eReader vs Tablet — Kindle Fire HDX vs. iPad mini with Retina vs. Kindle Paperwhite — Which to Buy? - Shelly Palmer

Should you purchase a fullfeatured tablet or a selectfeatures tablet or an eReader That may be a better way to ask the question Do you want to spend the money on an iPad If so nothing else will do If you39re invested in the Apple ecosystem there is no way that any other device is going to make you happy That said there are excellent reasons such as price and performance to consider purchasing a Kindle Fire HDX And there are very good reasons to prefer a good oldfashioned eReader Let39s have a lookApple39s iPad mini 2 with Retina DisplayThe iPad mini is everything you39ve come to know and love from the fullsized iPad shrunk down to a 7quot form factor Apple39s newest iPad improves in every way over its predecessor Where the first iPad mini was good actually it was a miniaturized iPad 2 this one is great The new iPad mini packs a Retina display that features the same resolution as the fullsized iPad Air Also like the iPad Air and iPhone 5s the new iPad mini also features an A7 processor which Apple touts as quotdesktop classquot It39s a whole lot of power in a really small packageThe mobile landscape has been built around Apple and the iPad Mini39s biggest strength is its expansive app catalog Like every other iPad the mini can run every app in the App Store which is far and away the number one reason to buy an Apple tablet over any other brand For productivity games or anything in between the best apps almost always go to Apple first and then make their way to Android Amazon and WindowsChances are you39ve used Apple products before This is the same comfortable experience you39ve come to know and love from the company Even if you haven39t you39ll feel right at home in iOSAmazon39s Kindle Fire HDX 7quotAmazon39s newest Kindle Fire tablets are the best the company has ever made While slightly more expensive than the previous model the 7quot Kindle Fire HDX is more affordable than the new iPad mini The HDX starts at 229 and even maxing out the storage capabilities and removing Amazon39s quotSpecial Offersquot will only set you back 324 a full 75 less than the cheapest iPad miniThe new Kindle Fires have a few awesome features found nowhere else in the tablet world Aside from the expected processor and RAM bump the newest Kindle Fires have a Mayday feature that helps you connect with an Amazon techsupport employee directly on the tablet The tech support agent shows up on your screen in a tiny video box while they help you If you39re having any trouble navigating or troubleshooting your device Mayday is here to help and that39s awesome Amazon39s staff won39t be able to see your passwords and you can ask them to disable screen mirroring at any time The feature also doesn39t use the Fire39s frontfacing camera so no worries thereThe Kindle Fire HDX won39t blow the competition away with specs amp8211 though they are impressive amp8211 but it will when it comes to support Amazon has made its tablet friendlier and less intimidating and wants to deliver a worldclass experience Mission accomplishedLike all of Amazon39s tablets the experience revolves around Amazon39s media If you39re an Amazon Prime customer or just a fanatic for Kindle books Amazon Instant Video and Amazon mp3 the whole ecosystem will be a multimedia wonderland for you Amazon has also expanded features tested in earlier products like XRay which lets you dive deeper into movies you watch by showing you information such as actor bios and trivia The feature now works for music too and you can use it to follow along to the lyrics or sing along as a song playsThe new Kindle Fires are also awesome if you have kids A feature called Kindle FreeTime lets you create a personalized experience for each of your children based on the content you39ve purchased You39re also able to use this to limit the amount of time your children spend watching videos in a day It offers a level of customization and parental control not found in many amp8211 if any amp8211 other major tablets todayAmazon39s Kindle PaperwhiteThe Paperwhite is the best ereader on the market today and offers great value It39s quotjustquot an ereader which means you can39t use it to watch movies or play real games or listen to music The Paperwhite is a device dedicated to reading and it is priced accordingly Paperwhites start at 119 with Special Offers or 139 withoutThe battery life in these things is killer amp8211 it39s measured in weeks not hours amp8211 and each generation sees an improvement in screen quality clarity and glare reduction You can use the Paperwhite anywhere you go Its processor is 25 percent faster than the Kindle it replaced and it features better touch technology that makes it respond more accurately than any other ereader on the market It even has a quotnextgen builtin lightquot that lets you read without