As I read the article about the new Kindle upgrades coming up in October, I started to feel really overwhelmed. There is so much to choose from these days. So, I thought I’d break it down a bit. It is all a matter of what type of operating system you prefer (Android or Apple iOS) and what uses you have for your devices.
E-Readers
The Amazon Kindle has been out since 2007 and has evolved a great deal over the last four years to compete with the growing e-reader market: Nook, Kobo, Sony, and most recently, Google’s iriver Story. It has been interesting to watch how obvious the competition is which all of the companies dropping prices and mocking each others’ style. Note the latest touchscreen craze.
Then we have the NookColor, a mixed tablet and e-reader that has succeeded in knocking the Kindle off of it its pedestal.
In terms of e-readers, to me, the Kindle wins hands down. I’ve really enjoyed my Kindle and am looking forward to a new touchscreen version. Amazon has excellent customer service, and shows no sign of crashing and burning anytime soon, unlike Barnes & Noble and Borders. If prices keep dropping the way they have, they’ll be pretty cheap here soon. Now, if only we can stop the rising e-book prices. But, library lending and all of the free and reduced priced e-books available out there might just take care of that.
Tablets
The iPad wins here. I am not an Apple fiend by any means, but like the Kindle, the iPad has been around for over a year and offers a lot of different apps for various purposes. I use mine as a laptop basically. I also love that I can enlarge the text so easily. Give me a year and I might be saying something different, but for now, I go for the iPad. Other tablets to watch: Acer Iconia, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and of course the Kindle Tablet.
Why have a tablet AND an e-reader? I don’t think of my Kindle as a computer. iBooks does not have nearly the book collection that Amazon does, and reading on the iPad Kindle app does not feel the same. I can still curl up with the Kindle in bed or on the couch, and it isn’t hard on the eyes. I love how both Kindle and iPad can fit easily into a tote bag. Plus, e-readers are getting to be cheap enough that it wouldn’t be a huge setback to have both.
And then there are smartphones…but that market is a whole niche of its own.