Editors' note: This story was first published in July 2010, and has been extensively updated, most recently on December 17, 2012.
If you still need help (I struggled with this for months), login to iTunes from any other computer, go to the iTunes store and download the app to your computer. Note, that is the **iTunes** store. Then, on your iPad, login to the **App** store, find the kindle app, choose Get and it will **then** prompt you if you want to get the latest version compatible.
Shopping for an e-book reader or a small tablet? At first glance, the task seems daunting -- there are more choices than ever before. The good news is that the list of worthwhile choices is actually fairly short. The even better news? Prices and features are better than ever.
When we say 'e-book readers,' we're now really referring to four classes of products: black-and-white e-ink readers ($69 to $149); 7-inch color LCD media tablets ($150 to $300); midsize color LCD tablets ranging from 7.9 to 9 inches ($269 and up); and full-size color tablets like the iPad (mostly $400 and above).
The market for those products has consolidated around a handful of major players: Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Google are the leaders, with companies like Kobo, Samsung, and Sony -- and a host of other Android tablet manufacturers -- bringing up the rear.
Choosing among those those categories of tablets and readers is the dilemma facing any shopper today, with key variables such as size, weight, screen type, and app 'ecosystem' leading the shopping considerations. But don't worry; CNET's here to help.
As of December 2012, CNET has several reader and tablet products we enthusiastically recommend. But these are very closely matched products that vary according to individual needs, so please read through the rest of the article to see which one is best for you.
While the January 2013 International CES will no doubt bring a wave of new tablets, nearly all of the major manufacturers have updated their product lines for the Christmas season, so the buyer's remorse meter is quite low -- now is a good time to buy.
Best overall e-ink readers:
Best bargain e-ink readers: While you lose the built-in light found on the models above, the
Best sub-$200 color tablet:
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Best midsize tablets: Want to go bigger, but still stay at $330 or under? The
Best tablets for kids: The
Best full-size reading tablet:
The $399
If you do prefer Android in a large screen size, the
So, that's the cheat sheet. But if you're ready to do a deep dive, it's time to compare color versus black-and-white screen, backlight versus readability in the sun, touch screen versus not, cheap versus expensive, 4G versus Wi-Fi, lightweight versus heavy, reading-only versus full-featured tablet.
For the purposes of this article, we're steering clear of PC-style tablets running Windows 8 and Windows RT. For those, check of CNET's laptop buying guide and tablet buying guide. Likewise, we're also not focusing on smartphones, though some of the big-screen (5 inches and up) 'phablet' models such as the
Read on to consult this quick guide, which boils the purchase decision down to six questions:
One of the advantages of having your reading collection 'in the cloud' is that you can access your books on multiple devices, though some e-book vendors offer better cross-platform support than others.
This is where terminology can get a bit confusing: the e-book stores can be available on different devices, including (in the case of Apple) those of rival e-book publishers -- the e-book equivalent of buying a can of Pepsi from a Coke vending machine.
This multidevice support is accomplished through apps. On tablets (iPad, Android, and others), smartphones (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and others), and PCs (Mac and Windows), users can download free apps that let them read e-books from a variety of vendors. So, you can read a Kindle book on your iPad, a Nook book on your Android phone, or a Kobo book on your BlackBerry -- and that's just for starters.
As of December 2012, here's how app support breaks down for each major e-book platform:
Kindle: Besides Kindle hardware readers, Kindle books can be accessed on iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch handhelds, Android phones (version 2.1 and later), Android tablets, many BlackBerry phones, Windows PCs, Macs, Windows Phone 7 phones, and via Web browsers (the Kindle Cloud Reader). Full details here.
Nook: Besides Nook hardware readers, Nook books can be accessed on iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch handhelds, Android phones (version 2.1 and later), Android tablets, Windows PCs, Macs, and via Web browsers (the Nook for Web). Full details here.
Kobo: Besides Kobo hardware readers, Kobo books can be accessed on iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch handhelds, Android phones (version 2.1 and later), Android tablets, many BlackBerry phones, Windows PCs, Macs, and via Web browsers. Full details here.
iBooks: Apple's e-book store is currently only available on Apple iOS devices -- iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
Sony Reader: Besides Sony Reader hardware, Sony books can be accessed on Android phones, Android tablets, Windows PCs, Macs, and -- after a
Nearly all of these apps allow you to sync your position in a book across devices, so if you read up to, say, page 229 on your phone, you can pick up on that same page on your tablet or reader, and vice versa.
