How to Choose an EBook Reader - Color, E-Ink or Tablet?

eBook readers are one of the latest gadgets to inspire book lovers
around the world. Certainly for many book lovers an ebook reader will
not replace their existing book collection, nor will it stop them from
continuing to purchase new books. Rather ebook readers serve to
enhance and supplement an existing collection.An ebook reader allows
you to carry a portion of your library with you. People who use ebook
readers tend to download titles in ebook format that are more
ephemeral. Either that or they are more word based that picture based
books.Often this means that the most often downloaded books are new
novels that people would generally read once and then either sell,
pass on to friends or shelve and forget. Most are never read by the
same person again.As most ebook readers are black and white (color
ebook readers like the Nook Color and the iPad are increasing in
popularity) then they are not so great for downloading photo or
illustration heavy titles - things like art books or magazines -
picturesque titles don't transfer well in black and white format.So
you need to decide what your purpose is. Why do you want to have an
ebook reader? Do you read a lot of novels and want to simply read one
and forget it, not have to think about where to store it or who to
pass it onto afterwards? Do you borrow titles from your library and
are you able to do so in electronic format? If these approaches are
familiar then you may be better off with a dedicated black and white
reader like the Kindle or the regular Nook.These two devices use E-Ink
technology which makes their reading surface great for reading novels.
They are not reflective. They cause no more eyestrain than reading a
regular book and you can read it in full sun, not something you can
achieve with an iPad or a Color Nook. They are light and easy to use.
Downloading books is a breeze.If you envisage yourself viewing
magazines, cookbooks or comics on your ebook reader then you might be
better off choosing a color version. Here you have a couple of
different options. The Nook Color by Barnes and Noble allows you to
read books in color as well as subscribe to magazines and newspapers.
You can also use social media and the internet. Another advantage of
the Nook over the Kindle is the ability to share ebooks with
friends.However if you are also interested in using your reader as a
typing device then an iPad might be an option. It also allows you to
view TV shows and movies as well as a whole heap of other things. The
downside of the iPad's large HD screen is that it can be hard to see
outside. If you can find some shadows however you will be fine, just
don't try reading it at the beach!If you are in the process of
choosing an ebook reader, then take into account your long-term
interests and whether you will use it enough to warrant a stand-alone
device or whether you will use it more as one part of a larger
portable entertainment device.