Which is the best E-book reader to get?

Welcome to today's installment of El Toro's Tech Blog! I was having a conversation with one of my best and closest friends about college. We joked around how we used to lug around these huge textbooks like Physics, Chemestry, Calculus and many others. Nowadays students carry their books in a different way. E-readers now have come to the point where most colleges and institutes have these books required for their classes available as an ebook that can be downloaded onto an e-reader. My friend and I both were like "Where the hell was any of this back in our day" and laughed at how students have it better these days. That got me to thinking about what my next topic should be. What would be the recommended e-book reader to get for anyone, whether you are a student or not. There are a lot of e-book readers out there so it can get a little confusing whats the best thing to get.  What I hope to accomplish with today's blog is to give you a better understanding on what is an e-book reader, mention a few named products, what to look out for and at the end, what my pick would be.

An e-book reader is a portable electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital books and periodicals. E-book readers are similar to regular tablets with one major exception. E-book readers have better readability of their screens especially in bright sunlight and longer battery life. It's main purpose is to allow you to purchase, rent, borrow books and read. E-readers are also much lighter than a standard tablet. Tablets are designed to do more functions than just read books. For the most part, most e-readers have some sort of internet connection that will allow you to download your books/periodicals on the device. Depending on the device you can also use your computer (Windows or Mac) to transfer electronic books using the USB cable. I mentioned that most e-readers have some sort of internet connection.  Depending on the device you get you may or may not be able to browse the internet on it and if you can, it wont be as friendly as it would be on a regular tablet, mainly because some of these are designed to only let you download your books so you can read them.  Most e-readers also have some relationship to a digital e-book seller, which is great because this permits you to go online to purchase your digital book and have it transfered to your e-reader. As of this writing, there are 2 very popular e-readers in the market:  Amazon Kindle, and Barnes & Noble Nook. Let''s talk about these 2 devices, starting with the Kindle.

Wikipedia couldn't had said it better with this description: "The Amazon Kindle is a series of e-book readers now in their fourth generation, which enable users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other digital media via wireless networking." You can read more about it if you wish by clicking here (it will open the link in another window/tab so you dont have to worry about losing your spot here). There are a few versions of the Kindle so I will briefly talk about 3 of them: Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire.

Kindle Keyboard

Simply put, this kindle has a physical keyboard on it right below the display. The Kindle keyboard comes in 2 different screen sizes. there is the 6" version and there is the DX version, which is 9". The 6" screen version of the kindle coems in 2 types, Wifi and Wifi+3G. The first type is simply if you have access to Wifi internet (ex: home or internet cafe). The second type has WiFi and 3G, which means you can have either a WiFi internet connection, or if you have no access to the internet, it will connect to the internet using a 3G connection (like a cell phone would use). The great thing about the 3G connection option is that it is included in the device. You do not need to pay a monthly service for that. Pretty cool eh? The Kindle DX has 3G on it but no WiFi, which means, if you have a very bad signal for 3G but there are available WiFi internet cafes, then you are stuck without being able to download new books until you have a signal. (So if you ask me, its best to have both options available). With the Kindle Keyboard, you can have up to 3,500 books (either downloaded from Amazon's stores or PDFs that you transfer yourself from the computer). If you get the Kindle with 3G, the global coverage for it is about 100 contries and territories. And the battery life is not bad on either of these devices but can vary from individual usage.

Kindle Touch

 In short, the name says it all, The Kindle uses touch screen technology to navigate, read, select anything on its screen. It comes in WiFi and 3G+WiFi just like its predecesor but is only available as of this writing in a 6" screen. The battery life is identical to the Kindle Keyboard and the amount of books that can be stored is roughly about the same.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire is the newest member of the family. It is like the Kindle Touch but with significant differences. It is in fact its first color e-reader that is just more than a tablet. You can read your books and magazine/newspaper articles but you can also view movies, TV Shows, browse the web, listen to music, and play games on the touch screen like the every popular Angry Birds! It is also very fast and it also lets you check out your emails using its built-in email program! It is a 7" color display that will auto rotate from portrait to landscape and is WiFi capable. As of this writing, there is no word if Amazon will release a 3G version of the Kindle Fire but mark my words, if they do, it will be a huge seller. For full details and specs on any of these devices (and the other Kindles) you can click here to go to Amazon's site. (this will open in another browser window/tab). Its now time to talk about Barnes & Nobles e-reader, the Nook.

