The iPad has always been a bit of an enigma for me. I remember when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad for the first time. In the keynote, he talked about how the world had gotten used to the computer and the smartphone — the Mac and the iPhone in his mind, of course.

Then, Jobs asked if there was room for a third device. Not a computer, and not a phone, but a third device that would sit in the middle of the two. That’s when he announced the iPad, Apple’s take on the tablet.

Well, it’s been almost 14 years since the iPad was originally released to the world and, after more than a decade with a heck of a lot of different iPads, I think I’ve figured out that, at least for me, there is room for a third device — it’s just not the iPad.

I’ve had a mixed experience with the iPad

I’ve owned a lot of iPads over the years. In fact, I’ve owned every model of the iPad. At one point or another, I’ve owned the base model iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad mini. I’ve owned them all! And, after trying all of them, I never really found a solid enough use case for the iPad to keep it around.

I’ve tried to use the iPad for a lot of different things, too. With the base model iPad, I tried to use it as a consumption device for watching movies and television shows and playing games. However, I always found myself either using my iPhone or my Apple TV more. I also found that — despite Apple really wanting to get in the gaming industry — the iPad was no replacement for an Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch.

With the iPad Air and iPad Pro, I tried the whole “what is a computer” game and paired both with the Magic Keyboard to see if I could replace my Mac altogether with the iPad. That didn’t pan out either time I tried it. While it COULD work, it just wasn’t as good as using my MacBook Air for writing, which is the thing I use my Mac for the most.

The last iPad I tried was the iPad mini. Since I ruled out the iPad as an entertainment and productivity device, I figured that Apple’s tiny iPad might do something else for me: get me back into reading. And you know what? It worked. I started reading my articles and magazines in Apple News+ and, more importantly, I started reading more books using Apple Books and Libby, the app that enables you to rent ebooks from your local library.

However, while I was reading more books, the iPad mini still felt quite chunky to hold for a while, still felt too bright when reading at night before bed, and completely crapped out when I tried to use it outside in the sunlight.

It was right when I was experiencing those pain points that the Kindle Paperwhite showed up to blow up the iPad as my third device.

The Kindle Paperwhite is my third device

As much as Steve Jobs wanted the iPad to be every Mac and iPhone owner’s third device, the Kindle Paperwhite has become the third device for me. After using it side by side with the iPad mini for a few months now, my iPad mini has sat in a drawer unused.

The first reason for this is the weight. While the iPad mini is Apple’s lightest iPad, it’s still a bit of a chunk, especially when you have Apple’s Smart Folio attached to it. The Kindle Paperwhite, in comparison, is at least one-third lighter and even more so without its own (also lighter) case from Amazon. If I’m reading for a while, the Kindle is much more comfortable to hold for long periods compared with the iPad.

The second reason is the difference the screen makes at night. While the iPad mini certainly has a more capable screen — being color and LED instead of black and white and E-Ink — that color and LED screen doesn’t really help put me to sleep at night. The black and white E-Ink display, however, makes reading at night much better. Not only is it more pleasant for the eyes, but it doesn’t keep me awake like the iPad mini screen did. I read a few pages on the Kindle and I fall right asleep — exactly what I want it to do.

The third reason also has to do with the screen but, instead of talking about how it performs at night, I’m talking about how it performs during the day. While the iPad mini looks fine indoors, that LED screen is no match for the sun. I took it once to the beach and could barely see the screen through the glare. The E-Ink display on the Kindle, however, looks clear as day, regardless of the sun that’s beating down on it. I’ve used it at the pool, at camp, and at the beach and it’s performed wonderfully at all of them.

The last reason I chose the Kindle over the iPad is because it’s a single-use device. While it was easy to get distracted with messages or jump to the YouTube app with the iPad, the Kindle’s only job is to give you books to read. I’ve grown to appreciate having a device that only does one thing, especially when that thing is to encourage me to read more.

Maybe Apple will make an E-Ink iPad

The only thing I could think of that could get me to go back to the iPad as my third device after experiencing the Kindle is if the company made a waterproof iPad mini with an E-Ink display. Just imagine how bonkers it would be to see the company make something like that, but that’s what I’d need to swing back.

However, I certainly doubt that the company would make such a device (there’s a reason I just called it bonkers), so I think I’m going to be sticking with the Kindle Paperwhite for a while now.

That is unless Kobo gets me to jump from Amazon to their E-Ink tablet. That’s worth looking into, but I’ll stick with the Paperwhite for now.

If you've been waiting for another e-ink tablet to take on the iPad, today is another day for you.

Today, Amazon hosted its annual hardware event where the company announces so many products that it basically feels like they are throwing them at the crowd. One of the products announced today was the Kindle Scribe, a new e-ink tablet that not only allows you to read but write too.

It's the first completely new Kindle in awhile and looks to pack in some of the most popular features people come to expect in an e-ink tablet:

With a 10.2” 300 ppi glare-free Paperwhite display, Kindle Scribe is perfect for reading and writing, even in direct sunlight. The large display gives you room to take notes and journal, and makes it easy to adjust font size and margin width for improved reading comfort. Writing on Kindle Scribe feels like writing on paper. From the natural grip of the pen in your hand, to the sound you hear when you write, Kindle Scribe’s surface is crafted for the best possible reading and writing experience.

We'll use a stylus! Everyone loves a stylus!

The Kindle Scribe comes with a basic pen to take notes but you can also upgrade to the premium pen that includes a dedicated eraser and shortcut button. You can check out the full feature list of the new tablet below:

• Read and write as naturally as you do on paper – Features the world’s first 10.2” 300 ppi glare-free Paperwhite display and included Basic Pen.
• Take notes within millions of titles in the Kindle Store – Handwrite thoughts on sticky notes in your favorite book with the included Basic Pen. Notes are automatically organized by book in one place, so you can browse, review, and export them via email.
• Create notebooks, journals, and lists – Choose from a variety of included templates like lined paper, grid paper, checklists, and more.
• Review documents and take notes digitally – Use the Kindle app or desktop web browser to import documents. Review and mark up PDF files or create sticky notes in Microsoft Word and other compatible documents. Export documents and notes via email.
• Read and write comfortably day or night – Whether immersing yourself in a non-fiction book, or reviewing a document, Kindle Scribe has a large, high-resolution display, adjustable warm light, auto-adjusting front light, and larger font sizes for a personalized experience.
• A world class library, more beautiful than ever – Take notes within millions of books all brought to life on a large, high-resolution display.
• Read and write longer – A single charge via USB-C powers months of reading and weeks of writing, and the Basic Pen never needs to be charged.

Of course, this is no replacement for the iPad for most. While the Scribe is cool, your stylus' ability is limited to books, an Amazon notes app, and some Microsoft documents. The apps that the iPad and Apple Pencil can access, in comparison, are endless.

However, if you only need your stylus to do what Amazon offers and prefer an e-ink display, the Scribe is here for you! It starts at $340 and is available to preorder today. It will launch on November 30, 2022.

Kindles are great. I love mine - I read almost everything on it. It saves valuable space on my bookshelf and in my holiday bag, and the current generation of e-ink screens are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Once you've tried out a Kindle, you'll wonder how you ever went without one. I know I do.

You will want to protect your Kindle, however - I learned that lesson the hard way as my Kindle fell down a mountain and smashed its screen on a very large, very sharp rock at the bottom. At the moment, you can get a Kindle bundled with a case for some money off, saving you as much as $88. Hop on over to Amazon to find the savings.

Which Kindle bundle is best for me?

I would like to say get a Kindle like mine, the Oasis. It's made of lovely feeling aluminum and has a backlit display with several levels or warm lighting to make it easier on the eyes. It's also, alas, over $200 - a lot to spend on an e-reader. No, instead, almost everyone should just go for the base model Kindle.

It's still very well built, and the screen now has a front light so you can read it in the dark. It has everything you could want in an e-reader, without any of the extra luxuries that might make it too expensive. This bundle comes with a case and a charging brick, giving you a package of all the extras you'll need too.

You can get other bundles on the other Kindle models as well, but Honestly? Just go with the base model. For the price, it is one of the best value e-readers out there. 'But I want to read on my iPad!' I hear you cry. You may want to, but the eye strain you might get from reading lots of small text on an LCD screen with bright backlighting can be pretty awful - an iPad is great for comics but not for a novel. For just under $100, you can get an excellent e-reader with a case. That's around seven full-price hardback books - and given there are literally hundreds of free books you can read with Amazon's Kindle service, I'll let you do the math.

If you still really want to read on an iPad, then make sure you go find a good deal with our best iPad deals and sales - might as well save some money while you're at it!

The Kindle Oasis has been reduced on Amazon by a not insubstantial $75, bringing it down to its "Amazon Prime Day reduction" low price of $175 at Amazon. While this makes it cheaper than full price, it's still around $50 more expensive than the next Kindle down the list, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition. But what are you getting with the Kindle Oasis, and why is it worth choosing the most premium Kindle over other e-readers in the range? Well, I've got one — and I'm going to tell you why.

Before we get started, it's worth keeping in mind that the Prime Day deals will only last until tonight, and after that, the Kindle family is going back up to full price. So if you're looking for a base model Kindle or a Kindle Oasis, then you're going to have to move fast as they'll be back up to full price before you know it.

Why get a Kindle in the first place?

I love books. I love the smell of them, the feeling of turning the page, the colorful covers, and the "thud" that a hardback makes when you put it down on a table. What I don't love is the amount of space they take up. It's nice to have them all on shelves to show off what kind of books you like reading, but it reaches a point where there's not even enough space available for any new books to slot in. Instead, if you're anything like me, you end up with boxes upon boxes of books in cupboards or in the loft that occasionally enter a kind of bookshelf rotation, with the books swapping around on the shelves every now and again, or when I can be bothered.

I never thought I'd like a Kindle or any kind of e-reader for that matter. There aren't any pages to turn and sniff, no colorful covers, and no thud when you put the device down on a table. That was until I bought my first Kindle. It was the base model, with no touch screen and a bunch of buttons all over the place. I didn't think I'd like it, even as I unboxed it, making myself look happy for the very generous people who had bought it for me. It wasn't until I had to pack up for a holiday that the little device truly came into its own.

Oddly, it wasn't the e-ink screen that convinced me. I'd never used the best iPad to read any books and generally avoided anything with a screen to read for long periods of time so as to not get eye strain. Sure, the e-ink screen was nice on the eyes, but it still wasn't a page.

It was the space-saving aspect of it that made me realize just how useful a Kindle is. I'm a book-a-day kind of gal when I go away, and when you're heading off into the deepest darkest depths of the North of England for two weeks, you tend to bring more books than you know what to do with. Suddenly, I didn't have to restrict my book intake. I could download all the books I could ever read onto my little Kindle and pop it in my rucksack. Those 14 books I'd leave with and 20 I'd come back with two weeks later were no longer a space issue — it was all on a little device I could almost fit in a pocket.

But why the Oasis?

Once I'd realized that the Kindle was the future of reading, I used it for years until I dropped it down a mountain path, and watched it tumble to its doom at the base of a rocky outcrop. I don't think devastated quite cuts it; I was bereft of my Kindle. A replacement was necessary, and I wanted all the features.

I wanted a warm light, a sturdy aluminum chassis, and, most of all, buttons. The tactile click of the buttons had replaced the act of turning the page for me — I don't think I could do without it. When I went shopping, I looked at the whole Kindle range and each one had at least one of my requirements. Only one, however, had all of them: the Kindle Oasis.

Its sleek aluminum shell is a joy to hold, the e-ink screen is the clearest I've ever seen on an e-reader, and the warm light does a surprisingly good job of making eye strain a thing of the past as you read in the dark. I wish it had a USB -C charging port (it remains with a micro USB connector) and the Bluetooth connection it has, for some reason, is useless. But besides those two things, the Kindle Oasis is the best Kindle you can buy.

What about the other Kindles?

They're great! But they're not the Oasis. If you're looking for a cheap way to dip your toe into the joys of reading on an e-ink screen then the base model Kindle is an absolute steal at the moment for $45 at Amazon on Prime Day. It's even got a front light, so you won't have to buy an extra light. It's got everything you need in an e-reader, but not necessarily what you might want. Nothing extra. Nothing that says "I read books all the time." The base Kindle is a fine device and likely good for almost everyone, but if you're like me, you'll want something more.

The Kindle Paperwhite is also a solid e-reader and it's down to $95 at Amazon at the moment for the Prime Day sale. It features some of the best aspects of the Kindle Oasis. There's an adjustable warm light for reading in the dark and a 6.7-inch screen that covers the front of the device — but that's also the problem. There are no buttons to bring at least some of the physical feeling of reading a book. Again, while the Kindle Paperwhite is a stunning device it just doesn't really offer enough over the base model anymore to be worth it.

The Kindle Paperwhite signature edition is not worth the money either. At the moment, it's barely cheaper than the Oasis, and the only feature you gain is wireless charging and a USB-C charging port. If it wasn't $135 at Amazon, it would be worth it. But for $40 extra with the Oasis, you gain a lot more.

