E-Reader

[jbrain]

This is for an almost 9 year old boy. Please keep in mind that he isn't the brightest light in the room, so he has yet almost no knowledge about computers. I don't want to say he's stupid but more that he is slow in his way of thinking and reacting.

I bought him some Thai reading books recently and noticed that he would spend quite some time reading through them.However I have no idea if he also understands what he's actually reading since I can't read Thai, so can't question him.

So I try to encourage him to more reading in the hope he will pick up something from it and wanted to get him into English reading so that I can assist him. He speaks English and can read English moderately.

Since English reading books here are far and between I decided to download them as they are widely available.

So now he needs an appliance to read them.

I have decided not to buy a 10.000 Baht Kindle, Noob, Kobo or alike, but go for a Chinese version of named device.

My first searches delivered me 2 options.

First option would be a 7-8 inch ebook reader with color screen 800 x 480 resolution, but without wifi or other computer related compatibilities, for 50 to 80 $.

Second option would be 8 inch tablets with higher resolution, wifi which could be interesteing if he want to look up translations or something, and more for around 150 $.

I understand that for an ebook reader an anti glare screen is a must, and which tablets mostly don't have, but I assume that this can be fixed with applying such an anti glare film to the screen. Please correct me if I see this wrong.

So with the info I gave you, and taken into account that currently the major use will be reading, should I go for the ereader or think about the future, and the wifi function the tablets have, and spend twice the money.

Currently I lean to the tablet option, but I want to hear your opinions as if this is a waste of money over an ebook reader or not. He has currently a desktop to his disposal if needed, but as I say he isn't much computer literate yet.

[endure]

If you buy him the tablet he (or one of his mates) will likely figure out how to play games on it. I suspect there'll be very little reading done on it after that.

[jbrain]

If you buy him the tablet he (or one of his mates) will likely figure out how to play games on it. I suspect there'll be very little reading done on it after that.

I had taken that in consideration already and the e-reader or the tablet will only be used at home.

[edwardandtubs]

You wouldn't have to spend 10,000 baht on a kindle. You could order it direct from Amazon for about $150 including postage and taxes. That's the best option unless you want to be constantly supervising him to make sure he doesn't play games and search for porn.

[bendejo]

If you buy him the tablet he (or one of his mates) will likely figure out how to play games on it. I suspect there'll be very little reading done on it after that.

I had taken that in consideration already and the e-reader or the tablet will only be used at home.

There may be a way to turn off the features of an Android tablet, such that they can only be reactivated by using the admin password. To get past it he'd have to crack the pw or re-install the system. If he manages to do either of these you'll be more impressed than angry.

A kid that age may end up accidentally breaking the thing, so I don't think a pricier gadget is a good idea.

There may be reading programs out there that could help him with his English, reading the text off the screen, maybe even highlighting the words as it goes along.

[jbrain]

You wouldn't have to spend 10,000 baht on a kindle. You could order it direct from Amazon for about $150 including postage and taxes. That's the best option unless you want to be constantly supervising him to make sure he doesn't play games and search for porn.

Cpuld you provide me with a link where I can order a Kindle at 150$ everything included and delivered in Thailand ?

[giddyup]

You wouldn't have to spend 10,000 baht on a kindle. You could order it direct from Amazon for about $150 including postage and taxes. That's the best option unless you want to be constantly supervising him to make sure he doesn't play games and search for porn.

Cpuld you provide me with a link where I can order a Kindle at 150$ everything included and delivered in Thailand ?

Try ebay. I ordered a Nook for $105 delivered.

[jbrain]

You wouldn't have to spend 10,000 baht on a kindle. You could order it direct from Amazon for about $150 including postage and taxes. That's the best option unless you want to be constantly supervising him to make sure he doesn't play games and search for porn.

Cpuld you provide me with a link where I can order a Kindle at 150$ everything included and delivered in Thailand ?

Try ebay. I ordered a Nook for $105 delivered.

Thanks for the tip, but you must have been lucky as the cheapest Nook with color screen who wants to ship to Thailand is currently 160 $.That exclude taxes of course.

A 6 inch e-ink display device, which I assume is B/W , can be had for 100$ or around but I'm not sure if that is the right solution since I downloaded several books with colorful pictures. Also not sure if 6 inch isn't a bit small ?

[giddyup]

You wouldn't have to spend 10,000 baht on a kindle. You could order it direct from Amazon for about $150 including postage and taxes. That's the best option unless you want to be constantly supervising him to make sure he doesn't play games and search for porn.

Cpuld you provide me with a link where I can order a Kindle at 150$ everything included and delivered in Thailand ?

Try ebay. I ordered a Nook for $105 delivered.

Thanks for the tip, but you must have been lucky as the cheapest Nook with color screen who wants to ship to Thailand is currently 160 $.That exclude taxes of course.

A 6 inch e-ink display device, which I assume is B/W , can be had for 100$ or around but I'm not sure if that is the right solution since I downloaded several books with colorful pictures. Also not sure if 6 inch isn't a bit small ?

