Tablet & Ereader Reviews

It is a battle between iOS and Android and this fight has evolved tremendously from Smartphones to Tablets. Strategy Analytics, a market research company, reports that on quarter four of 2010, Android Tablets sold in the market has tremendously increased to 22% of the market share. This increase in the market share in Q4 is a tenfold increase as compared to that of Q3 of the same year.

The Samsung Galaxy Tablet contributed to the large jump in the market share for the last quarter of last year. Apple iPad distributed around 7.3 million iPad units in Q4 of 2010. On the other hand, Android Tablets accounted for 75% of the shipments made worldwide. The strong sale of Android Tablets is seen as continuously emerging despite the fact that Honeycomb or Android 3.0 has not yet been released in the tablet market. Android 3.0 is expected to rise as the main competitor of Apple iPad once this is made available to the public. As the battle continues, Apple iPad is scheduled to release Apple iPad 2 this year. For now, let us try to understand why customers prefer to buy Android Tablets over Apple iPad.

iPad has amazing graphics, clear videos, touch screen sensitivity, 3G connectivity, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 10 hours battery life, games and other applications that can be installed in this unit. An Android Tablet, on the other hand, has an open source for Operating System. This means users can still improve on the applications and coding. There are more games and applications developed with Android Tablet. It has GPS, 3G and allows users to read e-books. It also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth similar to iPad. Android Tablet has a camera and flash support while iPad does not have this feature. You can do multi-tasking just like iPad and it is relatively cheaper in terms of cost.

As for the disadvantages of the two products, iPad does not have a camera and lacks USB port. It does not support flash. Likewise, YouTube, CBS and Huku are reportedly to be problematic with iPad. It does not have GPS too. For Android Tablet, its battery life is not the same as that of an iPad.

What Apple iPad does not have right now, it may have in the near future especially with iPad 2 coming out in the market soon. The same goes with Android Tablets. This is seen as an unending battle between the two. What these two are undergoing right now is similar to how it was before in the cellular phone market. As one or two features become basic, additional and more sophisticated features are incorporated in cell phones. The Tablet market is no different from this.

Laptop users and cell phone users have identified their need for tablets. The tablet market is relatively new and is still unsaturated so users will have to scrutinize between the two to meet their tablet needs and observe on who will still lead the race. Read the rest of this entry »

I think deep inside everyone there’s conflict going on between what is practical and what looks awesome. The Entourage eDGe is billed as the market’s first dualbook: an ereader, tablet, notepad and media player in one machine. It is available in bright red, midnight blue or Ice blue, dark red and the standard piano black or glacier white. From afar one would speculate when closed, it looks like a spiffy netbook, after closer inspection though you will observe dual-screens and perhaps the reflection of the smug grin on your own face.

The left screen is a great sized E-Ink display which is touch-enabled. The right screen is an additional touch screen display, this time LCD. The right screen is where you can manage applications like a browser and e-mail. It can link via WI-FI or (which is just so convenient) using the SIM card position for its own broadband connection. It is also designed with an audio player, webcam and mic.

This nifty gadget is marketed for students. They will be able to keep the left reader screen active while taking notes during a lecture in the right display. And for those like me who find it hard to rid yourself of the paper notebook (because I must scribble) you are able to hand write information within the E-Ink tablet as well.

An additional plus for me about this tablet device is that left handed people like me can rotate each screens to be able to hold the reading screen on the right and the LCD screen where you type or take notes on the left(how great is that lefties?). I additionally think that the pop up software key pad is simply so ‘Star Trekkie’ if you ask me. You are also provided with a built-in stylus but if that still does not suit you then you can plug in a computer keyboard to the USB.

And so now let us look at it from a purely eReader standpoint. The E-Ink screen has 8 grayscale contrasts which will make readability adjustable according to the surrounding illumination. As for downloading books to the device it is a snap because you can WI-FI it from the LCD side. The types of files it supports unfortunately is not as numerous as the Sony reader as it reads only PDF and ePub formats. The internal memory space is big compared to other readers at a hefty 4GB internal memory and it also has SD card position should you need to browse the encyclopedia. Page turning is actually snappy and easy. The large display is also an option for those who buy the oversized paperback books.

The cons however (which is why it’s a tug of war between functionality and desire) really do prevent you buying the gadget. The eReader’s function is comparable to it’s competition but it is simply too big at 3 lbs. It is larger than the netbook I’m currently typing on. Another issue, and some would say the deal breaker is the price, an astonishing $499. Yes, it costs nearly as much as an iPad and we all know which gadget consumers may pick if they had the $499 to spend. The company is going to produce pocket edition though. If this costs $220 or less, I’m purchasing.

Martin Sweeney is a self confessed ebook junkie and the co-creator of eReader Review HQ your one-stop-shop for all things eReader! Check it out for eReader reviews, news and buying guides! Coming soon the coolest eReader accessory reviews!

