What iPad to get for my wife?

Javery

Javery

CAGiversary!
Feedback
20 (100%)
Any thoughts on the iPad version I should buy for my wife's birthday? She loves to read and has been reading book after book on her iPhone so I imagine she will use the iPad for mostly reading. She won't keep music on there but she might watch movies but she is pretty good about deleting stuff she's already seen so it's not like she needs to keep a ton of movies on there.

I'm thinking the 16GB one with wifi only would be enough but I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on this. Her birthday is tomorrow and I've been working like crazy and I haven't had time to focus on this.

Thanks.

EDIT: Also, does the iPad have the same screen quality as the iPhone4? Is the picture nice?
 
If she is mainly reading, I would highly suggest a Kindle. The e-ink screen is the best for reading (less eye strain thanks to no backlight, fun to read outside with no real glare) and the battery life is amazing since it only uses power (if wireless is off and all new books are indexed) to refresh the screen.

If you do get one, pay extra to get the 3G model so she can download books anywhere.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']If she is mainly reading, I would highly suggest a Kindle. The e-ink screen is the best for reading (less eye strain thanks to no backlight, fun to read outside with no real glare) and the battery life is amazing since it only uses power (if wireless is off and all new books are indexed) to refresh the screen.

If you do get one, pay extra to get the 3G model so she can download books anywhere.[/QUOTE]

Can a Kindle be read in the dark?

I was looking at the 3G model but I'm not sure. We already have iPhones and I don't want to pay the monthly fee. I was hoping the 16GB WiFi $500 model would be enough (it is expensive enough!).
 
[quote name='javeryh']Can a Kindle be read in the dark?

I was looking at the 3G model but I'm not sure. We already have iPhones and I don't want to pay the monthly fee. I was hoping the 16GB WiFi $500 model would be enough (it is expensive enough!).[/QUOTE]

By itself? No, since the screen isn't backlit. It's just like a normal book. You would need a booklight or the case that has the light built in and runs off of the Kindle's battery.

There's no monthly fee with the 3G Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wirele...id=1287419771&sr=8-1#kindle-features-wireless
 
It also depends on what she reads. I love my Kindle for novels, but it's no good for anything else like Magazines, Newspapers, Comics, PDFs of scholarly articles etc.

If she's just reading novels, then yeah go with a Kindle or other e-ink reader. If she's reading more than that, then go with the iPad.

Similarly, if reading is just one thing she wants to do and also wants to surf the net, check e-mail, watch videos, use random apps etc. then the iPad is the way to go. My girlfriend has an iPad and I like it a lot. If the screen were a tad bigger and it was easier to load files on it and organize them etc. I'd pick one up to complement my Kindle for reading other things besides novels as well as watching video and random apps etc.

As for what model, I'd agree than the 16gb wifi only is probably good enough. If she's not going to store a lot of stuff no need for space, and the 3G is only worth it if she'll use it on the go and want to access the internet (or use apps that use the net) on the go.
 
You can't add storage, so if you're thinking about the 16GB, I'd suggest going up to the 32GB from the 16GB.

Screen quality on the iPad is on par with the 3GS, not the iPhone 4. There's rumors of a new iPad coming out in 2011 with all manner of improvements, though if they pan out or not is another matter.

If she's just going to read books with it, a Kindle is a well-designed single-purpose device for that use. If you're looking for something to do that and a number of other items, then go with an iPad. For book reading, the Kindle works better than the iPad for that single purpose, though that's pretty much all a Kindle will do.
 
I've personally got the 16gb iPad without 3G. I have about 55 games on it, about a dozen books, and I have about 10gb free on the device.

If she's just using it for books,etc, the 16gb is plenty. I don't do music on it personally, so I don't need that storage.

Reading books is enjoyable. Both the kindle and iBook software have various options for brightness, etc. I use them both about equally.

The picture looks fine for what it is. It's not the iPhone 4 screen of course, but it doesn't necessarily need to be. I have no problems with the visuals of anything that I do. Some iPhone games are pixelated, but that's to be expected when you're scaling a smaller image up.
 
