Seven ways the iPad is a boon for book lovers

I use iBooks although I have a book in the Kindle app, that I purchased before I had the iPad. I love it, but hate that you can't take notes nor copy and paste from the book. It would be a great college tool if Apple would allow those features. And the glare is quite bad, but I think I will get a screen protector that will help against that.

I was trying to explain the plot of Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "The Nose", based on the Gogol story, which I saw at the Metropolitan Opera recently. I gave up, hunted and found a great site that offers free ePUB format books as well as some other formats.

http://www.feedbooks.com/

Yes, I found The Nose and read it aloud in Central Park from my iPad. Although people kept stopping and asking about it.

Just the other day I was showing a friend the iBook and kindle iPad apps and he commented that it looked like I wasn't even touching the screen to turn the page. The slightest touch at the screen's edge can activate a page turn. No pressure needed.

And as far as rediscovering classics goes, Dracula HD - Original Papers Edition is another fantastic edition that makes full use of the iPad and goes way beyond what is possible in iBooks... http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dracula-hd-original-papers/id364882818?mt=8

Er, there's also the Kobo e-reader application. Unlike Stanza, it's actually available for the iPad.

Believe it or not, Erica said WAAAAAAAYYY back that she was going to do a formal review of the app to follow on from her preview. *looks around* Not seen it yet…

Two additional things I'd mention:

1) Big books. The ipad might be heavy and unwieldy compared to a paperback Catcher in the Rye, but it's much lighter and easier to handle than War and Peace.

2) Endnotes. David Foster Wallace is one of my favorite authors. Turning back and forth to the right spots in his hundreds of pages of endnotes is kind of a logistical hassle in the print edition. Anchored tags back and forth from the notes to the body is just a fantastic way to navigate Infinite Jest (which also benefits from point #1 above, btw).

My Sony 505 has gotten zero use since the iPad. Just really enjoying it for reading all my ePubs.

I wish iBooks had a better way to mark your page. I'll sometimes flip through to other pages, and I shouldn't have to create a bookmark by selecting text, and then have to look at the bookmark list to return to my current page.

A recent review I read (sorry, don't remember where or who) mentioned that it became somewhat tiring and awkward continuously swiping the iPad's screen to turn pages. Maybe there should be a button in the frame, near where your thumbs are when holding the iPad as a book. A simple press of your thumb would turn the page.

The review also mentioned that the iPad is quite a bit heavier than your average paper back book which tends to tire your wrists after a while (most people don't read with a book laying in their lap -- they hold it in their hands).

I would appreciate thoughts on these comments. I don't own an iPad, don't think I will ever be able to wean myself from my MacBook Pro and its keyboard.

Robert

iPad vs. Kindle continues to pop up. I've used the Kindle. I've played with the iPad, but don't own one yet. Most of my e-reading experience comes from Stanza and the Kindle app on my iPod Touch. I do like the e-ink. If I was in good light and had the choice, I'd go with the Kindle. And if I was reading pure text or text with only black and white illustrations the Kindle would still do the job. But a significant portion of my reading is done in bed, after the lights are out. A back lit screen turns out to be much less intrusive to my wife than a book light or a bedside lamp. Add to that the handling of color and of images, and, just as an eBook reader, I think I'd choose the iPad. If you start including comics and magazines as part of your ebook reading, then I'm not sure the Kindle even becomes a contender. Some magazines remain text-heavy and image-light, and so may translate well into the Kindle format, but many magazines will not, and comics not at all. There are black and white comics that could be read on the Kindle, but I don't know that it's been done.

The price difference is large, but I think justified if you consider the wider range of materials that the iPad opens up. And that's without considering that iPad is not actually an ebook reader, but that reading ebooks is merely one of its many functions.

The Kindle and its ilk will still win for many. The e-ink is very nice, as is the weight. Paper is still going to win out for many as well. But for my part, I'm more than ready to go digital and to go iPad.

I also find it interesting that my not-exactly-technology-embracing mother-in-law has been ready to make the jump to e-books for years, but hasn't been satisfied with the offerings. I think the Kindle tempted her, but she held off because of the lack of a built-in light. There may be an iPad in her future as well.