Best Ereaders

So many of us have portable electronic devices nowadays that keep us up with current events and allow us to socialize with our friends and family. Most of us have either a laptop computer or a miniature computer in the form of a tablet or smartphone. It’s fun keeping up-to-date. But it comes at a price. Studies indicate that our attention spans are declining. Usually, people spend around 47 seconds on a page before they decide to look at something else. So, an electronic device that helps you concentrate can reverse that trend. For that reason, an e-reader that can help you read books–lots of books–should be a welcome addition!

We’ll see that there are e-readers that can store thousands of books. They’re small and compact enough that you can take all of these “books” wherever you go, and read them at your leisure. If your hands aren’t free at the moment, some e-readers will read the book to you instead! We’ll see e-readers that come with a stylus and allow you to take notes on the margins, much like with traditional books. And there are subscription plans that give you access to even more electronic books, where you can borrow and return books as you finish them!

We’ll look at some of the most popular e-readers in the Best Reviews Guide list. Some are only for reading, while others allow you to add apps and games as well. We’ll look at some of their different features, to help you decide!

Looking at the Best Reviews Guide’s list of e-readers, we see the popular Amazon Kindle series, as well as a few comparable options:

• Amazon Kindle products:

  • Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition: The Kindle Paperwhite has a 6.8” display, 8 GB of storage, and lasts for 10 weeks on a single charge! It also allows for access to cloud storage for other Amazon content. The Paperwhite Signature Edition has 32 GB of storage instead of 8 GB, an auto-adjusting light if you change from a brightly-lit room to a dimly-lit room and wireless charging.

Kindle Paperwhite

• • Kindle Oasis: This has a 7” display, and has 25 LEDs in its front light (as opposed to 17 LEDs in the Kindle Paperwhite). If you have a WiFi connection, you can use the Whispersync app to switch between reading a text and listening to it! It also has buttons to allow you to flip pages, instead of relying on just the touchscreen.

Kindle Oasis

• • Kindle Scribe: The Kindle Scribe allows you to write text on the screen. It has the same display specs as the Paperwhite, but with a significantly larger screen, at 10.2”. You can add handwritten “sticky notes”, or put comments on the text either as handwritten notes or in typewritten text. It also allows you to sketch on the screen as well. There is an option of a basic pen, which just lets you write or doodle, and a Premium pen, which also allows you to erase or highlight text.

Kindle Scribe

• • Kindle Kids: Amazon also makes a Kindle for children, the Kindle Kids. It helps them develop reading habits since children with an appropriate Kindle device read around 1 hour a day. Amazon Kids+ is a special subscription service that gives children access to books on their reading level, as well as audiobooks so that they can listen to and follow a text. Parents can also supervise what their children read, as well as their progress.

Kindle Kids

• • International Version Kindle: If you live outside the United States, you may prefer an international version Kindle device. It will have the same specs as the version sold in the United States, without the “Special Offers” ads. (This advertising makes the US version to be cheaper.)

There are some other brands of e-readers, which give you interesting alternatives to the Amazon Kindle:

• Meebook P78: This is more of a tablet computer, but it functions as an e-reader with a 7.8” screen, which uses the Android operating system that allows you to install apps and games. It has 32 GB of storage, allowing you to store 10,000 books! If you wish, you can also insert an SD card to expand the storage space even more. There is also the Meebok P10 which has a larger 10” screen and more storage space.

Meebook P78 E-Reader

• Kobo Libra 2: This has a 7” screen, and supports Kobo Audiobooks as well. It has 32 GB of storage, allowing you to store 24,000 books or 150 audiobooks. It has buttons on the side of the device to allow you to turn the pages. This is a nice feature, for people who have trouble with just using the touchscreen mode. The Kobo Clara is a similar device, but with only 16 GB of storage, while the Kobo Nia is an even smaller device, measuring 6” and with only 8 GB of storage space.

Kobo Libra 2 E-Reader

• Kobo Sage: This is similar to the Kindle Scribe. It also uses a stylus to allow you to mark up and doodle in the text that you’re reading. You can also convert the notes into printed text.

Kobo Sage

Here are some customers’ impressions about the e-reader that they bought:

• Great for students: Students especially love the Kindle Scribe, since it lets them take notes directly onto the e-book text. Amazon expects to be able to sync their Kindle devices with Microsoft apps and to be able to access OneNote documents with their Kindle as well.

• Need more storage for audiobooks: Users say that an 8 GB device like the Amazon Paperwhite is enough. That holds around 2000 regular books with text, and people don’t usually need more than that. But the “signature” options that offer 32 GB are a bit overkill unless you want audiobooks, which take up much more space.

Here are some features and options to consider when choosing an E-reader:

• Cover: You certainly want to protect your device from scratches or cracks. The Kindle Paperwhite Kids comes with a colorful, protective cover, with magnets that keep it closed securely.

Covers on the Kindle Paperwhite Kids

• Switch to dark mode: Depending on the ambient light, you may prefer reading white letters on a dark background. Many e-readers allow you to switch easily between light and dark modes. Some, like the Kindle Oasis, can detect a change in the ambient light, and change illumination automatically!

• Waterproof: Many of these e-readers are rated IPX8 waterproof. The “IP” means “Ingress Protection”, and the “X” means that the device is not impervious to dust getting inside, so it’s not advised to use it on the beach. But the “8” waterproof rating means the reader can even be submerged in up to 1.5 -2 meters of water for at least 30 minutes. You won’t want to swim while reading, but it will be able to withstand splashes of water.

• Need Bluetooth or wireless headphones: If you choose to use your e-reader for audiobooks, you’ll also need to purchase headphones that use Bluetooth or WiFi. There usually isn’t a port for a 3.5mm headphone jack on e-readers.

Final Verdict

We went through some of the most popular e-readers on the market nowadays, both from Amazon, as well as tablet computers that function as e-readers as well. Some people prefer a device that will only serve as an e-reader, to minimize distractions. But if you’re willing to invest some more money to have other apps and games, then you should consider the other e-reader brands. Either way, you’ll find that an e-reader will help you read potentially hundreds more books, letting you carry them wherever you go, in a device that weighs less than 8 ounces!