Traditionally, our country is considered one of the most read in the world. It is not surprising that e-books and tablets quickly began to supplant paper editions familiar to all of us.
As for the tablets, the reasons for their distribution are understandable: they are multifunctional, their capabilities greatly impress both young people and the older generation.
The situation with e-books is not so obvious: these devices are very specific, but they are still in stable demand. In principle, the reasons for this are not so few, but we will consider the main ones:
- Any electronic book is many times smaller than the average paper volume.
- In the internal memory of the average “reader” you can store as many works as there are far from any library, not to mention home collections.
- You can easily change the font size and style, backlight modes and other characteristics.
- Even if you read exclusively legal, purchased e-books, you can save a huge amount of money. Judge for yourself: the average paper book is in the range of 300 rubles, while the cost of its electronic counterpart can be from 30 to 50 rubles.
- Finally, you can be proud to save whole groves of trees.
As part of this review, we will try to describe the basic principles of choice, as well as discuss some of the most common and popular models. So we learn how to choose an e-book!
What it is?
Speaking scientifically, this is a special device designed to display the text of an electronic version of an art or other work. From the so-called PDAs, smartphones, tablets and laptops, they differ in their stripped-down functionality and a very narrow specialization. In addition, it is easy to read data from the e-book display, and your eyes do not get tired even with long reading. This is achieved through a special technological process of its manufacture (E-ink, less commonly SiPix).
E-ink is most good: it perfectly imitates the natural color of a book sheet, reflects light, like real paper, does not glow and does not glare. Such a device consumes energy only at the moment of page turning. Important! Today on the market there are a lot of models with LCD displays, which can be called not an e-book, but rather a multimedia player.
So how to choose an e-book, if you focus on the characteristics of its display?
E-ink
To date, this technology is considered the most advanced. Of course, she also has some disadvantages, but it is the E-ink displays that cause minimal harm to your eyesight. These models have very high contrast and scanty energy consumption, and very little environmental damage is caused by their production. In general, choosing an E-ink e-book is quite simple, since you will not be mistaken in any case, all their manufacturers are quite eminent and have an excellent reputation.
Let's take a closer look at all of their advantages:
- The display power of such displays is such that they perfectly mimic a real paper page.
- The human eye also perceives text read from an e-book, similar to a printed source, which significantly reduces the load on vision.
- On one charge, you can read up to 10 thousand pages.
- A viewing angle of 180 degrees and the complete absence of glare in the sun make these models the ideal choice for those who like to relax with a book in nature.
As we already mentioned, there are some negative points:
- The cost of manufacturing such displays is very high.
- You cannot view color illustrations. However, in recent years the situation has begun to improve, but the image quality is in any case very far from ideal.
- More or less cheap models do not have a backlight. Even on expensive books, where it is available, the intensity of highlighting a page can often be uneven, and when turning over, one can often see flicker. In addition, pages change with a significant delay.
LCD displays
We think that almost everyone knows about this variety. These displays are widely used in the manufacture of telephones and computer monitors, televisions, cars and airplanes ... In a word, almost everywhere. Therefore, we immediately begin to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this technology. According to tradition, we begin by revealing their positive aspects:
- You can read your favorite book even at night, in deep darkness.
- If there is such a desire, then there are no problems with watching videos and color photographs.
- The technology has been developed for a long time, and its cost is low.
Unfortunately, there are a considerable number of negative points.
- Autonomy is low. Most models work on a single charge for no more than six hours, since a lot of energy is spent on maintaining the display.
- After these six hours of reading, your eyes will probably hurt.
- It is unlikely that you can enjoy your favorite work in the sun, as the sun's rays will cause the formation of multiple glare, making the reading process almost impossible.
First conclusions
So how to choose an e-book? The conclusion is simple - if you really only need to read that you have no choice. These are books with an E-ink display. If you like to watch movies and photos from social networks, but are thinking about how to choose an e-book reader, then a device with an LCD display is also suitable.
However, in the latter case, it’s stupid to buy a specialized reader, since an ordinary Chinese tablet that can be bought literally for a penny today is perfect for these purposes.
Therefore, the entire subsequent part of the article is devoted exclusively to devices on E-ink, as they are ideal for reading. As for other multimedia content, the tablets mentioned above are much more suitable for its consumption. Here's how to choose an e-book, if you focus on your preferences and the desired functionality of the device.
Which manufacturers are better?
Before choosing the right e-book, it will be useful to learn at least a little about their creators. There are dozens of models of such devices on the modern market, the lion's share of which is produced by hardworking Chinese under an OEM license. But how to choose an e-book, the manufacturer of which may well turn out to be a NoName-company, whose products can fail at any time?
