I just read an interesting article by Ryan Cordell about why he’s started carrying his Kindle with him instead of his tablet.
Obviously he can have the Kindle app on his tablet, so why just the Kindle when the tablet can do so much more? Well, that’s exactly the reason: Because the tablet can do so much more, he found he wasn’t using his train ride to read. He was playing games, checking Facebook and doing almost everything except reading.
I’m noticing this myself. I’ve fallen in love with Marvin as a reading app on my iPad. However, when I’ve got my iPad with me, I do tend to be distracted, especially with email. (The Mailbox app makes it so easy to process email that it’s hard to restrain myself.) The iPad is also just big enough that it’s awkward me to to hold in my hands (which are tiny).
There’s no question that, for me, an e-reader is the right device to settle down for a long reading session. Depending on my mood, I reach for either my Kindle Touch or my Nook HD. I don’t have as many apps on my Nook HD as I have on my iPad, so I can use it as a (mostly) distraction-free device.
While you’re reading Cordell’s article, also check out his series on switching from iOS to Android. Interesting observations.
What about you? What’s your favorite way to settle in for a good, long read?
I’m dedicated to Dedicated e-readers. I have both a Nook Simple Touch and a Kindle Paperwhite, and between the weight, size, battery life and ability to read in bright light (and why can’t someone PLEASE do something about my phone?), I have no interest in a tablet, min-tablet, or anything but a nice, slim black & white reader. I can check and send email on my smart phone, and I suck at Angry Birds so I don’t do games.
I quake whenever I read that the technology/readers/companies are threatened by sales or business issues… Keep ’em simple, keep ’em small, and PLEASE keep making dedicated, black & white, matte screen readers!!
@Kate, glad someone else is still in favor of dedicated e-readers. Oh, and you aren’t the only one who sucks at Angry Birds. 🙂
Curious, which do you prefer, Paperwhite or Simple Touch? And why?
Dedicated reader here. All those games and notifications prevent you from reading quietly. Temptations.
Bonus? The matte screen, easy on my eyes.
I use two Android tablets for reading at home because their short battery life means I have to stop reading on one and switch to the other from time to time. I use the Mantano Pro app with a cloud storage subscription to keep the books synchronised, so that I can go straight from one to the other without skipping a page — when it works, which is most of the time.
But I have keep a Kobo mini in my gym bag because the lights there are good enough for me to read it, and I only have to charge it once a month.
@Jon, I keep hearing about Mantano. Guess I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
For the most part I prefer my Kindle Paperwhite, but on some books I’m more tempted to go down rabbit holes while on my Kindle Fire. For example, I would pursue art web sites while reading the biography of Van Gogh: the text would mention an artist and I go look up the paintings. Very handy for research while reading. but for fiction it is still eink.
The Nook HD (with Mantano) is just as good to read on as an e-ink reader. However, it is bigger and heavier. So when I am going out of the house, I definitely take a lighter reader. Usually my kobo glo, which is my favorite.
I read mostly on my Nexus 7 with Mantano Reader Pro (love it and you should try it as the organization is nice!). I can read for long stretches on my tablet without eyestrain. It’s a similar experience when I was reading on my iPad exclusively. Nexus 7 is just right size and weight for me. For long vacation or trip, I can see myself taking my dedicated e-Reader with me.
Fiction pretty much always on the dedicated ereader though I load short stories to my phone. For non-fiction I have started downloading the book to both the dedicated ereader and tablet. I read it on the ereader but have the tablet handy for looking at any pictures, footnotes or hitting the web for more info.
@All right, you all have convinced me. Off to buy Mantano Pro. Although, Anne, I find it interesting that you use in on a Nook HD. I really like the reader interface on the Nook. We’ll see which I like better.
@A Different Anne (:)) I prefer non-fiction on my iPad for all the reasons you mention.
I actually use Mantano Essentials (2.99). I use it on the Nook HD, the Fire HD, and my rooted Nook Simple Touch. It’s the best reading app I have personally tried, easy to load my favorite font, which is important, to me.
For me, the idea of relaxed and focused reading conflicts with a tablet that you have to recharge once or twice a day. When I take my Kindle or Kobo, I have the assurance that I can just read and read. So I never read (literature) on my tablets.
Most of my reading is documents and manuals, in .PDF form, etc. I find a tablet to be most effective. For ebooks, a dedicated e-reader is better for me (or a real book) because of the distraction factor. I can’t seem to stay away from email and web surfing on a tablet.
I am truly a tech dinosaur. I do most of my reading on two earlier-version dedicated e-readers: the keyboard Kindle and the Kindle DX, the latter of which has the extra large screen which is great for pdf files. I can read for long stretches on these with no eye strain whatsoever, without being distracted by incoming emails or needing to browse the web. Why mess up a good thing?