Electronic textbook readers

[Melalvai]

I'd like some input on what type of electronic reader-- kindle/nook/type of thing, tablet, ipad, laptop, etc-- for my daughter who is starting college next year. There's plenty of computer labs, so the main thing she wants is to not have to carry around a bunch of heavy textbooks. I wondered if the small display of kindles & nooks make them less optimal for textbooks, as far as being able to see figures & tables clearly, and maybe a black & white wouldn't work, because textbooks tend to have lots of fancy colored figures, photos, illustrations.

I don't know if it matters but she's going into engineering. Perhaps engineering textbooks are even more dependent on visual aids?

[Irulan]

For text books the main consideration will be availability in a usable format. In addition to the formatting, availability and cost of the needed texts in general may be an issue. If the book if formatted properly for an e reader, there should be no problem with images etc displaying.

There book apps such as Calibre (free software) which provide readers for PC and laptop; if she has to carry a laptop anyway this may be the way to go. Otherwise, she'd be carrying two devices if she needs a computer and then a reading device.

The biggest consideration on devices is whether you want a dedicated reade which provides a more pure ( more paper -like) and less eye strain reading experience ( Nook etc) or a reading app on a tablet which works just fine except for screen issues such as glare and eye strain.

When I get to my PC I will post some links that I used to help me select my e readers: we have two Nooks. I've also done a lot of reading on my iPad with the apps, so I've gone both ways.

[OakLeaf]

I'm not sure I'd want to rely exclusively on an e-reader for textbooks. There was just an article in the NYT about that. I'll try to find it and come back with a link if I do. I realize it's a lot less to carry around and a lot fewer trips back to the dorm room, but if she's used to being able to lay several papers and books side by side on a desk, it may be more of an adjustment than she'd like. I'm old, I know, but if she's used to paper books from high school, the adjustment wouldn't be any different, I don't think.

Anyway, to answer from what I know, my older Kindle with keyboard is useless for illustrations. You can't blow them up at all, and they're rarely big enough to see on the screen. OTOH, I really like its light weight. Illustrations are where an iPad really shines. I have a couple of anatomy apps on mine, and they're just amazing. Reading text on the backlit screen of my first generation iPad is much easier than reading on a computer screen, even a laptop, for whatever reason - size, ability to change angle, Apple unobtainium, whatever. She might spend an hour or so in an Apple store figuring out how easy it is for her to read on an iPad screen.

If she goes that way, she'll also want a usable keyboard and a touch screen to be able to highlight, annotate and access hyperlinks easily. All of those are very, very cumbersome on my Kindle keyboard - can't speak for the current models. The iPad virtual keyboard is also nearly useless - the combination of its non-standard size and shape plus the absence of touch feedback relegates even the best typists to hunt and peck, and having to go to another screen for numbers and punctuation is just irritating - but the Apple bluetooth keyboard works flawlessly.

I have no idea what's out there in terms of apps, but I'd expect there would be more iPad apps for engineers than apps for other platforms, just because of its ubiquity. Something else to consider - if she can get everything she wants from one device, that's less expense and more convenience.

HTH...

[Becky]

A glare-reducing screen protector makes a huge difference when it comes to readability on a tablet. I use one called, appropriately enough, "GlareShatter".

[TrekDianna]

jumping in here since it's kind of what I do at work -- there really is not a good solution to what you want. Kindle does not handle the formatting consistently enough...textbooks that have interactive elements developed in Flash will not work on the iPad -- you would actually need different readers for different textbooks. It's frustrating, but that's the way it is. Your best bet is a lightweight laptop. It's usable for everything.

[ny biker]

I have limited experience with ereaders, but if it helps - I know that you can download a Nook app to your laptop for free. I downloaded it a few months ago, though I haven't used it very much.

[Melalvai]

Thanks for the input.
Based on what I've been reading, we're leaning toward a netbook or tablet.
Do you know, when you get textbooks these days, do they typically come with a digital format as well as the book? Or do you have to choose either digital or hard copy?

[Irulan]

I don't know. My son scares up some of the text books as PDFs online from who knows where. Personally I'd be pretty annoyed if I had to pay textbook prices for a electronic file.

[TrekDianna]

Thanks for the input.
Based on what I've been reading, we're leaning toward a netbook or tablet.
Do you know, when you get textbooks these days, do they typically come with a digital format as well as the book? Or do you have to choose either digital or hard copy?

It depends really sometimes on what the professor orders. You'll need to check the bookstore. Sometimes the faculty order a specific version that comes with a digital access code, sometimes it's print only, sometimes online only. At my university, many faculty now are putting together readings in upper division courses from electronic journal articles -- they are able to target exactly what they want students to read and not have all that extra textbook stuff that they aren't going to cover. The best bet is to check the bookstore each semester to see what the faculty ordered for textbook versions.

[Blueberry]

Your best bet is a lightweight laptop. It's usable for everything.

Except it isn't as comfortable for reading.

