How to choose an e-book to read – which readers are better. Choosing an e-book for easy reading

From fans of all kinds of electronic things, a strong voice is often heard that the paper book is dying. In a sense, it actually does this - it becomes a luxury item rather than a necessity. There will always be books, but like many technology visionaries, we believe that mass digitalization is not only inevitable, but has already happened. Many books today are published only digitally, and that's okay. By uploading the novel to e-book, firstly, you spend less money; secondly, you save your living space; thirdly, you get convenience, which, may book lovers of material books forgive us, is objectively greater here.

Therefore, my friend, if you are reading this now, and in general if you are reading or planning to read anything, then you need a good, convenient and moderately democratic e-book that will become your third hand in the world of information. What should it be like?

The reader must be reliable

Where will you take your e-reader? She won't always be in yours soft hands when you drink libations in a warm bed. You will take the reader on hikes, trams, minibuses, bars, business meetings- you will take the reader where no one has gone before. Understand that you don’t want a piece of crap that will break on the first hit of the asphalt. You need a device that will work for at least five years - this is a very long time, but it is achievable if you don’t waste your time on small things.

It should fit well in your hands

Convenience is important, and not only readability, but also tactile comfort, which not many e-reader developers think about these days. Think for yourself: what did you like about the good old books, whose pages you turned over with such impatience? That's right - tactile sensation. And a similar feeling can be achieved through an e-book. Some books are truly disgusting to hold in your hands, others are divine. What is the reason? The reader's body is coated with a technology called SoftTouch.

But the display, namely its visualization, is an equally important component of the reader. The screen should be pleasing to the eye, and also well thought out from the point of view of aesthetics and health safety. There are screens that are very hard on the eyes, while others are absolutely safe for them. Easily adjustable backlighting is important, as well as good resolution, which will allow you to read even crooked texts. So, before you buy an ereader, check the screen.

Specifications

Everything is simple here. You don’t need an overly sophisticated e-reader, because the main purpose of buying an e-reader is to read, and not to launch steamships or rockets into Raqqa with its help. Therefore, it is important that the book performs exceptionally well in only one area - readability. In this context, a powerful battery will be extremely useful, which will help you read from dusk to dawn and from dawn to dusk without recharging. Pay close attention to memory capacity. Books, of course, do not weigh 10 gigabytes, but many of them, especially those containing rich illustrated material, require a lot of memory. Objective reality - do not take a book with less than 4 gigabytes of memory. It would be even better if the reader has the ability to install an additional memory card. Trust us, you can never have too many books and in a couple of years you will need a lot of memory.

If we talk about little things, then the reader should be perfectly adapted into Russian. Don’t order books from AliExpress - you probably won’t understand which edge to read the hieroglyphs from.

Promising models

The article would not be useful if BroDude did not advise you on an example of excellent e-books, where price and quality coincide 100%. We chose the company RITMIX ( South Korea), which has proven itself in the electronic devices market for quite a long time. This giant has two models that we damn well liked - both for aesthetics and for reasons of convenience and reliability: the RBK-615 and the RBK-675FL.

Let's briefly describe specifications these books.

This is a 6-inch E-Ink Carta generation display with a resolution of 758 x 1024, which will give you the feeling of a real paper book. Convenient, supports nine text and five graphic formats. Comfortable backlighting, fast screen loading, lightweight body and, in addition to all the goodies, a large layer of Russian works. What else? A gift card for downloading books on the website Litres.ru, which is also available in our next example.

Roughly identical to the first model. It has the same display, the same technical characteristics (only no backlight). And there is even a free library of Russian works, from ancient Russian tales to classical literature. But there is still a difference - design solution. Therefore, if you want an e-reader with a green button rather than a black one, then take this one. Yes, we understand that the difference is minimal, but we are talking about a good product, and a good product is not much different from another good product.

In ancient times, books were considered a luxury item and were used as gifts. Later, they became the calling cards of prestigious and successful people. However, reading is still fashionable today, and literate people are always welcome and interesting interlocutors. But the classical methods of printing and reading have been replaced by electronic devices. Considering this trend, we suggest talking about how to choose an e-book so that you can get maximum pleasure from self-development without harming your health.

