E-Reading Diary, Part 2

So, shortly after I checked out the Kindle, we got an office iPad. I couldn't wait to get it home and try out all the e-reading apps: Apple's iBookstore, the Kindle app, the Barnes & Noble app, and Kobo, which is the reader Borders is using. iBookstore is the closest to a printed book: the layout has the outline of a hardcover book behind the page, there's an animated page-turn effect, the counter actually uses pages as a unit of measure, and it tells you how many pages are left in the chapter--which is great for me, because I compulsively check how long each chapter is.

The Kindle app is much like Kindle for PC--there is no search function, which made the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary I bought completely useless. (Although, to be honest, I can't remember if there was a search function on the actual Kindle.) The page turns are much faster than on the Kindle, as they are in all the apps. The B&N and Kobo apps are fairly similar. And all of them let you download samplers of many books--fairly generous samples, too--3 chapters of the new Emily Giffin novel. The iBookstore doesn't have nearly as many titles as the Kindle or B&N stores, though.

Overall, I didn't really like reading on the iPad. Even though you can adjust the brightness--and even change the page color from white to sepia in iBooks--the backlit screen is hard on the eyes. I was tired after reading for about 20 minutes. And, since I'm practically going blind already, I want to take it easy on my peepers! There were some cool apps that would only work on a color screen like the iPad. Zinio is a reader for magazines that keeps the layout of the print version. You can read selected free articles or buy whole issues. The DC Comics app is also really cool--you can read the full page of a comic, or go panel by panel. Batman has never looked so good! (Actually I don't know if that's true. I've never read a Batman comic in print.)

Now that I'm ready to buy my own e-reader, I'm leaning toward the Barnes & Noble Nook. Even though it doesn't do as much as the iPad, the e-ink is definitely the way to go for me. Who wants to get on an international flight and only be able to read for 20 minutes at a time!?