Mine is the black and white only model. I haven't received it yet to comment as to whether 6" is too small, but both the Nook and Kindle base models are 6" and they are very popular, so I imagine you get used to that size. The other thing is comfort of use, a 10" tablet apparently gets very tiring to hold after a while, but 7" is probably OK.

[jbrain]

I was considering a 7 - 8 inch device, as I personally have a Galaxy Note 5.3 Inch and it is too small in my opinion to read comfortable.

9 Inch or bigger would indeed be to heavy.

But as you mention that you haven't received yours yet, there still could be a tax surprise which could add up.

[edwardandtubs]

You wouldn't have to spend 10,000 baht on a kindle. You could order it direct from Amazon for about $150 including postage and taxes. That's the best option unless you want to be constantly supervising him to make sure he doesn't play games and search for porn.

Cpuld you provide me with a link where I can order a Kindle at 150$ everything included and delivered in Thailand ?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HCCOD0?country=TH

[jbrain]

You wouldn't have to spend 10,000 baht on a kindle. You could order it direct from Amazon for about $150 including postage and taxes. That's the best option unless you want to be constantly supervising him to make sure he doesn't play games and search for porn.

Cpuld you provide me with a link where I can order a Kindle at 150$ everything included and delivered in Thailand ?

http://www.amazon.co...COD0?country=TH

Thanks for the link, but again this is onlyt a 6 inch screen. Amazon also doesn't show me the total cost before I enter my credit card details.

How do you get the total cost without entering those numbers?

And as I said in the OP, for half that price I buy a nice 8 Inch colorscreen e-reader from China.

[aarn]

My aussie mate paid 2,300B (after a little bargaining) for a 7" (?) tablet at MBK on 24 Dec. He was offered various upmarket stuff, then offered a China-made thing that is light as a feather, has 512M processor, internet connectivity, and reads .pdf/.epub etc. He saw the same thing for sale at the Ban Krut Saturday market (29 Dec) for 2,000B. Might be worth looking around, no no need to pay top dollar for something that may attract further fees when imported over here.

And anyone who wants ebooks, just PM me for my list of ~ 1,600 (total ~ 1.6Gb), yours for free as attachments whatever.

Cheers, AA

[giddyup]

My aussie mate paid 2,300B (after a little bargaining) for a 7" (?) tablet at MBK on 24 Dec. He was offered various upmarket stuff, then offered a China-made thing that is light as a feather, has 512M processor, internet connectivity, and reads .pdf/.epub etc. He saw the same thing for sale at the Ban Krut Saturday market (29 Dec) for 2,000B. Might be worth looking around, no no need to pay top dollar for something that may attract further fees when imported over here.

And anyone who wants ebooks, just PM me for my list of ~ 1,600 (total ~ 1.6Gb), yours for free as attachments whatever.

Cheers, AA

What are you reading your e books on?

[jbrain]

My aussie mate paid 2,300B (after a little bargaining) for a 7" (?) tablet at MBK on 24 Dec. He was offered various upmarket stuff, then offered a China-made thing that is light as a feather, has 512M processor, internet connectivity, and reads .pdf/.epub etc. He saw the same thing for sale at the Ban Krut Saturday market (29 Dec) for 2,000B. Might be worth looking around, no no need to pay top dollar for something that may attract further fees when imported over here.

And anyone who wants ebooks, just PM me for my list of ~ 1,600 (total ~ 1.6Gb), yours for free as attachments whatever.

Cheers, AA

That looks like an interesting item and might be exactly what I'm after.

Since I'm located in Pattaya, MBK isn't that convenient for me to go have a quick look, but there might be a chance that it's also available at Tukcom.

Is there any change that you could provide any more details regarding brand or model number, so I know what I will be looking for.

[edwardandtubs]

You want to check out the huge threat that already exists about choosing a tablet. Loads of great suggestions there.

[jbrain]

You want to check out the huge threat that already exists about choosing a tablet. Loads of great suggestions there.

I've been in there already to get some ideas and tips, but I started this thread as I wasn't sure if for a 9 year old with some limited knowledge a tablet would be the right choice or that I should opt for an e-reader.

[NeverSure]

If it matters (probably not) you can do only certain things with Amazon if you have an actual Kindle. They do have an Android app that allows you to do some.

So if you buy something else, at least install the Kindle app because only it will read Amazon books. It won't get you into all of their free books much, but there does seem to be a book or two floating around in the clouds anyway.

I have two 7" tablets. One is a Dell, and the other is a new Kindle Fire HD. I have to say I far prefer the Kindle. I stlll haven't figured out if it's Paperwhite, but the screen is amazing in black and white, sepia tone, or color HD. The sound quality is amazing. It's dual antenna wireless setup out pulls any other portable device I've seen, by far.

It's a full computer (Android Ice Cream Sandwich) which will do everything Amazon and still edit a Word doc. and send Gmail, other mail, and my ISP's mail. It will surf the web and all that. If it would make a phone call, I'd toss my smartphone.

