Books for Christmas? The iPad, the Kindle and the Samsung Galaxy Tab

When you buy someone a book for Christmas, you expect it to cost you about £5.99. This year though, you need to buy the recipient an eBook reader to read their book on, before you actually worry about the content.

Three eBook readers have passed through my house this week, sadly not all for me to keep - but I took the opportunity of comparing the size and features of each for your enjoyment before they went under the appropriate Christmas trees.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab

As a committed Apple fan, I was really quite impressed with this tablet. I can certainly see the appeal - my biggest issue with my iPad is the difficulty of carrying it. Don't get me wrong, I love the size, but it requires a big bag and most often I just carry it in my hand. The Galaxy is definitely handbag size. Plus it has a camera and phone functions which the iPad don't.

comparing the BBC website on an iPhone and the Galaxy Tab


Comparing the screen size of an iPhone, Galaxy Tab and iPad

I found the navigation confusing - there was a widget style navigation interface as well as the applications screens (like Apple devices). I kept finding myself back on the home screen when I didn't expect to. Like when using the Kindle app, clicking a word to get a definition and then being sent to my web browser, I couldn't seem to get back to the book and had to re-navigate back to the Kindle app.

The Galaxy Tab has wi-fi and 3G. The 3G works out as 30p/day for each day that you use it (you can put it in airplane mode which means it won't use the 3G if you're happy with wi-fi).

The Amazon Kindle

Speaking of the Kindle, another impressive device, this time for the E Ink screen technology. When you take it out the box you think it's got a sticker on it, then you realise that is actually the screen. Because it's E Ink it shows an image even when it's off.

After playing with the iPad and Galaxy Tab, you want to start touching the screen on the Kindle as well - but no, it's not touch screen, you have to use the rather unintuitive buttons at the bottom. The primary purpose of the Kindle is reading, so I suppose you don't spend a lot of time navigating the menus, but even so, the interface is poor in comparison with other devices.

You link your Kindle to an Amazon account, and I found it much easier browsing the Kindle store (and looking for free books) using my laptop and a web browser. Then, when you turn the Kindle on you can get it to sync and it downloads all your books.

I was using the Wi-fi and 3G model. For £40 more than the Wi-fi version you get unlimited 3G downloads forever more. You can only download books from the Kindle store, but it does mean the recipient of this Kindle doesn't have to worry about lack of wi-fi or loading books before they go on holiday.

comparing the size of the Kindle with the iPad

In terms of using these as an eBook reader, I've only actually read books on my iPad, and I am easily impressed by the lovely page turning animations you get with iBooks on the iPad, but I'm sure all three devices work perfectly for reading.

For me, the feature missing from eBook readers is the ability to lend books to your friends after you've finished with them. So there is still a stack of paperbacks by the side of my bed and I suspect I will continue to do so for a few years to come.