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I'm not sure where best to ask this question, but looking through all the topics, "Books" came the closest.
My daughter is a prolific reader and we want to buy her a Kindle or equivalent for Christmas.
I'm hoping lots of people in the books topic can offer a suggestion as the best one to purchase. She is an adult, so something appropriate. Your help would be greatly appreciated....
The Kindle Paperwhite is the one to give her. It has a backlit screen which is a delight for a long session. Light level, type size, and lines per page are all adjustable. There's an easy link to dictionaries in a number of languages as well as wikipedia. The optional leather cover provides instant on and off. I've had mine for a little over a year probably reading about twelve to fifteen hours per week on it; I'm very satisfied.
Amazon has an extraordinary collection; there are free downloads from many other sources as well.
It's not for watching movies, playing games, or web browsing; it's for reading and it does the job.
I think the Kindle Paperwhite is a good choice; however, I would personally go with the Kobo Aura HD instead. They're very similar to each other, although the Paperwhite is a bit less expensive.
Not being tied down to Amazon's proprietary format is the biggest reason I'd go with the Kobo. In my experience with using multiple public libraries for e-book borrowing, Adobe Epub format is more widely available than Kindle compatible format. I also don't like how Amazon can erase a book from your device after purchase if they want to. I don't hate Amazon -- I have a Kindle Fire; I just strip the DRM from my books and back it up using Calibre because it gives me much more control over what I can do with my books once purchased. I don't advise relying on items in the cloud to be effectively backed up.
I'd definitely go with an e-ink product though, and not a tablet.
Last edited by Ohio Hello; 11-26-2013 at 04:04 AM..
I would also go with the Kindle Paperwhite, the new one has so many great new features, like the ability to flip through the book in a separate window so you don't loose your place. I don't think any other ereader offers this.
Especially if she has bought books from Amazon in the past, with the new "matchbook" feature, she can get the Kindle edition of any book she bought off Amazon for only a few dollars at the most, sometimes even free. You can read more about it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/digital/ep...=1&*entries*=0 - and it often applies to audiobooks too, since Amazon owns Audible, if you buy the Kindle edition you can often get the Audible edition for only a few dollars.
One feature that I know Kindle offers that Kobo doesn't is the ability to add personal documents/books bought from other sources to your cloud so they sync across all devices. My husband was sorely disappointed when he bought a Kobo and then found that although he could side load personal documents, he could not then access them on other devices like I can with my Kindle.
Also, in my experience, Amazon have more free/reduced prices promos than any other ebook store.
However, I do agree that if she is a heavy library user, Kindle is not ideal. Personally, I hadn't been to a library for years when I got my first Kindle so this didn't bother me.
Kobo also has some software customization features I've always wanted on Kindle, such as the ability to set the screensaver as the cover of the book you're reading. However, that alone is not enough reason for me to go with Kobo over Kindle.
for reading we went with Nook simple touches as we did not want to deal with Amazon's unique files and storing and at the time our library was late to the game on kindle books (not an issue now).
The Nook simple touch/glow lights are similar to the Kindle paperwhite in that they are e-readers only, work great outdoors in the sun, and are easy on the eyes. I'll add we also both have Nook tablets that are mostly used for non-reading purposes though frankly as long as they are indoors they are fine to read on (my HD also has the kindle app so i can read a kindle book if i choose).
But regardless of the source or format, if it's main useage will be reading then the actual e-readers are a better choice then the full tablets. And OP depending on where your daughter lives and her local library system, she could have that option as well, being able to take out a library book for her kindle/nook/kobo same as one takes out a bound book. So one doesnt have to think buying an e-reader means always buying the books to read on it.
I edited this to note one of the main reasons for us avoiding Amazon's files were we use our tablets when traveling (movies on the plane, etc) as well as reading and cant use our current movie files in kindles without additional conversions/work needed. It may not be an issue for others, just was for us.
I have a Kindle Fire HD. I went with the Kindle based on using the Kindle and Nook apps on the iPad. I just preferred using Amazon. I don't spend a lot of time reading outdoors so the fact that I have a tablet instead of an ereader is not an issue. I think if I were to sit outside reading, I'd get a Paperwhite as well. When I had first starting looking at library books for the Kindle app, I barely found anything that wasn't nonfiction and primarily textbook type books. Now, there are thousands of ebooks I can borrow on my Kindle. So if the library is a major aspect of her reading, I'd suggest looking at her library online and looking at the books available on ebook. I have friends who have Nooks and they are happy with them, but for me, I just much, much prefer the Kindle and Amazon.
My sister-in-law has a Nook as well, and I have found and she confirmed that there are books available in ebook format from Amazon that are not available for the Nook.
Honestly, I would rather plunk down a little extra and get a fully functional tablet (ipad, etc) and use the kindle ap in that instead.
I don't like the idea of having fifty different devices all over the place, each with their own function.
I would also go with the Kindle Paperwhite, the new one has so many great new features, like the ability to flip through the book in a separate window so you don't loose your place. I don't think any other ereader offers this.
At the moment, it's only available on the new Paperwhite (2nd generation), which I don't have, but according to the user guide you bring it up just by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. This is what it looks like when in use:
I originally used the Kindle app on my iOS 5 iPad and thought it was great at the time. I decided to buy the Paper White when it was introduced last year. IMHO, there is no comparison between the two for reading pleasure. My iPad is heavy and the light reflected on the screen makes it harder to read. The Paper White is so light it can be held with one hand. Also, you can adjust the background light and font size.
I'd like to add the new mini iPad to my electronic fleet because some library books (OverDriveREAD) can't be downloaded to either my Kindle or the older iOS 5 iPad. You need IOS 6. I can get the Adobe EPUBS, but that doesn't solve readability or weight. The Kindle Fire is smaller, but it still has the glossy screen and I don't it's other features because I have the iPad. I'm not sure about the Nook. My sister just told me her grandkids annihilated the one they had, and it will be replaced with a Kindle. LOL
My vote goes to the Kindle Paper White.
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