A Review of the iPhone as an E-book Reader
The Kindle isn’t the only e-reader in the game. There’s the Sony Reader, of course, and the aptly named iLiad. Some tech users are heralding the iPhone as a fabulous e-reader. In particular, Salon.com has called it “the best and worst e-book reader ever.”
In their post, (which coincidentally features Stephen King’s On Writing on the iPhone screen - On Writing was my first Kindle book) they go over the reasons why the iPhone is an excellent e-reader (backlight, one do-all device) and why it’s a horrible e-reader (no way to browse books directly from the app). One concession they do make towards the Kindle is,
Unlike Palm or BlackBerry or Nokia smart phones, the iPhone’s screen is comparatively gargantuan. No, not as large as the Kindle’s with its nice wide margins that add to the illusion of actual ink on paper, but wonderfully white and bright with beautiful contrast.
Personally, I like that the Kindle doesn’t have a backlight. I stare at my computer enough during the course of a day, so when I’m reading for pleasure I don’t want a bright light shining in my eyes. What about you, fellow Kindle owners? Do you like or dislike the lack of a backlight on the Kindle?
Visit Salon.com for the full review.
