[1954goodyear]

have done lots of research on playbook all positive but there is hardly any info on using it for reading books, most use will be me reading books. can i just take the playbook out of the box(note after registering/updating etc) , load an epub book from my sd card and start reading (Built in reader?) or do i have to get an appp, also have anyone use it mainly for an ereader. note: i can transfer file formats no problem so that is not an issue pdf,epub etc . Just want to hear its easy and as good as an ereader. Please i don't need a playbook and ereader need one and at $149.00 i hope to hear good READING stories for Playbook.

[Chrysalis1156]

Love to read epubs on my pb. The pb only comes with Kobo, so unless you want to download everything from there, you'll have to head to AppWorld and choose a reader. My personal favorite is Book Reader and for $.99 (I believe thats what I paid) it does everything I need. You can change the font, background, bookmark, etc.). It also reads several formats and the dev is very responsive. The Playbook makes a great ereader. Can't say I only use it for reading cuz it does so much more, but I've logged many hours reading on it so I definitely recommend it for this purpose.

[Taxman45]

I sideloaded the Amazon Kindle app for Android because I buy most of my ebooks from Amazon. I've also had success reading library books on the overdrive app.

[Michel Souris]

By the way there is no slot for sdcard or microsd card.

[Lendo]

I like my Kindle. Couldn't deal with the glare on the PB.

[anon(3641385)]

I do all my e-reading on the Playbook because I don't like the e ink screen on my Sony - it's just too dark and won't lighten up like the PB does. And yes, I've got the Sony jacket with the light - but that just adds a shadow and does not light up the screen by more than say a third at a time. (I won't go into my use of Calibre to change ebook formats because you say you're across cedrtain aspects)

I use Book Reader by Untangleddev as my primary ereading app - it handles the following formats: EPUB, AZW, PDB, PRC.

Here's the Forum link to the thread that is the primary discussion point for it:

http://forums.crackberry.com/playboo...aybook-638953/

It's a long thread but you'll get the gist that it's a very popular thread and that Igor (the app writer) is more than helpful as to how to and receptive as to suggestions for improvement.

Here is an ereader app Review that was in the News section earlier this month:

Best Applications for Using Your Blackberry Playbook as an eReader

This Review compares a number of ereader apps that may be of interest to you.

I also use the PB native Kobo ereader app - and I like it. You can only read Kobo purchased or free ebooks on this app - and can download directly onto the PB and/or onto your PC. Once the ebook is on your PC you can unlock it (if necessary, as Kobo has a number of DRM free ebooks) and then read it on the PB in the app of your choice.

Also use Pdf Reader, by SporadicSoftware, for reading PDF books - again an excellent app. Here is the main thread for discussions on that app:

http://forums.crackberry.com/playboo...reader-718636/

Again the dev is very helpful and supportive and takes suggestions on board.

And then again for my library ereading I use Overdrive Media console - for library ebooks and Audio books for BB Playbook.

How I get the ebooks from my PC to my PB is via one of 2 methods:

To transfer the book to the PB you can use different ways, including:

- plug your PB into your PC and copy it from the PC drive into the PB drive

- send the DRM free ebook to SugarSync or Dropbox or whatever and then pull it down on the PB

Each to their own choice re the app/s they use .... but I only e-read on my Playbook!!

[usedberry]

I've been using PlayEpub app to read books on my pb and it's great. It also gives option to adjust brightness for hours of glare-free reading experience. I've just finished reading all 7 Harry Potter books on pb.
If you have any question, let me know. Happy reading!

[dougmor2000]

I'm an avid reader and find reading on the playbook to be a mixed bag. In general, the font rendering is subpar to other tablets as are the ereading programs available. If you don't get rid of the DRM on an epub book, the only real option is Overdrive which does not have good fonts and sometimes gets a bit buggy. The sideloaded Kindle app is 4 versions older than what's available on other platforms, and again, the font rendering is weak.

There is a lot of opportunity to develop a better reading platform. I've tried both ePub readers from App World...no good for epubs purchased with Adobe DRM.

[rmpb]

If your primary purpose for the device is reading I would go with a current generation of e-reader. The screen tech is much brighter (whiter) than the old ones. I have a Playbook and a Kobo Touch e-reader and I love both for the purposes I have them for. The Kobo gets my reading time because it is lighter, very easy on the eyes when reading, much longer battery life. The Playbook gives you the option of reading in the dark without light. The e-ink will do much better in the sunlight.

[EricB1968]

I like using the pb for an ereader especially when I change the background to sepia & enlarge the font.

[axeman1000]

I do all my e-reading on the Playbook because I don't like the e ink screen on my Sony - it's just too dark and won't lighten up like the PB does. And yes, I've got the Sony jacket with the light - but that just adds a shadow and does not light up the screen by more than say a third at a time. (I won't go into my use of Calibre to change ebook formats because you say you're across cedrtain aspects)

I use Book Reader by Untangleddev as my primary ereading app - it handles the following formats: EPUB, AZW, PDB, PRC.