As for manufacturers who pay special attention to the quality and convenience of their products, the following companies are clearly leaders here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble.
- Sony
- Pocketbook
- Onyx BOOX.
Important! If you do not know how to choose an e-book for an elderly person, pay attention to the latest manufacturer! Excellent quality and mechanical buttons will be appreciated by the older generation.
Now let's look at each of them separately, and also touch on user opinions about them. In general, it was from the products of these companies that we created a rating of e-books, which you can read about below.
Amazon
In our country, the legendary electronic store of this company is better known, but it is also a recognized leader in the field of electronic book production. Unfortunately, they are not officially delivered to our country, which entails many difficulties for the end user.However, this does not at all prevent unofficial exports from gaining momentum, as customers like the high quality of these devices and their rather modest price.
Barnes & noble
The history of this American company has about 100 years. Like the previous manufacturer, she launched her e-books on sale only for selling content through her store, but later it turned out that consumers buy “readers” precisely for their excellent work with electronic texts. Again, as in the previous case, there are no official deliveries to Russia. And not yet in sight. These e-books, the model of which can be selected in any foreign store, are imported into our country only by individual orders.
Sony
We think that everyone knows about this company. But not everyone imagines that it was the Japanese manufacturer who made a huge contribution to the development and production of E-ink displays. Books from this company are distinguished by the quality and reliability traditional for this manufacturer, and therefore invariably remain the most popular variety of such devices. Fortunately, Sony’s readers have been shipped to our country since 2011.
Pocketbook
The Ukrainian company was founded in 2007, and it originally specialized in the production of electronic books. Due to the low price and quite acceptable quality, these readers still occupy at least 40% of the domestic market. These e-books have very impressive functionality, and are also perfectly adapted to domestic realities. If you are thinking about how to choose an e-book for a student, then take a look at the products of this company: the attractive price and wonderful functionality make it an excellent choice.
Onyx BOOX
After PocketBook, the products of this manufacturer are the most popular in our country. Books from Onyx BOOX were the first devices of this kind in Russia equipped with E-ink Perl displays. High quality, functionality and attractive appearance are the factors that invariably attract the final manufacturer. Having dealt with the manufacturers, let's make a rating of the most popular and popular e-books in Russia.
But how to choose an e-book? Reviews say that in the list of hundreds of models from these companies, you can wander for more than one day! In order not to overflow from empty to empty, we will immediately introduce to your court the TOP models that are most often bought in our country.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
According to customer surveys, this particular model takes the first place of preferences. This is due to high quality, attractive appearance and good functionality of the device.
Compared with the first versions, the design of the device has been significantly changed, which has become more subtle and elegant. Alas, from now on there is no physical keyboard. However, reviews indicate that this fact was not too upsetting for users, since as a result of the removal of this detail the weight of the book immediately fell by 70 grams. Immediately noteworthy is the 6-inch high-quality screen E-ink Pearl, whose resolution is 600 x 800 pixels. It can display up to 16 shades of gray at the same time.
Other positive qualities
The device also earned universal recognition and positive reviews for its impressive page refresh rate, which other manufacturers often do not see at all. Having paid only about three thousand rubles, you will receive a book with a beautiful screen and long-term manufacturer support. In addition to the additional Wi-Fi module, no “lotions” are observed anymore, which gives the book a bright shade of aesthetics and minimalism.
Alas, this minimalism is also noticeable in the configuration: the official delivery includes only a USB cable, and you will have to buy a backlight and a cover as additional options.We’ll warn you right away: the device is focused on the American market and their standards, and therefore it’s better to immediately install the wonderful CoolReader program on the “reader”. She will perfectly read any format of electronic books that is only found in our country. However, if you want to use the "native" applications of the device for reading, CoolReader will help you in two clicks to convert to a format that is understandable to American technology.
We have already said about the advantages of this equipment, and what are the negative aspects? Firstly, poor equipment. Already the backlight could be delivered complete with the book ... Secondly, there is no way to translate the interface into Russian. In fairness, the second point is not so critical, since any experienced user will be able to understand the capabilities of the “reader” even in this case. In any case, there are no particular complaints in consumer reviews.
Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch
The second leader of our review. Also beautiful, functional and relatively inexpensive.
The first Nook series book was released in 2009. The manufacturer very accurately captures the desires of consumers, and therefore the device is equipped with almost everything necessary: an E-ink Pearl display of six inches and a resolution of 600 x 800 Px imitates the paper sheet as realistically as possible. Physical buttons can be programmed by hanging on them the functions required by the user, and support for memory cards for such a device is generally a royal gift for our conditions.
