Hi Time Out, I’m moving to Abu Dhabi this summer, and I’m planning on picking up a Kindle at the airport, but I’ve heard they don’t work there. Am I better off buying a tablet rather than an ebook reader?
Thank you for contacting TOAD towers for all your literary and technological needs, please stay on the line while we connect your call to the first available geek. Then again, we’re all tech buffs and literature fiends here, and we think ebooks are just about the best invention since light sabres. And while it’s a massive shame that printed books are less popular than before, we’re happy hording both print and electronic books ourselves, and can’t deny the practicality of carrying all those e-stories around in a little, near-weightless pouch.
Kindles not working in Abu Dhabi is somewhat inaccurate, but we’ve heard this about plenty of devices. The problem is that many devices are sold with a free internet package in the US, as well as a bunch of value-added services, and these are only available within the United States, and not outside. That doesn’t mean the unit itself doesn’t work here, though, all the typical reader needs is a power outlet and an internet connection, and Abu Dhabi has plenty of both.
We’re going to assume you’ve never owned an ebook reader, otherwise you wouldn’t be asking about tablets. Tablets are admittedly very cool, but for the purposes of reading can’t at all compete with dedicated readers, as far as we’re concerned. The main difference is that readers use special electronic ink (or e-paper) technology on screens with no back-lighting; and this translates into sitting outside in full sunlight and being able to see the words on the screen as you would on a regular book. Have you been to Abu Dhabi? Have you seen our sun? This also means you’ll need a night-light to read in the dark, so you might want to pick one of those up as well.
Ebook readers are also designed to work on very low power. A tablet screen (and other backlit screens) uses constant battery power to stay on, but ebook readers use very minimal power. So a tablet will give you several hours of juice for reading, while ebook readers’ power is measured in weeks (or even months).
But we can’t specifically recommend an ebook reader, as we haven’t tried enough of them ourselves. Many major brands have their own take on the technology, and you’ll need to compare the features of these before purchasing. Some have colour, some have music, some have built-in lights, and some are extremely minimal; the choices can get confusing. We suggest you head online and check out some independent reviews before making the purchase; CNET recently ran a comparison piece on Kindle vs Nook vs iPad, so head to www.cnet.com to check that out.
