“…With Amazon’s recent announcement that digital e-books outsold hardcover books for the first time …
… and paperbacks destined to a similar fate in the near future …
.. we can safely say the e-book revolution is upon us.
That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that the devices upon which we read those books — digital e-readers, tablet computers, smartphones — are anywhere near their final form.
Last December, we took a look at the most popular e-readers on the market, and, while many companies have made only incremental alterations to their lineups since then …
… a few new additions and serious price-drops among others have vastly changed the landscape.
And, oh yeah, there’s that whole iPad thing.
At first blush, the iPad seemed like it would radically alter the e-reader market.
In the months that have passed, it has sold like hot cakes, but, then again, so have E-ink e-readers.
So in putting together this revisited roundup, we found ourselves in a curious dilemma: whether to include the iPad or not.
The iPad, as you’ve undoubtedly heard, is billed by Apple as a new device category altogether (one that involves magic!).
All hype aside, we’re inclined to agree.
Unlike virtually every e-reader on the market, the iPad is, first and foremost … a multimedia device that happens to have e-reader capabilities.
And if one were to be honest in analyzing the iPad strictly on its merits as a dedicated e-reader …
… it’s woefully lacking compared to much of the competition.
The brilliant, glossy color screen is difficult to see in bright light … and can strain the eyes over long periods.
It’s also relatively heavy (about three times the weight of many e-readers) …
… and its battery life is around 10 hours … versus a couple weeks or more for most e-readers.
And, well, it costs at least twice as much as dedicated e-readers.
In short, if you’re primarily looking for an e-reader … you’d be better served elsewhere.
By the same token, if you’re looking for a full-featured multimedia experience … the iPad currently has no real competition …
… and dedicated e-readers simply don’t compare.
In light of that schism, for this piece, we tested what we think represent the cream of the ever-burgeoning dedicated e-reader crop…”
go to source/story>>>The Best e-Readers Compared: Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Reader Throw Down
