Which e-reader should you choose?
Before e-readers came on the market only around four per cent of books were accessible to to the partially sighted - either in braille, large print or audio. According to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) they have proved a godsend for people with failing eyesight:
"E-readers are fantastic. You can increase the text size, on some you can even change the background. Some even have the ability to turn text into voice.
"They could open up a whole new world of reading for blind and partially-sighted people. Increasing the print size is important, but also you need to be able to change the contrast and background colour.
"Some people can read better, for example with yellow text on a black background or white on a black screen.
"Most people find that their eyesight does get worse as they get older, even if it is just difficulty in reading."
At first using an e-reader is slightly disconcerting. Clutching a piece of metal does lack the tactile satisfaction offered by a dog-eared, coffee-stained paperback. But the advantages are overwhelming for those of us of a certain age and this seems to be born out by American research which shows that two-thirds of people investing in the technology are over 40.
Competition for the e-reader market is fierce. At the top end, there is the iPad from Apple. It does not fit in the pocket easily, but according to the RNIB does offer more features than its rivals.
Other major players include Sony. Having tried the Pocket Reader and the Touchscreen version, I would opt for the former.The resolution is clearer and the buttons a bit chunkier, which makes the device rather easier to use than the more expensive touchscreen version.
There were a few problems getting it to speak to my Mac, but once sorted the download process was pretty straightforward. It also fits into a suit pocket and is ideal for using on a tube journey.For the British user, there is the additional advantage that it is tied up with Waterstones, which means that most titles available on the high street can be put onto the reader itself.
The Kindle has one big advantage over the Sony reader, which is that it does not have to be tethered to a computer. Find a wi-fi hotspot and downloading a book is quick and simple. However the biggest snag is that it is tied to the American Amazon market, which means that a lot of books a British reader would like are not available.
Rather bigger than the Sony Pocket Reader, it feels less intuitive and having "next page" buttons on the left and right of the screen can be a bit confusing. But its other big selling point is the ability to search a book which, believe me, can be rather useful.
At the top end of the market is the iPad. It is of course rather more than just an eReader. There are some obvious disadvantages. It is bigger, heavier, does not fit into a pocket and is in reality a computer and carries a price to match and there is always the temptation to start surfing the net rather than reading. But the resolution is gorgeous, it also almost feels like a book, especially when it comes to turning a page.
via Daily Telegraph