Read a Book on an iPad: Better than Kindle?

As far as e-book content goes, the iPad has you covered. Every major e-book retailer (and quite a few specialized stores) offer an iPad app, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, Google Books, Stanza, and Apple's own iBooks.

Mainstream magazines, including The New Yorker, Wired, and Vanity Fair, all have iPad-specific editions. Even specialty publications, such as comic books, test prep, and sheet music, have found their way onto the iPad.

But when you compare the experience of reading on the iPad with its paper-based ancestor or dedicated e-ink readers, the iPad still falls short. It's beefy at 1.44 pounds (a Kindle Touch weighs under half a pound), and in spite of the Retina Display's exquisitely rendered text, glare is still an issue--especially outdoors. Also, a product like the Nook Simple Touch promises up to two months of reading without a recharge, whereas the iPad will only get you 10 hours.

In spite of all these criticisms, the iPad has already proven itself a success as an e-reader. There are certainly cheaper options out there, but none with the breadth of features and e-book shopping options offered by the iPad.

iPad Hotness

Why I'm  in love with my iPad 2?


Thin is definitely in with Apple. The iPad2 boasts of a thinner ultra sleek design, with its two cameras being a plus. And 11 hours of battery to match your hunger for tons of apps- can you actually keep up with what's out there?




There are just too many apps for the iPad, big win for Apple diehards. Definitely, the tablet to beat in the market. I bought mine at store price $499 and held the box like a baby on the way home.

Apple iPad Heat

Might the heat levels damage the device in the long run?
We can't say. Internal heat certainly isn't a friend to electronics gear. But companies work hard to minimize it without overly compromising performance. In a statement yesterday, Apple said the new iPad operates "well within our thermal specifications" and invited any consumers with concerns to contact Apple Care.
We are looking now at whether to do that. We're especially interested in whether other tablets that have a graphics processor of comparably high power to that of the new iPad also run hotter than most other tablets.

When your iPad gets Hot

Our finding that the new iPad can heat up to as much as 116 degrees Fahrenheit when plugged in and continually running a game has prompted widespread coverage and comments, as well as questions from consumers on our blog post, Facebook page, and via Twitter.

Here are answers to some of the most frequent queries so far:

Just how hot is too hot for a tablet or laptop?
At this point, we don't believe the temperatures we recorded in our tests of the new iPad represent a safety concern. As we said in our initial post about the iPad's heat issues, the tablet felt "very warm but not especially uncomfortable if held for a brief period."

We've concluded in the past that a laptop that heats up to 120 degrees or more could damage bare skin over time. While laptop heating was a problem during the infancy of the product, we discontinued our heat tests several years ago when typical temperatures came down to 110 degrees Fahrenheit or so.

In addition, a tablet computer is used differently from a laptop. Most people don't keep it sitting on their laps for long periods, but rather hold it in their hands, switch the location of their hands while holding it, and change the hand they're using to hold it. So you're probably not touching that one hot area for a prolonged period.