I would like to say right away that the best readers made on the basis of electronic paper are almost harmless to vision. With their help, you can find and study works of interest without any problems. In addition, you will save at least a few trees needed to replenish your personal library in your home.



There is no official classification of readers. However, they can be equipped with two types of displays:

  1. E Ink screen;
  2. TFT screen.

Of course, the first option is much better, so you need to choose an e-book for reading only based on the E Ink matrix. The fact is that TFT readers have poor functionality, they do not hold a charge for long and cause more significant harm to the eyes. Judging by customer reviews, it is better to buy a tablet than such a “reader”. Otherwise, you risk simply throwing money away, because you will have to regularly charge the device and peer at the display.

In turn, readers based on E Ink ink are different. We suggest taking a closer look at the main types of electronic paper:

  • E Ink VizPlex is the first generation, characterized by low contrast. Such models hold a charge for a long time and are affordable. This is a good choice of e-book for students, but only if it has a good resolution;
  • E Ink Pearl is a common type of electronic paper with a contrast level of 10 to 1;
  • E Ink Pearl HD – used for more expensive models with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels;
  • E Ink Card – modern technology, which attracts with an increased contrast level of 50%. Such devices have better page updating, as well as faster rendering.

It is worth saying that modern manufacturers regularly improve the quality of ink. But it is already quite obvious that the future belongs to E Ink, and TFT displays are gradually being forgotten.

Have you decided on the display format? Let's move on to choosing the form factor of the e-reader screen. To do this, it is necessary to understand the logic of manufacturers regarding the purpose different sizes displays:

  1. 6-inch – for everyday use by ordinary readers;
  2. 8-inch – for displaying black and white pictures of textbooks and diagrams.
  3. 10-inch – for displaying color images of reference books, encyclopedias, magazine illustrations.

The next question that interests many users is: does the E Ink matrix need a touch screen?

Judging by experts, unlike a tablet, a reader does not always need this option. This is due to the fact that most of the time you will only press the scroll button. Accordingly, it is not always logical to overpay for a convenient selection of books from the library.

Please note that E Ink matrix is ​​opaque. Accordingly, unlike TFT displays, it does not support backlighting. At the same time, teenagers spend the lion's share of their time reading at night. In this case, the question arises: how to choose an e-book for a schoolchild so as not to damage their eyesight?

For lovers of reading modern world you can refuse to visit libraries and buy expensive books, for which there is not enough space in the apartment. Today everything is much simpler. The best option For book lovers there will be an e-book.

This gadget will be able to accommodate a whole collection of your favorite books that you can always carry with you. In addition, you can find any publication on the Internet, and you no longer have to travel to all the bookstores in the city in search of a rare copy.

All this is undoubtedly wonderful. But how to choose a good e-reader among the huge variety of models and functions if you are not an expert, but just an amateur?

First, let's look at why e-books attract consumers and why they so quickly replaced paper media (reference books, novels and other books), and then let's talk about how to choose an e-book and what you need to pay attention to Special attention.

Pros of e-books.

  1. Size. Thanks to its compact size, you can always carry this device with you, enjoying reading at any convenient time.
  2. Storage Possibility large quantity information. A small enough gadget can hold an entire library. You can always have important information, documents, books, encyclopedias, and so on with you.
  3. Weight. Besides small size, the e-book weighs quite little. If it is inconvenient and difficult for you to carry books with you, then this reading device is perfect option.
  4. Practicality. For ease of reading, you can always choose the font and image scale. That is, each person will be able to adjust any book to suit themselves.

What should you pay attention to?

To choose an e-book for reading your favorite works, you should pay attention to a few important points.

