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Kindle v iPad

Avatar Roy Rainford
Am considering putting an e-book reader on my birthday hints list. The Kindle seems to be the one for e-reading but the iPad can do much more. Any comments, pros/cons or links to reviews will be welcome. Roy.

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Trevor Hewson
Come on Roy, you surely don't expect an unbiased response here. I can only assume that you are really looking for confirmation that you should have an iPad - and of course you should!

The only inhibiting factor might be the rumours of a significantly revised model later this year, but I don't imagine that would be a big deal as far as e-reading is concerned.

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Roy Rainford
Well Trevor there might be some who, like myself, want value for money and if I only want/need an e-reader then why pay four times as much for an iPad, especially when I already have a MacBook? However I might be overlooking something so I will wait and see if anyone can convince me that a Kindle is not the one to buy.

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Derek Wright
Before committing to either check out how easy it is to read the devices in either sunny bright environments and dull low light.

the iFondleslab does get criticized when being used outside in the sun (so should be OK in the UK - but not OK by the pool at the villa in Italy)

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Steve Ryder
One consideration must be the range of books to which the selected device gives access. The iPad enables you to read books in Kindle format, as well as many others, but the Kindle may be more limited. Having made this bold assertion, I felt obliged to pay some attention to the facts, and found http://ireaderreview.com/2010/01/27/kindle-vs-ipad-review/ which seems a fairly comprehensive summary, and leads to a conclusion counter to my original supposition, but still comes down on the side of the iPad if you don't plan to read more than one book per month.

The other point is that Apple are apparently saying (in the USA) that from March 31st, content for use with Apps must be purchased from within the App itself
http://www.tecca.com/news/2011/02/03/apple-sets-deadline-for-amazons-kindle-app-to-change/ which has interesting implications to say the least! Will Apple find a way of preventing iPad users from downloading potentially cheaper ebooks purchased from Amazon?

Is your birthday before March 31st?

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Roy Rainford
Many thanks for the review link Steve - just what I needed to compare the pros v cons. Yes my birthday is before the 31st but I can wait for the 'best buy'! One 'pro' point made about the Kindle is 'free internet'. However since my usage will be mainly in-house where I have a wireless network to download books wouldn't the iPad also be free internet?

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Roy Rainford
Have just been following the second link from Steve (tecca.com) which informs me that iPad 2 is expected in the next month or two. Looks as if this might be on the birthday list of my wife in May!

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Lionel Ogden
Why not stay low-tech and join your local library, if it is still open. You can read books anywhere, no battery or internet connection necessary. You can read them in the sunshine by your pool in Italy and when you have finished with them you can pass them to friends without fear of draconian penalties from Mr Jobs or Mr Amazon. You can return to one you read thirty years ago or buy one in a second hand shop without having to worry whether the format is still accessible. Just think if Kindles et al had been invented first, the book would have been a fantastic innovation.

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Roy Rainford
Great suggestion Lionel - I like that idea - best value for money available!

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Eric Jervis
I quite agree, Lionel, but you do get some awful riff raff in libraries these days. Why, the last time I went I found that not only do they lend paperbacks, they also loan records and videos!
Conversely, when I was told about the 'Gutenberg' website, whence you can download millions of books which are out of copyright, I downloaded Alexander Pope's translation of Homer's Illiad, and was astonished by the beauty of the poetry. all the more remarkable since something that rhymes in one language certainly won't when translated into another. The man was clearly a genius.
Unlike Homer, because the story is inordinately boring; I trashed it.

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Euan Williams
One advantage of the digital book, whether on the Mac, iTouch or Kindle, is finding that pesky word, phrase or paragraph fast within so many pages. Being taught at a very tender age to read Homer in the original Greek (with rather mixed results) the borderlands between Geek and Greek still occupy me.

While we have an excellent OxFam bookshop nearby, I like Google Books > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Books < who, among others, offer some quite rare books in a sort of .pdf format. Some pages or sections may be missing to encourage book purchase (there is angry discussion about publishing copyright all over the web), but for out-of-copyright books this is a really useful service. Try this in relation to J. Arthur Ransome's excellent "Racundra's First Cruise": go to Google Books, enter > Tutters Island < and see what happens.

Maybe some 'discussions' reader somewhere, (even one of our photographers?) will enjoy this link too:

DIY book scanner anyone?

Ah: where did I back up my OCR image to text converter?

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Roy Rainford
Thank you for all the comments. I did enjoy the link re DIY book scanners Euan but I don't think I will start that. My priority is for a DIY setup for scanning medium format transparencies using a digital camera. If anyone can provide a link for that I will be interested. Change of subject - apologies.

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Derek Wright
A starter for 10
a thread on slide copying


I have used a close up lens on a camera, the slide in a holder and a white card at 45 deg to reflect the flash from above to get acceptable images of slides

Re: Kindle v iPad

Avatar Roy Rainford
Thanks Derek for the link. I may be able to use something similar for my medium format transparencies.
 
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