Last night the HoCo library hosted a seminar about everything you want to know about e-readers. As it turns out there’s a lot to know including formats, screen resolutions and weight. For instance, up until last night I was seriously considering buying an iPad that would also serve as my e-reader but last night changed my thinking. After comparing the heft of the iPad to the milieu of available e-readers, I’ve now concluded that might not be such a good idea.
It’s like the difference between reading a big book like Hero versus a short novel like The Art of Racing in the Rain. The short novel is much easier to hold when you are reclining. I read a lot while reclining.
Before I go any further, I should note that the e-reader seminar was conducted by Beth Tribe, the Information Technology Instructor and Specialist with the library (she has a blog too!). She was excellent. In addition to giving a thorough overview of the pros and cons of the various readers on the market and those about to come on the market, she also had most of the readers with her and passed them around. I got to mess around with a Kobo (the lightest), a Pandigital, a Nook, Nook Simple Touch and Nook Color, Sony, iPad and Kindle.
Beth also pointed out that since I owned a smart phone I already had an e-reader. I knew that but I find the phone to be just a little too small for reading a novel. It’s fine for reading newspaper articles while waiting in line but not for the serious commitment of a book.
So where did I end up after the class?
For me, it looks like the Nook Tablet would be the best fit, which coincidentally became available in stores today just in case Santa is reading this. Though it isn’t as light as the Kobo it is a couple of ounces lighter than an a iPad and features an Android operating system.
And speaking of the Art of Racing in the Rain, while working on this post I ran across this video promotion for the book. It still ranks as one of my favorite reads.
