any good ebook reader to recommend?


Fotophilic

Senior Member
Jun 18, 2006
2,398
1
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big tree town
Hi,

i am recently considering to get an ebook reader to read stuff ebooks during my travel journeys. i did considered if i should wait for the iPad, but it seems like the screen and reflectiveness of the screen is bothersome when u are reading outdoors.

after some online research, the current model that seems to appeal to me most is the Ectaco Jetbook Lite. so i would like to seek people here who have used it before, or have an ebook reader of other models to give some user opinions. i am pretty new to this.

my main considerations for an ebook reader is as follows:
1) good battery life. running on AA batteries is a plus.
2) good readability even in outdoors.
3) less than SGD500.
4) hopefully can last me for at least 5 years.

opinions and comments are welcome. :)
 

I would go for the Amazon reader. Several reasons:

1. All e-ink devices have the same display. Diff is in the software, Amazon's features are quite complete, you don't need more. If you need colour, e-inks don't display colour.

2. Their ebooks are cheaper than those from other sources, try comparing ebooks.com and amazon.com. The devices are pretty much the same price. Don't forget the running cost of buying ebooks which will grow continuously.

3. Forget AA batteries, you'll need to sync your books and each time it recharges. A ful charge lasts 2 weeks or more, definetely more than enough to finish one to three novels depending on your reading speed.

4. The ipad is not practical, if you can accept the ipad, you can use your laptop - the displays are similar. Battery life don't really matter, the laptop battery will outlast your eyes.

5. Think carefully what kind of books you would be buying. Novels are ok, the e-version in Amazon are cheaper, ebooks.com is almost like the paper print. For non-fiction, you can get the print cheaper than the ebook version.
 

i'm actually looking at the Nook. And the price is quite sweet at USD$149 when 2 weeks ago , it's $259
If you have a OCBC card, u can ship it in for free if it's the first time u use vpost.

Main difference is that the Nook can play non-drm protected text while the Kindle can only play DRM protected ones.
there's quite a lot of savings there. if u get what i mean.

All E-ink based reader can do well under sunlight but in the absence of light, they are not really useable.

Anyway, there's this android based tablet from called Eken M100 that might be passable as a reader and it plays music, pics and games..and it cost USD$100. Only downside is that battery isn't long at 3 hours ( which is rather decent if u ask me). Look at the comparison between nook
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=2783940
 

I bought an aluratek through staples.com for $149. The great thing about it is that it come pre-loaded with 100 free books. All the books are out of copyright , but they have been most enjoyable to read. It gives you the web site where you can download thousands of free books. You can also download new books at different web sites.

DaveO
 

I bought an aluratek through staples.com for $149. The great thing about it is that it come pre-loaded with 100 free books. All the books are out of copyright , but they have been most enjoyable to read. It gives you the web site where you can download thousands of free books. You can also download new books at different web sites.

DaveO

yours is a Libre ebook reader pro? that looks almost exactly the same as the ectaco jetbook! thanks for the info anyway! :D
 

The Aluratek also comes with a 2GB SD card so it will hold about 1500 books which is four times larger than most of the others. ( they have 500mb cards )

DaveO
 

Any place to buy one in Singapore? aluratek only in US?
Is this suitable for an elderly woman (60+ yo) who loves to read novels? :think:
 

i'm actually looking at the Nook. And the price is quite sweet at USD$149 when 2 weeks ago , it's $259
If you have a OCBC card, u can ship it in for free if it's the first time u use vpost.

Main difference is that the Nook can play non-drm protected text while the Kindle can only play DRM protected ones.
there's quite a lot of savings there. if u get what i mean.

All E-ink based reader can do well under sunlight but in the absence of light, they are not really useable.

Anyway, there's this android based tablet from called Eken M100 that might be passable as a reader and it plays music, pics and games..and it cost USD$100. Only downside is that battery isn't long at 3 hours ( which is rather decent if u ask me). Look at the comparison between nook
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=2783940

I can swear by my blood that if you are an avid reader, you will love the Kindle.

It is really as good as reading a real paperback book. The e-ink display does mimic paper really well. The ebook platform by Amazon is also another plus point. Get a Amazon gift card and apply to your own account and you can start purchasing ebook. All you have to do is just switch on your Kindle and let it sync to it from the internet on it's own. You don't have to do anything and that is quite amazing.

Amazon has got the Kindle right. Great form factor, not too heavy to hold, not to bulky. Also, it doesn't have that attention seeking factor when you take it out in public. You can read in relative peace without inviting glances from the general public.
 

Ditto on the Kindle.. I just got 1 a couple weeks back and it was fantastic.. just ordered another one for my wifey too..;)
You could follow the instructions on THIS SITE on how to purchase the kindle as well as ebooks.. So far the experience have been fantastic. Amazon just started offering "Kindle with Special Offers" and it's $25 off the regular price. What you do get is some ad on the screensaver & bottom of the screen.

Anyway, the Kindle is highly recommended.

Cheers,
Andrew
 

Any place to buy one in Singapore? aluratek only in US?
Is this suitable for an elderly woman (60+ yo) who loves to read novels? :think:

You should be able to get the Kindle through Amazon.com. They sell for $ 139 now unless you get the one with ads on it for $ 114. The Kindles now hold about 3500 books. The nice thing about e-books is that you have access to about 8 different sizes of print. Also the Kindle has access to 1.8 million free books. You just have to go to somewhere with a wi-fi to download them or use a computer and a usb port. The battery supposedly lasts a month. I've had my aluratek for about a year and really enjoy it. I bought my brother a Kindle for Christmas. If you don't have a computer, most libraries here have them for people to use.

DaveO
 

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...Also the Kindle has access to 1.8 million free books. You just have to go to somewhere with a wi-fi to download them or use a computer and a usb port. DaveO

1.8 million FREE books?? That's a lot. Do you get to download them from Amazon website?
 

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1.8 million FREE books?? That's a lot. Do you get to download them from Amazon website?

I assume it's the Amazon website for the 1.8 million free books, but I don't own a Kindle so I don't know. My Aluratek mentions about 4 websites, but nowhere near this many free books.

DaveO
 

Can someone share with me a site where I can download some business books for free?
Thinking of getting some titles before I get the $114 Kindle.

My current read is a bit too fat for portability. =(
 

you can find amazon kindle in sim lim, not much saving if you order online, and have to wait 1 or 2 weeks. i have both the 6" and 9" kindle. small one for reading the non-scanned books. big one for reading scanned copy or books not optimized for small screen. better than using computer / laptop to read. but one drawback is you need light to read in dark place.
 

I got the sony 5" ebook which I can stuff into my pants side pocket.
 

you can find amazon kindle in sim lim, not much saving if you order online, and have to wait 1 or 2 weeks. i have both the 6" and 9" kindle. small one for reading the non-scanned books. big one for reading scanned copy or books not optimized for small screen. better than using computer / laptop to read. but one drawback is you need light to read in dark place.

Hihi How much did you pay for the 6" Kindle in Sim Lim? And do you happened to know how much they sell the Kindle Covers and Screen Protectors for?
 

Just got my nook color and rooted to autonooter 3.0

Very good value at just usd 249.

7" screen, Android marketplace, good built.