The Philippine Online Chronicles

Everything is subject to the elements. Over time, book pages turn yellow, covers are crumpled and pigments fade. But e-book readers are here to save the day, or at least that's what device manufacturers hope.

E-book readers became more than just a passing fancy with the invention of E Ink technology. They became more appealing to readers, because electronic paper screens were easier to read than conventional LCD screens. E Ink relies on electronically charged particles to maintain onscreen images and text, effectively mimicking the look of ink on paper.

One question tugging at e-reader buyers, though, is whether to get one that does pretty much only a single thing such as displaying e-books, but does it really well, or to choose another which does a multitude of things, not spectacularly, but well enough.

E-readers offer a variety of functions backed by different software platforms, but all center around giving users the opportunity to purchase and read hundreds, even thousands, of e-books at a time.

Foremost in the reader race are the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad. The first is made by one of the biggest book sellers on the Internet, and the other by one of the most competitive hardware and software developers in the world. One is an excellent e-book reader, and the other is marketed to be able to do almost everything except fix the kitchen sink (and install Adobe Flash in its built-in web browser).

The sales of devices are as important as those of the books themselves, because as more devices are sold, publishers are encouraged to publish more books to cater to clients. Readers thus get a wider variety of material quite literally at their fingertips, depending on the store that their device is exclusively tied to, and the availability of free e-books for download on the Internet.

Aside from the Kindle and the iPad, there are also other e-readers on the market—some of which include the Alex eReader, Barnes & Noble Nook, Entourage Edge, iRex DR800SG, the Sony Reader Daily Edition, and the locally-retailed RedFox WizLib and WizPad. While holding their own in the market, they are overshadowed by the Kindle and the iPad, which, aside from being backed by massive (and ingenious) public relations machineries and e-book store collections, feature the most solid operating systems and best overall performance.

The Amazon Kindle

In 2007, online bookstore Amazon.com decided to launch the Kindle. It leveled up what Sony had wrought in its Reader, allowing users to do what the Reader couldn't: connect to the Internet via a wireless connection, and download volumes directly to the device without having to use a computer.

It is touted to be the best reader on the market despite being for the most part no-frills, because of its easy-to-use interface and stable performance. It aims to give users the ability to read e-books and not much else (though Amazon is adding little things to new models such as browsing capability via a built-in program), but attempts to do it well. If reviews from magazines such as US-based Laptop is to be believed, it certainly achieved its goal, having a pageturn rate that outstrips its peers.

The best thing about the Kindle and other E Ink display-equipped machines? Its E Ink display looks like paper, allowing it to be read easily under different lighting conditions.

Controlled by a keyboard and a set of buttons, the latest Kindle model can access the web via a 3G connection in addition to Wi-Fi, and has a new built-in browser and improved PDF viewer. It's connected to the Amazon store, and can access several value-added services such as library backup and built-in social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter) integration. The best things about it, according to Amazon, are its speedy page-turn rate and battery life of up to one month. However, its batteries are not replaceable.

• Storage: 4GB internal - approximately 3GB available for user content, with option to expand
• Supported e-book formats: AZW, TXT, MOBI, PRC (Other e-book formats must be converted first, or sent to Amazon for conversion)
• Supported audio formats: AA, AAX, MP3

The Apple iPad

The iPad's greatest strength is that it, like all Apple products, looks great.

It's so pretty that whatever e-book you load into it ends up looking like the greatest volume ever written. Its library looks like a shelf, its touchscreen interface allows you to flip pages like a real book complete with sleek effects, and the device itself looks like something out of a science fiction film.

Apple's brilliant marketing strategies also made the emergence of the iPad seem like the second coming, thus making it one of the most coveted devices in recent history.

As an e-book reader, it can only do so well. By virtue of its touchscreen interface, its display is not very friendly to the eyes. Unlike an E Ink screen, it reflects light and is backlit, thus making it almost impossible to use outdoors, particularly in daylight.

It can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi and 3G(depending on the model), and is capable of doing other things, because it is basically a tablet computer equipped with specialized applications.

Its strength lies in its potential for new media, allowing e-books to become multimedia troves. “Enhanced e-books,” as Apple likes to term them, let readers view videos and listen to audio files embedded into them, as well as view websites via hyperlinked text.