All of the apps are free, and -- since each bookstore offers a wide selection of free books -- you can freely experiment with any and all of the apps that work with your respective hardware.
Best cross-platform providers (where to buy your e-books): Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook
Most versatile hardware readers: Apple iOS devices (iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch); Android phones with full Google Play support; Android tablets with full Google Play support
Start by asking yourself what you're really looking for. Do you just want to read books? How about magazines and newspapers? What about browsing the Web? Want to add multimedia to the mix -- music, audiobooks, or video? Are you a Netflix junkie? Do you need Flash support? E-mail and messaging? Gaming?
If you want to stick with 'just reading' -- books, and maybe some newspapers and magazines (in black and white) -- an e-ink reader ($69 to $149) is probably your best bet. They come closest to duplicating the experience of reading a book, and, while they have some online features, you won't be distracted while reading by a stream of incoming e-mails, tweets, or Facebook messages.
But if you're willing to pay as little as $200, there's a growing class of small tablets that split the difference between e-ink readers and full-size tablets. The Nook Color blazed the trail in 2010, but the trio of best choices are now the Google Nexus 7, B&N Nook HD, and Kindle Fire HD.
Stepping up in size and price, you'll find the 7.9- to 9-inch models, priced from $269 to $329. The 9-inch Nook HD+ is the cheapest and largest, the 7.9-inch iPad Mini the smallest but most expensive. The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD sits in the middle, at $329.
At the full-size (around 10 inches) high-end, the iPad dominates, but plenty of Android competitors exist for those who would like to steer clear of Apple. (Yes, plenty of those folks exist.)
Even if you plan to never leave home with your e-book reader, you should consider its size before buying one. Since you hold the device in front of you whenever you read from it, weight and size are critical issues.
The smallest and lightest dedicated e-book readers that we can recommend is the entry-level 2012 Kindle. Unlike the step-up Kindle Paperwhite model, the baseline Kindle includes neither a touch screen nor a built-in light. However, the trade-off is that you get the lightest mainstream e-book reader currently on the market -- just under 6 ounces.

If you're willing to eschew Amazon's advantages -- unparalleled e-book catalog, the benefits of Prime membership -- you could also consider the tiny 4.7-ounce
Touch-screen models all weigh a tad more. Both the
With their color screens and beefier batteries, the 7-inch tablets are heavier than their e-ink counterparts. Most impressively, even with a larger 7.9-inch screen, the iPad Mini tips the scales at just 11 ounces. The 7-inch Nook HD weighs 11.1 ounces, and the weights tick up from there: the
Remember, all e-book readers let you adjust the font size of the content you're reading, so even a small screen can display much larger type than you're used to seeing in a book, magazine, or newspaper. In other words, a smaller screen does not mean you need to sacrifice text readability. However, small screens often make magazine and PDFs look cramped, since those publications are generally designed with large print sizes in mind.
Beyond screen size, weight is often a bigger issue. Unlike a laptop, which sits on a table or in your lap while in use, you'll be actively holding these readers or tablets aloft. During long reading sessions -- say, more than 45 minutes or so -- many users will find their fingers and arms becoming strained.
Finally, remember that if you add a case or a screen cover to your reader or tablet of choice, it's going to add some weight as well.
E-ink: As close as you'll get to a printed page
Dedicated e-book readers, such as the Nook, Kindle, Kobo, and Sony Reader, use an e-ink screen. However, e-ink screens have some drawbacks: they're black and white, and the pages don't refresh as quickly as those on an LCD do. However, they do an excellent job of reproducing the look of printed paper. Also, you can read e-ink readers in direct sunlight, which is something you can't do on an LCD screen (a fact Amazon is keen to point out in its advertising).
Previously, the biggest drawback for e-ink screens was that they were not self-illuminating (unlike LCDs, which are backlit by definition). But that's now changed with the release of the
It's also worth noting that nearly all of these screens are supplied by a single company: E Ink. While some of the newer models have slightly higher resolution, the screens largely offer the same performance across multiple vendors.
Many users of e-ink readers dislike the refresh flashing that occurs between page turns. While those flashes still exist, user settings now give the option to have them happen once every five to six page turns, rather than every time a page is refreshed. Also, page turns on the latest e-ink screens are notably faster than on previous years' models.
The other big advantage of e-ink readers is battery life, which is measured in weeks, not hours. Instead of using a reading app on a phone or tablet that will cut into the battery life you might need for other tasks, you can read as long as you'd like on an e-ink reader, and keep the phone ready for phone calls, email, or web browsing instead.
