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There's a huge difference. Most ereaders (such as the non-Fire Kindles) use what is called eink, which replicates text on the screen in a manner very similar to print on paper (it's hard to describe). With a good ereader it's very easy to forget that you're looking at a screen and not a sheet of paper. These sorts of screens typically have optional side-lighting which pushes the light from the sides onto the page, rather than from the page directly to your eyes. There are also a few out there that have a sort of back lighting behind the screen that glows through the screen.
With tablets and other sorts, you're looking at a screen whose lighting is going directly from the source to your eyes. This gets very uncomfortable after long periods and simply can't match a good e-ink screen for readability and comfort.
The only use I find for reading on a tablet is when I'm using technical books or textbooks, things that I'd make heavy use of the index and which have a lot of color that I don't want to lose and formatting that wouldn't transfer well to an ereader.
Personally I use a Kobo Aura HD and I read 1-2 hours every day. For reading regular novels, I'd hate to have to use anything but my ereader.
Is it true that touchscreens don't have the eink-like screen, because you can't make a touchscreen that looks like an eink screen?
No, most good ereaders these days have touchscreens. It is not, however, the same style as you'd see on an iPad or whatever. It's touch sensitive and is used for turning pages and navigating menus, but you don't have the same instant response or dragging graphics and such.
The e-ink screens use a form of edge lighting to light the page - the screens themselves are not lit, it is just a very efficient type of book light, and it can be turned off if you don't need it. It LOOKS like the page is lit from behind, but it isn't.
If you're just reading an ebook, is there much difference between using a tablet computer and a reader like Kindle?
We do not have tablet computers, we primarily use desktops. My wife does a lot of reading. She got the Kindle Fire HDX 7" Tablet three months ago. She loves it. She has her own home office and her own computer with 19" LCD monitor and she prefers to use the Kindle to read eBooks more than her on her desktop...
She can buy her own "tablet computer" with no problem but says she likes her current setup...
We do not have tablet computers, we primarily use desktops. My wife does a lot of reading. She got the Kindle Fire HDX 7" Tablet three months ago. She loves it. She has her own home office and her own computer with 19" LCD monitor and she prefers to use the Kindle to read eBooks more than her on her desktop...
She can buy her own "tablet computer" with no problem but says she likes her current setup...
The Kindle Fire HDX IS a tablet, not an e-reader. I think Amazon managed to confuse the heck out of everyone by calling their line of basically Android tablets Kindle Fire as compared to their e-ink Kindles e-readers (Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle DX, Kindle Paperwhite).
The Kindle Fire is an LCD screen - like a regular computer monitor or a cell phone - multimedia device (music, movies, audiobooks, etc) with a full-function web browser.
The Kindle Paperwhite is an e-ink book reader. Period. Yes, it has an "experimental mode" web browser which is pretty much useless, unless you are really, really REALLY determined that you have to access the web right now, no matter how horrible the experience is.
The Kindle Fire HDX IS a tablet, not an e-reader. I think Amazon managed to confuse the heck out of everyone by calling their line of basically Android tablets Kindle Fire as compared to their e-ink Kindles e-readers (Kindle Touch, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle DX, Kindle Paperwhite).
The Kindle Fire is an LCD screen - like a regular computer monitor or a cell phone - multimedia device (music, movies, audiobooks, etc) with a full-function web browser.
The Kindle Paperwhite is an e-ink book reader. Period. Yes, it has an "experimental mode" web browser which is pretty much useless, unless you are really, really REALLY determined that you have to access the web right now, no matter how horrible the experience is.
Understood... And to think I use to design and test electronic circuits in the 70's...
I advised my wife. She said she preferred the Kindle Fire HDX to the basic "e-ink" display which functioned only as an e-reader...
There's a huge difference. Most ereaders (such as the non-Fire Kindles) use what is called eink, which replicates text on the screen in a manner very similar to print on paper (it's hard to describe). With a good ereader it's very easy to forget that you're looking at a screen and not a sheet of paper. These sorts of screens typically have optional side-lighting which pushes the light from the sides onto the page, rather than from the page directly to your eyes. There are also a few out there that have a sort of back lighting behind the screen that glows through the screen.
With tablets and other sorts, you're looking at a screen whose lighting is going directly from the source to your eyes. This gets very uncomfortable after long periods and simply can't match a good e-ink screen for readability and comfort.
The only use I find for reading on a tablet is when I'm using technical books or textbooks, things that I'd make heavy use of the index and which have a lot of color that I don't want to lose and formatting that wouldn't transfer well to an ereader.
Personally I use a Kobo Aura HD and I read 1-2 hours every day. For reading regular novels, I'd hate to have to use anything but my ereader.
I bought my Kindle Touch 10/11 and absolutely love it! I may eventually get a Kindle Fire tablet but absolutely not for the purpose of reading....E-ink ONLY for any eReader I use! I LOVE E-ink.it's so soothing to your eyes.
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