Found via Twitter from @Stanza_Reader: a video blog entry singing the praises of Stanza, comparing iPhone + Stanza quite favorably to the Kindle. In the five minute installment, videoblogger Jeff McCord explains how to install Stanza, and puts it through its paces.
It is a decent enough podcast for what it includes, but—as I stated in the comment I left at the podcast—it is slightly inaccurate in that it implies that Stanza is the only good e-book application for the iPhone, when in fact there are several of them.
And I can’t help but find it a little sad that an iPhone with an e-book reader is always being described as “turning your iPhone into a Kindle.” Why would I want to make my iPod Touch into a monochrome, slow-page-turning, ugly chunk of plastic reliant on Amazon, anyway?
I know Kindle. I’ve worked with Kindle. Kindle is a friend of mine. iPhone, you are no Kindle! 🙂
Seriously, iPhone is a spectacular device. I’ve read several books on it using Stanza and eReader, but let’s face it. It’s not REALLY a replacement for a BOOK-sized device. There’s just not enough real estate on an iPhone to make it a truly pleasant reading experience.
OK, sure, some guys riding on the EL love it, but 500 years of printing have taught us something about the ideal relationship between font size, line length, and page size. iPhone is never going to achieve it. Even though it wins the aesthetics wars hands down, iPhone is not a replacement for a Kindle, except maybe for those who never intended to buy a Kindle anyway. The iPhone is like those cute little miniature printed books: great collector’s item but never caught on as the standard reading format.
I don’t want to play fan girl, other than to counter your own fan boy exclamations, but there’s a world of difference between e-ink and back-lighting, especially over many hours. Not only do the specialized readers require less energy, they’re a lot easier on your eyes.
If you want to hold your tiny iphone to your face for several hours to read a book, go for it. But I’d rather have my ugly chunk of plastic Kindle.
The Kindle haters just never stop.
I have a Kindle and a Touch. I enjoy using both for reading.
The main problem I have with the iPhone/Touch is battery life. Being a senior citizen my eyes need more screen brightness than the young whippersnappers. Using the brightness settings I prefer I am lucky to get 3-4 hours of usage (of all types not just reading) on my Touch. Given the lack of user replaceable batteries I try to be conscious of my power usage on my Touch whereas my Kindle can go literally for days.
While the screen size of the Touch is fine for shorter periods of reading I can’t say that I truly enjoy reading book length materials on it.
To each his own. Why all the hating though?
The iPhone/Touch is a slick device
I appreciate the link to my podcast covering the iPhone and Stanza. By no means do I want to state that Stanza is the only eReader app that you can use on the iPhone.
My podcast is a personal testament to my life and my experiences and Stanza was just one piece of software I’ve used and really liked.
And I still stand by my comment… I’d rather use my genius 3g iPhone ($199) than buy a Kindle any day!
Happy reading!
Jeff McCord aka “Moxie Mo”
I own a Touch and a Kindle and I have to agree that the constant Kindle bashing on this site is getting old. If I had only my Touch I wouldn’t have read nearly as many new books from authors I otherwise I would not have picked up at good prices over the last year.
Both devices are great…but when I want to read for 3-4 hours (or read something published in this decade) I need my Kindle. I still love my Fictionwise sales, but on average the Kindle prices are a lot better.
Most people who bash the Kindle have never used one. E-Ink is a huge advantage for an ebook reader over an LCD display.
Would this be a good option for an 87 year old woman who has loved to read and now needs large print and the newspaper is becoming difficult so I thought this might work for her. Any opinions??