$189 is a lot easier to swallow. How do files get loaded on the Kindle? Is it just drag and drop? Can she transfer the books files from her iphone to the Kindle?

EDIT: just saw the other responses... if there is an improved iPad coming in 2011 maybe I'll wait. Of course there is always an improved model coming out... I'd hate to buy one now and then only have it be current for 6 months although my wife won't give a shit about that - she is still rocking the 3G iPhone and doesn't want to update until this one breaks.
 
[quote name='javeryh']$189 is a lot easier to swallow. How do files get loaded on the Kindle? Is it just drag and drop? Can she transfer the books files from her iphone to the Kindle?
[/QUOTE]

Books transfer via wireless--be it 3G or WiFi. You just send them to your device from Amazon.com under the manage my Kindle section.

She couldn't send them from the iPhone Kindle app, but could log into Amazon.com on the iPhone and send it from there. You can also hook up to a computer and do simple drag and drop.

Leave wifi and whispersync on and the books will sync to the fartherest page read. i.e. she could read some at work on the iPhone and come home and open on the kindle and it will be on that page she left off on as long as the Kindle was just asleep and the wireless wasn't turned off.
 
[quote name='javeryh']$189 is a lot easier to swallow. How do files get loaded on the Kindle? Is it just drag and drop? Can she transfer the books files from her iphone to the Kindle?[/QUOTE]

What does she use to read books on her iPhone? If it's the Kindle app, it should all be tied to her Amazon account.

She would just have to log into her Amazon account on the Kindle and it will let her download any of the titles she bought in the past.

If you have DRM free titles (think Project Gutenberg or feedbooks http://www.feedbooks.com/ ), you can either drag and drop via USB or email it to Kindle for a fee (since it uses the wireless to transfer it)

Just be sure to get a case if you go with the Kindle. Even a sleeve that can kind of protect the screen is better than nothing.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='Sporadic']
If you have DRM free titles, you can either drag and drop via USB or email it to Kindle for a fee (since it uses the wireless to transfer it)[/QUOTE]

I think I read that there's no fee if the transfer is done via WiFi rather than 3G though.

If his wife is reading on the iPhone on the go, then I'd probably say save the $50 and get the WiFi only Kindle 3. Not much need for 3G if she'll only mainly be reading it at home and using the iPhone on the go.
 
Most of the droid tablets thus far have pretty poor to mediocre reviews.

I've been keeping an eye on them since the iPad doesn't quite do what I want out of a tablet. But thus far no Android tablets have been better.

But Android is going to struggle until the get to a unified Android OS with one App Store of Apps that work fine on every device etc. I think we'll see the first real iPad competitor using something else--be it a mobile version of Windows 7, Google's Chrome OS, Palms WebOS (which HP owns now) etc. as Android is too fragmented and non-standardized.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The one advantage Android tablet has is price. When you can get it at a B&M store at $100, you can live with some of the problems.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
She uses the iBooks app. She's read like 4 novels in the past month on the thing and I can't believe she doesn't complain about the screen size or how often she has to turn the page which is like every 20 seconds. She will be reading at home for the most part and maybe on the road a little but if she loads up with 2 or 3 books before going somewhere I don't think there will be a need for internet.
 
[quote name='javeryh']She uses the iBooks app. She's read like 4 novels in the past month on the thing and I can't believe she doesn't complain about the screen size or how often she has to turn the page which is like every 20 seconds. She will be reading at home for the most part and maybe on the road a little but if she loads up with 2 or 3 books before going somewhere I don't think there will be a need for internet.[/QUOTE]

Oh, that's a little more tricky. I don't think you can convert iBooks books for use with the Kindle/Kindle app (not 100% sure). That's not that bad if she only has a few books on her iBooks thing but if she has a collection like I do with my Kindle, swapping over isn't that feasible.

But whatever you do, don't cheap out and get the wifi only version if you do get the Kindle. 3G is so damn cool. You hear somebody bring up a book or author while out, you can bust out the Kindle and buy the book or put it on your wishlist right there. Or if you finish a book, you can open the Kindle store and get another one in 60 seconds. Trust me, back when it was only the Sony PRS-550 and the Kindle, I almost bought the Sony since I thought that the 3G would be near useless for me. Then the Kindle 2 came out, used prices on the Kindle 1 dropped and I realized just how wrong I was about the 3G when I got my Kindle 1.
 
maybe look to get a sony reader. sure they aren't as popular but the one thing thats its strength is how many formats it can take. it isn't as restrictive as the kindle and can probably be had for cheap now.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']
But whatever you do, don't cheap out and get the wifi only version if you do get the Kindle. 3G is so damn cool. You hear somebody bring up a book or author while out, you can bust out the Kindle and buy the book or put it on your wishlist right there. Or if you finish a book, you can open the Kindle store and get another one in 60 seconds. Trust me, back when it was only the Sony PRS-550 and the Kindle, I almost bought the Sony since I thought that the 3G would be near useless for me. Then the Kindle 2 came out, used prices on the Kindle 1 dropped and I realized just how wrong I was about the 3G when I got my Kindle 1.[/QUOTE]

Though again that only matters if you take the Kindle around with you. If she's just going to use it at home and continue reading on the iPhone on the go (and switch from iBooks to the Kindle app) then the 3G isn't so useful as at home you can download the books etc. via WiFi.

I had a Kindle 1 and now a Kindle 2, and I've probably downloaded books on the go twice when traveling and not having time to buy a book or two the night before leaving.

Otherwise my Kindle stays on the night stand as I really only read in bed, so if it broke I'd go for a WiFi only K3 since I personally don't have a lot of need for 3G.

But if she would start taking it everywhere and not just read on the iPhone on the go, then yeah $50 for the 3G is probably worth it as it's not doubt handy if you're one that carries your e-reader everywhere.

And yeah the instant gratification is great in any case, especially with samples. Anytime I hear of a good book etc. the next time I'm at a PC I go to Amazon and send a sample to my Kindle to check out later. That would be a cool use of 3G for people who take it around as well, but moot for someone like me who seldom takes it out of the house.
 
[quote name='62t']The one advantage Android tablet has is price. When you can get it at a B&M store at $100, you can live with some of the problems.[/QUOTE]

True, with cheaper prices one can deal with more flaws.

I'm picky with tech stuff and would rather pay more to get something that suits my needs. Unfortuantely the iPad isn't quite there, nor are the other tablets. I need a bigger screen (want to work with letter sized documents) and robust stylus mark up.

So honestly I'm probably more in the boat of waiting for tablet/slate PCs to catch up to the iPad in thinness/lightness, lack of heat and battery life rather than getting any of these cell phone OS based tablets.
 
Just got my wife the new Kindle WiFi. Pretty awesome device. The screen break your brain if you stare at it for long enough trying to figure out how the fuck it works. It has a few games (more coming) and can surf the internet which is mind boggling cause it looks impossible to do on the screen but it works. Even on sites like facebook. My wife isnt real tech-oriented (she has an iphone 4) but loves to read. This gift was perfect for her. If your wife is looking for a device to do other things (games, utilities, internet, etc) with reading being a secondary or tertiary use then the ipad is good. If she is primarily a reader (like my wife) and she *might* check out a web page or word game then the kindle is perfect.
 
I don't like the Kindle because it's restricted to its own format forcing you to buy books from them, and it won't read the millions of books that are legally free or ones from your library, which I think is ridiculous.

That said, though, I did play with one for the first time today and the screen looks so awesome I thought it was a fake display model.
 
Buy her the best most expensive ipad or she will leave you for someone who will, joking aside if she has an iphone the ipad is not worth it, i am waiting for the HP slate.
 
I bought a 16 gig iPad when it first came out thinking it would be enough as my 16 gig iPhone 3G had about 4 gigs free but adding movies and things really ate up space fast on the iPad and I was always fighting that 16 gig limit so I ended up selling it to a friend after a few weeks and got the 32 gig instead and have not had any space issues. I never bothered worrying about the 3G iPad since it was a separate monthly charge and I always have free wifi around most places.
 
My girlfriend got me the latest Wi-Fi Kindle. Great device for reading because the screen looks like an actual page as opposed to an iPhone or iPad which looks like you are reading from a monitor. You can get her the case with the built in light which draws power from the Kindle itself.

There are no 3G monthly fees. If you buy the 3G model, you get unlimited 3G for free but I wouldn't get too excited since it is mainly used for the 10 seconds it takes to download a book. I think the web browser is extremely bare bones but I haven't tried it yet.

If she's strictly a reader, I'd recommend getting the Wi-Fi model (if you have Wi-Fi set up) and maybe a $100 Amazon gift card to buy books. I already blew through a $6.99 book in a few days and now have to think about another purchase.
 
[quote name='Survivalism']I don't like the Kindle because it's restricted to its own format forcing you to buy books from them, and it won't read the millions of books that are legally free or ones from your library, which I think is ridiculous.

That said, though, I did play with one for the first time today and the screen looks so awesome I thought it was a fake display model.[/QUOTE]

You can get tons of free books for Kindle from other sites. It will read anybook in .mobi format and other stores sell.mobi books besides just Amazon. And lots of free book sites like Feedbooks have them in mobi format--that one even has a book you download to Kindle that has links to all their freebooks that you can click and download directly to the Kindle by using it's web browser.

All the major e-reader companies have their own DRM schemes, so it's not limited to Amazon. Amazon has it's DRM'd .mobi format for Kindle, the Nook has it's own DRM, Sony has their own DRM, Apple has it's own for iBooks etc.

Currently that's just the way it is all the major e-book stores are DRM'd to one device, and there's a few smaller e-book stores out there that sell books in multiple DRM schemes, and the various free book sites have non-DRM books in the various device formats. Plus one can easily convert a non-DRM book to whatever format they need using the free Calibre software.
 
Well, I bought one. 32GB WiFi only. We will see how it goes over tonight. I was able to play with it at the Apple Store and it seems really slick and the iBooks functionality is way better than the iPhone (due to the size). It is a little heavy though. I'm hoping it won't be a pain to hold for an hour at a time.
 
Yeah, with the wait is a lap decise. Fine to use with it resting on your lap or on your chest laying down etc. Not something you can hold and read with one hand on the subway etc.

The weight didn't bother me since it's a device I always use on the couch, in bed etc. anyway.
 
Anyone waiting for a 7" iPad can forget about it. Steve Jobs made it clear in their earnings report that Apple believes 7" tablets are "dead on arrival". He might be right. Too big to be a phone, perhaps too small to be a tablet. Guess I'd have to try one myself. Jobs said they have tested extensively and decided 10" was the minimum for a tablet. Anyway, the iPad is very slick and fun to use, but I'm not really that interested in its use for books myself (should I admit to that?? :) I think we can expect that the iPad 2G will be lighter and thinner, and that might do it for me. Then again, the new iPad will almost certainly not be jailbreakable, if that matters to you. At least not until a new exploit is found. Actually it does matter to me, but I suppose it would just be a matter of time before we got a jailbreak for it. I shouldn't be spending money on an iPad now anyway, what with one child starting to getting braces, and the other getting them unquestionably once all his adult teeth come in....
 
I think he's right for that. I just don't personally see a use for a device with a 6 or 7 inch screen other than a pure e-reader. And e-ink screens are better for that.

Even the iPad's 9.7" screen I find a tad small as a main need for me is reading documents for work which are mostly 8.5x11"--screen could be a tad smaller since you can crop margins. But 9.7" is too much and you end up having to read in landscape a half page at the time.

