whats better value - kindle (or alternative) or budget tablet (android)

GTanny

GTanny

GTanny

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Hi all

my wife has come over with a sudden obsession with the amazon kindle but the thought of having to buy all the books online and having the device just for reading to me seems a bit pricey so im looking into alternatives

so far ive seen the sony reader prs t1 which is released this month and im a big fan of the general quality of sony products

or ive thought about one of the better 7" budget android tablets, i use an android phone and i love the platform and how open it is compared to apple, it also has some very good ebook reading software (one came with my samsung galaxy S but i cant remember the name)

ive not any real chance to read an eInk screen other then the ones on show in tesco etc... so maybe it is worth the extra but it seems like a lot for somthing to just read on (i know it has a limited browser but its very limited compared to a tablet at the same price range)

any suggestions guys/gals
 
I don't know about the comparison but I'm always willing to heartily recommend a kindle. I find them pretty fantastic to read on for long periods.

Thanks
Dan
 
If she wants it for books then a kindle, if she wants a tablet then...I don't know really do I'll let someone else mention stuff.

A tablet will be nowhere near as good as a Kindle for books.
 
Get the kindle she wants a book reader.
If you wanted a all round machine then that would be different. But not everyone can read a normal tablet screen for hours.

Also 7" is to small for a tablet, IMO. They aren't ultra portable and 10"+ are still more than easy to hold and a far better size for trains/planes.
 
My wife wants a kindle too, so I've got her one. I've made the mistake before of getting her something 'better'/different than what she wants.
 
My girlfriend wanted a Kindle, so I won her one. :D

Now I just need to find a new christmas present for her. Get her a Kindle, a tablet isn't comparable at all for long reading sessions.
 
Any of the e-book readers will be ace if she just wants a book replacements, Kindle, Nook, Sony etc are virtually all the same just look at the prices and the little features that differentiate them and decide what is best :)

That said given that she is after a Kindle, if you get anything but a Kindle and anything goes wrong, it'll be your fault vs just getting her a Kindle and then its her decision :p
 
jellybeard999 said:
Can you add your own pdf, epub, mobi or similar via USB/wifi on a kindle, or do all books need to come from the amazon store?
Click to expand...

Using Calibre (free tool) you can convert ePubs to Mobi so they'll work on the Kindle and transfer to the device over USB. You can also do the same for PDFs as well (although they can be viewed natively) as it gives better scaling once converted for them.

If I have a book in PDF format I convert it to ePub in Calibre. Then use Sigil (free) to edit the ePub and fix any formating issues. Then use Calibre to convert the ePub to Mobi and load onto the Kindle via USB.
 
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Cheers guys quite a landslide outcome... looks like ill be ordering her a kindle on payday for xmas!!

Thanks again
 
Get a Kindle ONLY if you plan on buying all of your books from the Amazon store. The Kindle does NOT support EPUB which for me is a complete and absolute deal-breaker. Also, the Sony PRS-T1 uses Android as a basis for the OS, so once rooted you will be able to install marketplace apps like alternative web browsers, email apps, and of course... the Kindle app, giving you full access to the Amazon store anyway.

I'm picking A sonly PRS-T1 up this week as I have some gift vouchers that need using, and I really want one in time for Christmas.

Here is a very awesome and in-depth review


:)
 
Except that as I noted earlier in the thread you can convert ePubs to Mobi's pretty simply with Calibre so you can load books from other sources on to the Kindle.

In fact the majority of the stuff on mine has (legally) come from sources other than Amazon.
 
Cheers richdog but her kindle is already purchased and wrapped now, I had a few days googling and its easy enough to convert epub files to mobi.

Must admit that now I've had chance to have a quick play I'm very impressed and tempted to pick one up for myself but I think the kindle fire is more my sort of gadget as I'm not as much of a reader as my wife is.
 
memyselfandi said:
Except that as I noted earlier in the thread you can convert ePubs to Mobi's pretty simply with Calibre so you can load books from other sources on to the Kindle.

In fact the majority of the stuff on mine has (legally) come from sources other than Amazon.
Click to expand...

Indeed my friend, but that is a bit of hassle imo, and still means that you don't get Android and all the awesome app goodness that brings. You can basically convert the e-reader into an e-ink tablet with a lot of flexibility, with native EPUB and MOBI support via the Kindle app. :)
 
Well, ive been living with my Sony PRS-T1 for a few days now...

It's awesome, basically. Design-wise, it's so thin and light that holding it for extended periods is easy. The back is texturised rubber so grip isn't a problem, it just feels nice.

The screen is like I imagined... great contrast and very clear, just as easy on the eye as reading a book, in fact the better id say as I can change the font type and size to what I want... the importance of that can not be underestimated.

Software-wise, it runs Android, and so far everything has been fine. I read about issues with freezing etc but as soon as I got it home I upgraded the firmware to the new one from 9th December and so far it's been Rocksteady and Beebop.

The device plays MP3's and audiobooks are supported and the Music player is actually pretty decent, so you can read and listen to music... and it doesnt hammer the battery life which im very plkeased with. Music qualits is good, it could be louder, but overall not bad at all.

Browser is really basic but "works", I guess it's better than nothing, and certainly bettert than the nook and Amazon browsers.

I'll wait until more headway has been made with the rooting community and then do that too methinks. All in all, a fantastic device, and im glad I didn't buy any other model than this one. Still need to play around with some stuff and will report back as I do, but I hear PDF's arent too bad with this thing. :)

Great review here by the way:

 
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