Also known as e-readers or e-book devices, and spelled with or without the hyphen, e-book readers are mobile electronic devices that are designed primarily for reading digital books and periodicals, although many of them have other functions, as well.
In a general sense, any device that can display text on a screen might be referred to as an e-reader but, for the purpose of categorization, we will consider an e-reader to be a device that was specifically designed for digitally displaying the text of books, magazines, and newspapers.
As with many other categories in the computer section, there is some overlapping, in that many of the features of an e-reader could also be used to describe a tablet computer, such as an iPad, which could also be used to display digital book content, the chief difference being that tablet computers are designed primarily as mobile computer devices, whereas an e-book's primary purpose is to serve as an electronic book reader.
One of the most popular e-book readers is the Amazon Kindle, which is available in several models. However, Amazon also produces and markets the Kindle Fire, which can also be used as an e-book reader but which is more appropriately described as a tablet. In fact, the Kindle Fire is marketed as a tablet computer, not an e-book reader. A Kindle is purely an e-book reader, while a Kindle Fire is a tablet computer, which can be used to view webpages, to download and use computer applications, and stream movies.
The first distinguishing characteristic of a tablet computer is that it is designed to perform multiple functions, and the second point of difference is that a tablet computer does not rely a black-and-white or grayscale low-power reflective electronic ink screen, but uses a high-quality color backlit LCD screen, like that found in a laptop or desktop computer.
An e-reader is an electronic system for downloading and storing full-length books, magazines, newspapers, and other publications, and making them available for reading via a screen. A laptop or tablet computer can be capable of using e-reader software and, in such cases, the e-reader technology that allows this would be appropriate for this category, as well as the dedicated e-reader devices. For the purposes of categorization, desktop, laptop, and tablet computers will be considered computers, however.
The chief advantage of an e-reader over a printed book is that of portability, given that an e-reader can store the full text of thousands of books in a device that weighs less than one book. Additional advantages include extra features that are available in many e-book readers, such as bookmarking pages, highlighting text, accessing dictionary information, and making notations.
Most e-book readers display textual content as electronic paper rather than on an LCD screen. This leads to longer battery life and better readability. The drawbacks often include a grayscale-only display, although some e-book readers support color.
E-book readers usually include a means of accessing the Internet for the purpose of downloading books from an e-book retailer, and some allow users to buy, borrow, and trade digital books. E-books might also be able to be downloaded from a computer or read from a memory card.
Most e-book readers are designed to offer access only to the online shop operated by the provider of the e-book reader device, rather than from an open market.
Concerns about the move toward electronic books over printed books are centered around the changes that this has brought to the publishing industry and a decline in the availability of printed texts, as more and more books are only published electronically. Other concerns include policies of some e-book publishers, including Amazon, of making changes to or even removing digital books that have been purchased and downloaded by Kindle customers.
The most popular e-books include the Amazon Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Voyage, and Kindle Oasis, followed by the Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo, Kobo Mini, and Kobo Aura. The Barnes & Noble Nook and Nook GlowLight have a significant portion of the market, as well. Marketed primarily in France is the Bookeen Cybook Opus, Cybook Orizon, and the Cybook Odyssey, while Germany has the Tolino Shine and the Tolino Vision. Sold in Europe and China are the Onyx Boox Max2 and the Onyx Boox Note. The PocketBook Touch, PocketBook Mini, PocketBook Touch Lux, the PocketBook Color Lux, and the PocketBook Aqua are sold in Europe and Russia. There are others, of course, but these are the main ones.
Topics related to e-book reader devices or e-book reader technology are the focus of this category.
Recommended Resources
The Amazon Cloud Reader allows Amazon customers and owners of Kindle devices to access their books through their tablet, laptop, or desktop computer without the use of a Kindle e-book reader. Books already purchased and credited to the customer’s account are available in the Amazon Cloud Reader library, or the customer may access the Kindle Store, where a book may be purchased or borrowed, depending on which plan they are a part of. Content may be synced with their e-reader device.
https://read.amazon.com/
Owned by Tribune Publishing, the site is maintained by staff who research, analyze, test, and review various products for the benefit of consumers. In this section of the site, popular e-book readers are reviewed and compared, side-by-side. The reviewers comment and compare the pros and cons of the device, as compared to others, and offers an overall comment known as the bottom line. A statement as to how its decisions are made is posted, and key considerations are discussed.
