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I am not only a writer but a reader as well. Even though I love physical books, sometimes I am getting ebooks for more comfortable transportation or availability. The last electronic book I read was “American Royals” on my iPad. And it was a drag. My iPad happens to be old enough to be retired by Apple. That means I cannot update apps anymore, which can lead to hick-ups when using the application and is slow. Reading outside is only possible when I sit in the shade, and I usually don’t bring the oversized iPhone, not to the beach, either. Also, I find the iPad too heavy.
As this issue continues, I thought that an e-reader would solve the problems altogether. But which one to get. I heard about Kindles and other eReaders before, but to be honest, I never paid much attention to them.
But where should I start my research? My mind drifted to a familiar place where I can ask questions and am usually not disappointed.
As an avid reader, I have joined several book groups on Facebook. Of course, most of the time, books, shelfies, and upcoming releases are disgusted, but bookish things as well. So I asked: ‘Please recommend to me your e-reader.’ I was not disappointed.
Several members of the group answered my call to enlighten me on how they are consuming their ebooks.
The results were impressive as one of the e-readers was recommended to me the most. It was the Kindle Paperwhite. But 4 other electronic readers were mentioned as well.
Kindle Paperwhite
Kindle Oasis
Kobo Libra
Kobo Clara
Are those the 4 best eReaders out there at the moment?
As I am looking to invest in a new reading option, I have to really think about what I wanted to get out of the portable book holder.
So what are my requirements:
- waterproof
- lightweight
- good battery life
- a jack
- possibly Bluetooth
- no glare
Kindles
Ok, let’s look at the Kindles. They must have the biggest market share of all the e-readers. Not only was Kindle mentioned most in the feedback I got, but I do see them often when I am traveling on the T (the Boston subway system).
As Kindles are Amazon’s brand, they can be directly connected to my Amazon account. That means I could easily download my ebook purchases to my reader. Not just that, did you know that Amazon has more than 6 million ebooks in their catalog?
I presume that I could directly access that waste ‘library’ from the Kindle. But what’s the difference between: Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire, and Kindle Oasis.
| Specification | Paperwhite | Oasis |
| Dimensions | 6.7″x 4.6″ x 0.36″ | 6.3″ x 5.6″ x 0.33″ |
| Weight | 7.5 ounces (Wi-Fi only) | 6.6 ounces (Wi-Fi only) |
| Screen size | 6″ diagonally | 7″ diagonally |
| Storage | 32 GB or 8 GB | 32 GB or 8 GB |
| Batterie life | lasts for weeks | lasts for weeks |
| Waterproof | yes | yes |
| No Glare | yes | yes |
| Jack | I don’t think so. | I don’t think so. |
| Bluetooth | yes | yes |
| Resolution | 300 ppi | 300 ppi |
| Price | starting at $129.99 (8GB) | starting at $249.99 |
Summary
Paperwhite
If I would purchase the Paperwhite it sounds like that Audible is included, which would be fantastic. However, there doesn’t seem to be a charger for the ebook. Also, what I hadn’t considered was display light as my iPad has a light. So the Paperwhite has 5 LEDs, which I think is more like a dim light. However, please don’t read in the dark anyway.
In comparison, the Oasis has 25 LEDs, which means it would offer a nice background light regardless of the room darkness.
Oasis
After reviewing the information on Amazon I was positively surprised that one of the main differences of the Oasis to the Paperwhite is the design. It is ergonomically built and automatically rotates pages, which I have not considered before as an element to look out for as I only read fiction books. However, if you read comics, magazines, or other electronic publications with horizontal pages, which would make reading the material much easier. Also, the Oasis has a special button to turn the page, which may be a good thing.
Conclusions
Both Kindle options sound very intriguing. The Paperwhite and Oasis tick all the boxes of my personal requirement. What I really like about the Oasis is the ergonomy of the device, for which I would be willing to pay more.
But are the Kindle eReaders better than the Kobo devices?
Kobos
I have to admit something to you. I only just learned about Kobo last week on Twitter when one of the authors I follow published her e-Book. Till this moment I have not heard about Kobo at all. Even though I always think that I am an attentive person, I seem to live under a rock very often. Oh well, know I’ve learned about the company. And while I researched the online provider a little more, I learned that Kobo is a word scramble of the word Book. I personally thought that it is quite clever.
As I know now of Kobo I will make sure that my soon to be published book will be available will be available in their catalogue as well. That means the research was a win-win for me.
But let’s look at Kobo’s Libra and Clara eReader options in more detail.
| Specifiactions | Libra | Clara |
| Dimensions | 5.7″ x 6.3″x 0.3″ | 6.3″ x 4.3″ x 0.3″ |
| Weight | 6.3 ounces | 4 ounces |
| Screen size | 7″ diagonally | 6″ diagonally |
| Storage | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Batterie life | weeks | weeks |
| Waterproof | no | no |
| No Glare | yes | yes |
| Jack | no | no |
| Bluetooth | no | no |
| Resolution | 300 PPI | 300 ppi |
| Price | $169.99 | $119.99 |
Conclusion
If you are like me and work on a computer storage space on my device is never enough. However, I have never run out of space on my iPad, which has 64 GBs. So how much storage space do I need for my device? If I only read books on my eReader I think 8GB should be plenty of reading space. 8 GB means I could save 6,000 books on one device alone.
The Kobo eReaders sound nice and they have a great price point. However, they don’t tick all of my boxes. They are not waterproof and don’t have Bluetooth. That means I am unable to load audiobooks on them.
Kobo seems to have a substantial amount of ebooks in their catalogue as well. So, if I would create an account, I presume it would be as easy to brows and buy e-books from them.
What am I going to get?
To be honest, it looks like a case of Kindle vs. Kindle. The only reason being is that they have all the requirements, which I am looking for in an eReader. Even though the most popular device seems to be the Paperwhite, I am leaning towards the Oasis. I know it is more expensive, but there is something said about the ergonometric. As a matter of fact, I just bought my first proper (ergometric) office chair in my life because of back pain.
On a general note, I find it very interesting that the devices, at least the Kindles don’t contain chargers, only a charging cable. As I am not that into technical stuff I had learned the hard way that phone chargers are not strong enough after I tried powering up my JBL Bluetooth speaker. However, my iPad charger does the trick.
Are you browsing for a new e-reader? What are you planning to get?
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