Rather than writing a review on E-Readers (there are hundreds of them on Google already) I thought I would share my personal E-Reader story with you.

The two big questions around E-Reading are: Should I use a dedicated E-Reader or use a Tablet device running an E-Reading application? And will the latter kill the Dedicated Kindle Device?

In 2010 a raft of second generation dedicated e-readers were launched giving consumers access to a device designed specifically for reading on the move. Like most, the two most popular e-readers – Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader – are based on e-Ink technology which has two important capabilities; firstly they require no backlighting and therefore can be read in direct sunlight and secondly they have extremely good battery life. In my opinion, the best of these e-readers is the Amazon Kindle 3G which links up to the Amazon store, enabling customers to purchase content directly from their Kindle using their Amazon account. The device comes with a built in SIM card enabling the content to be delivered straight to the device whilst on the move without requiring Wi-Fi access. The Kindle is a low power device – both from a battery and processor perspective and after reading several magazine reviews I purchased one of these devices in late 2010.

When I first powered the device up and looked at the screen my thoughts drifted back to using an Etch-A-Sketch as a child. This may seem a little unkind, but the biggest issue I found with the current E-Ink displays is the refresh time – ie: the time it takes to change the image on the screen to a different image which is approximately half a second, my second bug bear, is that there is no colour.

Now don’t get me wrong, the Kindle is great if all you want to do is read text and this device lasts for at least a week on a single charge.  But I don’t just want to use a device for reading; I want colour pictures and videos and applications and games.  Granted, the Kindle has some extra applications on board, like a compact web browser – but in my opinion it’s not a good experience.

At the end of the day if I must carry a tablet device it needs to be flexible, so I want it to be a jack-of-all-trades not a master of just one.  My Kindle has been consigned to the bed-side drawer and my iPad is now used for all of my e-Reading activities.

Amazon must have seen this coming, predicted my behaviour, because they have built a Kindle App available for the iPad. Now I have the best of both worlds’, my favourite tablet device – iPad – and my favourite reading device in software on the same physical device.

Now my e-Reader is in colour with fast screen refreshes, has back-lighting so I can read in bed with the light off and because it’s touch screen I change the page by swiping my finger across the screen just like a real book. I can still order my ebooks from Amazon just like before, but now I also have access to iBook – Apple’s answer to the Kindle App which has a better search facility. That said, I still prefer the Kindle App, but guess what – I don’t have to choose between the two – I can use both if I choose; now that’s real flexibility.

There are dozens of Tablets on the  market now that can operate as an  E-Reader; in my opinion the iPad  is still the best by a considerable  margin.  So if you have an iPad and  want to use it to read then  download the excellent Amazon  Kindle App from the AppStore and  if you want to purchase a future  proof e-Reader – buy an iPad and  get the Amazon Kindle App.

So what do I think of the future for the dedicated Kindle Device?  R.I.P it was fun while it lasted.