I've been following this discussion with interest as I just re-started school after a very long break/career and have been wrangling with this issue myself. Thus far, I'm making it by with my 5.5 year old large-ish laptop and a netbook on campus with me (including computer required chem labs).

I have paper textbooks for now, and am not sure they can be avoided.

One thing to watch out for is the e-books sold by school stores are "online access codes" to read the books on the internet in a web browser. I've found these formats - to be honest - terrible. The only reason I purchased one is that one of my professors requires it - she puts 4-5 "notes" per chapter and won't give them to students anywhere else. So - I read the paper book, take my notes, do my studying - and then go find the ebook notes. That's all I use it for. It's pretty miserable to try to read - I did try - since I have it and I would rather not carry that book.

With the exception of her, most professors don't care how you get your books as long as you have them. Most of the titles I have needed (including the one I had to purchase the online crap for) are available on Amazon as Kindle editions - which gets you to ipad. When the full sized ipads with the new connectors come out, I'm going to take a close look (and take a close look at what is required for my classes). I really do think that must students are still lugging dead trees, though.

[soprano]

Thanks for the input.
Based on what I've been reading, we're leaning toward a netbook or tablet.
Do you know, when you get textbooks these days, do they typically come with a digital format as well as the book? Or do you have to choose either digital or hard copy?

Digital copies are typically (but not always) cheaper than paper copies. They definitely do not come free with a paper book purchase. For example, one of my current engineering textbooks cost $180 for the hardback through the bookstore, and $90 for a digital copy direct from Wiley. (Pretty sure the digital edition is a .pdf.) However, I found a hardcover on Amazon for $62, so that's what I got. If she chooses to shop for textbooks online, it's best to get the ISBN number from the professor or the campus bookstore and check it against any online finds before ordering to make sure she's getting the correct edition. Usually the cheapest books online are not the correct edition.

The thing about textbooks is that you flip through them a lot to find things. Tables, the index, the answer key, etc. It's much easier to do this on a laptop or an iPad rather than on a dedicated e-reader. All of the e-reader platforms make a free app that can be downloaded to a laptop. A laptop will also be useful for about a billion other things.

She should beware that students typically are not allowed to use electronic resources during open book tests.

If hauling heavy textbooks back and forth are a problem, see if she can rent a locker on campus. I am able to rent a locker in my building for $15/year. It's great because I always have everything I need right there.

[roo4]

I assign textbooks in book form, although if a student wanted to use an e-book that would be fine. For the last couple of years I have asked students about their preferences and they overwhelmingly want a physical book. This is not a scientific survey, of course!

[Crankin]

I'm old fashioned, but I just finished grad school a little over a year ago and I never would have got the electronic version of my texts. And from what I saw, none of the younger students did, either. I had tons of journal articles to read (like about 300 pages a week for the first year) and I bought a laser printer, specifically to print them out, so I could mark them up and make notes on the paper. Yeah, I'm a tree killer, but when I had to do an APA style reference list for my research papers, the only way I could organize the articles was to physically lay them out in the right order. I guess that marks me as old! I could not read heavy duty psychological research on a screen, any screen. Just give me a yellow high ligher, please. My texts were not as expensive as engineering texts, I bought them at discount and I was fine.
I recently began reading fiction on a Kindle and it just doesn't feel the same as turning the paper pages. Am I weird? I only read the newspaper on the I Pad if it's raining and I don't want to walk down my long hilly driveway to get the paper copy out of the box!

[Catrin]

I've been using a Sony eReader for years and have quite an extensive ePub library. I love classics and have a very large electronic library of these and other books. I still go to the library for both regular and digital books, but rarely purchase paper books these days.

At the Brown County Breakdown this year my Sony eReader died - the first night was COLD, and apparently too cold for my Sony I've been in withdrawal and saving for a replacement. I knew it wasn't going to be another Sony however. Their current offering isn't near as nice as my version that cra**ed out on me, and I think Sony isn't as competitive in this area as they once were. My main requirement was that I needed something that could access my large ePub library easily - hopefully with no converting required. That left the Kindle out, but I really didn't want one of those anyway.

Barnes and Nobles had a great Black Friday deal on their most basic reader - the Simple Touch - they almost cut the price in half! For the first time in years I went shopping on 'Black Friday'. I am very happy with the Simple Touch Nook - I didn't care for their first generation which was why I had the Sony to begin with. No problem accessing my ePub library seamlessly, and I saved $40 on the purchase. Of course they tried to sell me on one of the more advanced Nooks, but I don't need/want a tablet, and I LOVE the e-ink display. My purpose for an electronic reader is...to read. I don't need color and certainly don't want a back-lit display. I don't use it for work and don't need it to display tables and/or graphics. This is even better than my beloved Sony Daily Reader, and that is saying a lot!

So if you are trying to decide on a digital reader, and you really want it to read books rather than a small tablet, it would be difficult to go wrong with the Nook Simple Touch. I was saving for the Glow version, but frankly a light around the side wasn't worth an additional $60! Normally there is only a $20 difference between the two versions.

[Irulan]

the glow version gets terrible reviews, as in, "screen breaks right away".