There's more heft to the Oasis, with its aluminum shell, and the light is more pleasing on the eyes thanks to the extra LEDs that Amazon has packed in next to the screen. It's got this great feel, with an ergonomically designed shape that contours and twists around your hand to make reading even more comfortable than reading a book. Sure, you can use the screen to turn your pages, but there are two marvelously clicky buttons that do a far better job in the widened bezel on the device's right-hand side. Left-handed? No worries, turn the device upside down and the screen rights itself, and the buttons are on the correct side.

Look, just buy the Oasis

Do you need to buy the Kindle Oasis? No, if you need a really basic portable reading device, then skip the Paperwhite and Oasis and go for the base model. It's light and is less than half the price of its bigger sibling. If you're looking for the absolute best experience that an e-reader can muster, then buy the Kindle Oasis. It's beautiful, comfortable, and currently $75 off. Just please, please don't read on your iPad. Your eyes will hate you. However, if you're looking to buy an iPad for reasons other than reading, there are currently some great Prime Day iPad Deals.

If you're looking for other Prime day content, we have you covered. Watch the iMore homepage for the best deals that come throughout the day and keep an eye on our Live Apple Prime Day Deals for more great Prime Day deals as they appear.

Reading books is cool, but kids want to be able to use their technology while they do it. You could get them an iPad, but that's expensive and heavy. What you need is a Kindle that's aimed squarely at children and Amazon has deals on two of them — the Kindle Paperwhite Kids and Kindle Kids.

Both of these Kindles do the same thing at their core — they offer kids the chance to read books downloaded from the Amazon Kindle store and read them on a gorgeous display. Both come with kid-friendly covers in various colors and both come with a free year of Amazon Kids+ thrown in. That'll give them access to popular titles and series for free for 12 months, although a monthly $5 subscription will kick in after that time.

The real differences between the two come in the display. The Kindle Paperwhite Kids comes with a 6.8-inch 300ppi display, while the cheaper Kindle Kids has a 6-inch 167ppi display instead. Both work well, but those who want the sharpest of text and to have as much space for words on-screen will want to go with that Paperwhite version — that's just the way it is, unfortunately. Both are great additions to the home, however, and any bookworm would be lucky to get one of these to call their very own.

• See all the Prime Day deals: USA | UK | Canada | India

Tons of books, two bargain e-readers

Be sure to check out our collection of some of the most amazing Apple Prime Day deals while the festivities continue. You won't want to miss some of those discounts.

I've been an avid reader since I was a little girl. I always have a book (or two) going; it's an integral part of my life. I can't imagine a day without reading part of a book. But since I got my Kindle Paperwhite, I can't even bear to read paper books anymore. The Kindle is such a vast improvement over the experience of reading actual books, I won't go back. And you can experience that too with this Prime Day deal, which knocks the price down to $95 on Amazon.

• See all the Prime Day deals: USA | UK | Canada | India

Snag a Kindle Paperwhite and never touch actual paper again

Lighter than a single paperback book, the Kindle Paperwhite's screen is better than paper. The flush-front design and 300 PPI glare-free display look a lot like real paper. You can even read it easily in bright sunlight. Since it's backlit, you won't need a lamp for reading in the dark at night, which your partner will likely appreciate. You can also shift the color of the screen from white to amber for nighttime reading. Adjust the font and size to suit your taste and vision level. Not sure what a word means? Tap on it to get a definition.

Best of all, the Kindle Paperwhite holds thousands of books. Download Kindle books from Amazon, or borrow books from your local library with apps like Libby by Overdrive. If you like to read on your iPhone and/or iPad, the Kindle app syncs your place on all of your devices so you can seamlessly switch between them.

The base model Kindle Paperwhite does include ads, but they are just on the lock screen and aren't intrusive and never pop up while you're reading. If you don't want them on your lock screen, you can pay a small one-time fee to remove them. If you're in the U.K., you can get the Kindle Paperwhite for 35% off, just £85.

Perhaps you prefer to read books on your iPad? Get a great Prime Day iPad Deal. Of course, check out our Apple Prime Day deals hub for super deals on everything Apple.

What you need to know

• Barnes & Noble has announced a new e-reader in the form of the Nook GlowLight 4e.
• The new Kindle competitor will sell for $119.99 and pre-orders are now open.
• The new device has a 6-inch E ink screen.

Apple's iPads are great at all kinds of things but they're not particularly good at being e-readers, probably because that isn't what they are. Amazon's Kindle is a particularly good e-reader and now it has some new competition in the form of Barnes & Noble's Nook GlowLight 4e.

Designed to be a cheaper version of the existing GlowLight 4, this new offering will set buyers back $119.99 and they can pre-order it now. For their money they'll get an E Ink display that comes in at 6 inches and 212 ppi, according to The Verge's report. It's powered by USB-C and has 8GB of internal storage, which is fair if not groundbreaking. The product is more costly than the Kindle's $89.99 asking price, but it has a slightly better screen so there's that.

• Perfect lightweight eReader for on the go or staying home
• 8GB of storage houses an ample digital library
• Adjustable front light makes reading easy on the eyes
• Physical buttons or finger-swiping turns pages
• Members save 10% off all NOOK tablets, eReaders, and accessories

One thing the LowLight 4e can boast over its competition is the addition of old-fashioned buttons for changing pages, something Amazon ditched a while ago. The best Kindles Amazon sells today are all about swiping and tapping, something that could put plenty of people off. For those, the GlowLight 4e could be the better option.

Those people will need to wait a little while for their new e-reader to arrive, however. Barnes & Noble says that it'll begin shopping on June 7 in any color you like — so long as that happens to be black.

Amazon's iconic e-readers are the perfect way to enjoy the latest digital book releases, with light, distraction-free designs and eye-friendly displays, but the best Kindles come at a cost. With Prime Day, Amazon's biggest shopping event here, there are some great Prime Day Kindle deals to be had. If you ever wanted to hold your entire library in your hand, this may be your best opportunity to nab one for less.

The latest Kindle readers offer something for just about everyone, with fun colors, large, easy-to-read screens, and cellular connectivity in some models. The classic Kindle is affordable and offers tried-and-true performance. A special Kids Edition adds a worry-free two-year warranty and a handy cover to the mix.

The Kindle Paperwhite includes a beautiful screen, waterproofing, and two times the storage over the previous model. Last but certainly not least, the Kindle Oasis has a slightly bigger screen, physical buttons for flipping through pages, and lighting that automatically adjusts based on your environment.

Best Prime Day Kindle deals

Prime Day is one of the best days to shop for a Kindle, with deep discounts on all makes and models. Even at its suggested price of $90, the base model e-reader with ads offers plenty of storage and capabilities for most. Still, Amazon's Prime Day Kindle deals make it even more affordable. Prime Day also brings some fantastic prices on the higher-end models, like the gorgeous Kindle Paperwhite, which drops it to near base model price levels. Here are all of the best Prime Day Kindle deals for all of the current Kindle models.

Which Prime Day Kindle deal is right for me?

Regardless of which Prime Day Kindle deal you go for, reading books will never be the same, thanks to the incredible battery life and those special eye-friendly screens. For casual readers, we recommend the base, ad-supported Kindle, as it offers the most bang for your buck. Starting at $90, the base Kindle with ads sports plenty of storage with 8GB onboard, a glare-free six-inch display with adjustable Front Light, Bluetooth for Audible books, and a battery that lasts for weeks. The entry-level Kindle is also the base for the Kindle Kids Edition, which throws in a case and 2-year warranty for just a few bucks more.

If you want to take your books along for all of your travels, then go with the Kindle Paperwhite. The Paperwhite has a screen tuned for crystal clear reading even in sunlight with a pixel density of 300ppi that is almost double that of the base model. The Paperwhite has an IPX8 water resistance rating that allows it to survive for up to 60 minutes in six feet of water, which is perfect for lounging around by the pool. The Paperwhite also comes in cellular models that can download the latest titles directly from Amazon without entering a Wi-Fi password.

Plan to do all of your reading on the Kindle? Then the Kindle Oasis is your best bet. The Oasis has the largest display in the line, coming in at seven inches, and it has a whopping 25 LEDs that automatically adjust lighting levels based on the environment. The Oasis is also the only Kindle still available with old-school page turn buttons if you are into that sort of thing. If all of that weren't enough, the Oasis includes the same storage capacity, weeks-long battery life, and waterproof rating as the Paperwhite.

Why should I buy a Prime Day Kindle deal?

It's relatively common to see Kindle deals throughout the year, particularly around the holidays, so there's often an opportunity to score a new e-reader at a discounted price. However, Prime Day is an entirely different beast when it comes to deals on Amazon hardware.

For its shopping event, Amazon offers the absolute best prices on its first-party devices. It's something it can be entirely in control of and use to lure shoppers to the site during the two-day event in the hopes that they pick up a bunch of other stuff while they are there.

The excellent news for those looking for Prime Day Kindle deals is that there are discounts across the entire range of e-readers during the sale, and you are likely to snag the best prices of the year. Essentially, there's no better time to buy a Kindle, so make the most of it.

The best way to read

Amazon's Kindle line focuses on delivering the best digital reading experience possible with dedicated devices that strip away all distractions found on tablets and phones. With Prime Day in full swing, some Kindles are available for cheaper than ever.

Need a little more details surrounding all of the different models or other E-readers? Then check out our guide to the best Kindles and the best E-readers in 2021. Do you still prefer the look and feel of physical books? Then be sure to look at the best Prime Day book deals.

If you want to download books to your iPhone or iPad, the Kindle app is a great way to do so. There are literally hundreds of thousands of books available to download and read from the Kindle store. From there, you can add them all to your iPad or iPhone before gazing at them and their beautiful covers in full color rather than what's possible on a regular Kindle.

Knowing how to purchase and download books with the Kindle app is fairly simple once you know how. All you need is your trusty iPhone whether that's the latest iPhone 15 Pro or simply one of the best iPhones. Alternatively, if you'd rather a more Kindle like experience then using an iPad is a better method.

However you plan on using the Kindle app, it's useful to be able to take your extensive library of books with you wherever you take your Apple device, including if you choose to buy new titles while you go. All you need besides your trusty slate or phone is an Amazon account. If you somehow don't have one yet, head over to the Amazon site now to sign up.

How to buy Kindle books on Amazon

There are over a million books, comics, magazines, and newspapers to choose from in the Kindle store - but to read them you're going to have to buy them and add them to your Kindle library. The first port of call is the Amazon Kindle e-book store that you can access on any device, whether it has the app or not. There, you can buy Kindle books or add free ones to your library.

1. Open Safari or your preferred web browser on your iPhone, iPad, or computer.

2. Head over to the Amazon website.

3. If you aren't already, log in to your Amazon account:

4. Now that you're all signed in, head on over to the Kindle books page on the Amazon website - you can find it like this, or by heading over to the Amazon Kindle page:

5. Here on the Kindle store, you can choose an e-book that takes your fancy.

6. When you press 'Buy now' The book automatically sent to your Kindle Library, available to read and download on both the Kindle App as well as any Kindle device.

How to download your Kindle Library books in the Kindle app

Once you've bought at least one Kindle e-book, you'll find it in the Kindle Library on the Kindle app. You can browse your books, and it syncs with the rest of the devices using your Kindle account so that you'll never be searching through pages to find where you left off. That remains the case even if you transfer between your iPhone and iPad.

1. Open the Kindle app on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Along the top is a glance at your library, where you'll find your most recently read books.

3. Find the library icon at the bottom of the screen

4. This is your full library where you can download your purchased Kindle e-books.

5. Tap on a book to download it to the device.

6. When it's finished downloading (there'll be a checkmark on the cover) tap the book to open it.

How to remove books from your device in the Kindle app

E-Books take up barely any space, but when your collection starts to get really big you might start to notice it on the storage screen. Perhaps you want to clear some room, or you want to get rid of a book that was offensively bad. Either way, it's super easy to remove a book from the Kindle app. Removing a book from your device will not delete it from your library, although that is possible if you really want to forget it ever existed. 

1. From the library, select the 'downloaded' tab at the top.

2. Press and hold the book you'd like to remove.

3. From the menu, select 'remove download'

4. If you really hated a book, press 'Permanently delete'. This will delete the book from your library, and you'll have to buy it again if you want to read it again. Not recommended.

Alternative readers

If you want to read digital books from Amazon's vast Kindle library, you won't need a Kindle device to do it - you can use the app as above. If you want the best experience possible, however, you'll need a Kindle reader. You'll get a top-quality e-ink screen that's good for your eyes, and you can even buy books on the device over Wi-Fi.

Today only, Woot is offering Amazon's 7th-generation Kindle Paperwhite e-reader in brand new condition for just $69.99. The 2016 Paperwhite would normally cost $120 new and even certified refurbished models currently go for $100 at Amazon, so you're saving almost half by going with Woot's offer. Shipping at Woot is $6 per order, though Amazon Prime members can always snag free shipping there.

