E-reader-comparison

7060QCA Digital Design ObjectMaster of Digital DesignQueensland College of ArtGriffith UniversityLecturer: Ying

Nastiti MayawulanS2822152

E-Reader in Australia: Product

ComparisonAmazon Kindle Touch | Sony Reader Touch (PRS-T1) |

Kobo eReader Touch |Apple New iPad

AbstractE-book, or electronic book, is becoming more and more common in the daily modern life. People are buying e-reader to store hundreds, or may be thousands, of books. Although majority of the people are still prefer to buy paper book, e-book continues to grow because it is portable and cheaper. With the development of e-book, e-reader is sought as a device for reading e-books. There are various types of e-reader in the market that comes from various manufacturers, but this paper will look into four devices that are considered new in Australian market: Amazon Kindle Touch, Sony Reader Touch PRS-T1, Kobo e-Reader Touch, and Apple New iPad. They all come from respectable manufacturers and can be found in Australian retails. It may not seem fair to compare iPad with the other e-readers, but it turns out that iPad has its own disadvantages. In the end, it goes to what is really needed, whether it is a pure e-reader or a multifunction device.

FRED References

E-book, e-reader, e-ink technology, e-PUB, AZW, infrared touchscreen

Keywords

Tablet PC, Kindle, iPad

What is an e-reader?

• An e-reader (electronic reader) is a device for reading content, such as e-books, newspapers and documents (Whatis.com, 2008)

• An e-book is a book composed in or converted to digital format for display on a computer screen or handheld device (Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2012).

Why do people use e-reader?

• Portability; paper books can be heavy, e-reader is much lighter.

• One e-reader can store hundreds or even thousands of books, depending on the memory capacity.

• Easy access to buy new books compared to paper books.

• The font in e-reader can be changed, both font type and the size. It is beneficial for seniors or visually impaired person.

• Most e-readers are using e-ink (electronic ink) technology. E-ink technology uses microcapsules that contain both positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles suspended in liquid placed within a film-like layer.

• Applying a negative electrical field will make the white particles to come to the surface, while applying a positive electrical field causes the black ones to come. By applying different fields at various parts of a screen, e-ink can produce a text display.

• E-ink displays are popular because it gives a resemblance to printed paper. Compared to LCD screen that often causes strain in the eyes, e-ink is more acceptable since it does not glare.

Hidalgo, J. (2012). What is E Ink? Retrieved March 29, 2012, from About.com website: http://portables.about.com/od/newsandviews/f/E-Ink-FAQ.htm

E-reader in Australia

• Four products:

Amazon Kindle Touch

Sony Reader Touch PRS-T1

Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

Product Comparison – Bare essentials

Amazon Kindle Touch Sony Reader Touch PRS-T1

Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

172 mm tall120 mm wide

10.1 mm thickness

213g

173 mm tall 110 mm wide

8.9 mm thickness168g

165 mm tall 114 mm wide

10 mm thickness

185g

241 mm tall185 mm wide

9.4 mm thickness

662g

Product Comparison – Screen


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

6-inch touch screen

E-ink technology

6-inch infrared touch screen

E-ink technology

6-inch touch screen

E-ink technology

Touch screenLCD

Amazon Kindle Touch

Product Comparison – Memory


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

4 GB internal (approximately 3 GB available for

user content)

1GB memory, expandable up to

32GB with SD card external

2GB internal memory,

expandable up to 32GB

microSD card external

16GB memory

Amazon Kindle Touch

Product Comparison – Connectivity & facility


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

Wi-fi/3GKindle store

Wi-fi Wi-fiKobo store

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Next G, 3G, HSDPA, HSUPA

Various apps to major e-book

retailers

Amazon Kindle Touch

Product Comparison – Supported format


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible

Enhanced(AA,AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI,

PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF,

PNG, BMP through conversion

ePub, PDF, TXT, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, AAC,

MP3

ePub, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ,

CBR

AAC, MP3, MPEG-4, H.264, ePub,

PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP,

TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR

Amazon Kindle Touch

Product Comparison – Battery life


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

2 months 3 weeks 3.5 weeks to one month

10 hours

Amazon Kindle Touch

Product Comparison – Sound ability


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

Available Available Not available Available

Amazon Kindle Touch

Product Comparison – Annotation & marking ability


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

Bookmarking, annotations,

highlighting and passage sharing

Highlights, bookmarks and

notes

PDF reflow, annotations &

marking/ highlighting

Apps for education, track

assignment, highlights, notes,

bookmarks

Amazon Kindle Touch

Product Comparison – Extra features


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

Eight different font sizes and three font

stylesDictionary, Wikipedia

and Google search

Infrared touch screen12 dictionaries

Eight different font sizes

Multiple dictionaries

FastAutomatic

bookmark when battery is low

Tablet functionality

Screen reader for visually-impaired

people

Amazon Kindle Touch

Free cloud storage for all Amazon contentX-ray functionality

Choice of coloursExperimental

sketchbook and highlighting

Product Comparison – Drawback


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

No expandable memory

Starting price includes ads

Cannot delete books directly from the

deviceCannot perform

software updates over Wi-Fi

The heaviest, compared to the

other three

Amazon Kindle Touch

Touchscreen is not used to its full capability

No place to put the stylus when not in

useSome software

bugs

Complicated interface

No built-in Google Books store

No multiple bookmarks

No case included

Apps and movies

optimised for the screen

might take up more space

Ports for HDMI, USB and SD

require adapters

Product Comparison – Price & store


Kobo eReader Touch

Apple New iPad

AU$185Dick Smith, Big W

AU$179JB Hi-fi

AU$179JB Hi-fi

AU$539Harvey Norman,

Apple store

Amazon Kindle Touch

Conclusion

• E-reader becomes more popular in relation to the growing preference of e-book.