https://bestreviews.com/best-e-readers/
Free and open-source, Calibre is used to manage e-book collections. Created in 2006, the e-reader software is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Windows 64bit, and portable devices, and is compatible with several e-reader devices, allowing users to transfer e-books from one device to another, wirelessly or with a cable. Calibre can convert dozens of file types and has a built-in e-book viewer that can display all the major e-book formats, with support for multiple devices.
https://calibre-ebook.com/
Founded in 1994 and currently owned by CBS Interactive, CNET is a US-based site that specializes in publishing news, reviews, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on topics related to technology and consumer electronic products. Its reviews on e-book readers may be sorted by price range, manufacturer, screen type, features, and screen technology, using a 1-5-star rating system, which takes into account the design, ecosystem, features, and performance of the devices.
https://www.cnet.com/topics/ereaders/
Offering news, suggestions and tips, recent deals, as well as other information and resources relating to e-books, digital publishing, and the future of books. The site features a distraction-free environment for easier reading on smaller screens, and it focuses not only on the US market but on e-book devices and deals in other countries, as well. Its lists section offers lists curated by the editors on e-books, e-book accessories, and related topics. Infographics and video are also available.
https://ebookfriendly.com/
Available for most smartphones or tablets, the Ebook Reader application may be downloaded. Offering access to a library of more than 130,000 e-books, including a large selection of free books, from several genres, users may search, browse, and preview books before purchasing them. A visual tour of its dashboard, bookstore, bookshelf, and account area is included, along with support information and a help section. If unsure which download link to use, the company will text a link.
https://ebookreader.ebooks.com/
The cross-platform GUI e-text reader utilizes the wsWindows GUI library and is designed to read electronic texts downloaded from the Project Gutenberg website, using the font and color selection of the user’s choice. Since it was first developed, the EText Reader has been expanded to support electronic texts from other sources, as well, some of which are listed on the site. Its features are highlighted, along with documentation and screenshots, and it may be downloaded from the site.
http://linux.techass.com/projects/etr
FBReader supports ePub, fb2, Mobi, RTF, HTML, plain text, and several other formats, and is available for iPhone, Android, and macOS, with versions for Windows, Linux, and macOS X under development. Free versions are available, but with limitations, while the premium version is available through the Google Play store. Supported book formats and devices are defined, along with other options under development or considered, along with instructions for setting up an e-book library.
https://fbreader.org/
The Open Source software program is distributed under the GNU General Public License and may be freely downloaded from the site. Described as a viewer and converter for comic books stored in the CBZ, CBR, and PDF formats, its features include a two-page mode, caching, and support for several image formats, including PNG, JFIF, JPEG, TIFF, and GIF. A number of download options are available, along with screenshots, a user guide, and a support forum.
http://jomic.sourceforge.net/
Created by the OpenBerg Project, the objective of the open-source software is to serve as an open-source, open-standards-based, multi-platform tool for e-book authors, editors, and readers. Current projects include the OpenBerg Lector, an e-book reader, and OpenBerg Rector, an e-book compiler for Windows, BSD, Mac, and Linux. Project samples are published to the site, along with reviews, discussion, and support data. Released versions may be downloaded.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/openberg/
The Ohio-based company is a worldwide digital distributor of e-books, audiobooks, online magazines, and streaming video titles. OverDrive provides digital rights management and download fulfillment services for publishers, public libraries, K-12 schools, colleges, universities, corporations, legal industries, and retailers. OverDrive operates the e-book and audiobook application "Libby," the streaming application "Kanopy," and the educational application "Sora."
https://www.overdrive.com/
Offering several models of e-book readers and accessories, including the Kobo Forma, the Kobo Aura, the Kobo Clara, and others, as well as e-reader applications for Android, Apple, Blackberry, and Windows, as well as the Kobo desktop for Windows and Mac, the site is available in several languages. Electronic books available for the Kobo e-readers may also be browsed and purchased from the site. Kobo’s loyalty program and VIP memberships are defined.
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/
The online informational site offers resources on electronic book readers, including reviews of the various products and models, video examples, how-to tutorials, opinions, and reviews. Included in the site is an eBook reader blog, comparison tables on the different devices, Kindle comparisons, recommendations of the best eBook readers, and help articles. The use of tablet computers for e-book reading is also included, along with a discussion of tablet operating systems.
https://www.the-ebook-reader.com/