Here's the Forum link to the thread that is the primary discussion point for it:

http://forums.crackberry.com/playboo...aybook-638953/

It's a long thread but you'll get the gist that it's a very popular thread and that Igor (the app writer) is more than helpful as to how to and receptive as to suggestions for improvement.

Here is an ereader app Review that was in the News section earlier this month:

Best Applications for Using Your Blackberry Playbook as an eReader

This Review compares a number of ereader apps that may be of interest to you.

I also use the PB native Kobo ereader app - and I like it. You can only read Kobo purchased or free ebooks on this app - and can download directly onto the PB and/or onto your PC. Once the ebook is on your PC you can unlock it (if necessary, as Kobo has a number of DRM free ebooks) and then read it on the PB in the app of your choice.

Also use Pdf Reader, by SporadicSoftware, for reading PDF books - again an excellent app. Here is the main thread for discussions on that app:

http://forums.crackberry.com/playboo...reader-718636/

Again the dev is very helpful and supportive and takes suggestions on board.

And then again for my library ereading I use Overdrive Media console - for library ebooks and Audio books for BB Playbook.

How I get the ebooks from my PC to my PB is via one of 2 methods:

To transfer the book to the PB you can use different ways, including:

- plug your PB into your PC and copy it from the PC drive into the PB drive

- send the DRM free ebook to SugarSync or Dropbox or whatever and then pull it down on the PB

Each to their own choice re the app/s they use .... but I only e-read on my Playbook!!

As well, turn on the network sharing on the playbook give it a easy name like myplaybook then go to your pc, open the search or run command, and type \\myplaybook (or whatever the name was you gave it) and you will see the media folder structure of your playbook to copy to, you will see the folder for music, videos, pictures or books!
That way you can transfer over wifi, as well if your playbook is sitting somewhere in standby, you can STILL copy what you need to it!! very handy!

[Harryl6134]

Went thru a Kindle basic, hard to read in dark. My wife bought a kindle Fire, solved that problem.

When PB went on sale at $199 in late February, and OS 2.0 was released, I bought the 16GB PlayBook. My basic Kindle has been donated to my daughter-in-law.

I was already an Amazon customer, and upgraded to Amazon Prime. I probably spend more time using the PB as an e-reader that any other function. The Kindle Fire is a nice device, but has very limited capabilities as compared to the PlayBook (less memory, no camera, etc.)

My vote is for the PB! The sideloaded Amazon software functions rather well for me, and even plays movies!

[cdnrider]

I don't think it is a perfect e-reader. I would never buy it just as an e-reader. That being said i own a PB and use it to read EPUB files. I use both PlayEpub and Book Reader, I like PlayEpub the most.

[DC506]

The Playbook works great as an ereader. I have The Kobo app, the Kindle app and the BookReader app. I mostly use the BookReader (it can read many eBooks formats) and have recently sold my Kobo eReader and put the money towards my 3rd PlayBook...lol.

[Xopher]

I'm another avid reader on my PlayBook. I had the original Kindle (K1) back when it first came out and wore out the scrolling wheel on it. That got replaced with the K3 a couple of years ago and still gets used when I am into a heavy reading session.

I also have a Viewsonic gTablet 10.1" Android tablet that I have had for over a year and used that for reading. It's just a little on the heavy side, though. Between Google Books, Kobo, the Kindle app, and Zinio, I had lots of choices for reading.

Now that I have a PlayBook, the gTablet has pretty much been relegated to a video player in its desk cradle. The PlayBook goes everywhere with me. The few books I have in Kobo work well in that app. I mostly use the side-loaded Kindle app with the screen set to sepia setting (the white background was too white, especially reading in the dark). When I just had the K3 and gTablet, I would carry the two of them so I could read on the lighter Kindle, and browse the web on the heavier gTablet. Now, both stay behind and I do everything just on the PlayBook.

I also use the Zinio app for magazines. I had a couple of magazine subscriptions mailed to the house and would only read about half of them. I never carried magazines with me, and I hated going through the stack of magazines to figure out which ones I've read, and which ones still needed to go into the recycle bin. Once I started reading them in Zinio, I stopped the regular subscription and love having access to them anywhere.

[FlightRiskAK]

I have Kindle on my PlayBook and use it a lot. Very happy with it. It hasn't given any problems yet and I've made it through several books, downloaded more from Amazon and everything is syncing fine. I like being able to use the PlayBook in the dark since my actual kindle is not backlit.

[Sprawl]

While I do think that printed word > E-ink > Tablet for reading experience.

The Playbook's high quality screen makes for an excellent reading experience. There is very little to no colour shift or light bleed that occurs with other LCD panels when viewing on an angle, allowing you to hold the playbook as you want while reading, Even if it's at off angels .

[goku_vegeta]

Yes the PlayBook is a very viable ebook reader. The screeen resolution and size makes it quite a pleasant experience for ebook reading. I use the native Kobo books app which works pretty well. Good selection of books and a decent feature set.

