eReaders are the new wave of literary technology—allowing access to thousands of books on a single, light-weight device. Thanks to their excellent screens and long battery life, eReaders are ideal devices for avid readers—especially considering features like customizable font styles/sizes, a built-in dictionary, and access to a variety of written media (e.g., books, magazines, newspapers). Here are some of our favorites and why:
Marybeth Smith, COO, has enjoyed her Kindle Paperwhite since 2010! I use my eReader anywhere and everywhere. In the “old days,” I travelled with a suitcase packed with 5-6 books for a vacation. I’ve even been known to rip pages out so that the book became smaller and lighter as I went along (seemed like the right thing to do at the time). Now I can load my Kindle with all manner of reading material and head out with virtually unlimited choices. eReaders provide instant gratification—no trip to the bookstore or library is needed. There are many apps for free or cheap books, including borrowing from your local library. The Kindle Paperwhite is the optimal eReader choice because the screen is lit, not backlit. You can read easily in the sun (think beach) and in a darkened room. The only disadvantage that I’ve found with the Kindle is that the graphics are not sharp. So, if the book has any kind of map or illustration, the Apple iBook would be a better option. Another great feature is that I have the Kindle app on my iPhone, so that if I am out and about and I read a little bit of my current book, my Kindle knows where I left off. And, speaking of the Kindle app, I am happy with the choice of books on Amazon. I think Barnes and Noble is a little better for reviews and presentation, but Amazon has all the choices and the advantage of a large reader base for reviews.
Our fearless leader, Cathy Coloff, prefers Apple iBooks because it more closely resembles a real book, visually. For over 6 years I have enjoyed reading iBooks anywhere—if I’m waiting somewhere, I pull it out like I would a paper book. I can use my iPad for much more than reading; so, it’s like a utility device. I also like that it syncs across multiple devices; so, if I happen to have my son’s hand-me-down iPad, I can pick up right where I left off. When reading at night, I like utilizing the reading mode where it switches the background to black and the text to white (easier on my aging eyes). I also enjoy taking advantage of the comment/highlight features to annotate and mark business books. On a side note, I really like reading magazines on my iPad because if I see something I like, quite often I can click right in the article and taken directly to even richer content (e.g. a virtual tour of a home, product website, etc.).
IT Consultant, Ashleigh Boissonault, has had a Kindle Fire since 2012. Prior to that, she used a basic Kindle eReader. I use my Fire everywhere and anywhere! I like my Kindle Fire and paper books equally, but you can’t deny the convenience of having an endless library of books all on one device. I love that I can pick up my current book no matter where I am—on my lunch break, in a waiting room, or relaxing at home. However, I also love the flexibility of the Kindle Fire. Since it is a tablet, I can watch movies, check email, play games, or browse the web on it as well. I love words! So, when I come across one I don’t know, I can highlight it and immediately get a definition as well as other information. If it’s a book that’s set in the U.K., I can even switch to a U.K. dictionary to look up slang or colloquialisms I might not know. I also like highlighting quotes that I enjoy. It’s super convenient that I can keep the Kindle app on multiple devices, so if I don’t have my Kindle with me, I can keep reading from my phone or my computer since it keeps everything in sync.
Consensus… If you love to read but hate lugging books, an eReader is the way to go!
First published in our September 2017 IT Radix Resource newsletter
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