Using an ipod touch as an e-reader

[April411]

Hi everyone,
I've really been wanting to get an e-reader and have been doing some research over the past few weeks. I decided to get a kindle but then I saw the new ipod touch and thought that maybe I can use that instead. I'm thinking the ipod touch would be cooler because not only could I read books but I can also use it to take pics and video, listen to music, watch movies, and surf the net. However, I'm wondering how the ipod touch compares to an e-reader. Is it difficult to read since the screen is smaller? Would it hurt your eyes to look at it after a while? I don't want to do anything that might harm my vision. Can anyone who has read books on an ipod touch or iphone tell me what the reading experience is like?
Thanks!

[Caneel]

I have an ipod touch and love it but I don't think it would make a good e-reader, the screen is just too small. I have watched video on it while travelling and it is ok but I won't do it on a regular basis.

My too small of a screen opinion comes from using it to surf the net. The screen is too small to make it easy and enjoyable. I think reading would be as frustrating.

An ipad, on the other hand, looks amazing. I am waiting for the price to go down on them, I seriously want one. I am almost afraid to get an e-reader because of the money I would spend on books.

[CallMeMommy]

Be aware, too, that the Kindle screen and say an iPad screen are completely different. The Kindle uses e-ink and there's no glare off the screen when you're in the sun. It's way easier on the eyes than a computer screen (which is basically what the iPad or cell phone are) would be. If you haven't seen one in person, take a trip to your local Target or Barnes and Nobel and check one out.

[CallMeMommy]

Originally Posted by Caneel

I am almost afraid to get an e-reader because of the money I would spend on books.

Yeah, it takes a little discipline

[StarryMom]

I use my iPhone 3gS as an e-reader. I use iBooks, Nook, and Kindle apps. LOVE IT. I have gotten a TONNN more reading done because I'm able to do it one handed while nursing my little one.

[capretta]

I have an ipod touch and think it is great, but it is really only ok for reading. I'll pull up books on it in a pinch (because it is always in my purse) and it's good for reading in the dark, but I wouldn't recommend it as an e-reader to anyone who reads very often.

In fact, I basically had your plan. I avoided buying a proper e-reader for about a year thinking I could make do with the ipod. Then I finally broke down and bought a kindle and I'm so glad I did. I find I am reading more now because it's just a more pleasant experience.

ETA - Oh btw the worse part of reading on the ipod for me isn't the eye strain, it's "turning the page" every 20 words. :P

[JessicaS]

I have an android and I read books on it but yeah you have to turn the pages a lot.

[Mackenzie]

I use my iPhone as an eReader (but I don't use it that often). The advantage to iOS devices (and probably Android as well, though I have not used that platform in a while) is that you can install eReader apps from about every major eReader company... That, and you can read in the dark as well, which is when I use my iPhone to read really... in addition, you have, as you mentioned, all of the other features of the iPod touch including video chatting !! Also, the screen on the 4th gen iPod touch is amazing! Puts all other screens to shame (if you plan to watch movies and such on it, this is a HUGE plus)

[Drummer's Wife]

I also use my iphone as an ereader, and it works just fine for me. I love that I can read in the dark at night while DH is sleeping, or in the car on roadtrips when a light would be impractical. I switch the backscreen to black and the text white, so it's easier on my eyes and less brightness for DH or DS when they are trying to fall asleep. I think the screen is plenty big - in fact, it probably makes me a faster reader b/c I only need to see the paragraph/sentences I'm reading at the time, yk? If it's a huge page of text, it's easier for me to get lost or distracted. I speed-read a lot, so glancing at a couple sentences at a time actually makes this easier.

eta: and I read and post on MDC a lot with it - something I don't think you can do with a kindle. I also can catch up on my shows at night (with earbuds) while laying in bed.

[Mackenzie]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

I also use my iphone as an ereader, and it works just fine for me. I love that I can read in the dark at night while DH is sleeping, or in the car on roadtrips when a light would be inpractical. I switch the backscreen to black and the text white, so it's easier on my eyes and less brightness for DH or DS when they are trying to fall asleep. I think the screen is plenty big - in fact, it probably makes me a faster reader b/c I only need to see the paragraph/sentences I'm reading at the time, yk? If it's a huge page of text, it's easier for me to get lost or distracted. I speed-read a lot, so glancing at a couple sentences at a time actually makes this easier.

^ yep to all that...

[Arduinna]

I love reading on my iphone4, before that I read all the time on my iphone 3g. I do have a kindle, but once we got the kindle for iphone app I never use it anymore. It sits in the closet gathering dust. The new ipod touches have the same screen as iphone 4 which is incredible and a marked improvement over the previous iphone screens. Page turning is simple and I one hand read all the time and I don't have to use a book light like with kindle.

[Sorilla]

I own iPad2 and Android phone and I LOVE them both - for reading on the go I use the phone.  I love the screen and the reformatted books look cool and easy to read using Kindle for Android app. For reading magazines the iPad is superior to anything, for listening to audio books - my Android phone!

[Owen'nZoe]

I have an iPhone (that I use as an iPod Touch) and a Kindle. I hate reading on the iPhone. The eInk is just so much easier on my eyes, and the resolution is much, much better. I like having the iPhone for games and web surfing, but in my mind it really just doesn't compare to the Kindle as an eReader.

[Sorilla]

I've just found nice looking (on my iPhone) site with some free e-books to download, yay! Its called ThriftyReads,just designed for me, I am a thrifty number one, lol!

[LynnS6]

I just discovered that I can check out books from our library for my Droid phone and I'm amazed at how much I've been reading on it. I take the light rail to work and have about a 15 minute ride each way. I need to haul textbooks back and forth because I teach, and thus I often don't want to add a novel to read.

I haven't found it at all difficult to use -- the font is big enough for me to see (especially if I turn it sideways). I do have to change pages a lot, but it's not awful. A tap will change the page, and the new one comes up quickly. I'm a fast reader and I haven't found it frustrating at all.

I'm too cheap to buy ebooks, so I'm going to go with whatever I can check out from the library (I can download them for anywhere from 7-21 days, and that's usually enough to get through), or with whatever's available on Project Gutenberg (books whose copyright has expired). A lot of really good classics are available. Dd is working her way through the juvenile literature of the late 19th century on dh's Droid.

[juliasmum]

I started reading on a droid phone and it hurt my eyes after awhile.  

I finally gave in and got a kindle for mother's day/my birthday and it is so awesome!  And it is just like reading a book... no eye strain.

And Amazon has new free books daily/weekly... and different ones discounted.  I'm sort of addicted to the top 100 lists on there.  

[muttix2]

I used my iPod Touch 4g as an ereader and I loved it! The screen is great and though the page flipping can be a pain in the asset, once you get into the groove it isn't as bothersome. However, right before I quit my job I was in breakdown mode and dropped my iPod face first on the cement floor at work. I have taken off the cover, thus leaving it unprotected. Screen shattered, along with a chunk of my soul. It still works but it is ugly and not a good way to read anymore. The fact that I'd have to pretty much pay the price of the iPod to get it fixed has made me decide that I want to get either a Nook or a Kindle for myself for Christmas. The page turning and the cost of "fixing" (as I said, may as well replace it) the iPod made the decision for me. However, it was great while it lasted. Which was not very long.