The recent surge in the popularity of eBook readers is reflected by their increasing ubiquitousness, and has made them hot sellers in electronics outlets. A flood of new products in this previously non-existent industry has made it difficult to choose the best eBook reader, and most consumers don't even know what features to look out for.
The top two eBook readers in the market are the Apple iPad and the Amazon Kindle. While the Apple iPad is a new product, the Amazon Kindle has been in the market for several years. While they share the common trait of being the market leaders, their technical specifications may not necessarily resemble each other.
Their specifications
The Kindle and the iPad are a world apart in terms of their functions. The Kindle is clearly a no-frills, eBook reading device that focuses on what it does best - display eBooks on a grayscale screen.
However, the iPad is built more like a tablet-pc complete with all the features of a computer, which means you can play songs, do word processing, surf the internet and send email with it. However, its bright, backlit screen can cause the same kind of eye-strain associated with staring at a computer screen for a long time.
With regards to which would actually be the best eBook reader, the iPad is high on features but not as appropriate for reading text on its screen for long periods at a time compared to the Kindle. The Kindle specializes in making the experience of reading an eBook from its screen comfortable and pleasurable, and does it better than the iPad.
Kindle Vs iPad - The Price
If you're thinking iPad is the clear winner just because it has more functions, you'd be wrong. After all, the original Kindle costs around half of what the iPad costs. However, the Kindle DX is where the real comparison lies. With a similar price and little extra functionality, unless all you want to do is read, you might be better off with the iPad. But for the avid reader, the original Kindle is still a fantastic choice.
Do You Really Have to Choose?
Though most of us probably won't be investing $700+ into buying both the Kindle and the iPad, one area where you don't need to make a choice is the eBooks themselves. With the launch of the iPad comes the launch of iBooks, a service to rival Kindle's own bookstore. However, if you do buy an iPad you can still take advantage of Amazon's more competitive prices with the Kindle App for iPad.
As Amazon.com has the largest collection of eBooks that can be purchased online, any eBook software that allows Amazon eBooks to be read would be a wise choice as the best eBook reader. The good thing is that the Kindle software is available for multiple platforms such as Macintosh and Windows.
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