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The Ring Video Doorbell is bundled with Amazon's Echo Show 5 at over 50% off exclusively for Prime Day. You'll be able to see who's at your door using the Ring app on a myriad of devices, including the Echo Show 5.

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Exclusively during Prime Day, Amazon is offering Prime members three free months of 'The Disney Bundle' with the purchase of a new Fire TV Stick or Fire Tablet. The Disney Bundle gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

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Amazon Prime Video lets you add other streaming services as 'channels' to your Prime subscription, and right now select options are down to just $1 per month ahead of Prime Day!

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Featuring the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show 5, Echo Auto, Echo Frames, and more, this sale lets you snap up some Amazon hardware without breaking the bank. These are some of the best prices ever, tough they are just for Prime members.

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One of the best deals to come to Amazon Kids+ is now available exclusively for Prime members! Your family can score three months of access for only $1 by signing up before Prime Day begins on June 21.

The previous-gen Kindle Paperwhite model is available in black as part of this deal. Its touchscreen display is easy on the eyes with no screen glare and feels akin to reading words on actual paper, as opposed to regular mobile device screens which can cause eye fatigue after staring for some time. A single battery charge can last for weeks which is pretty awesome too. As a bonus, it doesn't have the built-in distractions that a smartphone does, so you will actually get some reading done and not end up crushing candies or checking Twitter. There is an all-new Kindle Paperwhite model which was released late last year that retails at $130.

Unlike a lot of Woot's daily deals, the devices in this sale are offered brand new and come with a 1-year Amazon warranty. Not sure what to read? Amazon First Read offers six Kindle eBooks each month for Prime members to read before they're even available in print. You'll also want to check out Kindle Unlimited which offers access to over 1 million titles to read and audiobooks to listen to.

Before July comes to an end, there's one major deal that every Prime member should snag at Amazon — one that's absolutely free. Through the end of the month, Amazon is offering members three months of Kindle Unlimited for free, which is pretty insane considering all that it encompasses. Having a subscription to Kindle Unlimited is basically like having access to a digital eBook library that you can visit whenever you want, wherever you want. Normally a membership costs $10 monthly, which isn't much to pay for access to over a million titles to read as you please, but signing up with today's deal won't charge you anything for your first three months of service.

Once three months have passed, your preferred billing method will be charged for another month. However, if you decide Kindle Unlimited isn't right for you, you can turn off auto-renew in your account settings at Amazon at any time to make sure it never charges you for another month. Don't be surprised if you get hooked though!

Like we mentioned above, this deal is only for Amazon Prime members. If you're not a member already, you can start a free 30-day trial to snag this offer without having to pay anything.

Despite Kindle Unlimited working hand-in-hand with Kindle devices perfectly, you don't need a Kindle to read any of the books available via Kindle Unlimited. The free Kindle app lets you read them too, which is downloadable on tons of devices from smartphones to tablets to computers.

With its myriad of titles, Kindle Unlimited could keep you reading non-stop if you wished. From technical documents to cookbooks to fantasy novels, even some audiobooks are included and so much more. It, of course, has favorites like the complete Harry Potter series, too.

This offer is coming to an end in just a few days, so don't miss your chance to explore Kindle Unlimited for yourself!

I just bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite on Prime Day and with it, I'm going to need to start building my digital book library. Here are some best-selling eBooks that are also on sale for $5 or less on Prime Day!

Even if you don't grab one of the Kindle books on sale during Prime Day, you'll always be able to find great prices on digital books from Amazon. Don't forget to look into the Kindle Owner's Lending Library. And, of course, you're going to want to subscribe to Audible.

Woot has select refurbished 1st-gen Kindle Paperwhite e-readers on sale for a limited time with prices ranging between just $25 and $30. This is one of the most affordable ways yet to get your hands on a Kindle, and you don't have to worry about their refurbished condition either. Each one has been restored back to full working condition by an Amazon technician where necessary, and they also come with a 90-day Woot warranty in case you need to return or replace the device.

Shipping at Woot is free if you login with an Amazon Prime account, while otherwise there's a $6 shipping fee per order. If you're not an Amazon Prime member yet, you can start a free 30-day trial just in time before Prime Day ends to score free shipping and Prime-exclusive discounts at Amazon. If so, make sure to visit our Prime Day hub to find the best deals quickly.

$64.99 $139.98 Save $75 1624266233

The Ring Video Doorbell is bundled with Amazon's Echo Show 5 at over 50% off exclusively for Prime Day. You'll be able to see who's at your door using the Ring app on a myriad of devices, including the Echo Show 5.

Limited Time Only 1624261022

Exclusively during Prime Day, Amazon is offering Prime members three free months of 'The Disney Bundle' with the purchase of a new Fire TV Stick or Fire Tablet. The Disney Bundle gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

Limited Time Only 1624126477

Amazon Prime Video lets you add other streaming services as 'channels' to your Prime subscription, and right now select options are down to just $1 per month ahead of Prime Day!

Prices Vary 1623665369

Featuring the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show 5, Echo Auto, Echo Frames, and more, this sale lets you snap up some Amazon hardware without breaking the bank. These are some of the best prices ever, tough they are just for Prime members.

$0.99 $29.99 Save $29 1622747114

One of the best deals to come to Amazon Kids+ is now available exclusively for Prime members! Your family can score three months of access for only $1 by signing up before Prime Day begins on June 21.

These first-generation Kindle Paperwhite e-readers are available in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi+3G models, and considering there's just a $5 difference between the two, it'd be wise to go with the Wi-Fi+3G model at $29.99. Unlike cellular service, you won't have to pay a cent to use this e-reader's 3G connectivity and begin downloading eBooks wherever you go. With the Wi-Fi model, you'd only be able to do so when you're connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Check out your options at Woot and make the purchase before these devices have a chance to sell out! New Kindle e-readers are on sale for Prime Day too, with prices starting at $59.99 for the latest Kindle.

Looking for some fun, age-appropriate activities to educate and entertain your child during their screen time? You may want to consider Amazon's kid-centric multimedia app, FreeTime Unlimited. After many years of being available on Kindle and Android, it's finally available for iOS, and it's chock full of readables and watchables chosen specifically for little ones. Not in the lame way, either: it's basically a virtual treehouse with a sign hanging on it that says "NO BORING GROWN-UP STUFF ALLOWED."

What's new with FreeTime Unlimited?

Check back here for the latest updates in FreeTime Unlimited news.

What is Amazon FreeTime Unlimited?

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited is an ad-free, all-in-one subscription service designed specifically for kids that offers unlimited access to approximately 10,000 kids' books, movies, and TV shows for children between the ages of 3 and 12. It's meant to be both fun and educational, with content supplied by the likes of Disney, Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, PBS Kids, and National Geographic. The app was first launched by Amazon in December 2012 as a supplement to the original Kindle app, and was previously only available for Kindle tablets and Android devices.

How does it work? What all can you do with the app?

As I mentioned above, Amazon FreeTime Unlimited is a paid app, so in order for your kiddo to utilize it, you do have to purchase a subscription. Thankfully, it's priced similarly to other streaming services at $9.99 per month — all you need to do is sign up using your Amazon account or subscribe via iTunes. Once you do that, you and your child will be able to access the following:

• Kid-approved books: FreeTime Unlimited offers thousands of great books to choose from, from illustrated storybooks for small children like Winnie the Pooh to chapter books like the Harry Potter series for more advanced readers. There are also the neat tutorial books I used to love as a kid that provide instructions on how to draw animals and make cool crafts.
• Beloved movies: Love Moana? What about Spider-Man? FreeTime Unlimited's probably got it. No matter your kiddos' tastes, they're likely to find a favorite from a popular brand you trust. They've even got the complete collection of Wallace and Gromit films, which I absolutely adore even though I'm a grown adult. There's something for everyone.
• Family-friendly television shows: From PBS Kids' Arthur to Nickelodeon's Spongebob to Discovery Channel's Popular Mechanics for Kids, the TV shows offered on FreeTime Unlimited also cover a wide variety of interests.
• Personalized profiles: With FreeTime Unlimited, parents can create up to four different personalized child profiles that can be switched between easily and quickly. You can even set an age range for a profile, assuring that your child will receive age-appropriate recommendations just for them.
• Amazon Parent Dashboard: If you'd like to better connect with your kiddos based on the things they're into, this will definitely be the coolest feature for you. Using the Dashboard, you can review your children's FreeTime Unlimited activity over the past 90 days so you can see what they've been gravitating toward recently. What's more, the app provides Discussion Cards to help you start conversations with your kids on their favorite content.

What devices can I use to access Amazon FreeTime Unlimited?

FreeTime Unlimited can be accessed on Kindle tablets, Android smartphones and tablets, and now iPhone and iPad. It's free to download the app, and once you sign up you can also try it free for a month to make sure it's the right thing for you. However, after that, you will be required to pay for a monthly subscription fee to continue using it. You can get the app now by tapping the link below.

• Amazon FreeTime Unlimited - Free with IAP - Download now

Questions?

Still have questions about FreeTime Unlimited that you desperately need answers to? Share them with us in the comments below and we'll do our best to help you out as soon as possible!

Calling all bibliophiles: version 6.6 of Amazon's Kindle app is rolling out today, providing a few new features that will hopefully make your reading experience easier and more fulfilling than ever.

Perhaps most useful of all the update's offerings is the ability to return Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited books without ever needing to leave the app. For those unfamiliar, Kindle Unlimited is essentially a book-centric version of Netflix in which you pay $9.99 monthly for a subscription that gives you unlimited access to a sizable catalog of books, magazines, and audiobooks. On the other hand, Prime Reading is a service that comes along with an Amazon Prime subscription, and offers free access to a slightly smaller library of titles than Kindle Unlimited. Prior to now, Kindle for iOS users had to return books by opening a web browser and doing it on Amazon. With this update, however, all you need to do to return your book once you're finished is long press on a book cover and select "Return book." Easy peasy!

In addition to the returns feature, Amazon has also added a new mobile-friendly magazine format, complete with popular magazine titles like Food Network, Life and Style, and US Weekly. It's possible that Amazon created this feature in an attempt to compete with Apple, which recently acquired magazine subscription service Texture. Amazon will only offer a total of about 19 titles to start with, but will likely offer more at some point in the future.

Finally, the Kindle app now boasts a new setting that lets you enable the highlight menu so it shows up when you select text.

If you'd like to try the Kindle app for yourself, you can get it free by clicking the link below. Even if you don't have any cash to purchase a new book at the moment, Amazon also offers tons of free books you can grab, ranging from W.E.B. DuBois' "The Souls of Black Folk" to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" to Homer's "The Odyssey."

• Amazon Kindle - Free - Download now

Thoughts?

Are you a Kindle Unlimited or Prime user? If so, are you excited about the new return feature? What do you think about Amazon offering magazines? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Bookworms rejoice: version 6.5 of Amazon's Kindle app is rolling out today, offering a few long-awaited new features that'll greatly improve your e-reading experience.

Perhaps most exciting of all the new features is the support for iOS 10's split-screen view on the iPad. You can finally take advantage of all those good good multitasking opportunities by answering text messages or looking up information on Google to supplement your reading materials, all without actually leaving the Kindle app.

In addition to split-screen support, Amazon has also added infinite scrolling for those of you out there who prefer a more blog-like reading atmosphere (or, you know, for those of you who just hate having to turn pages). Frankly, a book manifesting as a giant, seemingly endless text is incredibly intimidating to me personally, but if that's your jam, more power to you. All you have to do to access continuous scrolling is toggle the infinite scroll setting on in your Kindle app's "Aa" formatting menu. If you're unfamiliar with the menu, it's located in the navigation bar at the top right of your phone screen once you open a book to read it.

Finally, the Kindle app now boasts support for Kindle dictionaries in Arabic, as well as the ability to pull down in your library to refresh your book list post-sync.

If you'd like to try the Kindle app for yourself, you can get it free by clicking the link below. Even if you don't have any cash to purchase a new book at the moment, Amazon also offers tons of free books you can cop, ranging from beloved classics to horror to romance.

• Amazon Kindle - Free - Download now

Thoughts?

How do you feel about the Kindle app's new features? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Amazon announced in a press release today that its Kindle app is getting a complete overhaul in an over-the-air update starting this week. With the update, users will be able to more seamlessly control their reading experience as well as record, chat about, and rate their current reads with their friends.

The Kindle app's new look is clean and minimal, and inspired by exactly what you'd think it would be inspired by — books. The covers are larger, there are all-new fonts, and even the app icon got a redesign. Best of all, there's now a light mode and a dark mode so you can reduce eye strain while browsing your library and recommendations. The improved interface is really distraction-free and intuitive to control, too — the menu bar at the bottom of the screen allows you to hop effortlessly between Kindle's most popular features and shows a little icon of the book you're currently reading so you can dive back into it at a moment's notice (a feature that I'll no doubt use as a tactic to quickly avoid unwanted social interaction). Amazon has also made the search bar available at the top of the app no matter what section you're in, making it simpler than ever to find the literature you crave.

