Revisiting eReaders in Schools
Howdy! Some time ago, I shared some recommendations for eReaders for Schools. Since then, we’ve had a few new devices and changes to existing ones. I would love to read what device you have decided to use for ebook consumption in your school district or situation.
My bias: I’m looking at eReaders to find the most compatible, low-cost device with District network infrastructure in compliance with CIPA, also compatible with OverDrive.
Based on my reading, it looks like the preferred eReader is the Amazon Kindle $89 4th generation model (without advertising). I’ve shared a GoogleDoc with the breakdown below. The distinguishing feature is the lack of a need for a credit card for the Kindle. Nook once had it that way, but they’ve changed. I created new accounts on all the services to verify when/where a credit card is needed.
http://goo.gl/5EP4U
(chart appears further below)
Kindle Fire is not even mentioned because it’s a bit of “overkill,” as one colleague put it, for eReaders.
What are your thoughts?
And, if you have deployed either Kindle or Nook as eReader WITHOUT a credit card, please let me know!
Tweet Update: deerwood: Revisiting eReaders in Schools t.co/Hhalg4IN but is there a place for one function devices?
Great question! Yes, I do think there is a place for 1 function devices, especially when we’re talking about reading.
eReaders in Schools
Alternative Comparison chart: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_readers
Highlighted item is recommended item.
KINDLE 6” WiFi
(4th generation)
NooK Simple Touch WiFi
Kobo Touch - WiFi Version
Image
Web Site
http://www.kobobooks.com/touch_tech
Price
$69.00 with advertising; $89 without advertising
$99.00
$99.00 without advertising
Dimensions
6.5” x 4.5” x 0.34”
6.5”x5”x0.47”
4.5 in. X 6.5 in.
Weight
5.98 oz
7.48 oz
6.5 oz
Wireless
WiFi
WiFi
WiFi
Connectivity
microUSB 2.0
microUSB multiple syncs
USB
Screen Size
6” 16 level gray scale
6” 16 level grayscale
6” 16 level greyscale
Resolution
800x600
800x600
??
Touch Screen
No
Yes
No
Keyboard
No
No
No
MP3 Player
Yes
No
No
Memory
2Gb
2Gb
2Gb
Slots
MicroSD
MicroSD
Battery Time
1 month
2+ months
1 month
Supported ebook Formats
Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively
PDF, EPUB, eReader, PDB, JPG, GIF, PNG
Other formats supported with Calibre (free) Converter: LIT, HTML, MOBI
Books: EPUB, PDF and MOBI
Documents: PDF
Images: JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP and TIFF
Text: TXT, HTML and RTF
Comic Books: CBZ and CBR
Account Management Process
Requires an Amazon account (no credit card needed for free books, only for at-cost books)
Requires a Barnes and Noble account AND Credit card to get free books and/or at-cost books.
Requires a Kobo account (no credit card needed for free books, only for at-cost books)
Credit card required?
No
Yes
No
OverDrive Compatible?
Yes
Public library books can be sent wirelessly to Kindle devices via an active Wi-Fi connection or transferred via USB. Due to publisher restrictions, some titles may not be wirelessly delivered to your device and instead require USB transfer from your computer to your device. These restricted titles also may not be accessed on Kindle reading applications. Source:http://goo.gl/sxJaa
Yes
No
Additional Features
Browser,
Kindle allows owner to check email and news,
Non replaceable battery
- Can be unregistered
- Not allow shopping in bookstore;
- No Browser
- MAC or PC
- Only allows shopping in B&N store
- Can turn off WiFi or place in Airplane mode.
- Replaceable battery
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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure