Yeah, I’m a tad bit late with a shopping recommendation, seeing how Christmas is just a few days away. I didn’t do a Christmas shopping list this year, though if I did, I would have had this to say about getting yourself an eBook-reading gizmo:
Don’t bother.
I’m serious.
eBook reader hardware is a fad. Eventually, there won’t be a Kindle or a Nook or whatever. That’s because the generic Tablet computer, or mobile device, is a far better option.
My argument harkens back to the early days of the personal computer, back when they were called microcomputers.
Back then, there were computers, which really didn’t have a purpose; they could do anything the software told the computer to do. That’s genius.
At the same time, there were devices that did specific things. You could buy a game console, for example. Yes, just like today, but the games were a lot more primitive.
You could also buy a word processor. That’s not software, but rather a dedicated word processing workstation. The gizmo was basically a computer-printer combination, but it only ran the pre-installed word processing software.
The computer’s versatility eliminated the stand alone game consoles and word processing systems of the early days. And, yes you could argue that game consoles are still with us, but PCs play games just as well — if not better — as well as do other things, which is my entire point:
You don’t need an eBook reader when you can just fork over a few extra precious dollars and get yourself a Tablet or other mobile computing device. Just like the Kindle or Nook, you can get eBook reader software for your Tablet. So in the end, you have not only an eBook reader, but an emailing / web browsing / game playing / movie watching / picture-taking / all-purpose do-whatever gizmo.
My Galaxy Tab comes with a Kindle app, which I use to read various books purchased at Amazon. Also, because it’s an Android device and not tied directly into Amazon, I have the Google Books app as well, which means I have even more choices for my eBook-reading leisure time.
Bottom line: If you want an eBook reader, get a Tablet.
I’ve used a similar argument to convince people to get a laptop instead of an iPad. A laptop can do much more than an iPad, in some cases for less. And since this person wasn’t exactly a world traveler they would have no purpose for the ultra-mobility of an iPad, so they might as well get more bang for their buck get a laptop.
Comment by gamerguy473 — December 22, 2011 @ 10:50 am
Excellent point.
It will be interesting to see how the laptop/netbook/tablet battle plays out in the future. I agree that Laptops are better than Tablets, but presently having a Tablet is the über cool thing. In the future, however, you may see people drift back to laptops because they crave that real keyboard. That would be my guess.
Comment by admin — December 22, 2011 @ 10:57 am
Like one of these?: http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Performance-Bluetooth-different-adjustable/dp/B0054L7FVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324577355&sr=8-1
I got mad when I saw that accessory. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE IPAD THEN?
Comment by gamerguy473 — December 22, 2011 @ 11:09 am
$$$
Comment by admin — December 22, 2011 @ 11:14 am
Disclaimer: Kindle owner here
I’m surprised that you didn’t mention the only advantage that an e-book reader has over a tablet – the e-ink display. I find that e-ink is much, much easier on the eyes (I can read for several hours on my Kindle, but not so much on a computer).
My guess is that tablets will outperform (but not replace) laptops – most people want a tablet for on-the-go content consumption. For small status updates, Twitter posts, etc. I think a tablet keyboard is good enough. If you are going to be writing code/long emails, then you might as well get a laptop – the physical keyboard is so much easier than the virtual one (and good voice recognition might change the dynamics as well).
Comment by sriksrid — December 22, 2011 @ 11:46 am
Ooo! Good point, sriksrid. I had forgotten about that Kindle feature, which is something they tout in the advertisements. Agree with your prediction, as well.
Comment by admin — December 22, 2011 @ 2:03 pm