Monday, April 5, 2010
iPad reading = eye strain. I would never sit down and read a book on a computer screen, I stare at a computer screen 10 hours a day at work already. eBook readers with eInk technology are a far different experience, an experience that is far closer to that of reading an actual book than that of reading on a computer screen.
I love my Sony eBook reader, and though there are now a few prettier ones out there with eInk technology (Nook, Kindle, Kobo) I will stick with Sony for now. It uses the ePub file format so is now compatible with many ebook stores and if I ever do switch to a competitor's reader, my books will transfer over. My Sony Reader Pocket Edition fits in my jacket pocket, my purse etc., takes up less room than a paperback and is easier on the wrists to read in bed or on transit (no more carrying around 1000 page hardcover for weeks!).
People have complained that you can't read eInk in the dark - didn't their mothers tell them reading in the dark is bad for their eyes? Turn on a lamp! You wouldn't sit in a dim room, crack open a paperback and then say "aww man, it's too dark in here, guess I can't read".
Don't get me wrong, I love books, I collect books, but the convenience of being able to carry my eReader at all times with multiple books at my fingertips has won me over. Yes, I will still buy the 1000 page Stephen King book for my bookshelf, but chances are that I also have the ebook.
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2 comments:
Your eye does not know the difference between backlit light and frontlit light, the issue is intensity and whether the light is diffused enough not to cause strain. The iPad reader application is much better than you think. The IPS screen is very crisp and clear and the reader app offers a very wide range of backlight intensity, lower than the normal settings that are used globally by other apps. Since frontlighting can sometimes be out of your control, perhaps there is a benefit you are overlooking with a small amount of backlighting.
JDC
ahh, the Macmeister cannot help but put in his 2 cents!
I still say eInk is easy on the eyes and looks just like a real book. For readers like me, who are reading thousands and thousands of pages a year, eInk is the way to go, for readers who are perhaps reading online content, or magazine/newspaper articles the iPad is probably fine and you get the awesomeness of full colour and images etc.
I don't think the iPad is of any use to our household, we currently have 6 computers, 4 iPods and my eReader, methinks thats enough!
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