LCD: Bright, backlit -- and potentially tiring
Color LCD screens found on all tablets are bright, colorful, beautiful displays. But those advantages have trade-offs. The reflective screens on LCD tablets make it hard to read in bright light, and many people find that the backlight tires their eyes over long reading sessions.
High-res tablets such as the iPad's 2,048x1,536-pixel Retina Display and the 2,560x1,600-pixel display of the Nexus 10 are the best-looking LCD screens out there, and arguably provide the best experience for reading text on a backlit screen. But as great as it looks, it's still LCD -- and still suffers from the issues mentioned above.
Touch screen: All but the entry-level Kindle
All tablets (iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook HD, and so on) have touch screens, as do all current models of major brand e-ink readers -- except the entry-level $69 Kindle. Most users will find the touch screen to be the most natural way to interact with a device. That said, if you're only interested in reading -- without taking notes, tweeting, or other text input -- that supercheap, superlight Kindle may well be all you need.
How to choose
So, which screen is better for reading: e-ink or LCD? We can't answer that question for you. (See 'LCD vs. e-ink: The eyestrain debate.') If you don't have a problem staring at your laptop or LCD monitor screen for hours on end -- or if you enjoy reading in low light without an external light source -- you'll probably like an LCD screen. Likewise, if you enjoy reading Web sites, magazines, and newspapers, and if you want support for interactive children's books, you'll want to go with color. However, if you prefer the look of newsprint or if you enjoy reading outside, an e-ink display is your friend. And if you like reading in bed, the self-illumination Kindle Paperwhite or
Whether you're checking your preference for e-ink versus LCD or a touch screen versus keyboard controls, we'd strongly recommend that you try a few devices before you buy one. You'll find most major e-book readers (Kindles, Nooks, Sony Readers, Apple iPads, Android tablets) under one roof at your local Best Buy; iPads can be found at Apple stores, of course; and all flavors of Nooks are on display at your local Barnes & Noble store. Nexus 7 tablets are a bit harder to find, but should be at your local GameStop and Staples stores.
When buying many tablets and some e-book readers, you'll need to make a choice between two versions: the Wi-Fi model and the 3G/4G version. In other words, do you want the more affordable Wi-Fi model (which requires you to be near a Wi-Fi hot spot to download books or access the Internet), or do you prefer to pay a premium -- via a higher up-front price and/or a monthly bill -- to add 3G access on a cellular wireless network?
If you're primarily interested in reading books, you're probably going to be fine opting for a Wi-Fi-only model. You only need Wi-Fi access when you're buying new books. E-book files are stored on the device; once a book is downloaded, Internet access isn't necessary. So, if you're a voracious reader, you can (for instance) buy a bunch of books, toggle off your Wi-Fi, and work your way through them at your leisure. In fact, many users keep the wireless on their readers switched off most of the time since that significantly boosts battery life.
If you're using your hardware to access anything besides e-books -- magazine or newspaper subscriptions, e-mail, the Web, apps, and so forth -- ubiquitous wireless access becomes more important. Still, if you're using the reader/tablet primarily at home, Wi-Fi will probably remain sufficient.
Is broadband wireless a must-have? That's a question you'll need to answer. Just remember that, with more phones offering Wi-Fi hot-spot functionality and establishments such as Starbucks offering free Wi-Fi, there are plenty of ways to get online coverage on your reading device without it having broadband network support built in. Still, if you're a power user or frequent traveler, opting for a 3G or 4G product is worth considering.
Broadband options for top tablets and readers
All current Nook models -- e-readers and tablets -- are available as Wi-Fi only.
The Kindle Paperwhite is offered with 3G wireless (using AT&T's cellular network) for $60 more than the Wi-Fi-only model. The wireless is free -- no monthly fee-- but it's limited to shopping for new books and downloading new issues of magazines and newspapers -- don't expect to be surfing the Web and watching video, even if that were pleasant on those e-ink screens (it's not).
Tablets, of course, offer a much wider array of media options, and, as a result, cellular (3G or 4G) data access is much more tempting. While some tablets are offered with the same 'discounted hardware plus 2-year contract' plan you find with cell phones. Others are more flexible, offering full-priced hardware that you can choose to add to a new or existing wireless plan at your leisure -- at the time of purchase, a week later, a month later, or never. The good news is that tablet data plans are generally available as a prepaid monthly service, not a long-term contract. Alternately, many new 'family share plans' offer the ability to add a tablet to an existing bill for as little as $10 per month, though the data usage is applied to the overall account's data allotment (which can be as little as 1GB a month).
