How to choose an e-book for reading - expert opinion

Time makes its own adjustments and replaced the outdated technologies with new, more advanced ones. It touched and books. Before, whole libraries were going to. Often it was difficult to get the necessary literature. Now the cumbersome bookshelves are replacing one small device - an e-book. Download the desired file in the reader's memory and read it for your own pleasure.

The best e-book producers - which firm to choose

When I go to the store, my eyes start to run from the abundance of lined windows ina number of devices, and a smiling consultant-student, of course, will begin to advise expensive devices. To models, what manufacturers should look at?

There are several companies that produce really good devices that often become market hits:

• PocketBook - quality and quality again. Models of this firm often fall into different ratings.
• ONYX BOOX - the best devices for the ratio of price / quality. Equipped with sound displays and can boast of good performance.
• Gmini - produces budget models with simple control and without "bells and whistles."
• Amazon is an iPhone in the world of electronic books. There are a lot of options and options.

In the ratings with a probability of 100% will be a reader of one of the listed companies. Any device from these brands take it boldly, do not go wrong. Want to know what parameters to look at when buying a device, and for which it is not a pity to give money, then read the article next.

• See also: The best e-books by feedback of buyers

Parameters of the choice of electronic books and their varieties

The market offers a huge range of models. Only firms can count more than 10. Therefore, it is important to understand the needs, to study the basic selection criteria and only then to run to the store.

So, about everything in order.

Screen Type

TFT Matrix

Pros:

• Excellent color rendering and brightness;
• readability in low light;
• low cost.

Cons:

• The screen is gluttonous and consumes a considerable portion of the battery charge.
• eye strain;
• glare from the surface of the screen.

E-ink matrix

Represents an electronic analogue of a conventional paper page or electronic ink. The screen is characterized by low power consumption. Pros:

• Low battery consumption;
• no load on the eyes;
• viewing angle is 180 degrees.

Cons:

• High cost
• Fragile display
• inability to use in poor lighting

The following generations of E-ink matrices stand out:

1. Vizplex is the first generation of screens. They have the smallest contrast ratio( only 8: 1) and a small resolution. At the output, the image is dim. In principle, you can read, but it is better to give preference to more advanced developments.

2. Pearl - the matrix has a significantly lower power consumption, reduced response time and a 50% increase in contrast.

3. Pearl HD - an updated version of the previous matrix. They have a higher vacuum and a contrast ratio( 12: 1).

4. Carta is an advanced development. Improved contrast ratio and the principle of page display. The picture quality is very good.

Matrix "Triton"

Separately it is necessary to allocate a matrix Triton - color electronic ink.

Pros:

• In addition to 16 gradations of gray, 4096 colors are added.

Cons:

• High cost of the matrix;
• long response time;
• to form pages, the screen takes about 50 ms, and this is very much.

Display Size

For comfortable reading enough screen with a diagonal of 6 inches. In addition, such a reader is light( about 200 grams) and it is convenient to carry it. To view logs, PDF documents, or Djvu, it is more reasonable to choose a book of a larger size, otherwise reading will turn into flour with a gradual damage to your eyes and waste of nerve cells.

Supported formats

An important characteristic. On the Internet, books for download are available in almost any format. Now especially popular is FB2, designed specifically for electronic readers of different calibers: from phones, to tablets. The book must support: txt, fb2, pdf, djvu and doc.

Before buying, it's best to browse the Internet for information on the model and pay attention to reviews. Each book treats pages in its own way. Agree, it will be vexing if instead of the readable text the porridge of letters and hyphenations will be displayed.

CPU frequency and the amount of RAM

Here is a complete analogy with the choice of components for the computer. The higher the score, the quicker the response of the device to the commands and the faster the application load.

The amount of flash memory

Most e-books have on board 4-8 GB of internal memory. Is this a lot or a little? It seems that the figures are negligible at the present time. But this capacity is enough for the eyes. A simple FB2-format book takes about 1.5 MB.Now calculate how many they need to completely fill the memory? For 2 GB it's about 1200 files! Read, do not reread.

Connection to the Internet

Today there are models supporting 3G or Wi-Fi communication protocols. This makes it possible to access the Internet and download literature from official sources. Conveniently, connecting the book to the computer to download files becomes unnecessary. But, on a monochrome screen with a slow response, browsing the web pages is uncomfortable.

Another thing - an e-book with a TFT display. With sufficient connection speed, you can also watch the movie, of course, if the device pulls such a load. But is not it easier to use a tablet or laptop? The e-book is designed yet for reading.

Control of

Current technologies are touch input. But the control, duplicated by buttons, the function is superfluous. This will increase the comfort of use.

The type of sensor is not so important. Resistive - the cheapest and not always a quality option. It is usually installed on inexpensive models with TFT matrix. But you have to put a lot of finger pressure on it and regularly calibrate it through the settings, which is inconvenient.

The capacitive screen is more friendly and acceptable. Reacts only to the touch of your fingers. Although there are objections, they say, the sensor does not listen to the hands in gloves. Yes it is. But, answer the question: will you read the book in the cold? Obviously not. Another reason to wear gloves is hard to imagine.

Accessories

Most manufacturers complete their devices with a protective case that protects the e-book from damage.

Another interesting thing is the external light source of the screen. If the model with an E-ink display without built-in backlight, it's easy to fix. The LED lamp is connected to the USB connector of the book and illuminates the screen, which makes it possible to read in the dark without disturbing others.

Which eBook to choose

1. A model that justifies all expectations only with the E-ink screen of the Pearl HD generation or Carta. The black and white image will not cause any inconvenience. Now devices with a color screen are beginning to appear, but they are cloudless, so this option disappears.

2. The resolution and display diagonal are important. The lowest resolution is 800 × 600 pixels. This is enough for comfortable reading. But it is better to take with a larger value( for example - 1024х758), the picture will be clearer. The optimal display diagonal is 6-7 inches.

3. Backlight. The function is useful, but leads to an increase in the cost of the device by a factor of 1.5.For comfortable reading in the daytime it is not needed. But if it is assumed that you will have to use the reader in the dark, it is better to take the model with the backlight.

4. Alarm, radio, music and video - these options are duplicated in the phone, why are they in the book?

5. If you need an entertainment center, then you can safely pay attention to devices with a TFT display and a full set of all sorts of functions.

6. Battery capacity. This parameter determines the operating time of the device. There is only one thing to say here: the more the value, the better. Although 1500 mAh for electronic ink is enough.

7. Housing material. Now many models are made of fashionable plastic soft-touch. It is pleasant to the touch and does not slip in the hands. If to be completely original, you can buy a book with a metal case, but it will come out more.

How much is an e-book

1. A budget book with an E-ink screen and a minimum set of functions will cost 3-3.5 thousand rubles.

2. Models with good parameters cost about 5 thousand rubles.

3. Steep devices, often falling into the TOP, are sold from 7 thousand rubles.

4. Buy a reading room, say, for 25 thousand or more is inappropriate.