eReader tablets?

I've purchased several good tech books in ebook format on black friday. But, I do not own a eBook reader tablet, do any of you here have a physical tablet that you read your ebooks on that you may be able to recommend?

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Iristheangel

I like the 8.9 Kindle Fire and love it. I enabled 3rd Party App support on it and downloaded Safari Books and some other apps from Top APK for Amazon Kindle Fire to make it stretch further.

Edit: Here's a couple pictures of my Kindle Fire next to this post to give you an idea of how clear the text is. One is an ASA book off the native Kindle App and the second one (with a diagram at the bottom of the page) is CCIE v5 Vol 1 off the Safari app

Note: My Kindle Fire HDX is now pretty pricey since I guess it's the older model. Amazon sells a 10 inch new one that is light and it's pretty inexpensive.

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Mike-Mike

i also use my Kindle Fire tablet for reading

Mike7

I bought a 10.5 inch Galaxy Tab S while they were clearing stock for S2. Amazon tablets are not available in my country.

Need the 10-inch display as PDF eBooks do not support text overflow and I prefer to read the entire page without zooming.
The 2560 by 1600 "retina display" resolution means that small text are clear and smooth.

OfWolfAndMan

The Kindle Fire, as mentioned above, is a sound option, but depending on what you're looking for in an e-reader, there are other options.

The advantage of the Kindle Fire is its color screen and the ability for more than just books(Music, Vids, games). In addition to that, it has its own App Store. The only problem I really have with the Fire is the battery life.

That is why my personal preference is the kindle paper white. It is a basic form of an e-reader, BUT it's battery life is phenomenal (up to 8 weeks or something along those lines. I could vouch for the longevity, even with wifi on), it has an adjustable backlights built-in, and it's easy on the eyes. Of course though, it is not color display capable, hence why it is called the paper white.

If you're looking into an alternative such as the Nook or the Kobo, do not waste your money. I primarily dislike the Kobo for it's quality, but aside from that, the library of books available on the online stores for both kobo and nook (Uses Barnes and Noble) cannot compare to Amazon's, in my experience. I have been through one kobo, one nook color, two kindles (one paper white, one original second gen), and have had the luxury of steering the kindle fire, and I strongly recommend amazon's products. Not just the quality, but also the wide variety in the store. I use it for many tech books, along with many other genres I have interest in including philosophy, classic Sci-fi and dystopian novels, and a variety of science books. I hope this recommendation has been helpful

Mike-Mike

i have a paperwhite, and while my wife and daughter like it for regular books, I tried it, but just couldn't get into it. Using the Kindle 8.9 is pretty perfect for my uses

JoJoCal19

I use an iPad Air. I've not used a better tablet. Reading PDFs on it is simply amazing. I also have full access to my Kindle library, as well as the Nook library if I ever need it. Not to mention all of the other productivity apps, games, etc. I only ever use my MacBook Pro for school work or labbing. Anything else I do via the iPad. I've been hearing that reading PDFs on the iPad Pro in portrait is mind blowing, as well as reading magazines or graphic heavy books so I may check it out in stores. Also you can use it in landscape and run two full-size portrait iPad apps next to each other so that may come in very handy as well when reading PDFs and using Safari or YouTube to research something further, or even use a note app to take notes.

JoJoCal19

@=Iristheangel;

Iris, are you doing most of your CCIE R&S studies on that Kindle Fire or using the physical book? I've done most all of my studying using physical books but I'd like to (and need to) make the move to computer/tablet as my primary but haven't had great luck yet. Seems my comprehension of tech reading is better via paper, but I can read for pleasure better on the iPad. Any tips for reading electronically would be great.

Iristheangel

It's a mix and match to be honest. For books I am taking extensive notes on, I usually get a hard copy so most of my bigger thicker CCIE books are all hardcopies. I find no use from the highlighting and annotating feature that comes on most ereaders. For me, I need to type it in for it to be valuable so I usually have my book in front of me and GoogleDocs opened. For other technical books I'm reading for leisure (SSFIPS, Implementing ISE, etc) and white papers, an ereader is gold because it's very easy to read and go through it on those devices.

Deathmage

Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 is amazing, I love it. I got a AmazonBasic 16,000 amp battery backup for it and I can read a book for 6 days without plugging it back into wall.

advanex1

Seems like most people make notes by typing nowadays.. I feel like I'm the only one that writes it down anymore... guess it helps me reinforce what I'm learning. Typing just doesn't do it for me, but I like the fact that you can use the search function on it. Maybe I should type up my notes after I write them..