The Google Nexus 7 now has a
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There are now three cellular iPad options: the 3G iPad 2 (16GB only), the 4G LTE fourth-generation iPad, and the 4G LTE iPad Mini. The iPad 2 is available on Verizon or AT&T, while the newer iPads add an option for Sprint. Each costs a $130 premium over their respective Wi-Fi-only counterpart.
Many local libraries will let you check out an e-book on loan -- just as you can do with a regular book. Previously, support for this varied across e-readers and tablets. However, now it's basically universal. The Kindle was the last major holdout, but as of September 2011, Amazon's e-reader can be used to read free library loaners as well.
Library support is generally accomplished in one of three ways (all of which, of course, require you to have an account with your local library):
You will also see this noted in checkout. • Addresses in the following State Codes AK, HI, AE, AP, AA, PR, GU, MP, PW, AS, VI, FM and APO/FPO addresses with U.S. Sd card reader for mac usb 3.0. You will see this noted in checkout. Ineligible items & addresses • Items with freight charges • Items fulfilled by Walmart.com Marketplace sellers • Personalized items • eGift Cards • Any item that is not marked eligible on the product page or in checkout • International destinations SHIPPING & RETURNS. ZIP Codes will ship for free with value shipping.
For dedicated e-readers -- download and sync: Users of the Nook, Kobo, and Sony Readers can download e-book files from their local library's Web site and transfer them to the readers via a USB cable. You'll need free software such as Adobe Digital Editions to complete the process. The video below details the process on the Nook, but the process is similar on Kobo, Sony, and other readers that are compatible with EPUB files. (You can also do a version of USB sync for the Kindle -- see below.)
For tablets, smartphones, and computers -- OverDrive Media Console: If you're reading on a tablet (iPad or Android), a smartphone (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone), or a computer (Windows or Mac), reading e-books from the library is far simpler. Just install the free OverDrive Media Console app. OverDrive will allow you to download and read library e-books -- and MP3 audiobooks -- within the app itself, without the need to sync up with a computer. (See the video below for more information.)
For Amazon Kindle (hardware or app): Amazon partnered with OverDrive to enable library lending, and the result is pretty seamless. Choose the e-book from the Web site of your local library, add the Kindle version to the cart, and check out. You'll be redirected to the book's corresponding Amazon page, where you can automatically send it to your Kindle reader or app (next time you sync via Wi-Fi), or you can download the file and sync via USB.
Read: How to get free library books on your Kindle
Amazon Kindle Owners' Lending Library: It's also worth mentioning that Amazon has its own version of a library. The Kindle Owners' Lending Library makes thousands of books available to Amazon Prime subscribers at no additional charge -- think of it as 'Netflix for books.' (Prime costs $79 per year, and also entitles members to free two-day shipping on most physical Amazon orders, plus free access to thousands of streaming-video titles on Amazon Instant.) Best kindle reader for mac.
There are many caveats: besides needing to pay the Prime membership fee, you can only 'check out' one book per month, and it only works with Kindle hardware (not via Kindle apps on other devices). The biggest issue is the comparative dearth of quality titles -- there are more than 100,000 titles overall, but the majority are self-published titles that don't come from the large publishing houses. And because of the licensing issues (read: potential loss of sales), don't count on more publishers signing on.
Every Mac is built with assistive technologies to support people who are blind or have low vision. The VoiceOver screen reader describes exactly what’s happening on your screen. Zoom gives you a powerful built-in magnifier. And display adjustments help to meet your specific vision needs.
VoiceOver does more than tell you what’s happening on your Mac. It helps you make things happen. It gives you auditory descriptions of each onscreen element and provides helpful hints along the way — whether you prefer using gestures, a keyboard, or a braille display. And it supports more than 35 languages, including multiple voice options.
VoiceOver is unique because it’s not a standalone screen reader. It’s deeply integrated in macOS and all the built-in apps on Mac. And as developers update their apps to take advantage of the accessibility interfaces provided by Apple, their apps can start working with VoiceOver right away.
We’ve refined VoiceOver to make it easier to navigate PDFs, websites, and messages. In Safari, improved conformance with HTML5 accessibility standards allows for more consistent navigation of websites. VoiceOver is now better at reading aloud tagged PDFs and email messages. If you start reading a website in a different language, VoiceOver can switch to the voice for that language automatically.¹ And you can add custom commands and workflows to your MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
Watch movies with detailed audio descriptions of every scene on your Mac. Movies with audio descriptions are displayed with the AD icon in the iTunes Store.