  • Screen type— There are two types of screens: electronic ink and LCD monitor. The first type of screen is closest to paper media. Thanks to the use of innovative electronic ink and paper, the effect of reading a regular book is achieved. It should be noted that this type does not damage vision at all and is very convenient to use. An LCD monitor is a liquid crystal display. It is most often found on sale. Although they are not similar to paper media, they are nevertheless no less popular. They are cheaper, have a color and bright display.
  • Charger. When choosing a reading device, you should pay attention to how long the battery charge lasts. In e-ink readers, charging lasts much longer, unlike an LCD display.
  • Internet. One of the important indicators of the quality of e-books is the availability of Internet access. Almost all readers have this function, but not all can use it conveniently, and many devices are not designed for downloading books from the Internet. Therefore, such points should always be clarified with sellers.
  • Gadget sizes. Typically, in any store you can find e-books of the following sizes: 5 inches (considered a “pocket” reader, convenient to take with you, but not intended for long-term reading), 6 inches (the most common book format), from 7 to 10 inches (“home "books, since carrying them with you is not very convenient. But if there is a need to view drawings, then this format is ideal), 13 inches (this format of e-books has not yet gone on sale, but their models can be seen on the Internet).
  • Control. Initially, all books were equipped with regular buttons for turning on and turning pages. Now you can also meet sensory generations. The choice of device should be based on personal priorities and ease of use.
  • Playable file format. The main reader formats are EPUB, TXT, HTML, CHM, PDF, FB2, DOC, RTF. If the downloaded file is of a different format and the book does not see it, then you should download and install additional software or look for an e-book with advanced functions.
  • Memory. Any e-book is equipped with built-in memory, which can reach 8 GB. In principle, this is enough for your own mini-library. If this indicator is not enough, you can always purchase an additional memory card.

The best e-book models

If you still don’t know which company to choose an e-reader, you are lost in the range and characteristics of these devices, then below is given for you short review basic and fairly popular models of e-readers for all occasions.

After studying these brands, everyone will be able to have an idea of ​​how to choose the right gadget.

Top 10 best e-books:

  1. Reader Book 1.
  2. Reader Book 2.
  3. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2015.
  4. Tesla Crypto TFL6.0.
  5. PocketBook 631 Touch HD.
  6. Amazon Kindle Voyage.

This is one of the most simple types e-books. The resolution allows you to clearly draw any fonts. The device operates on the basis of electronic ink, so reading will be convenient and as close as possible to paper media.


The buttons are located at the bottom; they are convenient for turning pages and selecting the necessary files. The e-book does not have Internet access. This is not necessary, since the built-in memory makes it possible to load required amount information.

Pros of the device:

  • clear electronic ink does not damage vision;
  • built-in memory;
  • The battery holds a charge for a long time.

Minuses:

  • no backlight;
  • no wireless connection.

Price for this reader - about 5 thousand rubles. Customer reviews are not bad. For example, some write: “I liked the book, it turns the pages very quickly and the battery lasts a long time. The price corresponds to the quality."


Still wondering how to choose an e-book that suits your budget and so that the quality doesn’t let you down? The Korean company Ritmix brings to your attention a budget option RBK-615.

This device also works on the basis of electronic ink, has 4 GB of its own memory and a slot for additional memory, if this does not seem enough.

The device supports all major file formats, and its hardware buttons respond quickly to scrolling and selecting information.

If you need backlighting, then you should pay attention to the more advanced model RBK-675FL. It has customizable backlighting and all other features are similar to the first one. The price range varies from 4.5 to 5.5 thousand rubles.

The only drawback of this model is that there are no wireless communications. But this doesn’t matter, because the reader’s memory allows you to store all the necessary information.

The Reader Book 1 and Reader Book 2 models are the brainchild of the PocketBook company, which have become famous for their quality characteristics and good customer reviews. The first model is a little simpler: equipped with electronic ink, built-in memory and a good battery; It does not have backlighting or wireless communications.


These disadvantages are insignificant and do not affect the quality of the product. The second model has become an innovative solution, as it has a touch screen, an additional memory card and is equipped with a Wi-Fi module, which allows you to access the Internet and download files directly from there.