If I just wanted a reader for a boy, I'd go for whatever was cheap but had a bright sharp screen and enough storage. So far I've used 4 gig of 32, but I can always upload to my main computer to make space.

Edit: I stressed sound quality. About 1/2 the books I've bought are audio only. It matters. The Dell doesn't bring home the bacon on that end. You can get a blue tooth adapter and play through the car stereo while the reader charges from the cig lighter. Pretty nice, but even then I can tell the sound source is much better on the Kindle.

[MaiChai]

Benefit of the e-ink readers is the battery life (1 month per charge) and they are good in bright light. Another major plus is that you can't download loads of apps and get distracted from reading

Sent from my Andriod smartphone.

[bendejo]

My guess is those cheap Chinese tablets selling for 3k baht or less are running older versions of Android.

It might be possible to upgrade some of them, but it will not be easy and it will be touchy, with the possibility of rendering the thing useless.

The ones with current Android versions seem to sell for around 4-5k baht. New Android versions come out around twice a year, so you're guaranteed some antiquation soon after you buy it. But then again if it's just used for reading and occasionally checking email/browsing it'll do.

[jbrain]

Just wanted to update that I bought a Onda v712 tablet today for 3590 Baht.

1.5 Ghz dual core cortex Arm 9, 16 Gb internel storage, 1 Gb ddr 3 ram, 16 Gb internal storage and a screen resolution of 1280 x 800.Running Jelly bean 4.1.1

Added anti - glare screen protector and so far happy with the result.Very bright picture.

[tlcwaterfall]

Just wanted to update that I bought a Onda v712 tablet today for 3590 Baht.

1.5 Ghz dual core cortex Arm 9, 16 Gb internel storage, 1 Gb ddr 3 ram, 16 Gb internal storage and a screen resolution of 1280 x 800.Running Jelly bean 4.1.1

Added anti - glare screen protector and so far happy with the result.Very bright picture.

Hi there,

Would you mind giving us an update on how your tablet has worked out please.

Has it met the needs you bought it for, any performance issues etc.?

I ask as I am now in the market for a similar type tablet as my Kindle is no longer performing well.

[jbrain]

Just wanted to update that I bought a Onda v712 tablet today for 3590 Baht.

1.5 Ghz dual core cortex Arm 9, 16 Gb internel storage, 1 Gb ddr 3 ram, 16 Gb internal storage and a screen resolution of 1280 x 800.Running Jelly bean 4.1.1

Added anti - glare screen protector and so far happy with the result.Very bright picture.

Hi there,

Would you mind giving us an update on how your tablet has worked out please.

Has it met the needs you bought it for, any performance issues etc.?

I ask as I am now in the market for a similar type tablet as my Kindle is no longer performing well.

That Onda was returned to the shop within the next 2 weeks as it had serious battery issues, which it seems they all have. It lasted about 1½ hour before it needed charging.

It was replaced by an Ainol Hero 10.1, which has performed very well since, and lasts about 10 hours of continuous reading. Price was 5990 including a book cover at that time if I recall correctly. I reckon that it is probably too big when used only as a reader, but the 7" Ainol tablets perform similar.

[tlcwaterfall]

Just wanted to update that I bought a Onda v712 tablet today for 3590 Baht.

1.5 Ghz dual core cortex Arm 9, 16 Gb internel storage, 1 Gb ddr 3 ram, 16 Gb internal storage and a screen resolution of 1280 x 800.Running Jelly bean 4.1.1

Added anti - glare screen protector and so far happy with the result.Very bright picture.

Hi there,

Would you mind giving us an update on how your tablet has worked out please.

Has it met the needs you bought it for, any performance issues etc.?

I ask as I am now in the market for a similar type tablet as my Kindle is no longer performing well.

That Onda was returned to the shop within the next 2 weeks as it had serious battery issues, which it seems they all have. It lasted about 1½ hour before it needed charging.

It was replaced by an Ainol Hero 10.1, which has performed very well since, and lasts about 10 hours of continuous reading. Price was 5990 including a book cover at that time if I recall correctly. I reckon that it is probably too big when used only as a reader, but the 7" Ainol tablets perform similar.

Thanks for the update.

[astral]

I have the simple Kindle

Ideal for what you want

Just black in white, like a normal book

Very light compared to tablets

No games, or internet surfing so no distractions for the boy

You will have to learn some Thai to help him choose books.

[hellodolly]

I have the simple Kindle

Ideal for what you want

Just black in white, like a normal book

Very light compared to tablets

No games, or internet surfing so no distractions for the boy

You will have to learn some Thai to help him choose books.

That is what I have. $66 American plus tax plus duty. I got mine here as some one had brought it into the country and just paid him the Thai equivalent for it which at the time was 2,200 baht give or take. The print is large enough I just have to turn the page more often. Unbelievable the number of free books. I charge the battery about every 4 days as I do a lot of reading.

I just go to Amazon .com on my computer and browse through it as there is an unbelievable amount of material available, At present I have over 130 books with capacity for far more.