The coolest part of the update, however, is probably the new "Community" tab (exclusive to Kindle for iOS). Using full Goodreads integration, you will now be able to connect with your friends to talk about the books you're reading as well as do awesome things like curate a "to-read" list and rate and review books once you finish them. In order to use this feature you'll need to create a Goodreads account, but luckily you can do that in just a few minutes without ever needing to leave the Kindle app. CEO and co-founder of Goodreads Otis Chandler expressed his excitement regarding the app's new social aspect:

The update will be rolling out to all Kindle app users over the next few days, so if you aren't seeing the revamped version just yet, don't fret. If you've yet to use the Kindle app but think it sounds pretty great, you can get it here:

• Amazon Kindle - Free - Download now

Now put on a pair of those cozy fuzzy socks, curl up with the softest blanket you've got, and start taking advantage of reading weather.

By the way, our pals at Thrifter have unearthed a huge sale on Kindle Unlimited subscriptions and Kindle bundles … get to reading!

Amazon wants you to read more with a huge sale on Kindle Unlimited and Kindle bundles

Thoughts? Questions?

What do you think of the redesigned Kindle app? Give us a shout in the comments!

Is this deal for me?

Amazon is celebrating the tenth anniversary of Kindle Unlimited with a big discount on Kindle Unlimited and huge sales on several Kindle products. The Kindle Unlimited sale is 33% off a one-year subscription or 40% off a two-year subscription. Those prices bring 12-months down to $80.32 (from $120) and 24-months down to $143.86 (from $240).

This is a match for a deal on Kindle Unlimited that Amazon ran in the lead up to Prime Day earlier this summer but actually excludes the six month deal from back then.

The service includes access to more than one million titles. The list includes great books like Slaughterhouse Five or The Handmaid's Tale, and novels you've always said you read but never actually did like 1984. With your subscription, you can read whatever you want covered under the Unlimited banner for free. You also get access to any available audio books, which has the nifty feature of taking over wherever you stopped reading so you can go from the couch to the car without losing your place.

Here are all the Kindles on sale:

• Kindle E-reader for $49.99 (from $80) - This is a match from November 2016
• Kindle Paperwhite for $89.99 (from $120)
• Kindle Voyage for $169.99 (from $200) - This is also a match for lowest price since November 2016

Here are all the Kindle bundles on sale:

• Kindle 6-inch Essentials Bundle for $84.97 (from $115) - The previous low for this bundle was $95
• Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle for $129.97 (from $160) - The previous low for this bundle was $140
• Kindle Voyage Essentials Bundle for $224.97 (from $255) - The previous low for this bundle was $230
• Kindle for Kids Bundle for $69.99 (from $100) - Kindles for Kids come with worry-free guarantees

TL;DR

• What makes this deal worth considering? - If you've ever wanted to keep that promise to yourself that you should read more, this is your chance. The Kindles are down to some of the lowest prices we've ever seen, and Kindle Unlimited has matched a deal we've only ever seen once before.
• Things to know before you buy! - Remember to check out Kindle First, which releases brand new reads each month for Amazon Prime members. Use your Amazon Prime membership to your advantage with Kindle, too.

See at Amazon

Happy thrifting!

In a press release today Amazon introduced the newest version of its high-end Kindle model, the Oasis. Not only is it more cost effective than its predecessor, but it also got a really sweet overhaul.

Like the original Oasis (which launched early last year), the revamped Oasis has an ergonomic design meant for multi-hour reading sessions. It's got an asymmetrical bezel with page-turning buttons as well as a large grip on the back side, so it feels natural to hold one-handed and you can rest your thumb comfortably without obscuring any of the page. However, the glass the screen is made of on the all-new version is stronger, and the back is aluminum instead of electroplated metal alloy over plastic. Even with the increased size it's still pretty light at 194 grams — 10 grams lighter than the popular Kindle Paperwhite.

The revamped Oasis also boasts a 7-inch 300 ppi display, which the company says results in fewer page turns as it can fit approximately 30% more words per page. The ultra-crisp text is meant to read like paper, which means you won't get a glare if you're reading in bright sunlight.

Perhaps the most exciting change to the new Oasis, though, is that it's finally waterproof. There have been waterproof e-Readers on the market for years now, so it only makes sense that one of the most notable and popular join the crowd. Its IPX8 waterproofing means that it should survive under about five feet of water for 30 minutes, and unlike many waterproof devices, it's resistant to both freshwater and saltwater.

Aside from all that, there are a ton of other smaller features that make the new Oasis seem great:

• More storage: The Oasis comes with 8 GB of storage standard, which is twice as much as much as the old Oasis. You can also opt for the 32 GB option.
• Audible built right in: The new Oasis has built-in support for Audible audiobooks, which will arrive through an update after the e-Reader ships. Unfortunately, you'll have to purchase both the Audible and Kindle versions of a book to be able to switch between reading it and hearing it, and because the Oasis has no speaker or headphone jack, you'll have to use a Bluetooth-enabled audio device to listen.
• New font and accessibility options: In addition to the OpenDyslexic font, the Oasis now offers an invert feature that turns the text white and the page black if you have light sensitivity. There are also more font sizes and boldness options to choose from, so you can make reading as comfortable as possible for yourself.
• Super long battery life: A single charge on the Kindle Oasis lasts up to eight weeks, so you can spend more time reading than ever.

Senior Vice President of Amazon Devices and Services Dave Limp commented on Kindle's journey from its conception to now:

The all-new Oasis is actually a bit cheaper than the original, and is priced at $250 for the standard 8 GB model (the 32 GB will cost $280). You can also get it bundled with a cover and power adaptor for $310. If you use a cover with the Oasis, it will wake your device when opened and put it to sleep when closed.

See at Amazon

Thoughts? Questions?

What do you think about the all-new Kindle Oasis? Give us a shout in the comments!

Nothing's better than physical comic books. The smell of the paper, the detail in the ink — it's sublime. But you don't want to take your favorite issues everywhere you go; you'll wreck 'em.

Download a great comic reader app and digitally enjoy all your favorite titles on the go, so you don't have to worry about your books becoming anything less than mint.

Here are our favorite comic book reader apps for iPhone and iPad!

• Comics by comiXology
• Marvel Unlimited
• iBooks/Kindle
• Comic Zeal
• iComics

Comics by comiXology

Comics by comiXology is how you get current comic book issues on your iPad. They offer a library of over 100,000 titles — and growing — from publishers including Marvel, DC, Image, IDW, Disney, and more. You can buy right from within the Comics app, which makes for a great experience (impulse shoppers be warned!), and with a free comiXology account, you can easily sync your purchases across devices. You can also subscribe to comiXology Unlimited and gain access to over 4,000 titles from just about every publisher besides DC or Marvel, who have their own subscription services. Subscription is $5.99 a month.

comiXology also makes the individual, dedicated Marvel, DC, Image, etc. apps, but since Comics has them all, it's the one-stop shop, the newsstand reborn for the digital era.

• Free + in-app comic purchases - Download now

Marvel Unlimited

Marvel Unlimited is a subscription service like Netflix. That means you don't get current content, but you do get 70 years and 17,000 issues of back catalog comics — Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, the Avengers, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc. — right on your iPad. I've lost many a night already to the works of Peter David, John Byrne, Art Adams, Chris Claremont, Frank Miller, et. al., and I imagine losing many, many more.

DC Comics really needs to get their version of this up and running faster than a speeding bullet... (this article was originally published 3.5 years ago and still nothing!)

Note: You can't subscribe within the app, so if you want to use the Marvel Unlimited service, make sure you head on over to Marvel.com and sign up.

• Free, with subscription - Download now

iBooks/Kindle

iBooks and Kindle are general purpose readers, but both Apple's iBookstore and Amazon's Kindle Store have an excellent selection of what used to be called trade paperbacks — collections of individual issues that form a cohesive story arc. If you don't want to buy or read each comic as it comes out or navigate through tons of back catalog to find specific stories, buying them as books is the simplest, most coherent way of doing it.

With iBooks, you can buy directly within the app. With Amazon, you can buy via Amazon.com and download to the Kindle app.

Why include both iBooks and Kindle, why not pick a best or just pick one and stick with it? Sadly, both sometimes have books the other one lacks or have them in geographies the other doesn't or have it at a lower price. Right now, to get as many comics as you want, you have to use both of them, even if it does split your collection and is otherwise less-than-ideal.

• iBooks - Free with in-app purchases - Download now
• Kindle - Free with web purchases - Download now

Comic Zeal

if you already have your comics in a digital format — especially if you bought those massive Marvel DVDs containing all the early issues of Avengers, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men, etc. in PDF — Comic Zeal should be your go-to reader. You can sync PDF, CBR/RAR, or CBZ/ZIP files straight over to Comic Zeal from iTunes via file sharing if you absolutely have to, and with Wi-Fi sync, it's easier than ever. I just drop mine into Dropbox, hit the Dropbox app on iPad, download them, hit the action button, and tell Dropbox to open them in Comic Zeal.

It would be nice if Comic Zeal could hook into Dropbox (and other online storage pools) directly, eliminating a step. Here's hoping we get that in the future.

• $6.99 - Download now

iComics

iComics is your customizable digital comics experience. It supports every major comic format, like CBZ, CBR, TAR, CBT, and more. You can jump from comic to comic or smoothly turn pages, and zoom can be set to reset every time you turn the page. If you're looking for convenience and versatility in a comic reader app and have many of your own digital comics already, check out iComics.

• $1.99 - Download now

Your best comic book apps?

Those are my picks for best apps for comic book lovers. With them, you can get the latest issues right when they come out, access Marvel's enormous back catalog of titles, buy the trade paperbacks for the stories you love most, and even load up your existing digital comics and take them with you anywhere. It's the workflow that just works for me... but what about you? Any apps I'm missing out on? Any you'd recommend more? Let me know! And, of course... Excelsior!

This article was originally published on May 6, 2013 and was updated in December, 2016 with the following changes: Changed number of issues comiXology and Marvel Unlimited have, as they have grown; added iComics.

I love books. I love to read. Back when there were bookstores, I'd spend every Friday afternoon browsing the shelves, checking for anything new from my favorite authors, walking the aisles for new writers and genres. I rarely left without at least three or four new books. When I traveled, I never wanted to be with less than three unread books; that's how I killed time flying in the days before Wi-Fi in the sky.

When Kindle came out, I was totally into the idea. The notion of traveling not with a few books but with a whole library in a form lighter and easier to carry than even a single book? That was a dream come true. At least mostly. While more convenient, even its e-ink display wasn't as enjoyable a reading experience as a real, paper book.

That's what the new Kindle Oasis hopes to achieve.

E-book readers have been around for a long time. I bought my first one from a friend in Tokyo—the original Sony Libre. It was mediocre but hinted at the future. The Oasis is most of the way there. The hardware is beautiful. It's small, it's light. In a world where there's a race for thinnest gadget, the Kindle Oasis wins hands down. The balance and ergonomics feel great. There's virtually nothing about the hardware I don't like. It also has a beautiful leather cover with integrated battery for topping off.

The screen is a beautiful 300dpi e-ink display (Amazon says it's improved from last year's model, but I can't see the difference). Page turn lag is a thing of the past and the Kindle handles all of Amazon's titles, of course, as well as any other .Mobi or PDF file.

Now, I already have an iPhone and an iPad, which have Retina displays and offer great reading experiences, so why bother with a Kindle or any e-reader? Why bother with a uni-tasker that would make Alton Brown cringe?

For the sheer joy of reading.

• The soft, always-on LED-lit display that makes reading electronically more like reading paper.
• The feather-light weight of just a few ounces that make such a difference when reading for more than fifteen minutes.
• The immersive experience, where the device truly does disappear.

Those are things that simply aren't replicated on any tablet. Because sometimes, the all in one, converged device doesn't offer the optimal experience.

Ask a photography enthusiast about their cameras or a watch enthusiast about the mechanical marvel on their wrist. Both are ultimate uni-taskers.

The Kindle Oasis is an e-book reader par-excellence—an ultimate uni-tasker like the camera or watch.

It does have a few downsides, though.

• It costs way too much (part of that is the leather cover and battery).
• It's still a niche device that, if you don't want to read, is useless to you.

For anyone who loves—loves—to read, though, it might become your favorite gadget. It's already become a permanent fixture on my night table and in my carry bag.

If you've been reading ebooks on your iPhone or iPad with the Kindle app, you may have noticed all of those little tool icons at the bottom of the screen, but maybe haven't taken the time to figure out what they are all about. We did take the time and are here to fill you in on how to use each of them.

• How to share info about an ebook in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to use highlight tools in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to share a passage of text in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to add a note to a passage of text in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to look up definitions, translations, or Wikipedia entries in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to use X-Ray in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

How to share info about an ebook in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

If you are reading a book that you just know someone would love, why not send them a link to it?