7" is just more useless for anything other than novels. As noted, too big for a phone, too small for most websites and other things you'd want to do on a tablet.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']All the major e-reader companies have their own DRM schemes, so it's not limited to Amazon. Amazon has it's DRM'd .mobi format for Kindle, the Nook has it's own DRM, Sony has their own DRM, Apple has it's own for iBooks etc.[/QUOTE]

This is true but they also let you sideload without having to convert to a cumbersome format like PDF, or at least the Nook does, which is the one I've been comparing to the Kindle. It'll read both DRM'd and non-DRM'd books which is great for reasons I don't think I need to elaborate on.

I haven't even necessarily ruled it as a dealbreaker for the Kindle yet, either, as it is doable if a bit archaic. I do like the Nook for other reasons, though. He says as if he could afford one any time soon.
 
[quote name='Survivalism']This is true but they also let you sideload without having to convert to a cumbersome format like PDF, or at least the Nook does, which is the one I've been comparing to the Kindle. It'll read both DRM'd and non-DRM'd books which is great for reasons I don't think I need to elaborate on.

I haven't even necessarily ruled it as a dealbreaker for the Kindle yet, either, as it is doable if a bit archaic. I do like the Nook for other reasons, though. He says as if he could afford one any time soon.[/QUOTE]

Again, the Kindle can also read non-drm'ed books. It can read anything in .mobi format, and plenty of places besides Amazon have e-books in that format. Plus it supports PDF natively in the K2 (after firmware update) and K3 models. As well as the newest DX.

Plus, with all stores (Kindle, Sony, B&N) etc. having their own DRM, might as well go with Amazon since they have the biggest selection, largest market share, and are the most likely to stick around permanently. With them putting Kindle Apps out there on every platform under the sun, the Kindle format will win the e-book format war so there's little chance of the Kindle format dying and leaving you with a bunch of e-books with no device to read the DRM (without stripping it and converting to other formats) in 10 years etc.

That said, the nook and Sony readers are great hardware and there's nothing wrong with them. Just have to dispel the myth that DRM, sources for freebooks etc. are any worse or more limited on the Kindle than on the competition. It's a problem for all these 3 major players as they all have their own DRM.
 
From the Topic Header, i thought you wanted to trade your wife for an Ipad..........hhmmm...Not a bad idea now that i think about it.
 
I'm waiting for the iPad 2 to buy for my mother. Buying the first iteration of any Apple product is usually a bad idea.
 
So is there a magazine reader for the iPad or can I use iBooks? I'd love to be able to get US Weekly on there (we have a subscription anyway).
 
[quote name='javeryh']So is there a magazine reader for the iPad or can I use iBooks? I'd love to be able to get US Weekly on there (we have a subscription anyway).[/QUOTE]

From what I've seen so far, there are individual apps for specific magazines.
 
Yeah, mostly individual apps for each magazine and they tend to be overpriced.

There's one app that has multiple magazines you can subscribe too--think it was called Zinio. I didn't like it as you had to do a lot of zooming and panning to make them readable since it was basically just PDFs of the print magazines which are too big for the 9.7" screen.
 
Ugh. The NY Times app is going PAID in 2011. That blows because the app is great but I don't want to pay for a very expensive subscription.
 
Ah, that does stink. I hadn't heard that and that was easily my favorite App on my girlfriend's ipad.

Is it going paid only? Or just paid for a version that has the full paper? Currently the app is just an "editor's choice" selection of stories, no where near everything in the paper or website. It would suck to have to pay for that.
 
[quote name='javeryh']So is there a magazine reader for the iPad or can I use iBooks? I'd love to be able to get US Weekly on there (we have a subscription anyway).[/QUOTE]


I use Zinio, which is pretty great.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Ah, that does stink. I hadn't heard that and that was easily my favorite App on my girlfriend's ipad.

Is it going paid only? Or just paid for a version that has the full paper? Currently the app is just an "editor's choice" selection of stories, no where near everything in the paper or website. It would suck to have to pay for that.[/QUOTE]

I'm actually not sure - I hadn't realized that it wasn't the full paper right now. I turned it on this morning and I got a pop-up for the first time saying that it is going paid in 2011.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top