E-Readers

Contact

Emily (Forwood) Rimland
Title: Sally W. Kalin Librarian for Learning Innovations Information Literacy Librarian and Learning Technologies Coordinator

Related Guides

E-Books

Online Reference Shelf

PSU Digitized Collections

Penn State Press

Course Reserves Services

Suggest a Purchase

Campus Librarians

Subject Specialists

Overview

E-Readers have the following benefits:

Read e-books, documents, and web sites
Allow you to search, annotate, & bookmark text
Use e-ink, which is easy on the eyes and helps to extend the battery life of the device (does not apply to the iPad)
Most can connect to internet via a wireless network or a 3G cell signal
Hold thousands of books but are light & portable

The following provides some advantages and disadvantages of the major devices on the current market. (See last updated date at bottom of the page.) Please note that this comparison is not comprehensive and is not an endorsement or advertisement for any product.

Kindle

Kindle by Amazon
Advantages	Disadvantages
Largest selection of models with the cheapest option	Not all models have touchscreens
Large selection of e-books	Most models do not have a replaceable battery
Text-to-speech feature	Converting documents requires emailing to the device
Easier to read in sunlight	Most models have screens that are not backlit
	Cheapest model has pop-up ads that appear on screen

Fire

Fire by Amazon
Advantages	Disadvantages
Considered to be more like a tablet computer than an e-reader	Smallest amount of storage capacity (8 GB) without option to expand
Cheaper and lighter than most other tablets	Shortest battery life in its class
Features the Silk web browser, optimized to accelerate page loading	No camera compared to other tablets
	Smaller screen than most other tablets

nook

nook by Barnes and Noble
Advantages	Disadvantages
3 models available, all with touchscreens	Simple Touch model doesn’t have a web browser
Prices comparable to Kindle models	Non-replaceable battery
Large selection of e-books	No text-to-speech capability
Borrow e-books for free from public libraries because of the open format	Fewer apps in general are available
App available to sync your ebooks and allow you to read them on many devices like iPhone, iPad, and computer
Has a “share a book” feature for use with other nook users
Easier to read in sunlight
Double the RAM of other devices
Considered to be “hacker-friendly”

iPad

iPad by Apple
Advantages	Disadvantages
Backlit	Expensive
Free apps for some e-readers let you sync your e-books and read on the iPad	Backlighting can be hard on the eyes (in low light) or very glary in bright light
Long battery life	Heavier than other e-readers