And all this magnificence you will receive for only three thousand rubles. Alas, there are some rather unpleasant moments: there is not even a hint of Russian firmware, and only banal PDF and EPub are among the supported formats. Fortunately, in the vastness of the network there are a bunch of custom custom firmwares that easily solve both of these problems. In addition, after installing them, you will get full access to the Android running on the device, and you can also install any programs, including the excellent CoolReader reading utility.
In general, reviews of this model clearly indicate that this is an excellent choice for all connoisseurs of books. If you want to choose an e-book by characteristics (only positive, of course), then this is the best choice.
If the phrase Touch with GlowLight is added to the model name, this indicates the presence of backlighting. Buyers say that such a book costs about 4.5 thousand rubles, but to read on it is much more pleasant, since light and uniform illumination perfectly performs its functions even in complete darkness.
Sony PRS-T1 and Sony PRS-T2
Sony PRS-T1 and Sony PRS-T2 are not only excellent electronic "readers" equipped with E-ink displays, but also devices that carry a full-fledged Android on board. This greatly expands their functionality and makes them an excellent gift for lovers of good reading.
A key feature of the display that is used in these reader models is multitouch support. If you hold your finger on a specific word longer than usual, the connected dictionary (if any) will be automatically opened. If you practice in a foreign language, reading books in the original language, this will be a great help. Of course, build quality and reliability are at the highest level. By the way, if you don’t know how to choose a BU e-book, we recommend this company: the quality of readers is so great that after a more or less accurate owner the reader will be in excellent condition.
Unlike all previous manufacturers, Sony delivers its books in three colors at once (black, white, red), which will surely please the beautiful floor. And further. Again, differing from all the above options, all of these devices officially (!) Support fb2 reading.Oddly enough, but the Japanese company this time offers its products at a perfectly reasonable price, which does not exceed five to six thousand rubles.
Note that the Sony PRS-T2 additionally has an MP3 player. This moment was immediately noted by those reading lovers who are at the same time avid music lovers. Unfortunately, none of these models have a backlight. This is indicated by many buyers, noting that this annoying incident is almost the only drawback of the devices.
This is ideal for reading connoisseurs who are thinking about how to choose an e-book. The reviews indicate that Sony products are simply great for presenting to yourself or to a friend who is passionately fond of literature.
PocketBook 622 Touch, PocketBook 623 Touch 2
These e-books were originally designed to occupy a budget niche in the market, becoming an excellent alternative for those bibliophiles who do not want to overpay for high-profile brands, but have the intention to buy a high-quality device. Not sure how to choose a good e-book with an amazingly low price? Be sure to look at these models!
Given the budget of books, one should not be surprised at the fact that their six-inch display is not made using touch technology. However, its other characteristics are quite comparable with those for the expensive branded models described above. So, imitation of a paper sheet is at a very decent level, and the level of contrast is beyond praise.
Unfortunately, there is excessive minimalism in the supply: in addition to the device itself, only one USB cable is included in the package. There is no Bluetooth module, there is no function to play audio files. However, users themselves relate to this circumstance stoically: they note that they almost never used these options, even if we are talking about more expensive and functional models. Want to choose an inexpensive e-book? Then this device should definitely be your purchase!
But the lack of a Wi-Fi module is much worse, since almost all buyers who purchased models from the above manufacturers use it. However, we recall once again: in return for the lost wireless specifications, you get a device that is otherwise excellent. It would be much worse if all this remained in their places, since in this case the manufacturer would either significantly raise the price or deliver readers with a noticeably worse display.
In a word, it is not surprising that the majority of domestic reading enthusiasts have long made these books bestsellers in Russian online stores. If we discuss our rating of electronic books, then this model is in the last place in terms of functionality, but in the first place - in terms of its financial attractiveness.
Onyx BOOX i63SML Kopernik / Kepler / Maxwell
Already from the names of these magnificent readers you can understand that in front of you are strict and functional models in which every detail is in its place and there are absolutely no superfluous or distracting details and functions. A neat design with physical buttons is the hallmark of these readers. All devices have a wonderful backlight, a lot of pre-installed dictionaries. Of course, wired software supports almost all naturally available e-book formats.
Unfortunately, the lack of a touch screen is sometimes not very convenient. Users complain that the mechanical paging buttons are not too convenient to search in complete darkness. If this may be a problem for you, buy the Maxwell model, since it has a touch screen display. And further. Unlike its two "relatives", "Keppler" also has an MP3 player, which for some music and reading fans can be a serious argument in favor of buying.
But with regard to the configuration, there is nothing to complain about here: a charger, a beautiful cover-book and cable.
findings
In this review, we have given a fairly current rating of e-books. Using it, you can certainly make a profitable and enjoyable purchase. All the described models have a diagonal of six inches, which, according to the users themselves, is the best option!
Here's how to choose an e-book. In principle, this is nothing complicated.