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a book to open it.
3. Tap the screen to call up the page tools.

4. Tap the Share icon at the bottom center of the screen. This will open the share sheet at the bottom of the screen.
5. In the top row of icons, tap the app icon you wish to share the book info with.

How to use highlight tools in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

Just like the way your mom may have highlighted interesting lines in her favorite books when you were a kid, you can highlight passages of text in ebooks when you are using the Kindle app for iOS. But, there are even more tools available to you than just highlighting.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a book to open it.

3. Find the text you wish to highlight.
4. Touch and hold the word you wish to highlight.
5. If you want to highlight a phrase or paragraph, drag the highlight posts at the beginning and end to where you want them to be.The highlighting tools will appear as soon as you lift your finger from the screen.
6. To add a highlight, tap the color you wish to use.
7. To copy the selection of text, tap the Copy icon next to the colors. It looks like two sheets of paper.

How to share a passage of text in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

You can also share a highlighted selection of text along with the link.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a book to open it.
3. Tap the screen to call up the page tools.

4. To share a selection of text along with the book info, highlight the text you wish to share.
5. The highlight tools appear automatically. Tap the Share icon to the far right of the tool selection. This will open the share sheet at the bottom of the screen, as well.

When you share a book's info, with our without a selection of text, you will be sending a link to read a free sample and purchase the book on Amazon.

How to add a note to a passage of text in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

You can add an annotation to a word or sentence in the Kindle app for iOS. It is sort of like writing in the margins of a book.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a book to open it.

3. Find the text you wish to add a note to.
4. Touch and hold the text to call up the highlight tools.
5. Tap the Note icon. It looks like a box with a pencil inside of it.
6. When the note window appears, start typing.
7. When you have finished writing your note, tap Save.
8. Tap the X in the upper right corner of the screen to cancel or delete the note.

How to look up definitions, translations, or Wikipedia entries in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

To find a definition, Wikipedia entry, or language translation of a word or phrase, highlight the passage of text. A window will automatically pop out with a definition window.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a book to open it.

3. Find the text you wish to see the definition, Wikipedia entry, or translation for.
4. Touch and hold the text to call up the information window. It will automatically open to the dictionary.
5. To find a Wikipedia entry, swipe across the window to the left.
6. To find a translation, swipe across the window to the left again.
   1. Tap the language button you wish to translate to or from.
   2. Select the language.
   3. Tap the audio button in the upper right corner of the window to hear the translation

How to use X-Ray in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

X-Ray is a reading enhancement feature to help you find out more about what Amazon calls the "bones of a book." It includes Wikipedia and Shelfari information, which is the company's community-content encyclopedia. When in X-Ray the bar next to a person or term shows all of the locations in the book where it can be found.

Not all books support X-Ray. If a book does not support the feature, the X-Ray icon will be grayed out.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a book to open it.
3. Tap the screen to call up the page tools.

4. Tap the X-Ray icon, it looks like a solid box with an X inside. The X-Ray feature will open with All references on display.
   1. Swipe to the left to filter People only.
   2. Swipe to the left to filter Terms only.

5. Tap a selection to find out more.
   1. Tap a page location to go directly to the point in the book that the person or term is mentioned.
   2. Tap Full Wikipedia Article when available to read more about the term or person.
6. Tap the X in the upper right corner of the screen to exit X-Ray.

With the enhanced reading tools and sharing features, reading in the Kindle app is a much different experience than it used to be before there were ebooks.

Once you've downloaded ebooks to the Kindle app, it's time to start reading. The Kindle app is fairly easy to navigate, but there are a few features you may not already know about. We've got some tips to make your reading experience easier.

• How to turn pages in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to jump to a specific page in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to sync to the furthest page read in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to bookmark a location in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to access bookmarks in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad
• How to change fonts, text size, and colors in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

How to turn pages in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

You may already know how to turn a page in the reading app, but you can also jump to a specific page, or scrub through pages, as well.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a a book to open it.
3. To turn a single page: swipe your finger from the left or right side of the screen.

How to jump to a specific page in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a a book to open it.

3. Tap the screen to call up the page tools.
4. To jump to a specific page on the screen, tap the Menu icon in the upper left corner of the screen.

5. Tap Cover to go to the cover, Beginning to go to page one, or Location to go to a specific page.
   1. When you tap Location, enter the page number you wish to go to.
   2. Tap Go.
6. To scrub through pages, touch and hold the progress bar at the bottom of the screen and drag it to the left or right until you've reached the page you want to go to.

These various page-finding tools make it easier for you to get to the section you want in any way that works best for different situations.

How to sync to the furthest page read in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

Nothing is worse than losing your spot when you are reading a book. luckily, the Kindle app always knows what the furthest page you've read is, so you can quickly go to it, even if you forget to bookmark it.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a a book to open it.
3. Tap the screen to call up the page tools.

4. Tap the Menu icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
5. Select Sync from the menu options. The app will begin syncing to the furthest read page
6. When the message window pops up, tap Yes to go to that page.

The sync feature takes you to the furthest page that has been opened in the book, even if you are only reading the first chapter. So, remember to add a bookmark if you want to save your place.

How to bookmark a location in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

The best way to ensure that you don't lose your place in a book is to add a bookmark. You can add bookmarks to multiple pages and access them from the My Notebook section.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a a book to open it.

3. Tap the screen to call up the page tools.
4. Tap the Bookmark icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

How to access bookmarks in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a a book to open it.

3. Tap the screen to call up the page tools.
4. To access bookmarks, tap the My Notebook icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.

5. Tap Filter in the upper left corner of the screen to filter the notebook by bookmarks only.
6. Tap Bookmarks to filter by bookmarks.

7. Swipe upward on the screen to scroll through bookmarks and tap one to go to that page in the book.
8. Tap the X in the upper right corner of the screen to close the Filter window.

You can delete a bookmark by tapping the trashcan icon or mark one as a favorite by tapping the star icon. Add as many bookmarks as you like.

How to change fonts, text size, and colors in the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

Reading on a small screen can be tough on the eyes. The Kindle app has a variety of tools to help you get just the right setting for a comfortable reading experience.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap on a a book to open it.
3. Tap the screen to call up the page tools.

4. Tap the Font icon in the lower right corner of the screen. It looks like a capital and lowercase A (Aa).
5. To decrease the font size, tap the Aa on the left side of the screen.
6. To increase the font size, tap the Aa on the right side of the screen.

7. To change the font style:
   1. Tap the current font selection (i.e., Helvetica).
   2. Select the font you wish to change to.
   3. Tap anywhere outside of the font window to close it.

8. To change the background theme, tap White, Black, or Sepia.
9. To adjust the line spacing, tap one three spacing options at the bottom of the screen.
10. To adjust the brightness of the screen, drag the brightness slider to the left or right.
11. Tap anywhere outside of the font window to close it.

Once you've got your font size and style, color theme, and brightness adjusted, you can enjoy a pleasant afternoon of reading.

With an Amazon Prime membership, U.S. subscribers have the opportunity to download ebooks that have not yet been released. The service is called "Kindle First" and you can sign up to receive monthly announcements for content. Each month, you can choose one out of six new titles and download them for free via the Kindle reading app for iOS.

If you haven't taken advantage of Amazon Prime's Kindle First service yet, here's how to get one free book every month on your iPhone or iPad.

• How to sign up for the monthly Kindle First email
• How to select a title from Kindle First
• How to download your Kindle First book in the Amazon Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

How to sign up for the monthly Kindle First email

First, make sure you download the Kindle Reading app.

• Free - Download now

Then, in order to get the most out of the Kindle First service, you'll want to sign up with Amazon's monthly email.

1. Open Safari on your iPhone or desktop web browser.
2. Go to the Kindle First web page.
3. Tap Sign up for the monthly e-mail.
4. If you are not already signed in, enter the email and password associated with your Amazon Prime account.
5. As soon as you log in, you will automatically be signed up for the monthly email.

After you sign up, you will receive an email at the beginning of each month with the six Kindle First titles that you can choose one from.

How to select a title from Kindle First

You can either visit the Kindle First web page, or navigate there directly from your monthly email.

1. Open Safari on your iPhone or preferred web browser on your computer.
2. Go to the Kindle First web page.
3. Find a book that looks interesting and tap See Book Details.

4. Tap Buy it now for FREE in the order window to the right of the book summary under Kindle First.
5. When prompted to select the device or reading application, select Kindle Cloud Reader.
6. Tap Continue.

You will receive a message that the book will be auto-delivered wirelessly to your Kindle Cloud Reader via Amazon Whispernet. Your book will be immediately available for download.

How to download your Kindle First book in the Amazon Kindle app for iPhone and iPad

To read Amazon Kindle First books on your iPhone or iPad, first, download the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad. Then, follow the steps below.

1. Open the Kindle app.
2. Tap the Kindle First book you previously selected.
3. Wait for it to download. When the download is finished, you will see a check mark next to the title.

4. When the download is complete, tap on the book again. Your book will open with an "About This Book" information screen.
5. Tap the X in the upper right corner of the About screen to close it and start reading your book.

Remember, with your Amazon Prime membership, you can download one new Kindle First book for free each month.

Back to the top

The latest update to Amazon's Kindle app is all about making reading easier. To that end, the app offers a new page layout system designed for all screens, as well as better word spacing, which combines with hyphenation for decreased eye strain. Amazon has also added Bookerly, a new exclusive font designed for reading on screens.

Check out the list below for all of the changes in Kindle 4.9:

You can download the update now from the App Store.

• Free - Download Now

Every day dozens and dozens of new and updated apps and games hit the iOS and Mac App Stores. It's impossible to keep up with them all, but it's not impossible to pick out the very best. Here they are! Today we've got a slew of updates large and small, including stuff from Skype, Amazon.com, games, and more!

New and updated iOS apps

• IMDB 4.2: Everyone's favorite movie and TV information app now has U.S. TV listings, Amazon Prime availability, a new showtimes page, and more. Free - Download now
• Skype 4.17.3: The latest version of Microsoft's popular voice, video and chat client for iOS sports "general fixes." Free - Download now
• TextExpander 2.5.1: TextExpander lets you type short abbreviations that expand into long snippets. The new release sports a slew of bug fixes and and enhancements. $4.99 - Download now
• Kindle 4.2: Amazon's latest e-book reader app for iOS lets you access the book's table of contents from within the left panel navigation menu, and sports a new X-Ray Smart Look Up feature. Free - Download now
• Squarespace Metrics for iPad 1.1.0: If you use Squarespace for your web site, you may be interested in this app, recently updated with native iPad support. You can keep an eye on your Squarespace web site's metrics. Requires Squarespace 6 account. Free - Download now
• Plague Inc. 1.8: This game has you spreading worldwide plagues. The new version introduces "Mega-Brutal" difficulty, has new cheat modes, new events and achievements, performance improvements and more. $0.99 - Download now
• Duet 1.2.0: The mesmerizing game in which you control two rotating spheres through mazes has been updated with new extreme challenges, tweaked final Acceptance stages and more. $2.99 - Download now
• Medium 1.0.425: Find and read content published via Medium.com easier with this app. The new release has minor bug fixes and stability improvements. Free - Download now
• Spotify 1.1.0: The app for the popular streaming music service adds Your Music and Repeat One features, and fixes rough track skipping and some crashes, as well as adds the ability to delete radio stations. Free - Download now
• Audiobooks from Audible 2.0.12: The app to help organize and listen to Audible audiobooks gets bug fixes and performance improvements. Free - Download now

New and updated Mac apps

• Mac Game Store 2.5.14: The companion app to manage downloads from the popular Mac game download service has been updated with bug fixes. Free - Download now

More apps and updates?

If you try any of the apps or updates, let me know how they work for you. If you got any new or updated apps today that you loved, but don't see here, let us know about them!

Amazon has introduced a program, called Kindle MatchBook, that will let customers download the Kindle ebook version of physical books that they have previously purchased. The price of the ebooks will range from free to $2.99. Books that customers have purchased in print at any point in the past will be eligible for MatchBook, according to the New York Times:

Amazon still has to get the publishers on board with MatchBook. So far, only a couple of publishers have reached agreements, including HarperCollins. If it proves successful, other publishers are sure to sign up.

One of the advantages that Amazon has over much of their ebook competition, including Apple, is that they have both the physical and digital books to offer. And while the popularity of ebooks has exploded in recent years, many customers have wished for an easier, less-expensive way to have the best of both physical and digital books. Some still prefer reading physical books, but like the convenience of digital books for traveling, and the prospect of being able to bundle a Kindle version of a book with a future purchase, either for free or a low price, could be very appealing.

Kindle MatchBook will launch in October. Will you be using it, or have you gone all-in with ebooks?

Source: Amazon, The New York Times

If you're looking at getting someone a tablet this year, chances are you're looking to get them an iPad. For most people, most of the time, the iPad remains the best combination of technology, experience, and content on the market. But which iPad should you get, the latest, greatest iPad 4 or the thinner, lighter, iPad mini? Should you consider an iPod touch instead? And what about alternatives? I Apple isn't the right answer, should you look at the Nexus 7 or Nexus 10, or an Amazon Kindle Fire HD, or a Microsoft Surface instead? Lets break it down.

iPad

The iPad is the first, successful, mainstream tablet. If you're considering getting a tablet for yourself or as a gift, this is where to to start.

Pros: High density screen. 720p front camera, 1080p rear camera. 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB options. Available with black or white front plates. Plays audio and video, reads ebooks. Runs iOS, all App Store apps, including hundreds of thousands of tablet-specific iPad apps. Weighs 652 grams. Starts at $499. Cellular/LTE available.

Cons: Heavier than iPad mini, not as powerful as a full-on laptop.

Bottom line: If you want something more accessible, enjoyable, and portable than a laptop, but still want a big screen and plenty of power to get things done, get an iPad 4.

More info: iPad 4 review & feature guide

Note: If you don't care about the latest and the greatest, you can grab the 2010/2011 iPad 2 with a worse screen, no LTE, and really bad cameras, and save $100.

iPad mini

The iPad mini is just like the full-sized iPad, only a little smaller and a lot lighter. It's a great alternative for people for whom the big iPad would be perfect... if only it wasn't so big.

Pros: 1080p rear camera, 720p front camera. 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB options. Available in slate (black) or silver (white). Plays audio and video, reads ebooks. Runs iOS, all App Store apps, including hundreds of thousands of tablet-specific iPad apps. Fits in purses, large jacket pockets. Weighs 308 grams. Starts at $329. Cellular/LTE available.

Cons: No high density Retina display, less powerful than iPad 4.

Bottom line: If you want a tablet but already have an ultralight laptop (like the MacBook Air) to lug around, or the full-size iPad is just too big and heavy, save some size and weight and get the iPad mini.

More info: iPad mini review & feature guide

• Starting at $329 - Buy now

iPod touch

While you might not think about the iPod touch as a tablet, it does everything a tablet can do, and still manages to fit in even very small pockets.

Pros: 720p front camera, 1080p rear camera. 32GB and 64GB options. Available in slate (black), silver (white), pink, blue, and red (Apple Store exclusive). Runs iOS, can play audio and video, read ebooks, and run hundreds of thousands of App Store apps and games.

Cons: No cellular option (3G/LTE). Can't run iPad apps. Smaller screen than iPad line.

Bottom line: If even the iPad mini is still too big, and you want your computing literally in your pocket, along with access to the App Store, get the incredibly mobile iPod touch.

• Starting at $299 - Buy now

Note: If you don't care about the latest and the greatest, you can grab the 2010/2011 model with a worse screen and really bad cameras, and save $100.

BlackBerry Playbook

If the most important feature for you in any tablet is price, the BlackBerry Playbook is absolutely the cheapest 7-inch tablet from a major player on the market.

Pros: 720p front camera, 1080p rear camera. Upgradeable to BlackBerry 10 in 2013. Wi-Fi version can be found for as little as $150 if you shop around.

Cons: No high density display, less software choice than iPad.

Bottom line: If price is your only concern, get the BlackBerry Playbook

• Starting at $150 - Buy now

More: BlackBerry PlayBook review

Google/Asus Nexus 7

If the iPad mini is a little too big, and the iPod touch is way too small, and you prefer Google to Apple anyway, the Google/Asus Nexus 7 is the best small Android tablet on the market.

Pros: Higher density display than iPad mini. Excellent integration with all Google services. Starts at only $199 for 16GB. Cellular option.

Cons: No rear camera. More like a big iPod touch than a small tablet (paucity of tablet-optimized interfaces/apps). No LTE.

Bottom line: If you use a lot of Google services, and Google Play has a lot of content in your area, the Nexus 7 is the best small Android tablet on the market, and a good "bigger" alternative to the iPod touch.

More: Complete Nexus 7 review

• Starting at $199 - Buy now

Kindle Fire HD 7

The Kindle Fire HD 7 is more media appliance than tablet, but if you're in the U.S. and all-in on Amazon's ecosystem, the Kindle Fire HD 7 is a low-cost iPad alternative.

Pros: Excellent for media. Cellular/LTE option. Starts at only $199.

Cons: Lower density display than iPad 4. Not as good for general computing. Only available in a handful of countries.

Bottom line: If you're looking for small, cheap device to read, listen to, watch, and play Amazon content, you want the Kindle Fire HD 7.

• Starting at $199 - Buy now

Kindle Fire HD 8.9

Like the Kindle Fire HD 7, only bigger -- though not as big as a full-sized iPad -- and with a cellular option, if that's important to you.

Pros: 8.9-inch high-density screen. Cellular option available. Starts at only $299.

Cons: Not as good for general computing. Only available in a handful of countries.

Bottom line: If you want to read, listen to, watch, and play Amazon content, but you want to do it on a bigger screen, get the incredibly cheap Kindle Fire HD 8.9. .

• Starting at $299 - Buy now

Google/Samsung Nexus 10

The Nexus 10 is slightly bigger than the iPad, and while it still lacks consistent tablet-optimized interfaces and apps, it's also slightly more like a traditional, multi-window computer than iOS.

Pros: Higher density screen than iPad 4. 720p front camera, 1080p rear camera. 16GB/32GB options. No LTE option (yet). Starts at $399.

Cons: Paucity of tablet apps, inconsistent tablet interface.

Bottom line: If you really want an Android tablet, and a big screen, get the incredibly cheap Nexus 10.

• Starting at $399 - Buy now

Microsoft Surface RT

While Microsoft's tablet remains confusing and confounding, if you absolutely can't decide between a Windows netbook and a tablet, the Surface might be worth checking out.

Pros: Has elegant Metro interface. Lots of ports. Can run Office. 32GB/64GB options.

Cons: Product line is needlessly complex. Requires touch-unfriendly Windows under-layer to run Office. Office is also touch-unfriendly.

Bottom line: The Surface is brand new and it usually takes Microsoft 2 or 3 generations to nail a product. Still, if you absolutely have to have something that's part tablet, part netbook, get a Surface with a Type cover.

More: Complete Microsoft Surface review

• Starts at $499 - Buy now

Which tablet are you getting?

If you're shopping for a new tablet this Black Friday or holiday season, are you sticking with the tried-and-true iPad? Going small with the iPad mini or even smaller with the iPad touch? Or are you zigging instead of zagging and getting something by Google ro Amazon or Microsoft instead? Let me know what you bring home, and why you chose the way you did!

When Apple introduced the iPad mini, they spent quite a bit of time comparing it to the Google Nexus 7, especially when it came to the merits of the iPad mini's 4:3, 7.9-inch screen over the 16:10, 7-inch screen of the Nexus 7. Physical screen size is only one factor, however. There's also screen resolution to consider, something Apple often touts with their Retina display products like the iPhone 5, iPod touch 5, iPad 4, and MacBook Pro. But not the iPad mini. So, when we put everything on the table, how well does the iPad mini stack up not only to the Nexus 7, but the similarly screened Amazon Kindle Fire HD?

Apple's math highlighted the 35% larger physical screen size (29.6 square inches vs. 21.9 square inches). When Amazon announced their quarterly loss last week, however, they switched the topic to screen resolution, and measured the iPad mini's 1024x768, 163 ppi display against the Kindle Fire HD's (identical to Nexus 7) 1280x800, 254 ppi display. Amazon's math worked out to 30% more pixels (1,024,000 vs. 786,432 pixels) and 33% higher pixel density (216 vs. 163).

Here's how the iPad mini and Nexus 7/Kindle Fire HD 7 compare in terms of physical screen size (left), and in terms of pixel count (right). For the purposes of these diagrams, the iPad mini will always be represented in RED and the Nexus 7/Kindle Fire HD in BLUE. The squares superimposed on top will provide a constant, relative measure for the pixel sizes of of the displays (the lower the density, the bigger the pixel size.)

That means things will look bigger on the iPad mini (bigger pixels), but you'll see more things on the Android tablets (more pixels). The iPad mini also has greater height (in landscape orientation) and width (in portrait orientation), thanks to its 4:3 aspect ratio. That's great for anything that requires reading, including ebooks, web pages, and even multi-column interfaces. Here's an example of a popular website on the iPad mini (left) and the and the Nexus 7/Kindle Fire HD 7 (right), in both landscape (top) and portrait (bottom). I've highlighted the interface chrome to better differentiate active content areas.

Thanks to the greater height in landscape, you get much more visible content on the iPad mini, and much bigger content, though it's not as sharp as it is on either the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD. Because it isn't as tall in portrait, however, the iPad mini shows slightly less content, though Android 4.1 Jelly Bean's persistent control bar at the bottom mitigates some of the aspect ratio advantage.

Here's an example of a list-view based app, in the case the native mail apps, on the iPad mini (left) and the and the Nexus 7/Kindle Fire HD 7 (right), in portrait orientation. I've highlighted the interface chrome to better differentiate active content areas.

Where the iPad mini shares exactly the same, consistent tablet interface as the iPad, with multicolumn, tablet-class apps, the Nexus 7 combines aspects of Android smartphone and tablet interfaces on an app-by-app basis. That's likely a stop-gap on Google's part, however, and we'll hopefully see more tablet-optimized interface from Google in the near future. Likewise, Apple has over 250,000 iPad-optimized apps on the App Store, all of which will run pixel-perfectly on the iPad mini. Android is still severely lacking when it comes to tablet apps. Again, that should change as Google's tablet platform matures. (The Amazon Kindle Fire isn't really a tablet, it's a media appliance, so while it's interface is good enough for that, it's not really directly comparable to either the iPad mini or Nexus 7).

However, that media content brings up another difference between the small tablets. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire 7 HD have an aspect ratio of 16:10, closer to the 16:9 of the iPhone 5, which offers greater width (in landscape orientation) and height (in portrait orientation). That's better for HD video and single column lists. Here's an example of a popular movie on the iPad mini (left) and the and the Nexus 7/Kindle Fire HD 7 (right), in both widescreen (top) and full screen (bottom). I've highlighted the interface chrome to better differentiate active content areas.

The iPad mini shows the wide screen version of the movie at a larger size, but downscales it from 1280 horizontal pixels to 1024 horizontal pixels (and vertically downscales from 720p to 585p). Full motion graphics, like movies and video games, however, are extremely resilient when it comes to screen density (just look at the variety of sizes 1080p television sets come in). So, it won't look terrible, but it won't look as good as the pixel-perfect Android tablets. At full screen, the iPad mini is much bigger, but also cuts off much more of the picture on both sides, an absolute deal-breaker for movie fans.

So what does all this mean? Apple is right in that you do get both bigger content on the iPad mini and more usable display area for most types of apps and media. Amazon is right in that their display is better. For most people, for most things, bigger beats better. Add to that Apple's huge advantage in both tablet software and international content, and it makes for a compelling argument that in this case, the iPad mini overcomes the relatively lower pixel density to provide a more compelling product overall.

I'm one of those people, however, for whom display density does matter greatly. I'm used to an iPhone 5 and iPad 3 (same as iPad 4) and MacBook Pro all with Retina display. Chunky pixels are like sandpaper on my pampered pupils. While the iPad mini is better than the iPad 2, it's identical to the iPhone 3GS, and going back to that is going to be tough.

Design is compromise, however. You can't have everything and you certainly can't have it all now. The iPad mini is 7.2 mm thin, thinner by half than an iPad 3 or iPad 4. If Apple had crammed a Retina display in now, not only would battery life have suffered, but it would have become much thicker and much heavier. If they'd used a 720p display like the Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire 7 HD, they would have broken compatibility with those 250,000 existing iPad apps. Likewise If they'd switched to the iPhone and iPod touch interface -- they would have made a big iPod touch instead of a small iPad. And Apple made a small (concentrated) iPad.

The iPad mini will likely go Retina with the second or third generation, and all of these concerns will disappear, like the pixels on the display. Until then, check out the example above and see if the difference in size and content area make the iPad mini a good compromise for you, at least for now.

There's a story going around about Amazon closing someone's account and wiping her Kindle of all its content, without offering any specific information or recourse. It's a single-sourced story, and Amazon's side hasn't and may not be heard, but it serves as a powerful cautionary tale for users of any DRM (digital rights management) wrapped online content provider, including Apple's iTunes. Martin Bekkelund writes about alleged the incident, which he says happened to his friend Linn, on [bekkeland.net]:(http://www.bekkelund.net/2012/10/22/outlawed-by-amazon-drm/):

And the same, of course, applies to your TV shows, movies, and other content. With iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match, all of our purchased apps, movies, TV shows, books, etc. all live in iCloud, and we need to log in with our Apple ID to re-download them to our iPhones and iPads, or stream them to our Apple TVs. iTunes will even authorize a device to playback local copies of the DRM content. While music, which went DRM-free in 2008, podcasts, and a very few other content types can be easily copied and backed up and played anywhere and with anything compatible, most of what iTunes "sells" cannot be. Same for Amazon. Same for any online provider.