From The following disadvantages should be highlighted:

  • plastic screen covering;
  • low contrast;
  • The plastic of the case is hard and not very comfortable.

The price of this e-book is about 6.5 thousand rubles.


The e-reader is similar to all other models. The only difference is the infrared sensor.

This allows you to get rid of any distortions and additional layers on the screen.

However, buyers have different opinions about this device, since it has its own features and disadvantages: there is no slot for a memory card, it does not support the fb2 format, and the built-in programs are not easy to use.

The price of this device is about 5 thousand rubles.


This is one of the best touch readers of its kind. It is equipped with a touch screen, backlight, and an aluminum case that protects it from dust and moisture.

Unfortunately, the device does not support memory cards, limiting itself to the built-in one, and only reads two file formats. Therefore, other formats will have to be converted.

Knowing how to choose an e-book should be used by those users of mobile electronic gadgets who want to have a specialized reading device at their disposal.

With their help, the eyes become less tired, and the reading process itself is extended from 4-5 hours to several days - and in order for the gadget to meet the user’s needs, a number of nuances should be taken into account before purchasing it, from size to functionality.

Screen

When choosing an e-book, the main attention is paid to such a parameter as the display, which can be ordinary, that is, TFT, or specially designed for reading - E-Ink technology.

Each of these options has its pros and cons– but in most cases it is recommended to choose the second one, that is, “electronic paper”.

Its disadvantages include the presence of only shades of gray and the inability to support video viewing (and even which can be run on some TFT models) - but there are still more advantages when used specifically as a book.

Considering e-book versions with TFT display, The following advantages can be noted:

  • functionality comparable to tablet PCs (sometimes even launching games);
  • color screen, bright enough for reading at night;
  • more affordable price.

However, such e-books also have many disadvantages - Firstly, their battery runs out much faster (2-3 times faster compared to “electronic paper”).

Secondly, in the sun the display of the TFT device practically does not allow you to read or even see any image. In addition, the functionality of such an e-book is noticeably inferior even to .

Thus, if a user needs a gadget with a color display that can play books in basic formats and additionally run video, audio, and even games, it’s worth buying a good one (or one that’s affordable). In other cases, it is better to give preference to an “electronic paper” screen.

Control

When choosing how to control your tablet, you can give preference to a model with buttons or a version with a touch screen.

The main criteria in this case may be:

  • price, which will be lower for push-button “readers” - touch-sensitive ones, as a rule, are a little more expensive.
  • ergonomics– some users find it easier to habitually turn pages, others will prefer switching screens by pressing buttons;
  • image quality– as a rule, touch-sensitive models of “electronic paper” do not have such a clear picture as push-button versions.

In most cases, push-button versions turn out to be more convenient for a regular e-reader that does not have additional functionality in the form of Internet access.

And the buttons on the sides of the screen will further increase the usability of the gadget.

Sometimes manufacturers offer full-fledged qwerty keyboards for their e-books - but this technical solution is becoming less and less popular as all gadgets gradually switch to touch controls.

The best option may become tablets that have both a touch screen and additional buttons - like on old smartphones or tablets.

By choosing such a gadget, you can use the sensor to perform individual tasks (settings, opening files), but still turn pages using physical keys.

Another option related to managing an e-book is image flip.

On older models, the orientation was changed in the settings; new ones allow you to do this automatically, using built-in sensors.

Budget equipment usually does not have a rotation function and is not even equipped with gyroscopes or accelerometers.

Data transfer

Important nuance, which you must pay attention to before purchasing an e-book - the method of transmitting information.

A few years ago, transferring documents and files to the “reader” or vice versa was possible in only two ways - using a wired connection to a PC or through a card.

Modern models are very diverse - almost all of them support wireless network and can either synchronize or Wi-Fi with other gadgets, or enter the Network in the same way.

The presence of Wi-Fi for an e-book is a useful feature, but not always necessary for users who simply read already downloaded and purchased literature.

Moreover, it is more convenient to work on the Internet or browse websites using other gadgets -.

Much more often wireless communication used to quickly move files between devices.