• Storage: 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive, with option to expand
• Supported e-book formats: EPUB, via iBooks application (other formats can be read via separate readers or applications)
• Supported audio formats: HE-AAC, AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV
• Other supported media: Video (M4V, MP4, AVI), Images

Barnes & Noble Nook

The Nook is bookseller Barnes & Noble's attempt at dislodging Amazon's Kindle from booklovers' shelves. Equipped with two screens—an electronic paper display (EPD) controlled with an LCD touchscreen—it tries to expand on the Kindle's current capabilities. However, Amazon patented the dual-display interface. They haven't sued anyone over the patent yet, but only time will tell.

• Storage: 2GB, with the option to expand
• Supported e-book formats: ePUB, PDB
• Supported audio formats: MP3
• Other supported media: PDF, images

Alex eReader

A two-display reader overcoming the limitation of a black and white E Ink display by having a full-color touch screen below it, just like the Nook. It was due to this similarity that Spring Design slapped an injunction against Barnes & Noble, for allegedly stealing trade secrets. Equipped with an Android system, it has the capability to run Android apps, and also syncs operations between the electronic paper screen and the color LCD, switching displays if needed.

• Storage: 2GB, with option to expand
• Supported e-book formats: ePUB
• Supported audio formats: MP3, M4A, AMR, MIDI, WAV, OGG Vorbis
• Other supported media: PDF, HTML, images

Kobo eReader

The Kobo eReader is sold by Kobo Books, an e-book retailer backed by several book and technology companies. Relatively new to the market, the device promises to “make the perfect book even better,” as it has been “designed with book lovers in mind.” One of its main selling points? A quilted back that Kobo vows would make holding the eReader more comfortable than if the whole device were made of metal, and bluetooth connectivity.

• Storage: Up to 1GB, expandable
• Supported e-book formats: ePUB, PDF, Adobe DRM

Sony Reader

Sony's early models predate the Kindle and other devices currently on the market, but the company is releasing the Reader Daily Edition, a sleek device equipped with a touch screen and stylus. In recent interviews, Sony executives said they refuse to get into a price war with other e-reader makers, and instead will focus on providing quality devices. Whether this ploy will help Sony win the reader wars remains to be seen.

• Storage: Up to 32GB, expandable
• Supported e-book formats: ePUB, PDF, TXT, RTF, DOC (Needs MS Word installed in user's computer)
• Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC
• Other supported media: Images

enTourage eDGe

The enTourage eDGe is a dualbook – a combination reader and tablet with two displays. Unlike the Nook and eReader, however, its touchscreen LCD and electronic paper displays are separate from one another, are the same size, and are hinged to one another so the device can be folded and used a variety of ways. The electronic paper display is Wacom-enabled, so users can use the accompanying stylus to write notes onscreen. It runs on Linux and Android.

• Storage: 4GB, expandable
• Supported e-book formats: ePUB, PDF
• Supported audio formats: MP3, WAV, 3GPP, MP4, AAC, OGG, M4A
• Other supported media: Video (3GP, MP4, Adobe Flash Lite, AVI, MOV, WMV), Images

Red Fox WizPad/ WizLib

Local company RedFox is marketing the WizLib, an electronic paper display-equipped reader, and the WizPad, a touch screen tablet computer. They are among the first such devices to be released by a local company.

The WizLib is an e-reader capable of viewing various text-based files, and is also WiFi ready. The WizPad, meanwhile, is a tablet computer which can run a variety of operating systems: Meego1, Google Chrome or Windows 7. By virtue of it being a tablet, it can support various reader software; RedFox doesn't have its own e-reader application yet.

• Storage: Depends on model (Devices available in various sizes), expandable
• Supported e-book formats: e-books, document and text files
• Supported audio formats: WizLib – None; WizPad – HE-AAC, AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV
• Other supported media: WizLib – Images; WizPad – Video (M4V, MP4, AVI), Images

Photos: Kindle on a shelf and Bookshelf in the iPad, by Anna Cecilia Morquicillo. Some rights reserved. / Product shots courtesy of Barnes & Noble, Spring Design, Kobo, Sony, enTourage and RedFox.

This article first appeared in the Vee Press e-book primer, which was printed and given away at the Future of the Book conference on Sept. 13-14, 2010. Download a PDF of the primer here.