Monday, February 15, 2010

Kindle DX or iPad

Getting some assignment windfalls so I'm going to celebrate by buying either a Kindle DX or an iPad (just wireless, no 3G).

I'm not sure how much I buy the idea that reading from an LCD screen is that much harder than reading E-Ink given that I spend most of the day looking at an LCD screen, and I certainly like a color display given that I have a lot of RPG pdfs in color.

On the other hand, reading a 300 page book isn't the same as glancing through web pages and writing.  And I suspect the iPad's 10 hour battery life will turn into 5 hours in practice given my experience with laptop computers. Which is an issue given that one purpose of having the reader is to use it on flights from Newark to Los Angeles, and the added hours waiting for the flight.

And, then again, the other uses of the iPad could also be handy down the line.

2 comments:

dan said...

Just buy yourself a decent laptop. I have a new ASUS with a battery that lasts 5 hours plus (10 plus if you are just word processing).

Apple's products are fragile and gimmicky and don't play well with others.

Steve Peterson said...

I am concerned about Apple suddenly "discovering" that the Kindle App shouldn't work on their iPad round about the time Apple releases their own e-Reader app and finalizes their contracts with various publishers.

But both Kindle and iPad will read PDFs, so I'll be okay.

Anyway, I'm not looking for a more portable laptop. I'll always need a real laptop or netbook since I have to work with some very specific software.

I'm looking to put books as a technology in my past!