Every e-reader usually has wired data transfer via a USB port.

Using the same connector, the gadget is also charged.

Some models that play audio and video files are also equipped with a headphone jack, with which you can listen to music and even play audiobooks.

Working hours

Battery life is one of the main characteristics that a user who is going to read an e-book, mainly on the go, should pay attention to.

It is advisable for the same person to buy a model with a display made using E-Link technology and consuming a minimum of energy.

This “electronic paper” consumes battery power only when the picture changes, so the battery lasts for several days—for some e-books, even a couple of weeks.

Touch screens of 8 and 9.7 inches even allow you to change drawings, acting as tablets - only more economical and convenient.

A common disadvantage of large screens is the minimum number of colors used. On a black-and-white display, you can only view books—at least, diagrams. Illustrations for which colors are important will have to be viewed on a more expensive gadget - you can even find colored “electronic paper” on the market, although its image quality is slightly worse than that of TFT screens.

Housing materials

The body of gadgets is most often made of plastic - it is not easy to find a metal device, especially since its strength will not be so high as to neglect its low weight for the sake of it.

It is best to pay attention to the soft-touch plastic coating, which resembles rubber to the touch and does not slip in your hands.

The not-too-durable plastic can be compensated for by special cases, which often come with the reader.

Their use allows you to protect your e-book from scratches and cracks that may appear during transportation.

The advantage of covers is the ability to change the design of the e-book - for example, make it brighter.

Important: The included case makes it easy suitable option. However, by purchasing the cover separately, you can get any color option. Although most are black or grey colour, nothing prevents the user from purchasing a red or blue model.

Hardware and software

Having decided on the display size and control method, You can proceed to choosing the “filling” of the gadget:

  • Matrix, which can have a resolution of 800x480 pixels. The maximum resolution of modern models reaches 1600x1200 and even 1872x1404 pixels.
  • Availability of speakersimportant feature for models that play mp3 and avi files.
  • Amount of built-in and RAM memory. Although most often it does not of great importance– the reader is designed to play text files or, in extreme cases, images, so in any case there will be enough RAM. Much more important is the volume of ROM, which can reach 4–8 GB and hold several hundred books.

To transfer and store information in e-books, not only internal memory is used, but also microSD cards - most popular models have slots for them.

Thus, it practically does not matter how large the internal memory of the “reader” is – it can easily be increased several times.

Although the gadget’s ROM is usually enough for books (even 1 GB allows you to store more than a hundred documents), expansion is usually required when using the device also to store images, music and videos.

Format support

The ability to play different types of files is an important feature of any e-book.

Every modern reader can easily open a text document with permissions .txt or .doc, the majority supports and pdf files.

Popular book type formats .epub, .fb2 and .mobi can also be opened by any e-book, including budget models.

On the other hand, there is no need to worry about maintaining the resolution of the information file.

Most e-book stores and free content sites allow you to download books in different formats.

Best to use FB2– such files are convenient to use, set bookmarks and go to the beginning of chapters from the contents. If necessary, the format can be changed - there are special converter programs for this.

In the list of formats supported by the book can be:

  • Infrequently encountered text files DjVu, RTF and PRC– their presence allows you to do without converting data.
  • .zip– archives that may contain books online. The advantage of supporting archived data allows you to read literature immediately after downloading it from the Internet. If they are missing, the archive will first have to be moved to a PC or laptop for unpacking.
  • Graphic arts - .jreg, .bmp, .gif and .png.
  • .html– format support often means having a built-in browser.
  • .mp3– “readers” with support for audio files allow you to listen to music while or instead of reading (audiobook or Text-to-Speech function). You can use such books to create audio notes - but for this the reader must have a microphone.

When deciding on the functionality of an e-reader, you should know that additional features always increase its cost - an “reader” with audio support will cost more than a regular one, although the function of listening to music is not useful to every user.

If there is no financial opportunity to purchase gadgets with support maximum quantity formats, you should pay attention only to texts and images - and you can leave audio and video playback.


