Electronic books (they are readers) entered our lives in the past decade and almost immediately became a mass phenomenon. Only six or seven years ago, e-books were perceived as incredible news, and today in any transport you can see a few readers with readers in their hands.
Content:
At the heart of electronic books - a special technology of electronic ink (e-Ink). The screen of this book simulates the page of this book. It does not have a built-in backlight and is perceived by the human eye much more naturally. Therefore, reading on the reader does not tire the eyes. At the same time, the functionality of the e-book is very extensive. A power consumption of electronic ink due to the lack of illumination is minimal, with moderate reading reader can stay on one charge for weeks or even months.
So, you decided to join the world of electronic books. Or have lost their old "reading room" and want to buy a new one. Let's try to help you by considering the existing options.
What to look for before buying
The situation with manufacturers of reading devices is somewhat similar to the situation with writers: there are both consistently well-written authors, "authors of one book", and writers "not for everyone", and creators of books "for the poor." In addition, many manufacturers do not develop the device themselves, but order the base from Chinese developers and “finish” it for the domestic market.
Therefore, recommendations like "what kind of e-book to buy" cannot be reduced to formulas like "producer X is good, producer Igrek is bad, the best e-book is producer Zet". Since you are a person who reads and thinks, you are able to make your own choice. And we will tell you which parameters you should pay attention to.
Display diagonal
This is a question not only of personal preferences, but also of the scenario of using the book. For reading fiction or simple text, a minimal display is also suitable. But to work with drawings, diagrams and scans of primary sources in PDF or DjVu formats - the larger the diagonal, the better. There are even readers with a diagonal of 11.75 inches - a professional class. The very same miniature e-books display is smaller than that of modern smartphones - up to 4.33 inches. In general, for a child it is better to take a book of medium size, for an adult - to his taste.
ELECTRONIC BOOKS WITH DIFFERENT DISPLAY DIAGONAL
Display resolution
Fortunately, e-books passed that race of permissions, which we recently observed in smartphones. The normal resolution is 800x600 pixels for a 6-inch screen. The maximum values can reach 1080x1440 or even 1200x1600 pixels - this, however, is also inherent in professional models for working with drawings and diagrams.
Memory
What is called, “no one will leave offended”: today, even in the most unpretentious readers, 2 GB is installed — enough for an entire library. Moreover, rarely which book today lacks a slot for memory cards, so expanding its capacity is not a problem.
operating system
Recently, the Android system has taken root in e-books. Even in a reduced monochrome form, it allows you to install your favorite programs for reading, use Internet services and even multimedia applications. Books without Android are limited to those features that the manufacturer originally envisioned (although alternative firmware with advanced features are sometimes available).
Book Format Support
This is important for books without Android (in books with Android, you can install a software reader for any format). In the world today, the most popular format of digital books is ePub (its support, in particular, is provided in Apple devices). The universal format PDF is also distributed. However, the Russian reader is in honor of the FB2 format, in which you can download many more books. If you do not want to mess with converters or search for the right book in the right format for a long time, make sure that the reader can read FB2 and, if necessary, other formats.
Electronic ink generation
Today, three generations of e-ink – Wizplex (oldest), Pearl (developed in 2010) and Carta (2013) are available. With each new generation, the contrast of the display increases, the readability improves, and power consumption decreases. In principle, even books on Wizplex-displays provide sufficient comfort for reading. But you have to look with your own eye to compare.
Wizplex and Pearl generation displays
Battery capacity
To be honest, with low power consumption of electronic ink, does it matter whether you charge the device every two or three weeks? And yet the more battery capacity, the better.
Price
This is the most important parameter, we did not accidentally put the latter. You can buy a decent e-book today for $ 100 - $ 150, while the device will cope with all the functions - reading books, downloading them via the Internet, synchronizing with a computer, etc. You need to have good reasons to buy more expensive books. Someone needs a large display with high resolution, someone - a glamorous appearance, someone - a full OS.
What additional features should pay attention
It seems that the main task of the e-book is reading. However, around the main function, you can find many side effects that make life and work easier. It is worth paying attention to the following parameters of readers:
Wi-Fi availability
It is already difficult to find a book without a built-in Internet module. As a rule, new books from paid or free sites are mostly downloaded via Wi-Fi.
3G availability
At one time, Amazon offered its Kindle book with free 3G Internet around the world. This attraction of unprecedented generosity was simply explained: it was assumed that the owner of the book would buy new items from the Amazon online store and download them to the device. And from this money you can pay the costs to operators. This is an exclusive feature of the Kindle book; other manufacturers cannot afford this luxury.
Audio playback and headphone out
It would seem that the device for reading does not have to be musical. But many users prefer reading to the music. It is worth remembering about such a genre of art as audio books - they can also be enjoyed through a book reader.
Display backlight
At first it seems to be nonsense - electronic ink is also good for those that work without backlighting. But for reading in the dark, the optional backlight is invaluable. However, you can purchase and special covers with backlight.
Based on this, you will be able to choose a book to your liking and afford it.
It will be interesting to friends too