You can control VoiceOver using many of the same gestures you use with iOS. Touch the trackpad to hear a description of the item under your finger, drag to hear items continuously, and flick to move to the next item. Enable the VoiceOver Trackpad Commander, and the trackpad surface will represent the current window or document, so you can navigate quickly to any corner or edge with a tap.
VoiceOver features a virtual control called the rotor. Turning the rotor — by rotating two fingers on the trackpad as if you were turning an actual dial — lets you access an array of fully customizable commands. Use it to browse web pages more efficiently and intuitively. The rotor lists common elements like “headings,” “links,” and “images,” and lets you navigate directly to the element of your choosing.
VoiceOver is the first screen reader to provide plug-and-play support for refreshable braille displays. Plug in or sync one of over 100 compatible displays, and the VoiceOver description is presented to you in braille. In macOS High Sierra, you can edit seamlessly in Grade 2 Braille, viewing your edits in the context of the actual line of text. Converting between braille and text happens automatically so you see only Grade 2 Braille. VoiceOver is also the only screen reader that supports more than one braille display at a time. So in a meeting or class, you can present what’s on your screen to multiple braille users simultaneously. And for sighted users who sit alongside you, there’s an onscreen braille panel that displays both braille and plain-text versions of the descriptions spoken by VoiceOver.
Dark Mode transforms the desktop and built-in apps with a new dark color scheme that helps you focus on your work.2 The fine points of your content take center screen as toolbars and menus recede into the background. Light text against darker backdrops in Mail, Safari Reader, Calendar, and more makes everything easier to read in low lighting conditions. And the Accessibility preferences for increased contrast and reduced transparency work with Dark Mode enabled.
Dictation lets you talk where you would type — and it works in over 40 languages. So you can reply to an email, search the web, or write a report using just your voice. Navigate to any text field, activate Dictation, then say what you want to write. macOS also comes with more than 50 editing and formatting commands. So you can turn on Dictation and tell your Mac to bold a paragraph, delete a sentence, or replace a word. You can also use Automator workflows to create your own Dictation commands.
Siri helps you do more with your desktop.³ Ask Siri to send messages, track down files, create reminders, search the web, and even turn on and off VoiceOver and Invert Colors, without interrupting what you’re doing on the keyboard. And because Siri is integrated with VoiceOver, you can ask it to find a file and hear the answer read out loud. If you prefer to communicate by typing, you can easily set Siri to “Type to Siri” mode.
Zoom is a powerful built-in magnifier that lets you enlarge your screen up to 20 times, so you can better see what’s on the display. Set up a shortcut for quickly zooming in and out by selecting “Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom” in the Zoom pane of Accessibility in System Preferences. You can zoom using full screen or picture-in-picture, allowing you to see the zoomed area in a separate window while keeping the rest of the screen at its native size. A shortcut key lets you pan the screen without moving the pointer while zoomed in. macOS can also flash the screen for notifications offscreen or speak text under your pointer. The hardware acceleration engine lets you boost the size of everything on your screen — text on a web page, family photos, a place on a map.
macOS lets you magnify your cursor so it’s easier to see where you are and follow along as you move around your Mac. Set the cursor size once and it stays magnified even when its shape changes. And when you swipe back and forth on your trackpad or quickly shake your mouse, the pointer grows so it’s easier to locate.
If a higher contrast or a lack of color helps you better see what’s on your display, macOS lets you invert colors or enable grayscale onscreen. Once you set your preferences, they apply systemwide, so you get the same view in every app. You can also turn on Increase Contrast to enhance definition and reduce transparency in some apps.
While we see how it could be useful, the program's interface--or lack thereof--makes it frustrating to understand and use. Scr3310v2 smart card reader drivers.
If you’re affected by the motion of screen elements, you can turn on Reduce Motion to decrease movement in areas like Spaces, Notification Center, and the Dock.
iTunes is compatible with VoiceOver, so you can navigate and play all the content in your iTunes library even if you can’t see the screen. Browse the iTunes Store as VoiceOver reads out headers, links, and other elements on the page.
Explore instructional videos with tips on using vision accessibility features in macOS.
Learn more about the Hadley Institute instructional videos at their websiteJoin a community of blind and low-vision users of Apple products.
Get information on the use of Apple products by those who are blind or low vision.