You don't own your content, the company that controls the DRM does, and it's only at their sufferance that you can play it.

And it's not just digital content either. Right now my pricy 7.1 speaker system is sitting dead and my receiver unplugged because it's decided all my fully legitimate signals aren't HDCP (high definition copy protection) compliant so refuses to play them. I was recently given the Avengers BluRay and I couldn't watch it because my offline BluRay player claimed it's encryption keys were outdated.

We're charged full price for content, but we no longer enjoy any actual ownership rights. We're licensees, at the mercy of faulty chips and servers that go down and services that go out of business (PlaysForSure turned out to be anything but), and an entertainment industry that's more concerned with treating us all as potential thieves that need to be guarded against rather than customers that deserve to be delighted.

We don't know the specifics of this case, but that our accounts can be closed and our access to the content we paid for, terminated, should be a cause for huge concern, and something we should never forget.

If the emails contained in the email below are accurate, shame on Amazon. As someone who buys Kindle books (okay, Kindle comic books) it does give me pause about continuing to do business with them. But like I said above, what's the alternative?

Maybe none of the established players. And maybe that leaves the door open for something new and next?

App.net (ADN), an alternative to Twitter that seeks to better balance the needs of the platform owners with developers and users, saw substantial growth in the last couple of weeks. This is partly due to the arrival of popular clients -- for end users the interface is the app, after all, and familiarity is a huge feature. In addition to attracting attention, these clients reduced the learning curve and the stress level often associated with platform change. ADN also lowered the cost of their service. Initially ADN cost $50 a year for a non-developer account, which was a substantial barrier to entry for anyone but the geekiest of geek users (#227, at your service). While $50 is less than some people spend on fancy caffeinated beverages each month, it still feels like a big up-front expense for something that may or may not provide a significant return. ADN dropped the yearly price to $36, but what's more, they introduced a new $5 monthly option. $5 a month is actually $60 a year, which is more expensive than it was previously, but far more people will be willing to give ADN a chance at $5 than $50, as any substantial period of time beyond a few days blurs towards the amorphous. It's a lower up-front cost, and hence, lower up-front risk.

It's objection handling at the product level, and it's smart business. It's something Apple has been doing going on a decade, and something they're doing especially well with iOS devices right now.

With the iPhone 3G in 2008, Apple dropped the price of the iPhone to $199 on contract. Sure, when you included the typical U.S. 2-year contract, the actual price difference wasn't extreme, but the up-front cost is what mattered. That's why, when the iPhone 3GS was introduced, Apple kept the iPhone 3G around and dropped it to $99, and it's why when the iPhone 4S was introduced, Apple kept the iPhone 3GS around and eventually dropped it to $0 on contract. At "free", the barrier of entry was essentially nothing, and the potential for up-selling to a non-free alternative was tremendous.

Barriers of entry aren't always cost-based either. Windows Phone faces entirely different barriers to entry. First, carriers have to sell iPhone because it's what people want to buy. Carriers want to sell Android because it's what they can do anything they want with. Windows Phone lacks both consumer demand and carrier friendliness. It also has terrible branding. Microsoft's obsession with the "Windows-everywhere" concept has prevented them from presenting their next-generation mobile offerings with anything but old generation trappings. Microsoft is attempting to change the former, the demand, by marketing themselves as a middle ground to consumers, a better experience than Android that doesn't come from Apple. They're also making exclusivity deals with carriers, and offering themselves as a way to hedge against the dominance of either Apple or Google. When it comes to the latter, the branding, they remain oblivious, so partners like Nokia are trying to promote their own brands, like Lumia, above Windows Phone (which likely doesn't make Microsoft happy). Unfortunately, neither Microsoft nor their partners have been able to lower either barrier enough to gain momentum and establish themselves as a serious player in the space. At least not yet.

Microsoft faced somewhat similar barriers to entry when they tried, for a decade, to popularize the idea of Tablet PCs. They didn't face competition from better positioned rivals, but they faced the same obsession with Windows everywhere that created a horrible user experience, and they lacked any clear consumer story or go-to-market strategy, crippling them from the start.

When Apple introduced the iPad, they removed the PC software barrier by using mobile software, namely iOS, and they made an attempt to position it for consumers between the smartphone and the laptop, targeting very specific use cases. That led to Apple achieving huge success and establishing a profitable market. However, the iPad still presented two significant barriers of entry all its own. Firstly, at 9.7-inches it's just too big and two heavy for some users, and second, starting at $500 is still too expensive for others.

Amazon tried to take advantage of this apparent opening with the Kindle Fire, which they initially made smaller at 7-inch and sold cheaply, at $200, hoping content would generate revenue lost to lower (read: almost no) hardware margins. Amazon has since followed the original Kindle Fire up with two new, HD versions, one at the same 7-inch size and the other at a larger, almost 9-inch size. Both are still cheap, and both are still meant to be subsidized by content sales. But by removing one barrier, Amazon has created another. Their business model won't allow them to sell the Kindle Fire in markets that don't also support content sales. While Apple's iTunes has a large international footprint, Amazon's store absolutely does not. In addition, Apple's hardware-centric model allows them to seed markets with product where no iTunes Store yet exists. Amazon literally can't afford to do that, severely limiting their addressable market and hamstringing them from the get go.

Google tried something similar with the Nexus 7, although seemingly without the desire to recoup the costs of cheap hardware with content sales. That allowed them to sell into countries Amazon couldn't. However, Google's lack of international content offerings still hurt them in terms of the overall value proposition of their platform. Likewise, their lack of real tablet-class software, and the continued uneven usability of the Android operating system hurt them in terms of the overall experience of their platform. Even people who want an Apple alternative aren't always willing to put up with those two compromises in order to have it.

Apple faces a much easier path to lowering the barriers to entry for the iPad. They just have to make it smaller and lighter, and sell it for less. They've demonstrated time and again that they have both the design and engineering skills to accomplish this, and they've shown with the iPod mini (vs. the original iPod) and the iPad itself (vs. the Mac) that they're willing to cannibalize their own higher end sales if it means they push mass-market adoption of their platforms and prevent competitors from beating them too it.

A smaller, lighter, cheaper iPad mini, sold in almost 100 countries, backed by the content of the iTunes Store, and enveloped by the user experience of iOS solves the barrier to entry problems of the 9.7-inch iPad in a way no competitor can currently match.

Just like the iPod touch removed the "I don't want a phone or contract" barriers, and succeeding generations of iOS have removed the "I need apps and multitasking" barriers, and the iPhone 5 removed the "I need a bigger screen and LTE phone" barriers, Apple has so far resisted the temptation to mistake their product for their business, and, in highly strategic ways, has kept chipping away at the barriers to entry for their products.

If there's a story to the last 5, if not 10 years of Apple, that's it -- removing barriers to entry by making products better and more accessible so they're ultimately more appealing to more people. And the next 5, if not 10, probably won't be much different.

Harry Potter fans everywhere can now enjoy their favorite series straight from their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The books are available exclusively through the Pottermore shop.

All seven of the Harry Potter books are now available for download. The first three books in the series are available for $7.99 each while the last four books are available for $9.99. If you'd prefer to purchase all of them, you can save yourself a little bit of money by buying all of them together for $57.54.

While it's great to be able to read the Harry Potter books in eBook format on many platforms, I'd have to say I'm a bit irritated with the process users will have to go through in order to get them on their devices.

Since they're only available via the Pottermore shop, you'll have to download them to your computer and either transfer them to iBooks via iTunes or open them natively from your device and choose to open them in iBooks. It's not the most convenient way to download a book and definitely a bit more aggravating than just opening the iBooks store and making a purchase with your iTunes account.

The Harry Potter series is also available for many other eBook readers as well. If you prefer using the Kindle app for iOS, you can choose to download them into your Kindle account and access them normally from there. I'd almost prefer using this method as I'd always be able to sign into my Amazon account on a new or freshly reformatted device and be able to access them without going through the iBooks process all over again.

I have a feeling a lot of hardcore Harry Potter fans will probably overlook the minor annoyance of getting the content onto their devices and will just be glad to finally have Harry Potter available in digital format. I'll personally be using the Kindle app as it seems to be the most convenient as of now. Any of you plan on picking up HP in digital format?

Source: Pottermore

Now that you've got your new iPad and you've set it up perfectly, you'll definitely want to check out how awesome it is to read books on the gorgeous new retina display. Text looks better than ever and reading on an iPad has never been more enjoyable. Whether you want to use Apple's own iBooks service, Amazon's Kindle powerhouse, or something different, we've got you covered.

iBooks

Apple's own iBooks and iBookstore are a great way to purchase and read books as well as save PDF documents from the web. Many free and paid books are available directly on your iPad through the iBookstore.

From the latest novels to the best non-fiction to high school textbooks to cartoons like Bloom County and comics from Marvel, you'll think you're looking at digital paper.

iBooks is a free download from the App Store.

Once you've got iBooks installed, it's simple to download books.

1. Open iBooks and tap Store in the upper left hand corner. The bookshelf will turn around to show you the iBooks bookstore. You can browse for books from here just as you'd browse for apps or any other type of media in iTunes or the App Store.

2. If you find a book you think you may be interested in, you can download a preview before buying if you'd like via the Get Sample button.
3. Once you've decided to buy, just tap on the price and it'll ask you to tap it again to confirm the purchase.
4. Enter in your iTunes password and your book will begin downloading.
5. When you go into the iBooks app, you'll now see your new book on the book shelf. Just tap into it to start reading.

iBooks isn't the only way you can read eBooks from your iPad. The Kindle app for iPad is a free download from the App Store and if you've already got a Kindle collection built, you'll probably want access to those books. Simply download the app and sign into your Amazon account to access all your purchased books. Best of all, it's just been updated for Retina on iPad.

Additional resources:

• How to read eBooks as white on black
• How to re-download previously purchased apps, songs, and books in iTunes
• Books, magazines, and comics help and discussion forum
• Everything you need to know about the new iPad

With the new iPad around the corner, there are lots of people wondering if now is the time to jump into the wonderful world of tablets. Of course, the new iPad will be the first one many first timers will look at. Many savvy shoppers, however, will also take a look at the alternatives before taking the plunge. That's especially true of low-cost alternatives like the BlackBerry PlayBook, Amazon Kindle Fire, and smattering of other bargain bin Android tablets (like the $100 ZTE Optik). The question is simple: how much are you willing to spend, and what value can you get for your money?

Screen size

The most obvious sacrifice you tend to make when it comes to budget tablets is screen size, which might not actually be all that much of a bad thing if you're looking for something portable. The PlayBook, even with its 7-inch display, can still handle HD video playback respectably. The Amazon Kindle Fire is the same size, and is tied into all of Amazon's book, video, and music services.

The advantage of the smaller screen size is that you can fit it into a jacket pocket, and hold it for longer periods of time without getting tired. It's closer to a one-handed tablet than the two hands typically required for an iPad.

The down side is that a smaller screen restricts the type of apps you can run. As a result, with 7-inch tablets you typically get scaled up smartphone apps rather than the bigger, tablet-specific apps you get on the iPad. Also, for some bigger really is better when it comes to watching video, gaming, or reading.

If portability is your primary concerns, check out the PlayBook and the Kindle Fire. If screen size matters to you, check out the iPad.

Media and Apps

There's no other way to say it: compared to the iPad and the App Store, the BlackBerry PlayBook App World ecosystem is sorely lacking. This is the next sacrifice you make when aiming for budget tablets. Even within the massive Android market, Android tablet apps have been very slow to appear. On both platforms you can run Android smartphone apps, but the experience isn't even close to the same. (Just like running iPhone apps on the iPad is doable but not especially enjoyable.)

For games and really big name apps, it probably won't matter. You'll find what you need to get by. But if you want really great software and more importantly, a choice of several really great apps in any given category, it's something to consider.

Media -- books, TV shows, movies, and music -- varies more from platform to platform. Amazon, of course, is a content power house and there's an argument to be made that the Kindle Fire is as much a portal to the massive Amazon store as it is a tablet. The only catch is, Amazon media is almost entirely exclusive to the U.S. You can find Amazon MP3 in a few other countries, but compared to Apple's international iTunes availability, depending on where you live, the Kindle can end up being little more than a paperweight. Media on the PlayBook is more of a mixed bag, with apps and sync filling in some of the gaps, but nothing to compare with the content offerings from Amazon or iTunes.

If you're happy with the basics and already have a lot of your own content, you can go with a cheaper tablet. If you want the best choice of the best apps and an easy way to buy more content, go with the iPad.

Performance and user experience

Although the PlayBook saw significant price cuts due to slow sales and adoption, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 runs really well on the hardware. Amazon has also fixed a lot of the bugs and performance issues that plagued the original Kindle Fire release and the user experience is now much smoother and more enjoyable.