If you are looking for the eReader that is just right for you, or even the one that is just right for a gift, it can be a confusing proposition. The field of eReader’s is getting crowded with every major online eBook seller now having their own eBooks reading their own specific formats. The following is a breakdown that might help to compare some of the possible options for you

Nook Color

This e-reader has full access to the “android” network. Because of this there is a ton of functionality that make it far superior in many ways to all of the other choices, except the iPad. That is as much of a bad thing as a good. It has a ton of neat features. You can watch video’s, play games, surf online, and of course it is in color. You can do anything that you can do with your android, but on the larger screen of the Nook.

BUT… This e-reader is a little bulkier than the other eReaders. It has a far shorter battery life. Put simply, though not “bad” it is just not quite as good of an eBook reader.

For multi-purpose use, it defeats the other eReaders easily. The problem is that for multipurpose use you would have to then compare it to the iPad, which puts it to shame in every category but cost. So it is not quite as good of a book reader and not quite as good as the iPad. This is not to say that it is not a worthy compromise purchase, but for anyone with an iPad this reader is pointless, where the Kindle or Sony would still be nice additions to have.

Sony Reader

The biggest strength of the Sony Reader is that it uses standard ePub format. That is important because the books you buy are readable on many other formats. Unlike a kindle where the books you purchse must be read on a Kindle, books bought in ePub format may be read on many other devices. Battery life is far longer on the Sony E-reader than on the Nook Color, though not as long as on the newer versions of the Kindle 2. (8 hours for Nook Color, 14 Days for Sony, 30 Days for Kindle 2)

KOBO

Kobo is one of the new entries into the e-reader market. Kobo is a product from Borders meant to compete with all the other online bookstores for a share in the market. Kobo is late to the game, poorly advertised and has no real features that make it stand out. In many ways it is similar to the Kindle 2. When it was first released it was drastically lower than the kindle 2 in price, but now that Amazon has cut the price to lower than the Kobo, this reader has lost all its appeal. Unless new features are released avoid the Kobo.

iPad

The iPad is king of the tablets. The size makes it a little difficult for long term reading. The Battery life is far shorter than Kindle and Sony for travel. But for all around capabilities nothing even comes remotely close. The Nook Color and its access to the android network is the only eReader that even makes an attempt to compete with the functionality of the iPad and it does not even begin to approach it.

Kindle 2

In some ways the kindle 2 is still the eReader to beat. If you desire functionality, it pales in comparison to the Nook Color, and is in a different universe from the iPad. But for PURE eBook reading it may be the best…but by a very narrow margin.

eReader Comparison

These eBook readers are still tough to compare. Many have good points. Click here for an more in depth Comparison between Nook Color and Kindle. For a more in depth review of ALL Ebook Readers, check out: eReader Comparison.

Barnes and Noble has just released it’s new Nook Color, so that means it’s time for a detailed Nook Color review. Is this a good product or just a strange hybrid between a tablet pc and an ebook reader? Let’s take a detailed look at the new product and see what it is all about.

The “NC” has some very different features that differ from the original Nook, which is still available as a product from B and N.

The Nook Color Touch Screen- Obviously this is THE major difference between the original and color Nooks. It’s equipped with a 7 inch color touch screen with “Vivid View” technology.

This screen is an IPS screen that shows over 16 million colors and allows for up to 178 degrees of viewing. This is the same technology used on the iPad, so if you have seen the iPad screen, then you know how the Vivid View screen looks. It also switches from upright mode to landscape when turning the device 90 degrees.

Social Reading Features- The NC comes with some features that take advantage of social media. You can share thoughts, lines from a book, favorite books, etc, through Facebook and Twitter.

Games and Apps- The NC comes with Sudoku, Chess, and Crossword puzzle games (3 games). Beyond the “Lend Me” and “Nook app” for PC and other phones, etc, Apps are still not a thing of the present with the Nook. But since it uses Google Android technology, there may be some new interest for developers.

Pandora Radio has jumped on the Nook bandwagon and offers their service on the device as well.

Lend Me App- The “Lend-me” app allows owners to lend books to friends and family who also have the app. Access to the app is more readily available to the user with the color touch screen.

Memory- The memory capacity is 8GB which allows for thousands of books, pictures, songs, etc.

Just For Kids- This new Nook section in Barnes and Noble offers a line of books that are for kids that work with the Nook Color. They are interactive to the touch and have the ability to be read to the child by selecting the feature.

Battery Life- The Battery life is only at 8 hours, compared to the 10-14 day battery life of the original Nook with E-Ink display.

web (not with 3G, but wirelessly). So you can open the browser to visit sites and check your emails, as well as compose them.

All in all, the new Nook Color reviews well. It’s a bold step for Barnes and Noble, and a much needed bold step at that.

The Nook Color Looking Good For This Holiday Season

Barnes and Noble has released a good product with the Nook Color, and perfectly timed for the Holiday Season. It’s fun, it’s at a much cheaper price point compared to the iPad, and is perfect for those who like magazines, surfing the web, and reading other color publications on the go. Read the rest of this entry »