I have a Pandigital Novel, bought in August 2010. That doesn’t seem like long, but in the work of ereaders, it is pretty ancient. When I bought it, I had 3 requirements. First, it HAD to be backlit. No e-ink for me! I like to read in the dark. Second, I absolutely HAD to have the ability to check out ebooks from the library. And third, but not a deal breaker, I was hoping to be able to read Nook books on my ereader. I was really tempted to get a Nook, but at the time, there was no Nook Color yet, so no backlit display. And Kindles could not access ebooks from the library until just a few months ago. Lucky for me, the Pandigital Novel came out and fulfilled all my requirements. Even better, I recently was able to upgrade the software so that it is a low level Android tablet. I was able to put Overdrive software on my reader that allows me to download my library books to my reader wirelessly, without having to hook up to a computer! I also was able to put the Kindle software on, and can now use ‘whisper-sync’ to download and sync my Kindle library. So I pretty much can read books in any format on this thing, and that is awesome!
That said, I am still considering upgrading to a better ereader and passing this one down to my son. The problem is....what ereader to upgrade to? My requirements haven’t changed all that much; I still expect it to be backlit, and to be able to access ebooks from the library. However, now I’m kind of spoiled. Not only to I expect to be able to READ library books on it; I also expect to be able to download them wirelessly! AND I want to be able to read both books in both the Nook format and the Kindle format! I would also like to be able to do some web browsing at night, and perhaps check my email. And it would be nice if my bookmarks, address book, and calendar synced with my computer. That pretty much leaves only one option, I think, and that would be an iPad. However, it is a little bigger and heavier than the ereader I have now, and I KNOW it is a lot more expensive. Are there any other alternatives you can recommend? Tell me about them! Just leave a comment and share what you know!
I have two Kindles (2nd generation and Fire). The iPad might have what you want. I'm not sure the Nook tablet can connect to your computer. The Fire has an app where you can remotely access your computer, though. I'm not positive if I can read epub books on it. I know I can read a lot of formats. Good luck finding the one that works for you. I love my Kindles.
ReplyDeleteI have a first generation Kobo. I got it as a gift from my wife and kids for Father's Day in 2010. It's very basic and I like it that way. It isn't wireless and it doesn't have touch screen, but it holds enough books to keep me busy any time I have to travel lightly and that's the main reason I wanted an ereader in the first place. So, I'm happy with it because it does what I want it to do.
ReplyDelete@Cheri Reich
ReplyDeleteThanks! I appreciate your objective answer. I have a tendency to push what I own without the objectivity.
@wcs53
I understand about keeping it simple. I actually am pretty happy with what I've got, though I DO like being able to download my books without having to connect to the computer. But if I didn't feel like it is time to pass the ereader down to my child, I probably wouldn't even be thinking of replacing it!
I have a first-gen Nook, and I really like it. But, then, I specifically didn't want back-lit, so we differ there!
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like the iPad might be the way to go for the features you want.