Kindle vs. iPad

On the left is my Kindle 2 (second generation) to the right my iPad with the Kindle app loaded with my books.

Overview - Kindle: I've had my Kindle for over a year now and I would say that I am generally happy with it. I haven't had any problems with it and it has been easy to use. $259 Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)

Pros:

*It's very light so it's easy to take just about anywhere and as long as you get a cover for it - it is surprisingly sturdy.

*It has a very long battery life. I have read for well over 8 hours in a row and still had plenty of battery life left on it. The only thing that will drain the battery down is if you leave the wireless on (which I have done by accident a few times) There isn't really a need to use the wireless though except for downloading books.

*Free 3G wireless for downloading books included so you can be virtually anywhere and get a book.

*I like the included dictionary and search functions - you can type in a word or phrase to search or a number to go to a particular location.

*Books are cheaper for the Kindle

Cons:

*There's no backlight so you cannot read this in bed without additional light

*There aren't pages numbers - kindle gives you percentages read.

*Although the kindle has a bookmark, notes and highlight feature, I don't always know something is important until later in the book and it's difficult to just "flip back" to it as you would do with a regular book. You can use the word search funtion though to find what you were looking for.

*The archive of your book titles does not include covers. I can;t tell you how much this bugs me and it's the primary reason I went to the iPad! I have forgotten that I have read numerous books because I didn;t see the cover. I guess I'm more visual and I need the picture to connect the book with.

*The Kindle finally added a pdf feature but it's experimental and not all the Kindle functions work with pdf's. The font is often very tiny and I have to use the horizontal view which makes for shorter pages.

*It hurts my eyes. I always feel strained when reading on this.

Here's a picture of the first page of Hounding the Pavement on the Kindle. You can adjust the text size and even change it to horizontal for viewing.

Here's a picture of the iPad with the Kindle app - all my Kindle books are archived with their pretty little covers so I know what I've read! It can also be viewed as a bookshelf.

Overview iPad: I have the 16GB wifi iPad. I've only had it for about 1 week so these are just my initial POV. I'm still learning about all the things it can and can't do. So far I can say it's light years ahead of the Kindle as far as quality of the viewing experience. The pages are brighter & in color, you flip through at a touch so it makes the reading experience more like a "real" book. A plus for me is that I can also check email, twitter and do my blog in addition to playing games. I haven't had any problems so far but it's still early. $499

Pros:

*OMG it is soooo pretty!

*Covers!

*It is much easier to read with the brighter screen which can be adjusted (although some people don't like that about the iPad - it hurts their eyes).

*It's easy to flip through the pages and go back easily if you missed something.

*You can highlight, search and bookmark.

* The versitility - It can do more than one thing: There are tons of apps just like there are for your iphone. I have a notebook app (see below), a To Do list app, Kindle, newspapers, games, twitter, blogpress, pdf reader..the list goes on & on.

Cons:

*It's larger than the Kindle - especially when you add the cover - & it seem more fragile, although I just may be paranoid.

*No USB ports.

*No dictionary (that I'm aware of) for the Kindle app but books purchased through the iBook store do have the iPad dictionary which is easier to use than Kindles

*The battery doesn't last as long as the Kindle but it does seem to hold it's charge for a long time - I read a book for over 4 hours and only went down to 70% and it recharges fairly quickly. Should last about 10hrs of continued use.

*While it does a lot - it doesn't function as a true laptop so it's extremely expensive just to read a book.

Summary:

Honestly - I think they are both overpriced for what they do. If you are just looking for something to cut down on all the space your books are taking up or to be able to be able to travel with several books without the bulk the Kindle is a great choice. You can download a new book anywhere - anytime. It does have it's limitations and it is not the same as reading a real book. I still buy my favorite books in HC or PB - I like to "feel" them and skim the pages. I hardly ever re-read a book on Kindle.

As for the iPad - it is insanely overpriced but I am totally in love with it! The books are just gorgeous and I like flipping through better than pushing the button on the Kindle. Unless you want to pay extra for the 3G you are limited to wifi access. But if you want to read books, do an internet search, take notes, etc I think it's more versatile. I hope to really test it out at BEA next week so I'll give another report then.

If you have any specific questions about either one just ask and I will try to help you out...I can post more pictures if you want also.

Here are two more pictures of the iPad - one is Winnie the Pooh (a free download from the iBook store) and the second is of my blog.