Portal website welcomes all visitors who have come to our wonderful site in search of the best e-book! The request “help me choose an e-book” can be heard quite often. Want to know, right? Then our instructions are exactly what you need. In it we will tell you how and which e-book to choose according to the parameters, paying attention to all the important characteristics when choosing.

The choice of an e-book should be justified; it’s good if you have an understanding of all the little details when purchasing the e-reader directly. Those who don't mind spending a slightly increased amount of money can read an e-book as an alternative, but know that for daily reading it is better to choose a digital book.


Which e-book to choose

Which e-book manufacturer should you choose? There are a lot of e-book manufacturers, but there are only a dozen popular ones: Amazon, Digma, effire, Explay, Gmini, ONYX, PocketBook, Prestigio, Prology, Ritmix, TeXet, Wexler. But everyone has several models of e-books. In addition to the brands available on Russian market, there are manufacturers whose e-books can be ordered from the USA. For example, Kindle or NOOK. Or China. How to choose an e-book among all this variety? In this article we will not compare book models, since e-book models replace each other quite often. Instead of deciding which e-book company to choose, it is better to do something different. We advise you to choose a good e-book based on its parameters and characteristics. Go!

What's happened electronic book (e-book)? This is an ordinary simple computer that has its own specific properties, such as the same tablet computer or laptop. By the way, if you are interested in laptops, we recommend reading the article -. What do we want to get from an e-book? First of all, ease of reading, so that the eyes do not get tired, the book is convenient to use, and so that it can be read without recharging for a long time.

An e-book should be easy to use, that is, it should have an intuitive interface. It should be light. A good digital book should be able to reproduce many text formats. Also, many buyers want the e-book to have additional functionality. Based on this simple logic, we will identify the parameters by which it is best to choose an e-book:

  1. E-book screen type.
  2. Display generation (refers to E-Ink technology).
  3. Display diagonal.
  4. Support of required file formats.
  5. Memory size.
  6. The e-reader has a touch screen, built-in backlight, and other additional functions.

Let's figure out which e-book is best to choose based on these parameters. Let's start with the technology for manufacturing displays for e-readers.


Type and generation of e-reader display

As mentioned above, reading comfort is the most important parameter when choosing an e-book. What properties of the e-reader should you pay attention to? All e-books are divided into color and black and white. If you only need to read text in various formats, then black and white is suitable. If you want to see all the colors on the book screen, including pictures and photographs, in this or that interesting book, then it makes sense to think about a color reader. There are several types of displays:

  • E-Ink
  • E-Ink (color)
  • E-Ink Flex
  • LCD (monochrome)
  • LCD (color)
  • SiPix

LCD technology used in many other gadgets: laptops, smartphones, tablets and so on. The main disadvantages of this technology when used in e-books are the glow and flickering of the screen. Still, we want to buy an e-book for reading, not games and other extraneous matters. My eyes will get more tired when reading an e-book with an LCD display than when reading a book with another alternative E-Ink screen technology. Compared to E-Ink, LCD displays consume more energy, which affects the book's continuous operation time. This display has high contrast.

E-Ink technology has a number of advantages compared to LCD. Such displays are created specifically for e-books, and if you decide to choose an E-Book for reading, you should look at such readers. The advantages of E-Ink are as follows:

  1. The screen does not flicker, since the image technology itself is based on a different operating principle (black granules of the display appear under the influence of electric field).
  2. The display is more economical since the effect of the electric field is temporary. That is, when you “turn” a page, battery power is wasted, but when you just read, minimal energy is expended.

Based on the above advantages, we conclude that reading an e-book with an E-Ink display can last longer (and significantly) and is more pleasing to the eye. E-Ink screens also have disadvantages. Because of their technology, these books have less contrast. Therefore, white looks gray on them, and black is not saturated enough. However, manufacturers are trying to reduce these technology shortcomings by releasing more and more advanced products. E-Ink displays are different:

  • E-Ink SiPix - Screen contrast 6:1. The whites here are grayer than the next two, and the blacks are more saturated compared to the VizPlex.
  • E-Ink VizPlex - Contrast 7:1. Popular displays. Most e-books are sold with such screens.
  • E-Ink Pearl - 10:1 Contrast A more modern display with best characteristics. The price is naturally higher than the previous ones.

