Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
eBooks and eReaders and Tablets Oh My!
Our topic this week is on eBooks, eReaders and accessibility to anyone with our without
a disability.
Even if you aren’t new to technology, you could quickly become confused by all the technology
that is available today. So, I’m going to focus primarily on eReader functionality when
comparing eReaders and Tablets and I’ll do my best to explain the major differences
between an eReader and a Tablet so that you can make the best informed choice that is
specific to your needs. I’ll also share with you my choice of eReader and tell you
why I believe it is good for anyone with or without a disability.
There are many models to choose from when comparing eReaders and Tablets and since we
can’t discuss them all today. I’d like to start by providing your with 6 pieces of
criteria that you should look at when choosing the one that is right for you.
Functionality is: What does each one do? Price is: How much do you want to spend and
are the features worth the price? Design is: What has the best resolution and
easiest navigation Content is: What is the eBook availability
for each of the devices? How many eBooks can you access and from where?
Memory and Battery Life is: Consider the number of pages you can turn on a single charge and
the amount of memory you have for storing content.
Additional Features are: What are the “extras” above and beyond what the device is primarily
designed for that interest you or that you might find yourself using?
Tablet examples are the iPad, Microsoft Surface, Samsung Galaxy, Nexus 7 (just to name a few)
Functionality, it can act as an eReader but may lack some enhanced features like text
to speech functionality which proves to be highly effective for those individuals with
disabilities. But a lot will depend on the model of the tablets you choose and for the
most part they can do so much more than eReader.
Price is $180 to $900.00 Display is typically tablets have an LCD screen
which means they emit their own light; leaving the screens glossy; catching reflections and
glare in sunlight Content of the tablet. The iPad can use all
the same apps as the iPhone and iPod Touch. With the iBooks application it has the ability
to read a wide variety of other ebook apps also. Any tablet running on an Android system
will need a compatible Android app for ebooks and may be more limited in te3h amount and
places you can get your eBooks. There are variations to all of this but knowing what
the ebook availability for each devise is may be crucial when making your decision.
Memory and Battery life of the tablet. Generally can’t run for more than a few hours without
having to be charged and may not be ideal if you get powered down at the climax of your
book and you often have some choice in how much memory you want based on the model you
are choosing. But remember, when memory goes up so does the price.
Additional Functions of the tablet. Many can record video, take high quality photos, play
music, movies and games, as well as contain fully functional web browsing and email; allowing
you to manage your calendars and contacts like a smartphone
Currently the new iPad ranks #1 for tablets with the best combined eReader capabilities
and functionality.
eReader examples are the iPad mini, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo Reader (just
to name a few) Functionality of the eReader. Primarily designed
for eBook reading and have less computer like functions.
Price of the eReader. $70 to $300.00 Design of the eReader. e-Ink (electronic ink) so
the screens are a matte finish; eliminating glare in bright or direct sunlight.
Content of the eReader. The Kindle is generally restricted to ebook shopping at Amazon, while
the Nook is compatible with PDF and EPUB books that are sold in a variety of ebook stores.
I have also found that while the title selection may be limited based on your device, most
of these will sync with your local library Memory and Battery life of the eReader. eReaders
have a significantly longer battery life. 7000 page turns is average before needing
a charge and like the tablet, if more memory is an option then the price is likely to go
up. Additional Features of the eReader. Depending
on the model; some have limited internet access, can function as an MP3 allowing you to listen
to music and audiobooks, you can highlight text, take notes, get instant definitions,
have text to speech capabilities and imaging capabilities.
Currently the iPad mini ranks #1 for eReaders with the best combined computer functionality.
Tablets can generally do a lot more than eReaders and functionality comes with a price. When
deciding on which type of device to buy, consider whether or not you would use all of the features
offered by a tablet and whether the high price would be justified for your personal situation.
Why we like the Kindle Fire Functionality is a touch screen; brings colorful
magazines and books to life Price we paid was $159.00
Design is a color multi-touch display and it has e-Ink technology
Content is that we can access to more than 1 million books, magazines and newspapers
plus 18 million movies, TV shows, apps, songs and audiobooks. Readable formats are Kindle,
PDF, TXT, DOC, HTML, MOBI and PRC. It also syncs with our local library.
Memory and battery life is 8GB storage (6GB for user content). Provides space for storing
books, magazines, TV shows and movies. Cloud storage (works with Dropbox). The battery
only seems to last about 4 hours and may be the only pitfall of this device.
Additional Features are that it is light weight Wi-Fi and hotspot capabilities, streaming
video, music, games and supports adobe flash, email and it’s cloud applications allows
us to sync with Dropbox. Synchronizes your last page read, bookmarks and annotation across
the device so you can pick up where you left off. Text size can be changed, highlighted, take notes, get
instant definitions, bookmark, and offers text to speech functionality.
.