E-reading Devices - Update

I've had access to an iPad through work for the past year, have had my Kindle-DX break, and am now using my Kindle Paperwhite regularly.

Kindle Paperwhite - E-ink

I love the iPad for e-mail, social media, newspapers, and web-surfing, which makes sense, as that was the key reason for design.  For reading, I like the iPad for comics - it is the killer device for e-comics reading.  I purchased an inexpensive app to allow me to connnect to my home network and access my comics wirelessly, which removes my biggest complaint of the iPad, which is the need to use iTunes to transfer stuff - a very clunky alternative to direct access (I'd love a media card option for the iPad - put on a ton of comics, magazines or music and play accordingly).  I still prefer hard copy for magazines, though I do surf magazines that I don't normally buy and they are good to read on the iPad.
For books, though, I still like the Kindle (Paperwhite is my current version).  It really is a different experience reading on the Kindle vs. iPad/tablets or PC/Laptops.  The "feel" is much closer to books, and with a leather cover, is even closer.

Battery life for the e-readers is still astounding - maybe 10 or 20 times as long as a tablet, which means you are very rarely interrupted from a reading jag to plug in your device.

Years ago I sat through a motivational speaker (I think I wrote about this elsewhere on this blog) who's main point was authenticity - being "in" the events you are participating in.  With respect to equipment, the dedicated e-readers are authentic - they are the digital equivalent of paper reading to a much higher degree than other devices.  Other devices have much more generalized functionality (e.g. music, video, high end graphics etc.) but the e-readers represent the written page much better than the other competitors. They don't do much else - you may be able to access books on wifi and/or 3G, but the devices are really suited to surfing due to slow refresh rates and lack of color.  You can e-mail books to yourself, or access your home e-libraries (thanks Calibre) which is an excellent advance.  Most allow you to listen to MP3s, but this tends to drain the battery, so you lose as much as you gain.

iPad - LCD

What e-readers do give you is the abilty to read books, keep track of where you left off, allow you to read multiple books at any time, carry a library with you, bookmark important passages and highlight.  Sound familiar?  Sounds like a backpack full of books, but much lighter.

I'm not advocating e-readers over iPads - both have a place, and the iPad is a much more functional tool - if you can only get one device, get a tablet.  However, as e-readers drop in price, they become much easier to afford - if you like to read, get an e-reader.