Both VizPlex and Pearl have enough contrast for comfortable reading. The response time (the speed at which the screen is refreshed) of VizPlex displays is adequate. Most books come with this type of display. Pearl has approximately 40% greater contrast and better response than VizPlex.

The last screen from which you can buy an e-book is SiPix technology. This is an alternative to E-Ink. More new technology, the main disadvantage of which is the darker gray background of the image.

Reader screen diagonal

The second thing you need to choose in the book and decide on is the screen diagonal and its resolution (dots per inch). Typically, resolution depends on the diagonal: the larger the diagonal, the greater the resolution. Therefore, it would be a stretch to say that the higher the screen resolution of an e-book, the better. For e-books with a small diagonal, a small resolution is suitable. Below is an example that we hope will help you decide how to choose an ereader according to the display diagonal.

There are quite a few diagonals of digital books: 4.3 inches, 4.7 inches, 5.0 inches, 6.0 inches, 7.0 inches, 8.0 inches, 8.4 inches, 9.0 inches, 9.68 inches, 9.7 inches, 10.7 inches. Which one is right is up to you to decide. Naturally, the larger the diagonal, the more words will fit on the screen. The more convenient it will be to read an e-book. However, we should not forget that a large digital e-reader may be more difficult to carry with you, and the cost of such a e-reader will be higher. When choosing the diagonal of a book, you need to take into account one very important point, which we will talk about in the next chapter of our article.

Choosing file formats when purchasing an e-book

So, dear reader, if you want to buy an e-book and not be disappointed after the purchase, we advise you to understand all the possible file formats that modern e-book readers are capable of accepting. And we will help with this. Not only the variety of available text books, but also the ease of reading depends on what file formats you decide to use when reading. First of all, let's decide on the formats themselves. An e-reader can support quite a variety of files, here are the main ones you should pay attention to in order to choose the right e-reader:

  • PDF is a popular electronic document format created by Adobe Systems to present printed products in electronic form, and is now used everywhere. When choosing an e-book, you should pay special attention to PDF support. Moreover, if you want to buy an e-book with PDF, remember that digital readers with a diagonal of up to 8 inches are poorly adapted for displaying PDF files. This is due to the fact that PDF files usually have a larger width of text or images, they are usually adapted to A4 paper format, and on a small book screen the display of such a file will have to be reduced in order to see all the information. Therefore, if you choose a small or medium-sized e-book and want it to work with this format, remember this feature.
  • TXT- the oldest computer text format files with minimal text formatting. Almost all readers perceive it normally. The amount of text on the screen naturally depends on the diagonal of the e-book.
  • DOC is a popular text format of the Microsoft Office Word application for Windows. Probably, most of the documents in our country and not only in other countries were created using this program. If you want to view not only books, but also, for example, work documents, you should choose an e-book with DOC support.
  • DjVu- a kind of alternative to PDF. Files in this format will also have to be scaled on books with smaller screens. DjVu is quite popular and widespread, but most files in this format contain scanned copies of paper publications, which in turn affects the quality of the book and its visual perception.
  • ePub (Electronic Publication) - a fairly young format that appeared in 2007. However, EPub is quickly gaining popularity among digital readers. The structure of an .epub file is very diverse; it contains tagged text, layout and formatting data for this text, style sheets, built-in fonts and graphics.
  • FB2 (FictionBook)- a format that is intended for converting electronic versions of books into XML documents. This approach allows you to make FB2 compatible with any formats and devices. This is one of the most popular on digital library websites.
  • RTF (Rich Text Format)— this free format was proposed by Microsoft for storing marked-up text documents.
  • CHM (Microsoft Compressed HTML Help)- Contextual help format from Microsoft. CHM contains a set of HTML pages, a subject index with links to pages, and supports searching by page content. This format is not very widespread and is very highly specialized.
  • HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a markup language that allows you to display web pages and documents. When reading this text, you see information formatted using HTML. E-books accept this document format well.

