Comments on: E-Book Readers on the iPhone? They’re Not Quite Kindle Slayers Yet

By: E-Book Readers on the iPhone? Theyâre Not Quite Kindle Slayers Yet | Best Gadget Reviews Blog

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:21:17 +0000

[...] original here: E-Book Readers on the iPhone? Theyâre Not Quite Kindle Slayers Yet Share and [...]

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:31:29 +0000

I’ve read a half dozen (free) novels using Stanza on the iPhone, and I find it to be a terrific experience. Every aspect of the interface (font, text size, text color, background color, etc) is customizable, and page-turning requires almost no effort — it’s much easier than on the Kindle. Also it has other advantages: you can read it in a dark room, for example, which is great when your spouse is sleeping next to you. And battery life isn’t an issue for me, since I always recharge my phone overnight, and it always lasts through the day. Given that my phone works so well as an e-book reader, there’s no way I’d purchase, or lug around, a second device.

By: OMG, That Was Wade Roush! | Munsey's Technosnarl

OMG, That Was Wade Roush! | Munsey's Technosnarl — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:18:11 +0000

[...] He’s the dude who ran the very first ebook news site. Evar. That got bought, he ends up as the last person at Gemstar, turns off the lights, briefly runs ebooknet.info or something (the domain never resolved), before splitting over to MIT’s Technology Review. [...]

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:26:33 +0000

Honestly, I don’t see how anyone who has experience with an true e-ink device could ever be satisified with a device like the iPhone. I don’t care what program you’re using on the iPhone, the bottom line is that LCDs, especially small ones, make absolutely terrible e-readers and no program will ever change that.

Beyond the iPhone just being too small, LCDs are not easy on the eyes for extended reading and the battery life is simply pitiful in comparison. E-ink devices OTOH look a lot like actual paper, look great in bright light, and generally have spectacular battery life.

The main, and pretty much only, advantage the iPhone has is that people are so married to their cell phones they’ll generally always have them around. But there’s absolutely no way I’d sit around at home and read on an iPhone. That’s just absurd IMO. Maybe the iPhone would be fine for reading a work document on a ride to work or something, but not for any serious reading.

FWIW, we have an iPhone 3G, iTouch, and Kindle in our home. Actual reading beyond text on web pages or text message is never done on the Apple devices.

By: Kindle Links + News – end January « Amazon Kindle, Books, Kindle 2.0 - Amazon Kindle Review

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:04:13 +0000

[...] Finally someone who doesn’t think ebook readers on the iPhone are going to create world peace and eradicate poverty - But as much as I love my iPhone and dislike the current Kindle, I’m not sure Apple’s gadget will take hold as a serious platform for e-books. The main problem, as I see it, is that the iPhone screen is too small to hold much text, meaning readers have to turn a page every few seconds. [...]

By: Joel

Joel — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:25:50 +0000

If you already have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, the question is whether to buy a Kindle or something like it as well. For me, the answer is no. Why carry around two devices when one will do?

I use Stanza. I’ve read two novels so far, and I love that you can adjust the font, its color, the background color, and the font size. It’s true that the iPhone screen doesn’t hold as many words as a standard book page, but I haven’t found this to be much of a drawback. In addition, it’s a delight to hold the “book” in the palm of one hand.

By: Rush

Rush — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:01:07 +0000

Hi Wade – what about eReader (www.ereader.com). I just finished Guy Kawasaki’s Reality Check on the iPhone and I’m sold. They also offer over-the-air downloads and a vast library of contemporary titles.