Saturday, November 19, 2011

The e-reader dilemma

Push comes to shove I probably still enjoy reading a print book more than an e-reader, but I've jumped into the e-book revolution with both feet. I've published my own e-book and enjoy reading those books that are only available in this format.

I was uncharacteristically an early adopter of the Kindle, paying more for that first generation than you now pay for two Kindle Fires. I also got an iPad last spring because I was involved in the launch of an iPad publication (though unfortunately that quickly folded because of an unsustainable business plan). I had let my Kindle languish for a couple of years but have now revived it and also read e-books on my iPad.

What I like about the Kindle: It's small and has no backlighting.

What I don't like about the Kindle: It's small and has no backlighting.

What I like about the iPad: It's bigger and has backlighting.

What I don't like about the iPad: It's bigger and has backlighting.

I don't think I'm hard to please. What I appreciate about the Kindle is that it is small and light and easy to carry around. The e-Ink reading experience is easier on the eyes than backlighting, and it is much easier to read with glare. But the text display is small and you're constantly turning pages. At night, the dark background requires a fair amount of light to make it easily readable.

What I appreciate about the iPad is that the display is bigger and you have more text to read before you turn the page. The backlighting is handy when you're reading in bed and don't want much light. But the iPad is relatively heavy and clunky and inconvenient to carry around, plus you're constantly afraid of dropping it and cracking it.

Amazon, Apple, here's what I want. I want an e-reader that can switch back and forth from e-Ink to LCD and I want it in the size not of a mass paperback (Kindle) or hardback (iPad) but in the size of a trade paperback. Is that so hard?

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