Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

Hi guys. Christmas is coming up and well its time to start looking for presents haha. You guys seem very clued up on technology so thought id ask for general advice :D

My girlfriend has mentioned her friend has a ebook reader and she loved it. My girlfriend reads lots of books and enjoys playing games and i often have to steal my phone from her when shes playing Angry birds haha

So i am in a predicament. Ive never owned either systems so unsure of which is best. I assume the ebook reader kindle etc is the best really for reading...but i think a Android tablet would suit her all round needs in terms of games..web and importantly ebook reading. The issues however is theres SOOOOO many mid size Android tablets out there lol. Anyone have any words of wisdom would be great specially with things like battery life etc.

Many thanks

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

I'd use a Android tablet.
Personally, I use my n900 for all my ebook-needs, and it does the job quite well - It fits in my pocket, and, (provided I have the font big enough), it's not a strain to read.

Really, the problem comes down to how you are going to be acquiring ebooks - You need to figure out what formats are avaiable at the source(s) you are getting them from, then make sure they are either natively readable, or have a converter.

For example, Microsoft .lit files can be converted to .html files which can then be read with FBreader on my N900 via Convert-LIT. .doc files, which are popular with online authors, can be converted to html or other formats for reading, though not in batch quantity(at least, not that I've figured out).

Once you have DRM in the mix, things get even more confusing, and some formats can be easily stripped and converted, while others (like PDF-ebooks) often cannot. Getting DRM-free content is possible from some authors, though for others it requires shady methods.

The Kindle, on the other hand, is very simple - You buy the book and things Just Work(TM). However, you have -one- source for your books, and can't just load any content you want on it. Nor can you back things up, so if you lose/break your Kindle, you are screwed.

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

Notion Ink Adam? If it was me, this is what I would aim for. The thing is bound to be great, in my opinion, and I have been diligently following its progress, and I'd say there's reason to be optimistic about it coming soon if your significant other is okay with slightly delayed gifts. By reason to be optimistic, I mean they have already started, as I understand it, to send out the Early Access Program ADAMs (if nothing else, they've selected those accepted out of the applicants and sent them the respective forms and contracts and such, and last I heard they're in the middle of FCC testing).

I heard people give the Archos tablets good reviews on here, but I have no experience with any Android tablets personally, so I wouldn't be able to contribute beyond the above.

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

Just to clarify this, everything you buy from Amazon is on your Amazon account online (in 'the cloud') so you can redownload all your content onto a new kindle if you so need.

As well, you can get the Kindle app for free on lots of other devices, PC, Mac, Crackberry, iphone/pod/pad/blarg, just hoping at some point they make one *nix friendly.

If you want a gaming device for her, get something else. If you want a straight eBook reader, you can't go wrong with the Kindle, and that new one is like $139 wi-fi only...pretty sweet.

Keep in mind this is a strictly biased opinion :)

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

A couple of things that the Kindle does have going for them are...

Power consumption, they are supposed to last for ages (or days) compared to most tablets. You will not be running for the closest wall socket every few hours on a dedicated reader.

And a better screen. ok it is only better for reading text without the blinding backlight or less reflective in the sun.

That said though, you are limited to reading books on them but if she has access to her mobile or a PC then gaming should not be a problem.

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

Some good advice here cheers guys :D I did look into the Adam tablet but allas they are still not available and i think may just go over my other halfs head haha. With Android im hoping its all going to be there for her....however its trying to find a good functioning tablet that has good battery life aswell. Theres 100s on Ebay promising all kinds of things but when you look deeper theres al kinds of shortcomings.

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

Get the kindle for books. Hands down better than any tablet experience for reading books. It is like reading paper, the battery lasts forever, the stuff is backed up. The only down side (which you would have with the android also) is that amazon books come with DRM. You can reuse them on any amazon-friendly device that is associated with your account, but you can't pull them off and read them on your N900. But since I read mostly fiction that I will never read again, I love having the kindle.

Mine is 1st generation, and I have had the same one with no problems for almost 3 years. The 3G feature is great (just flip a switch and buy whatever book I want nearly instantly), but the wifi-only is so cheap it is probably worth it.

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

As far as Android tablets go, Archos is probably your best bet.

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Ebook reading wise, I'm thinking there are two different categories here:
1. E-Ink based solutions, like the Kindle or several cheap knock-offs from China. These will provide a nice "paper-like" experience, good battery life, and typically a larger size page.
On the negative side, you will need outside light to read by - Which is fine, if you read in your living room. If you read in bed before going to sleep, however... Having a backlit screen reduces eyestrain and aches from trying to hold the screen at an angle you can read from.
Also, the larger size reduces portability.

Tablet based solutions typically have shorter battery life, though these days this isn't as much of a problem. They also have active/color screens, which is useful in the case above, but not so much when reading outdoors during the day. Also, these can display video as well; making it a more useful device.
Tablet solutions are also smaller; it does require a bit more "page turning", but is far more portable - An Archos tablet, for example, can be stuck in a pocket - A Kindle? No way. This means that you could, for example, whip out your tablet while riding in a car or bus or waiting for something - Read a page or two. Or, as all tablets these days have audio capability, listen to music, depending on your preference.

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

So Xmas is over!

Anybody buy a tablet (apparently its the craze)?
Anybody get one as a gift?
Or do you have a wishlist (excluding the Honneycomb ones)?

Re: Android tablet or real ebook reader??
 

Girlfriend bought me a kindle. I've used it an incredible amount. Granted I've been pirating my books but since christmas I've read so much. I don't see much point in a tablet. What did OP go for?