Amazon.com has developed a software and hardware platform known as Kindle. Kindle is a wireless device for reading books. It provides a high quality resolution display that reads and looks like a real paper. With this device you can read books, magazines, blogs, newspapers etc.
Kindle’s QWERTY keyboard puts the Kindle Store at your fingertips. To find books, newspapers or magazines, just type in the title, keyword or author. Because Kindle is a digital book reader, you can highlight passages or important notes. You can also edit, delete and your notes overseas. The New Oxford American Dictionary with over 250,000 entries and definitions is included in Kindle, so you can easily look up the meanings of words while you are reading.
The file formats supported by Kindle are mobipocket books (MOBI, PRC), plaintext files (TXT) and topaz format books (.tpz). Portable Document Format (pdf) isn’t fully supported by kindle.
On the other hand, the Apple iPad is a mixture of a tablet PC and an iPhone. The iPad is a multi-purpose device that allows you to browse websites, listen to music, watch videos and play games. It also has support for App Store apps, so you can run your favorite iPhone/iPod Touch apps and games on the iPad. With its large multi-touch screen you can see web pages one whole page at a time and scroll through a page just by flicking your finger up or down on the screen.
For exploring photos and videos, iPad is an extra ordinary device. You can rotate your photos, zoom in or zoom out and also watch slideshows of your photos. Photos can also be imported easily through a computer or via the separately available accessory which lets you plug in a camera. You can also easily watch videos on the high resolution screen.
Difference between Amazon Kindle DX and Apple iPad
- Size of displays on both Amazon Kindle DX and Apple iPad are 9.7 inches.
- Amazon Kindle does not support multi-touch whereas Apple iPad does.
- Amazon Kindle has a built in store and supports many formats. On the other hand, Apple iPad has iBooks store and it supports the ePub format.
- The battery life of Amazon Kindle is 1 week with wireless and 2 weeks without wireless but battery life of Apple iPad is 10 hours use and 1 month standby.
- The iBooks will allow readers to flip through pages and supports pictures, video, and other graphics while the Kindle is static.
- Kindle DX has 4GB of internal storage (3.3GB for user content), which is enough for 3500 books, periodicals, and documents. The iPad has a 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive. So,the iPad has four times the storage (16GB) of the Kindle DX.
The Amazon Kindle DX is a good tool for people who just want to read books, newspapers and blogs. For people who enjoy reading printed material while listening to music, browsing websites, watching videos, playing games etc should prefer the iPad.
@#1 – iPad has a web browser (in color!), a book store (in color!), a book reader (in color and with animations), a dictionary app (with updating and many different dictionaries), plus all the iPhone-y awesomeness (music, movies, games…). I don’t really see why would anyone need both devices. If a Kindle is enough, use a Kindle. If you want, or need, something the iPad does, buy an iPad, and you get all Kindle’s features. Kindle might be the most awesome non-colorscreen device of the decade, but if somebody has an iPad, he/she sure won’t really need the Kindle. If not – the Kindle might be just fine for reading books without pictures.
I agree that the two cannot be compared directly…better to compare the ereader functionality of each. Kindle isn’t a pc and isn’t trying to be one. Since I already have a PC I have no need to duplicate that function simply to get an ereader — that would be, to put it politely, overkill. Also, a huge plus for Kindle is battery life. I really don’t want to have yet another device that I must recharge every ten hours. Kindle will last for one week with wireless on, and a full TWO WEEKS with it off! Wow! The iPad is also more than a quarter pound heavier than Kindle. And in regards to color, I really don’t need to have my fonts in multi-color, and while illustrations would be nice in color, they are certainly not the reason I would choose one device over the other. Perhaps if you have children, color might be good…then again, are you going to trust someone young enough to still be reading children’s books to use your iPad? Another plus: Kindle has a built-in dictionary. Since I won’t need to play games while reading, that issue is a non-starter. What iPad lacks is a true e-ink screen. The backlit screen on iPad (like any other computer screen) will lead to eye strain. Anyone who has tried to read a large document on a pc screen will gladly attest to that. I’ve taken my pc on long flights and tried to read my docs but quickly gave up. The Kindle addresses this issue wonderfully. It’s lighter than my pc, smaller than my pc, and since it’s not trying to be everything, like a pc, it certainly suits my needs (and apparently the needs of millions of other folks who want to read ebooks.) Chalk up one vote for Kindle!