Six of the best… e-readers

Reviews of the best e-readers

Kindle E-Reader, 6″ Glare-Free Touchscreen Display
If you’re new to the world of e-readers – a world dominated largely by Amazon – this basic Kindle could be a good starting point. Not least because the screen is glare-free making lengthy sessions with your tome of choice easier on the eyes. At just 161g, the Kindle is portable and kinder on the hands if you’re planning on tackling some Tolstoy this year. As well as that, the battery lasts for a couple of weeks – providing you give it a full four-hour charge – so it’s an ideal travel companion.

Kobo Aura eReader, 6″ Illuminated Touch Screen

Take this Kobo on a sunny holiday and reading in the daylight won’t be a problem. The screen is glare-free, making beach or poolside reading a possibility, with the touchscreen ensuring turning the page is a doddle. On the flipside, reading in a dark room is also a breeze thanks to a solid front light and easy to adjust brightness settings.
Kindle Oasis E-reader with Black Leather Charging Cover

At £269.99, the Kindle Oasis is considerably dearer than other e-readers on the market, but if you’re looking for an investment and are already accustomed to using a Kindle, this is a lovely piece of kit. Ease is the order of the day here, and with one half of the device slightly thicker than the other, the heft of the Kindle sits in your palm, making reading easier, especially if you’re doing so one-handed. A nice little touch is the leather case which boosts battery life every time you close it, and looks sleek too.
Kindle Paperwhite E-reader, 6″ High-Resolution Display (300 ppi)

Lighter than a paperback, this Kindle Paperwhite stores thousands of books and displays them in the new Bookerly font, which is easier to read, especially with the wide range of larger font sizes. There’s also an inbuilt light to aid bedtime reading and a word-builder function to add interesting vocabulary. One charge should give you a month to six weeks’ worth of reading, presuming you read for half an hour every day.
Kobo Aura H2O Waterproof E-Reader

If reading in the bathtub sums up perfect relaxation, this e-reader has your name on it. Obviously, dunking the Kobo Aura H2O into water for any length of time isn’t going do it any favours, but it is waterproof, sand-proof and dust-proof, making beachside – or desert-side – reading less precarious. You can store up to 3,000 books on the device and each charge should give you 1,400 hours of reading pleasure.
VTech DigiGo Pink

This VTech device puts children – and multi-functional use – at the forefront. Designed for 3-7-year-olds, the DigiGo is a pocket-friendly – the screen is just 4.3inches – tablet capable of taking photos, hosting games and best of all, storing e-books. You can download books, videos and music from VTech’s own Learning Lodge. As well as this, children can use it to message smartphones.

App of the week

Goodreads, free, iTunes
Not sure what to read next? Goodreads could be the app for you. Find personalised suggestions based on your reading history, write book reviews and take a peep at what your friends are reading.

Written by Andrew Moore