I know that's a bit of a rant and slightly off topic, but I think I just gave myself another way to reinforce my learning

Thanks guys.

JoJoCal19

Thanks Iris. That's pretty much what I do. Anything that I have to take notes on, which tends to be really technical stuff, I rely on the physical book. Anything I'm reading for leisure (technical or otherwise) I get the Kindle version.

@advanex1 You're not the only one! I have to write out my notes first. Maybe it's related to my inability to really comprehend technical stuff via ebook, but I retain and reinforce material better if I write it first. For stuff that I want an electronic, searchable copy of notes for, I type up (which also is a second round of reinforcement of the material).

dave330i

If you just want a ebook reader, then Kindle paperwhite's your best bet. Long battery life and low stress on your eyes.

tpatt100

I am looking at the Kindle paperwhite right now, I notice the eyestrain when I do any extended reading on my iPad.

Iristheangel

The only thing about the Kindle Paperwhite is that some technical books might not work out as well on them - especially diagrams but they're great for reading text

tpatt100

Yeah I will save my tablet for that but I want a Kindle specifically just for reading non technical books.

varelg

Iristheangel wrote: »

The only thing about the Kindle Paperwhite is that some technical books might not work out as well on them - especially diagrams but they're great for reading text

... and who knows if eReaders of that type will ever evolve to display even a simple diagram properly. They have been on the market for years but still fail with diagrams and just a tad more complicated formatting.
I used few Nook e-readers with that type of screen, hoping to both reduce eye strain (since it's not a backlit screen) and read more than I did with printed version of the books. No diagrams. Could barely handle PDF's.

UnixGuy

I'm a kindle addict...but I must admit I never use it to read tech books

Remedymp

What happens when you run into diagrams and schematics? I tend to look at a lot of network topologies,etc and have noticed on the nook, it doesn't always format well. Which is why I'm looking around.

Remedymp

Has anyone run ePub or mobi based books on their devices?

JoJoCal19

Remedymp wrote: »

What happens when you run into diagrams and schematics? I tend to look at a lot of network topologies,etc and have noticed on the nook, it doesn't always format well. Which is why I'm looking around.

An iPad (or Android equivalent: Galaxy S Tab, Nexus) is amazing to read PDFs and tech diagrams on.

dsgm

My iPad mini 3 does quite well with pdf, epub and other formats and easy to carry around

Iristheangel

I haven't had an issue with epub, pdfs or any format on my Kindle Fire

Mooseboost

I have a the Paperwhite. I tend to not use it for studying though, mostly for entertainment reading. I use my iPad Pro and Air more for studying, mostly because of the screen size and the ability of note taking on the Pro. The Paperwhite gets a thumbs up from me though. The most important thing for me is the ability to always have my books with me. I bought it after having several of my books ruined by water damage during a move. Physical copies of books are great, but digital copies are much cheaper to keep backups of

Brain-D

Did anyone try the Sony Digital Paper?

advanex1

@JoJo - I agree. Its not just with reading though, I tend to create transcripts for all the videos I watch too. Dunno, guess it just feels right.

Iristheangel

Brain-D wrote: »

Did anyone try the Sony Digital Paper?

I actually would consider buying one if they dropped the price to the $300-400 range. Selling it initially for $1100 and even now at $800 (without any support) seems like a lot of money for what it does.

JoJoCal19

Mooseboost wrote: »

I use my iPad Pro and Air more for studying, mostly because of the screen size and the ability of note taking on the Pro.

I'm actually looking at picking up a Pro for this reason. In landscape mode you can run two full size iPad apps next to each other. Will be amazing to read a book on one side or watch videos and write notes in the other side. The plus being that I get the memory and retention of writing out my notes, but also get to store them electronically at the same time.

advanex1

I think I'd rather just buy a macbook air instead of an iPad pro for $1000.

Brain-D

Iristheangel wrote: »

I actually would consider buying one if they dropped the price to the $300-400 range. Selling it initially for $1100 and even now at $800 (without any support) seems like a lot of money for what it does.

I'm in the same boat! The device is amazing but I can't justify paying that much for it.

Mooseboost

advanex1 wrote: »

I think I'd rather just buy a macbook air instead of an iPad pro for $1000.

Depends on what you are getting it for really. I use my Pro about as much as I do my Macbook. I use the pro for note taking, mobile watching while moving about, and a lot of drawing. For me, there is a significant advantage to having the Pro. If you just want something to carry around and type on - the macbook air is a good option.