tablet vs. e reader

If he is strictly a reader, go with the e-reader for the E-Ink technology.  It is not back lit and is easier on the eyes.  I have the new Kindle Fire and the last generation of Kindle and it really depends on what I am using it for as to which one I turn to at the time. 

The Fire is backlit and I find I don't read as long at night before bed, makes my eyes more tired after a day already spent at a computer.  I think the Fire is going to be my go to device on trips since I can read without a light on the plane and use it with any wi-fi spot for e-mail, Facebook etc.

For outdoor daylight reading, I prefer the Kindle (no glare).  Comes in very handy at swim meets, practices and water polo games.

The e-reader is great because of the screen.  Tablets are LCD which is hard to read when it's dark because the screen is so bright, or it's hard to read in the sunlight.  The screen is also reflective.

E-Reader screens are much less reflective and immune to lighting.  They are made to be stared at for hours on end.  Staring at an LCD screen for hours will cause pain.

Hi.  My name is Shaun.  My post just re-hashes what everybody else has already said.

Simple...

eReader PROS:  e-ink uses very little charge - the battery life is WEEKS!  eReader can be read anywhere there's background light (like a book), no glare and can be read otudoors.  eReader produces less eyestrain and headaches.  MUCH cheaper than a tablet.  Purpose-built for reading eBooks.
eReader CONS:  It's just meant for reading eBooks.  Only black & white.  Color eReaders are LCD and NOT e-ink.

eReader models:  Kindle is popular and current version will only read books bought from Amazon.  Next generation will be more flexible.  Nook can download books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and libraries with online services.  We bought my daughter a Nook and she gets plenty from the NC eLibrary.

Tablet PROS:  Do most everything.  Apps, movies, web, email, etc.  They can be used for eBooks, but do so much more.  No one buys a tablet for just reading books.
Tablet CONS:  Battery life is hours.  Tablets use LCD which produces it's own light.  Tough to read in sunlight and will produce eyestrain and/or headaches over time.  Much more expensive.

Tablet models:  There are only two to consider; iPad 2 or Samsung Galaxy.  Everythign else is crap.  The BB Playbook isn't worth $200 and Verizon won't even sell them anymore.  The touchscreen isn't worth squat.  RIM and HP totally crashed and burned with their tablets.

I can honestly say that I'll bet he wouldn't like surfing the net or reading on a tablet.  Small screen for web-surfing.  An iPad or Galaxy is the same as a smartphone with a bigger screen.  It's built for m-sites like m.nfl.com as compared web sites like nfl.com.  He'll probably like a bigger LCD monitor for the net.  For reading, the e-ink on a black & white Nook or Kindle is really easy on the eyes and you can increase the font-size up or down with a push of a single button.  Nook vs. Kindle really just depends on whether you want free library eBooks or not.  It requires a PC to download the book and then put onto the Nook, but once you get the hang of it, it's fairly easy.  Both are on the same quality and cost about the same.  You can go to Best Buy and try out both to see what they're like.

My wife and daughter fight over the Nook.  They both have books loaded onto it and they love it.  I think Hannukah Harry's going to have to bring my wife her own this year.  Although watching them argue over it is quite entertaining for me.

I have a tablet (Kindle Fire), and I have e-readers (Kindles...2,3,4). I also have the Kindle app on my phone and my PCs. I do not read on any backlit device unless I have to.

If you want an e-reader, get an e-reader, not a tablet. The e-ink makes all the difference.

Not true. Kindle can read pretty much anything you want it to read. 

mmrocker-

My wife got a Kindle literally a month before the fire announcement.  I was considering getting her a fire for christmas.  As a person who uses kindles, do you think that the Fire is a good present, or are you just happy with the kindle?

For reading, I 100% prefer the e-readers. Which isn't to say I don't like the Fire...I am enjoying it as a browser, and as something to play games on in the car, and will probably watch some videos on it at the gym or whatnot. But that's what I got it for. I bought the Fire not to read on, but to carry around the house as a conveinient internet source, more or less.

So, if your wife would like a media tablet, and you don't think she needs all the bells and whistles that an ipad has...then sure, it's a great toy. But I don't think of it as a replacement for an e-reader.

I actually like the Motorola Xoom I bought too - considered the Galaxy Tab 10.1 since I had a 7'' Tab, but like the expansion/peripheral options on the Xoom better.  I also figured that since Google bought Motorola Mobility updates for the Xoom would be faster and (hopefully) better tested than on competing products.

Both the iPad2 and Galaxy Tab are sexier than the Xoom though.