The 7 inch form factor really lends itself to a great ebook experience as well as providing a widescreen aspect ratio in landscape perfect for media consumption and document processing.

[parbrook]

I originally tried Kobo, but abandoned it when I could not import existing books to the library and I wanted to choose when I bought my books.

Been using Book Reader on my PB and very happy with it.
My Sony eReader is now confined to a drawer.

Screen glare has not been a problem, but battery life compared with an eReader can be an issue.

It is not very convenient to have to remove the ePub DRM, but epubee (epubee.com) does a fine job.

[peter9477]

For all those who like the PB as an e-reader, if battery life seems too short, note that switching to a largely black screen will significantly reduce power consumption.

In the Kobo app, if I am going to do a lot of reading (many hours) and don't want to drain the battery really quickly, I switch to the night mode (white text on black background) and reduce brightness as much as I can handle.

Power drops from about 1.8W to 1.35W on this particular PlayBook when I do that.... that translates from 10h of reading to 13.3h, for a 33% increase.

The effect is consistent in other apps too, by the way, so if you're a developer, make sure you provide an option for a "dark" mode if you're concerned about battery consumption. There's a reason the default Cascades theme is "dark" right now...

[goku_vegeta]

For all those who like the PB as an e-reader, if battery life seems too short, note that switching to a largely black screen will significantly reduce power consumption.

In the Kobo app, if I am going to do a lot of reading (many hours) and don't want to drain the battery really quickly, I switch to the night mode (white text on black background) and reduce brightness as much as I can handle.

Power drops from about 1.8W to 1.35W on this particular PlayBook when I do that.... that translates from 10h of reading to 13.3h, for a 33% increase.

The effect is consistent in other apps too, by the way, so if you're a developer, make sure you provide an option for a "dark" mode if you're concerned about battery consumption. There's a reason the default Cascades theme is "dark" right now...

Hey Peter, nice to see the battery expert chiming in

Well I thought because the PlayBook uses a standard TFT LCD colour didn't matter. I know for BlackBerry 10 devices they'll have OLED screens which a darker picture reduces the power draw but I thought with an LCD you're not physicially turning off those pixels, they are simply displaying a black colour, while the LCD is still on at those black pixels.

[madman0141]

I was one of the three thus far who think PlayBook is a horrible ereader. I love PlayBook but compared to my Nook Color PlayBook is no match at all. My Nook is built primarily as a reader so any of the tablets that are out there should not try to be advertised as a superior reader because it's simply not true. If you compare PlayBook to any other tablets then that is completely different as PlayBook is the best tablet hands down.
Yes it is so deal with it or go away.

[peter9477]

Hey Peter, nice to see the battery expert chiming in

Well I thought because the PlayBook uses a standard TFT LCD colour didn't matter. I know for BlackBerry 10 devices they'll have OLED screens which a darker picture reduces the power draw but I thought with an LCD you're not physicially turning off those pixels, they are simply displaying a black colour, while the LCD is still on at those black pixels.

I used to think exactly the same as you did.

Then I measured it. ;-)

.. and after that I researched it and discovered that certain LCD screens use more power with white than with black, while others use more with black than with white, and it's not immediately obvious for any given product which it might be. The manufacturers could tell us, but have bigger concerns I guess.

As I recall (from my reading about 6 months ago) it's more common for black to use more power than white, but regardless of that, with the current PlayBook screens and, it would seem, most or all upcoming BB10 devices, the situation is reversed and white uses more than black.

[goku_vegeta]

I used to think exactly the same as you did.

Then I measured it. ;-)

.. and after that I researched it and discovered that certain LCD screens use more power with white than with black, while others use more with black than with white, and it's not immediately obvious for any given product which it might be. The manufacturers could tell us, but have bigger concerns I guess.

As I recall (from my reading about 6 months ago) it's more common for black to use more power than white, but regardless of that, with the current PlayBook screens and, it would seem, most or all upcoming BB10 devices, the situation is reversed and white uses more than black.

Very interesting indeed. Actually I'd like to figure out what type of display the PlayBook uses, as a matter of fact what any BlackBerry OS 5.0 device or higher uses. It seems as if RIM is using what people would consider "old" technology, your everyday TFT LCD but having viewing angles at least equal to that of a few IPS panels I've had the chance to work with on my review units.

Either they use high quality TFT displays or they've got something going on in the software. Second idea I highly doubt because there's only so far you can go with something like viewing angles on a display, the limitations there are what I would consider virtually hardware dependent.

[peter9477]

Either they use high quality TFT displays or they've got something going on in the software. Second idea I highly doubt because there's only so far you can go with something like viewing angles on a display, the limitations there are what I would consider virtually hardware dependent.

I'd say hardware quality too. I've designed a number of devices with LCD displays of various kinds (all more primitive than the PB screen) and am not aware of anything involving viewing angles and such things which could be controlled from software. As far as I know it's purely hardware.