Barnes & Noble has developed an e-reader and has named it the Nook. It allows you to purchase and download books, newspaper and magazine subsctiptions onto the device. As of this writing, there are 3 types of Nooks: Nook Touch (also known as the Nook Simple touch), Nook Color & Nook Tablet. Lets take a look at each of these in more detail.

Nook Touch


The Nook Touch is a 6" touch screen e-reader. It is light and it features are very similar to that of its competitor, good battery life, the ability to use WiFi to download books, newspapers and magazine articles. This device has 2GB of storage, which is less than the Kindle, but unlike the Kindle Touch, the Nook touch's memory can be expanded up to 32GB using a MicroSD card. It does not have the ability of 3G service so you wont have the luxury that Kindle users have being able to download books while perhaps riding in a bus unless the bus is equipped with WiFi hotspots.

Nook Color

Next up is the Nook Color. It comes in a 7" display and in color, which is great if you enjoy reading your favorite graphic comics. It also contains downloadable apps such as games (Angry Birds), Music (Pandora). You can also use the built-in WiFi to get your email and browse the Web. You can also watch some of your favorite movies and/or TV shows on the device having the ability to view it in Portrait or Landscape. It comes with 8 GBs of storage which is also upgradeable up to 32GB of Micro-SD.  Battery life is very good as well on the device and it is still light.

Nook Tablet

The Nook Tablet is essentially the same as the Nook Color, but with a lot more extras. It has a dual core processor, which means twice the speed makes it easier for you to switch from reading a book, to browsing the web, to watching a movie. The 7" color display with its vibrant colors let you read your books, watch live TV and movies either in portrait or landscape mode without much effort. It is pre-loaded with Netflix and Hulu Plus (trials available) so as long as you have a WiFi connection, you can watch your movies in queue or catch up on your shows. It contains a microphone so if you wish to record a book for your children to read, you can do it. It comes with 16GB of space which is also upgradeable to 32GB Micro-SD.

Now that we talked about 2 of the top e-readers, lets go ahead and point out some key things about both devices. Each device is WiFi capable, which in this day in age is a great thing. More coffee shops have WiFi hot-spots so you can easily enjoy downloading your books, streaming TV shows and watch TV. The Kindle is ahead of its game on offering 3G on its devices so if you are in an area that does not have WiFi, but you have a "cell signal" you can download your books without hesitation. Both devices have excellent battery life and they are not that heavy. Most schools now have in their library the ability to check books out right to your e-reader and that is a major score. After all, who wants to carry that 10 pound book of Introduction to Sociology? I sure don't. Their respective online stores also allow you the ability to purchase said textbooks at better prices than the physical book itself. Now the Nook has expandable micro-SD memory, which can be good and bad at the same time. Great because if you are planning to having thousands of books/movies on the card, its great to switch them out. However, if you lose your SD card, you need to fork out more money to purchase it. Kindle's advantage is they have free cloud storage. This means you can purchase over 4GB or more of books and it will always be available to you online so you can CHOOSE which ones to transfer to your kindle. If your Kindle breaks and you get a new one? You don't have to worry about putting the new card into the device, just chose which ones you want transferred to your device. With the Nook, you still have the same online cloud storage and it works the same way as Amazon, but there is always a chance of damaging or losing the SD card.

I have used both devices and each device has its pros and cons. I cant say I like one more than the other but for the purposes of this entry, I am going to have to side with Amazon and the main reason for this is just simple. Their customer service is one of the best I have ever experienced. Both companies have their automated response when you try to reach them, it goes with the territory of any big retail company. However, I always have received the most courteous, helpfull and informative responses from Amazon than I had with Barnes & Noble. Currently working in providing the best customer support, whether its in person, over the phone, or over email is something I strive on doing everyday so the fact I can say I experienced the best service with Amazon means a lot. If you want great service behind you all the way, my vote goes out to Amazon Kindle.

