to a newspaper (I do the Telegraph, no doubt others are available). Every morning that days paper is there on the Kindle, subscription £9.99 a month, includes Saturday and Sunday. You do have to go online for crosswords etc. This is via WiFi, I haven't got the 3g version.

The paperwhite does have a built in light, so battery life not quite as good as the original Kindle, but you can't have everything can you?
 
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Highndry said:
I have both original Kindle and an iPad. If you're only having one, go for the iPad, or if budget won't allow, one of the Android wannabes.
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Completely disagree with this. I have both too and have to say if you're only having one, buy the one that suits what you plan to use it for.

The choice is not ereader or tablet, the choice is reading or everything else. If you plan to read a lot then get an ereader (Kindle Paperwhite is probably the best right now). If you don't read a lot but instead want to email, browse the web or watch video then get a tablet. If you want to do all of these things then get a tablet or buy both, but reading on a tablet for hours on end is not as pleasant as the ereader.

If you go for a tablet, don't convince yourself that cheap will be good enough, the difference is night and day so get a good tablet or not at all.
 
If all you want to do is read books, then the Kindle with its easy read screen and long battery life is the answer.

For everything else an IPad.
 
Another vote for the Kindle. Another benefit is all the books you buy are on your Kindle account and available on any Kindle you have registered to that account so even if you lose the Kindle you never lose the books you buy. I can read my books on my laptop, Iphone or Kindle, but the real Kindle is best
 
25931 said:
I like the idea of being able to read books on an electronic device. Is a kindle so much betterfor this purpose that it warrants the considerably higher price ?
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Considerably higher price? The standard Kindle is £69. What tablet are you looking at that is much cheaper than that?

I have a Kindle (the 3g one with keyboard which they don't seem to sell any more) and an iPad. Despite both being a flat slab with a screen, they're completely different beasts. The Kindle is far better for reading (and only for reading) while the iPad is a portable computer for general purposes. If you want something for reading books, the Kindle is the answer.

(Don't be confused by the "Kindle Fire", which is actually Amazon's version of a tablet to which they have applied the popular "Kindle" name.)

Pete
 
You need to decide what you're going to use it for - a kindle (not the new tablet ones) have great battery life and are light - if all you're going to do is read books then this is good - with one exception - if you read in the dark then a tablet may be better as it is back lit.
Tablets are ok for reading and good for Internet use - but they are heavier, battery life is not so good and they're not as easy on the eyes whilst reading - but they are backlit so possible to read in the dark

There are some rebook readers with backlights so it's possible to get a dedicated reader suited for all conditions.
 
fireball said:
if you read in the dark then a tablet may be better as it is back lit.
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I'm fairly sure he doesn't (currently) read in the dark, as he wouldn't be able to see his paper book :).

This is why I'm not bothered about lights etc for kindles - if you could read your book there before, you can read your kindle there now. The potential added ability to read without turning on the bedside light is a bonus.

All that said, I think the current models of kindle include a screen light anyway.

Pete
 
Vara said:
If all you want to do is read books, then the Kindle with its easy read screen and long battery life is the answer.

For everything else an IPad.
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I agree.

I have a normal Kindle and an ipad. I used to read books on the ipad, but I much prefer reading on the Kindle.

An ipad mini is a good compromise.
 
25931 said:
I am a complete novice in these matters so I would appreciate some advice.
I like the idea of being able to read books on an electronic device. Is a kindle so much betterfor this purpose that it warrants the considerably higher price ?
Click to expand...

No. I have a Kindle and its handy particularly for things like fly away hols when you dont want to carry a paperback for every two days away. However the cost of new issues in Kindle format is often more than the cost of the paperback itself so I no longer use the kindle at home and would not replace it if I lost it.

get a tablet - at least there are other uses for it.
 
Ex-SolentBoy said:
An ipad mini is a good compromise.
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No it isn't. It's a slightly worse tablet which is still **** for reading books. Being smaller won't somehow make it better at books and therefore a better compromise than the proper iPad. As has been said numerous times on the thread, if you want books, buy books or an eReader. If you want internet, video, email etc then get a tablet. If you plan to do both then buy both. If you want to do both buy can't afford both then you'll have a crappy user experience at least some of the time.
 
lustyd said:
if you want books, buy books or an eReader. If you want internet, video, email etc then get a tablet. If you plan to do both then buy both. If you want to do both but can't afford both then you'll have a crappy user experience at least some of the time.
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A good summary :)

Pete
 
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