eyestrain even in the darkThe Paperwhite has awesome features built in that make reading a great experience Kindle Page Flip lets you skim through your books by page chapter or all the way to the end without losing where you39re at It features Smart Lookup which integrates a full dictionary with XRay and Wikipedia It also has a built in vocabulary builder so any time you look up what a word means on your Kindle that word is added to an easytoaccess list where you can quiz yourself with flashcards And like the Kindle Fire it has Kindle FreeTime which is aimed at young readers and tracks their progress and awards achievements as they reach their goals AwesomePrice vs PerformanceWhen it comes to the iPad mini the real drawback is cost It39s more expensive than the original model amp8211 the base model costs 399 70 more than the firstgen iPad mini39s original price point amp8211 and hundreds of dollars more than the two Kindles on this list By the way the original iPad mini is still around and now starts at 299 But if you39re looking for a toptier tablet and one to compete with the new Kindle Fires you39ve got to go with the latest and greatest mini But if you39re willing to saddle up and pay the hefty sticker price you39ll get access to the best App Store in the worldThe Kindle Fire packs a lot of value but it doesn39t come with the App Store amp8230 or even Google Play It39s getting better every day but Amazon has a way to goThe Kindle Paperwhite isn39t a tablet but that39s not why you39re buying it A Paperwhite will never replace a Kindle Fire or iPad mini but it39s not supposed to If you have a big phone Galaxy S4 or HTC One etc you may not need a tablet but an eReader may make you very happy Especially if you like to read in direct sunlight amp8211 eReaders are perfect when you have lots of natural light I can think of several reasons to own a dedicated eReader including that fact that I39m willing to throw them in my briefcase or backpack and not care too much about what happens to themWhich is Right For YouIf You Own an iPhone You39ve entrenched yourself in the world of iOS and nothing but an iPad mini will do Buying a Kindle Fire means starting from scratch when it comes to apps which isn39t something anyone wants to go through The iPad mini is still a fashion accessory and if you39re toting around an iPhone loaded with apps and content you39ll want the mini to matchIf You Own an Android or Windows Phone Either will suit you just fine But by using either of these devices you39re asserting that you39ve broken free of the iOS atmosphere and want something a little more customizable and a little more techy The Kindle Fire is probably the better choice for you Plus you39ll save moneyIf You Plan to Use it Primarily for Games No question go with the iPad mini The best mobile games are always on iOS and maybeamp8230 possiblyamp8230 eventually make their way to other platforms Not even Android can compare in this field let alone Fire OSIf You39re a Media Hound The Kindle Fire is built around Amazon39s media From Kindle to Instant Video to Amazon mp3 Amazon39s media is built into the core experience of the Fire iTunes offers thirdparty apps but many of the most popular ones amp8211 like Netflix amp8211 are also on the Fire If you lovelovelove media the Kindle Fire is for youIf You Just Want to Read Paperwhite That39s the ticket You39ll save hundreds of dollars and have the best reader of all threeShelly Palmer is Fox 5 New York39s Onair Tech Expert WNYWTV and the host of Fox Television39s monthly show Shelly Palmer Digital Living He also hosts United Stations Radio Network39s Shelly Palmer Digital Living Daily a daily syndicated radio report that features insightful commentary and a unique insiders take on the biggest stories in technology media and entertainment He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC an industryleading advisory and business development firm and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Academy of Television Arts ampamp Sciences the organization that bestows the coveted Emmyamp174 Awards Palmer is the author of Television Disrupted The Transition from Network to Networked TV 2nd Edition York House Press 2008 the seminal book about the technological economic and sociological forces that are changing everything Overcoming The Digital Divide How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career York House Press 2011 and Digital Wisdom Thought Leadership for a Connected World York House Press 2013 For more information visit shellypalmercomRead all Shelly39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Shelly Palmer ReportCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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eReader vs Tablet — Kindle Fire HDX vs. iPad mini with Retina vs. Kindle Paperwhite — Which to Buy? - Shelly Palmer

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