Thank you all for reading. Be safe and until next time!

Disclaimer: All images posted in this blog have been approved for use by Amazon & Barnes & Nobles.

LCD TVs vs LED TVs

Welcome to the newest installment of El Toro's Tech Blog! When last we met, I wrote about HDTV vs 3DTVs. Today, in the spirit of talking about TVs, I wish to talk to you about 2 types of TVs: LCD TVs vs LED TVs. I will explain each one in full, what the differences are, pros and cons and in the end I will provide you with my personal/professional opinion on it. In the end, I hope the information you see here will help you be more knowledgeable on each item and decide based on what I can provide.

 What does LCD stand for and what are LCD TVs?  LCD (Liquid-crystal display) TVs are television sets that use this display technology to produce the images we see. Pretty straight forward but if you are wondering what does it mean it is a liquid display, the answer is quite easy to see. If you are ever in an electronics store and are standing right next to an LCD TVs, make sure that the people who work there aren't looking, and use the finger technique or pressing on the display. Doing this will make the image on the screen look like it was in the water (color will slightly change where you press) and when you remove your finger it will go back to normal. The old TVs that had a glass display were known as CRT (cathode ray tube). If you place a 32" CRT TV next to a 32" LCD TV, you will see a huge difference. LCD TVs are much thinner and much lighter than CRTs. When the LCD TVs came out, they also became huge space savers. With the old CRTs, it was bulky, extremely heavy and if the TV ever died on you, it was such a hassle to take it to a TV repair shop without risking cracking the display. LCD TVs are less prone to the display dying (short of using the finger press technique on it too much or puncturing the screen itself).

LED , or light-emitting diode TVs, is a flat panel display that uses tiny groups of "light-bulbs" called diodes to produce a display of images. LEDs allows for an even thinner display panel, lower power consumption, better distribution of internal heat within the display, a brighter display and better levels of contrast. LED displays are most commonly used outdoors in large signs and billboards (like the Times Square JumboTron). Now notice how I just mentioned what an LED is but not what an LED TV is? The reason for this is technically speaking the LED TV isn't fully an LED TV. This uses the same LCD technology, but with LEDs for its back-lighting. I will explain what this means. When the LCDs came out, lots of questions came about as far as the contrasts and the black and brighter colors. The LEDs were placed in a regular LCD display behind that particular panel to bring out the colors even more. By using this in conjunction of the LCD, it makes the images look brighter and better. The weight of the TV isn't changed much so you are still getting the slim and lighter display than you would if you still had the CRT TVs.

Next we have the side by side between the LCD vs LED displays. As far as what looks better, the LED leaves the LCD in the dust. The colors look more crisp and brighter. Another advantage of the LED displays is you can still see the images on its screen from any weird angle whereas with an LCD, you may have some blur spots. In the physical aspect, the LED TV is lighter than just a regular LCD TV (not too much but you can certainly feel the difference). LED TVs also use less power than an LCD TV so that too is a plus. However, if we look at a TV that will last long term, LEDs tend to "burn" out after extended use, so you will begin noticing blank spots on the TV where an image should be. Remember how I mentioned a common LED display is the Times Square JumboTron? I have seen people replacing those panels when the LEDs burn out from overuse.  There is also the issue LEDs have that you never get with an LCD is the flickering. LEDs, just like a CRT TV, tends to flicker more often than not. The flickering is said to be more of the reason why it burns out after extended use (or electric power surges/spikes). So essentially it comes down to this, if you have the money to constantly have the LED panels in your TV changed, then go for it.

I have seen both types of TV in action and I pay very close attention to every detail, bells and whistles and such when doing my comparisons. Do I think the LED TVs are great? In comparison, yes I do. Do I suggest you go and buy it over a regular LED TV? No. While the quality is practically amazing on an LED TV, unless you are ready to invest on something that will need to be replaced when it burns out from overuse or power spikes, it isnt cost efficient. Perhaps one day LEDs will be set in a way it can take heavy usage and I may change my mind at that time but I would strongly suggest an LCD TV. It will last you much longer than an LED and is definitely much more affordable than an LED as well.

That's all for today. Thanks for coming! =)