Exciting books refresh our dreary everyday life immensely. Whether on vacation or at home in front of the fireplace, the written word is a successful alternative to television. Nevertheless, you do not have to forego the advantages of modern technology. Thanks to the latest eBook readers, you are allowed to rummage through your favorite books in any situation.
Chapter in this post:
The advantages of the eBook reader over tablets and smartphones
The sun is shining, the lounger has moved into position and the book in hand, but somehow there is no reading fun at all. The light is reflected uncomfortably from the sides and the situation does not improve even with sunglasses. Anyone who has an eBook reader at hand now has a clear advantage. The practical devices are easy on the eye and the words are easy to read even in bright sunshine. They are also significantly lighter and more manageable than conventional books.
What you should consider when buying
During the test, I quickly realized that the market is now very large. At first glance, the devices do not really differ from each other, the differences are more hidden in the details. Almost all eBook readers can play the common ePub format. Amazon makes an exception with its devices, which of course can only play books from its own shop. But there is a small one App, which can help. I could with the help of Caliber Easily view files from the ePub format on Kindle.
I have also found that it is advisable to buy an additional protective cover. On the one hand, because in this way the display of the eBook reader can be protected. On the other hand, I like the handling better because the reader can be held like a real book.
From a technical point of view, the battery life and the screen resolution are particularly important. The latter only differs slightly among the test winners. The battery runtimes all seem long enough. This is also true for everyday use, but I made the experience on vacation that the battery life cannot be long enough. Furthermore, the models differ in terms of their storage capacity. As a rule of thumb, one gigabyte is enough for almost 1.000 books.
My leaderboard
Ultimately, the purchase decision is also a question of price and of course individual preferences. Below I show you my personal test winners in 2014 and briefly introduce them to you.
No products found.
Unfortunately, there are also two minor criticisms. Searching and synchronizing is still very expandable, in this area the KOBO AURA could not convince me. In addition, all users must first register with Kobo themselves in order to be able to use the eBook reader. However, it is then possible to shop in other shops.
The reader also comes from Germany and is a joint project by Weltbild, Thalia, Hugendubel, Club Bertelsmann and Telekom. Depending on where you buy the Tolino, you then have a direct connection to the respective shop. On the one hand, this is positive because it makes the first few purchases uncomplicated. On the other hand, you are also very tied to this one shop.
You have to make compromises in the area of equipment, the scope is not exactly generous. In addition, the control system can sometimes still be expanded. Commands are sometimes not accepted or carried out imprecisely. Personally, that rarely bothered me, but if you read a lot, you should rather use the other models. I can warmly recommend the Tolino Shine eReader to everyone else.
Conclusion of the research
I have often found that a great manufacturer name alone does not ensure quality. In my test of the best eBook readers in 2014, this was not entirely confirmed. Amazon's Kindle is pretty darn good in all areas. I have the Kindle Paperwhite and am very enthusiastic about the device despite the iPhone and iPad. A good alternative is the one that is still somewhat unknown in this country KOBO AURAwho also convinced me. The third recommended reader is the Tolino Shine, which comes from Germany. However, the controls are sometimes a bit imprecise, which could particularly annoy real bookworms.
Related Articles
Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He acts as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with technical problems. In his spare time he rides electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with the iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions to current bugs.
The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de
I'm not the world's biggest Amazon friend either, but the Kindle is good whether you like it or not. Most of those who speak negatively about the reader parrot or do Amazon bashing.