Budget Android tablets tend to be more problematic. Delayed OS updates, wonky manufacturer customizations, and sketchy hardware performance can all make for a poor time on Android.

With the iPad you get what you pay for. A really smooth, really polished user experience that almost always keeps you focused on what you're doing without the distractions of poor or glitchy performance. It's a cliche but it just works.

One thing PlayBook and Android can boast over iOS, however, is a more open ecosystem, at that combined with a lower pricetag may be worth sacrifice if you're willing (or eager) to tweak your device.

If you want a good mix of performance and price, the Playbook followed more distantly by the Kindle Fire is worth checking out. If you value price over performance, budget Android tablets are worth a look. If you put a premium on performance and user experience, you'll ultimately enjoy the iPad more.

The budget iPad

There's another choice worth considering in the budget tablet debate: the iPad 2. While it hasn't reached the $199 level of the BlackBerry PlayBook or Amazon Kindle Fire, Apple did keep last year's iPad 2 around at a discounted $399 price. If you don't mind missing out on a Retina display, faster graphics, LTE options, or better cameras, give it a look.

• iPad 2 vs the new iPad: Which should you get?

Apple also offers refurbished iPads, currently both first generation and iPad 2, via their online store. So if you're on a budget but have your heart set on an iPad, Apple's refurbished iPad store is worth a look.

Any questions?

Overall, if you're on a budget, you can typically find a decent (if not great) tablet alternative to the new iPad for $300 less. You're sacrificing app selection, screen size, and resolution, but you're gaining a wider variety of options when it comes to hardware configuration and software accessibility. Personally, it's easy for me to side with the new iPad -- I can only imagine that the disparity in gaming performance with anything else is going to be huge.

If money is tight, however, it can be really difficult to decide how much you can or will spend on a tablet. Lower cost doesn't always translate into better value, but the reality it, tablets aren't as critical as phones or computers, and there's only so much gadget money to go around. If you've already tried out the BlackBerry PlayBook, Amazon Kindle Fire, or another budget tablet, share your thoughts. If you have more questions or want more opinions, we're here to help.

• New iPad help forum

There's an interesting debate taking place about the merits and virtues of modern electronic books like Apple's iBooks or Amazon's Kindle books and their traditional counterparts -- old fashioned paper bound and proper.

They're qualitatively different, inarguably. The feel of board and cloth and leather is warm and textured compared to the crisp coolness of glass, aluminum, and plastic. The gentle sound of pages flipping is vastly different than a tap or swipe or click. The sharp smell of a fresh new novel or musky scent of an old tome exists in a different dimension from the relative sterility of chips and displays.

Yet the weight, permanence, and nostalgia of traditional books can be a disadvantage when it comes to carrying them, correcting them, and moving the state of the art of knowledge forward once again.

Ben Brooks laments this, almost romantically.

Marco Arment does not, functionally.

Dieter Bohn thinks we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Here's the thing -- once upon a time we passed down our stories between generations. Then we carved them into stone, brushed them on papyrus, illuminated them on scrolls, and eventually pressed them into print. We lost the voices of our parents, the lines of our hand, the power of our art, the uniqueness of our craft. But we gained volume and the democratization of information. Beauty gave way to volume.

Each transition has been painful. Each transition has been decried and denounced. Yet, inexorably, the new has overtaken the old. Even if it's never fully supplanted it. We still tell stories. We still practice calligraphy. We still work at leading and kerning. iBooks and eBooks won't wipe out traditional books any more than non-traditional books wiped out message mediums older than they. Those mediums will shrink, perhaps, and become the providence of craftsman and collectors, enthusiasts and artists, and the very same folk who still enjoy wooden toys, vinyl albums, and pre-iPhone phones.

Meanwhile, iBooks, Kindle books, and other forms of digital books will continue to crawl out of the primordial ooze and make more content more available to more people (and children) than ever before. And perhaps they'll recapture some of the magic of mediums past, the way Audible has voice and InDesign has done digital press.

iBooks, Kindle books, and their ilk are not perfect, not yet and maybe never, but they're the future. Until the next transition.

Amazon just let us know that their Kindle Cloud Reader is now live, and lets you read any of their over 950,000 Kindle books right in Safari on iPad, Mac, or Windows, or Chrome on Windows, Mac, or Linux, without needing the Kindle app or hardware.

While there's no iPhone or iPod touch (it tells you your browser isn't supported and you should download Safari or Chrome, though hopefully a better intercept screen is in the works), it's a full HTML5 web app and includes offline storage. I've tried it out on iPad and it works quickly and cleanly. The Kindle Store is built in, so there's no jarring transition to the Amazon.com version of the store, and all the menus and options work really well. Likewise, the text is just a legible as it is in the app, and the WhisperSync works perfectly. Hopefully it keeps up that level of performance when personal libraries get really big.

With the controversy that arose in the wake of Apple's App Store subscription service, and the requirements to match pricing (since dropped) and remove links to external stores (still in effect), it felt like only a matter of time before Amazon would go this route. It will be interesting to see how many others follow.

Details and screen shots after the break. Anyone going to stop using the app and switch to the web app?

[www.amazon.com/cloudreader]

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Have an iPad and curious which are the best, most must-have reading apps you need to check out? Want to really get the most out of that big 9.7-inch screen? Well read on for TiPb's top 10 most recommended, most must-have readings apps for your iPad.

Note: Many of the reader apps are free but individual books, issues, etc. are available via in-app purchase. Those prices vary.

eBook readers: Kindle for iPad

Amazon's Kindle eBook reader for iPad isn't as good looking as Apple's iBooks but simply has the largest library of titles and the most cross-platform support on the market. If you're looking for a book chances are you'll find it for the Kindle app, and if you buy it you'll be able to read it on iPhone, iPad, Kindle devices, and other smartphones. Better still, if you stop reading it on one device, thanks to WhisperSync you can pick up right where you left off on another device. Universal app - download once, use on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. [Free - iTunes link]

Also check out:

• iBooks from Apple which supports PDF, bookmarking, highlighting, and picture books. [Free - iTunes link]
• Stanza, purchased by Amazon is a favorite of those who like open, free eBooks and like to roll their own as well [Free - iTunes link]

Magazine readers: Zinio

Since neither Apple nor anyone else has been able to provide a real, multi-publisher iTunes-like experience for magazines, it's hard to pick one app as the best. Zinio at least comes close, with support for a wide variety of magazines across a wide array of devices. We're still waiting for our next-generation iMags but this will hold traditionalists over until we get there. Universal app - download once, use on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. [Free - iTunes link]

Also check out:

• Unfortunately, as mentioned, the iPad magazine market is a mess, with tons of apps from tons of publishers, mostly just selling repackaged InDesign exports. If there's a magazine you love, search the App Store for it and there's a good chance you'll find an app for it, including everything from New Yorker to Popular Science to People.

Newspaper readers: Press Reader

Press Reader is much like Zinio, an attempt to provide a one-stop shop, in this case for newspapers. It boasts 1700 international papers in its library. Again, we're still waiting for Apple to pick up the subscription ball with an iNews-type solution, but in the meantime Press Reader gets the job done. Universal app - download once, use on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. [Free - iTunes link]

Also check out:

• The good news is, there are a lot of individual iPad newspaper apps. The bad news is there's a lot of individual iPad newspaper apps. Inarguably most of the big names are there -- Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today -- but just not in any organized manner. So, once again, you're left to search the App Store for your favorites.

Comic book readers: Comics

Comics by comixology is the closest thing to a unified comic books store on iOS. It helps that they also make the Marvel, DC, and Image apps using the same engine, but their own Comics apps is the only place to get stuff from all those publishers all in one place. The experience is the same across comics, Marvel, DC, and Image -- browse or search for books, download free samples, buy issues. You create an account, so you can access your library from other devices, like iPhone as well. Unfortunately some storylines don't have all issues available, and there are no bundled "trade paperback" style purchases... yet. Universal app - download once, use on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. [Free - iTunes link]

Also check out:

• Comic Viewer is for those who prefer to move their own CBZ and CBR files over to iPad. [$4.99 - iTunes link]
• Stanza for iPad also works with comic book files-ish. The dedicated readers are better but if you're into multitaskers and are already using Stanza for eBooks, no you're good to go [Free - iTunes link]

Web readers: Flipboard

Flipboard takes all the stuff you care about -- articles and pictures shared by your Facebook and Twitter friends along with the latest relevant headlines and presents them, with content and social comments, in a gorgeous, tactile iPad interface. A recent update has even added Google Reader support for RSS. You can customize it to your hearts content and share your own comments back. It's the closest we've come yet to a communal magazine. [Free - iTunes link]

• Reeder for iPad is a great way to keep up with your RSS news feeds. [$4.99 - iTunes link]
• Instapaper lets you save web articles to read later in a cleaner format. [$4.99 - iTunes link]

Your top apps?

So there you have them, our top 5 best iPad reader apps to get you going. Be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and iPad App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites leave them in the comments below!

Ever since the iBooks was announced, this is probably the single biggest issue an avid ebook reader will ultimately have to deal with: Kindle app or iBooks. What should you pick? Well, no one can tell you that for certain, but I hope to give you a little insight that might help you decide.

The fundamental difference between the two is the Kindle app has a very large ebook selection by comparison. 750,000 ebooks on Kindle and 60,000 books at iBooks launch (Apple has not released exact numbers). To me, this is the differentiating factor. Both applications support landscape view with two columns and a built-in dictionary as well as syncing of bookmarks, highlights and notes. Let's look at some of the differences of each app beyond how many books they have.

(You can get our quick review of the Kindle app here and iBooks app here)

Kindle

The Kindle app is a free universal app so you can run it on any iOS device. You can tap the left or right of the screen to turn pages and tap the top right corner to bookmark a page. You have several levels of font sizes and colors to choose from to help create your reading experience as good as it can be. You can even sync your annotations to other devices that support Kindle, that includes any iOS device, Mac, PC, Android and BlackBerry as well as Amazon's own Kindle.

There are a couple of innovative features that the Kindle has brought to the ebook table. First the Kindle app displays popular highlights in a book via underlined text while you read. You can easily see what other people have highlighted, quotes or whole passages. Second is data supplied by Shelfari. This content includes summary, character, spoilers and more; not a bad benefit. On the iPad, you can turn on a page turning feature similar to iBooks, but it is not has smooth or pays as much attention to detail as Apple's iBooks. On iPad, you have to different ways to view your library; big icons that can use pinch to zoom to resize as needed or an alphabetical list. I like both options depending on my mood, but what is lacking is a manual arrange function; You only can sort by Recent, Author or Title.

Since Kindle books are in the cloud, there is no need to sync your book on any desktop. Simple navigate to the archive in Kindle and redownload your book and it will then sync your bookmarks and other annotations.

iBooks

iBooks is a free download from the App Store for iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad. You can immediately tell the difference in aesthetic quality between the two apps. When reading with iBooks, it "feels" like a book. In portrait iBook's pages look like they are laying on a bound book. When you turn a page, you can see the print on the other side. Also, one of my caveats with the Kindle app is resolved in iBooks; I can manually arrange my books in any order. One of the other benefits of iBooks is the very nice PDF reader that is built it. You can easily search within PDFs and bookmark pages. For later reference, you can even filter to just view pages you have bookmarked. This is a very nice feature to have for free.

These are all very nice touches iBooks. The look, feel and options are fantastic. However, content is king, just like available software for a platform and regretfully, iBooks falls flat on its face. 9 out of 10 books I search for on iBooks comes up empty. This is very disheartening. I remember in the early days of the Kindle, they only had a 100,000 ebooks or so and are now approaching one million. Sadly, iBooks is not even up to 100,00o yet. I have hopes that Apple will forge the relationships needed to foster a growing library.

Alas, at this time, Kindle really is the better choice for content and iBooks is a much better app. In the end, what s more important to you; books you can actually read, or a pretty application?

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Kindle on iPad is, well, not as good as Kindle on a Kindle or iBooks. That's going to be the bottom line for a lot of people. It works in both portrait and landscape - though curiously I can't find a way to get a two-column book view in landscape. You can do most of the traditional ebook things: change the font size, adjust brightness, jump to any point in the book, have your place saved, etc. On Kindle you can also bookmark pages and add your own notes - all of which get synced up to Amazon's cloud so you can see them on other Kindle devices like your iPhone, a Kindle, etc.

Instead of an in-app store, Amazon sends you to Safari to browse and search for Kindle book - which I don't find especially annoying because the iPad's web browser is so good. Amazon has a slightly better selection of books than Apple does too, though in both cases I often find myself stymied when trying to find a particular book.

With both Kindle and iBooks my basic feeling is that they're good for light reading, but the difficulty of entering and exporting notes means that while I'll use them for entertainment, I won't use them for 'serious' work.

Hopefully Amazon will update this app to support two-column landscape mode soon.

Video and gallery after the break!

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