• Different machine has its own advantages and disadvantage. Consider accessibility, supported file type, battery life, good retail environment, and functions included in the e-reader before buying one.

• A good e-reader does not have to be expensive. Whether or not we have to buy a tablet depends on what we need.

Possible future FRED Item

• How e-ink works, the technology behind it

• The use of e-book and e-reader in education

• The effect of e-book in higher education

Question and Answer

• Q: Do students need e-reader?A : Might be beneficial for them.They do not have to bring plenty of textbooks to school and they can do bookmarking and annotations on their e-books just like they would do in paper books.

• Q: Which one is better for reading, a pure e-reader or a tablet PC?A: For reading purpose, E-ink is better on the eyes. Although, a tablet will be much better if we read colourful book with a lot of images in it.

• Q: Can I bring the e-reader for travelling ?A : Sure. It is easier than bringing paper books because you can bring plenty of e-books with you without having a bulky and heavy bag. With Wi-fi, you can always find a spot to connect to the online store and buy new books. E-readers have long battery life as well, except for iPad.

• Q: Why is iPad’s battery considerably shorter than the other devices?A: Bear in mind that iPad is a multifunctioned tablet PC, not just a pure e-reader. With various softwares and applications in it, no wonder that it would take much power for the device to run.

References(2011, September 28). Amazon Kindle Touch [Image].iClarified. Retrieved on March, 29 2012 from

iClarified website: http://www.iclarified.com/images/news/17098/59256/59256.jpg (2011). Sony PRS-T1 [Image]. Ala Test. Retrieved on March, 29 2012 from Ala Test website:

http://ii.alatest.com/product/full/f/8/Sony-PRS-T1-0.jpg(2011). Kobo E-Reader Touch [Image].McMaster University. Retrieved on March, 29 2012 from McMaster

University website: http://www.workingatmcmaster.ca/med/photo/zoom/kobo-ereader-touch-1-.jpg(2012). Apple new iPad [Image]. The iPhone 5 News Blog. Retrieved on March, 29 2012 from The iPhone

5 News Blog website: http://iphone5newsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/iPad_PFV_PFVLF_Springboard_PRINT1.jpg

Alexander, B. (2011, October 14). Fiber Texture 5 [Image]. Stock.XCHNG. Retrieved on March, 29 2012 from Stock.XCHNG website: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1367738

Bell, D. (2012, March 19). Apple iPad (2012). Retrieved March 28, 2012, from CNet Australia: http://www.cnet.com.au/apple-ipad-2012-339333300.htm

Bell, D. (2011, March 15). Who should buy the new iPad? Retrieved March 28, 2012, from CNet Australia: http://www.cnet.com.au/who-should-buy-the-new-ipad-339333818.htm

Harvey Norman. (2011). eBook Readers Buying Guide. Retrieved March 29, 2012, from Harvey Norman: ttp://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers/tablets-readers/buying-guides/ebook-readers-buying-guide.html

Heater, B. (2011, November 14). Amazon Kindle Touch review. Retrieved March 28, 2012, from Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/kindle-touch-review/

Hidalgo, J. (2012). What is E Ink? Retrieved March 29, 2012, from About.com: http://portables.about.com/od/newsandviews/f/E-Ink-FAQ.htm

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (2012). e-Book. Retrieved March 29, 2012, from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/e-book

Starr, M. (2012, March 28). Amazon Kindle Touch. Retrieved March 29, 2012, from CNet Australia: http://www.cnet.com.au/amazon-kindle-touch_specs-339323424.htm

Starr, M. (2011, December 2). Best e-readers in Australia. Retrieved March 29, 2012, from CNet Australia: http://www.cnet.com.au/best-e-readers-in-australia-339304247.htm#image0

Starr, M. (2011, November 7). Kobo eReader Touch. Retrieved March 29, 2012, from CNet Australia: http://www.cnet.com.au/kobo-ereader-touch-339325572.htm

Starr, M. (2011, November 22). Sony Reader WiFi Touch (PRS-T1). Retrieved March 29, 2012, from CNet Australia: http://www.cnet.com.au/sony-reader-wifi-touch-prs-t1-339326650.htm

Starr, M. (2011, June 6). What to look for in an e-reader. Retrieved March 29, 2012, from CNet Australia: http://www.cnet.com.au/what-to-look-for-in-an-e-reader-339316831.htm

Tony. (2011, January 25). Back to basics – What is an ereader exactly, and why might you want one? Retrieved March 29, 2012, from eBookAnoid: http://www.ebookanoid.com/2011/01/25/back-to-basics-what-is-an-ereader-exactly-and-why-might-you-want-one/

Whatis.com. (2008). E-reader (electronic reader). Retrieved March 29, 2012, from Whatis.com: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/e-reader.html

Devices & Hardware

E-reader-comparison