In addition to all of the above, there are many more formats that are worth paying attention to, but which are not so important for everyday reading. These are graphic, audio and special formats: LRF, PalmDOC, WOLF, RSS, XLS, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, BMP, ZIP, MP3 and AAC. By the way, some books can open ZIP archives. Whether you need it or not, decide for yourself. Let's move on to the rest important points, which will further clarify which reader to choose.


How to choose the right e-book based on other parameters

There are still many parameters that are worth paying attention to when choosing and purchasing an e-book. Let's look at them in order.

Choosing a good e-book

Before we finish our article, which we hope was useful, we will allow ourselves one piece of advice. He should help you make your choice. If you have the opportunity to look at your favorite book live, do not miss this chance. By getting acquainted with the e-book before purchasing, you will know for sure whether you need this digital book or not. Pay attention to navigation, internal design software. Read a couple of pages - it should be comfortable for your eyes.

Comparison table of popular digital books of 2013

Model Google Nexus 7 Nook Tablet Amazon Kindle Fire HD PocketBook Touch 622 Amazon Kindle 5 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight Sony Reader PRS-T2
OS Android 4.1 Android 2.3.4 Android 4.0 Linux Linux Linux Android 2.1 Android 2.1.1
Screen IPS, 7″, 1280×800 IPS, 7″, 1024×600 IPS, 7″, 1280×800 E-Ink Pearl, 6″, 800×600 E-Ink Pearl, 6″, 800×600 E-Ink Pearl HD, 6″, 1024×768 E-Ink Pearl, 6″, 800×600 E-Ink Pearl, 6″, 800×600
Built-in backlight LED TFT, adjustable LED TFT, adjustable LED TFT, adjustable No No non-switchable, adjustable adjustable No
Touchpad Multi-touch, capacitive Multi-touch, capacitive Multi-touch, capacitive Multi-touch, capacitive No Multi-touch, capacitive Multi-touch, capacitive Multi-touch, optical
Built-in memory 16 GB, 32 GB 16 GB 16 GB 2 GB 2 GB 2 GB 2 GB 2 GB
microSD card slot No up to 32 GB up to 32 GB up to 32 GB No No up to 32 GB up to 32 GB
Battery 4325 mAh 4000 mAh 4400 mAh 1100 mAh 890 mAh 1420 mAh 1530 mAh 1000 mAh
Reading Battery Life about 10 o'clock about 11 o'clock about 11 o'clock up to 8000 pages up to 10,000 pages 15 h (max. backlight level) up to 15,000 pages
Connect to PC micro USB mini USB micro USB micro USB micro USB micro USB mini USB micro USB
Book formats epub, pdf, xls, doc, ppt, pps, txt, docm, xlsm, pptm, ppsx, ppsm, docx, xlx, pptx azw, txt, pdf, mobi, prc, doc, docx, html5, css3 epub drm, epub, pdf drm, pdf, fb2, fb2.zip, txt, djvu, htm, html, doc, docx, rtf, chm, tcr Kindle (azw, mobi, prc), txt, pdf Kindle (azw, azw3, mobi, prc), txt, pdf epub, pdf txt, pdf, epub(txt, pdf, epub, fb2 in the Russian model)
Compatible Graphics Formats depending on mouth applications jpg, gif, png, bmp jpg, gif, png, bmp jpg, bmp, png, tif jpg, gif, png, bmp jpg, gif, png, bmp jpg, gif, png, bmp jpg, gif, png, bmp
Device dimensions (without cover, mm) 199 x 120 x 11 210 x 130 x 12 193 x 137 x 10.3 175 x 115 x 10 166 x 114 x 8.7 169 x 117 x 9 165 x 127 x 12.1 173 x 110 x 10
Weight (without cover, g) 340 396 395 195 170 210 196 164
Wireless Wi-Fi interface 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 b/g/n