iPhone or Ereader Best For You? Or A Real Book?

Here is the order of how I think best to read a book today:

1. With a real book
2. On a dedicated reader like Kindle.
3. On the screen of a tablet PC.  This includes the XO.  Tablets allow the user to orient the screen.
4. On the screen of a laptop or netbook.
5. On a mobile device like the iPhone or iPod Touch.

Now, here is a list of preference in terms of overall usefully to a dedicated mobile warrior such as you and myself:

1. On a mobile device like the iPhone or iPod Touch.
2. On a dedicated reader like Kindle.
3. On the screen of a tablet PC.  This includes the XO.  Tablets allow the user to orient the screen.
4. On the screen of a laptop or netbook.
5. With a real book.

Notice the Kindle sat in the runner-up position on both list.  After coming up with the list, that was a surprising realization for me as well.  It's not just Kindle.  Sony's eReader and whatever readers Barnes and Noble will share with in early 2010 also fall into this category.

But if you're a traditional bookworm, a real page turner is what you want.  For us mobile folks, the devices like the iPhone is the best solution for us.  Why?  Because we don't use our iPhones just to read books.  We use them to access the Internet, communicate with others via phone or e-mail, and for other entertainment purposes.

Does that mean there is no room in our computer bag for a Kindle or Sony eReader?  Not at all.  For long vacations, flights, or camping trips (though I doubt I'll ever go camping again), an reader provides you with the luxury of going for days without having to charge it.  

Certainly, that is the main drawback of the iPhone or devices like it.  Battery life.  But for those of us who are near an outlet in a daily basis, the iPhone is the best device for ereading without having to carry an extra device.

Ideally, I'm hoping a future update from Apple will give the iPhone or the Touch e-ink technology or something better (Cupertino-approved innovation) that allows the iDevices function as true readers with comparable battery life to the Kindle.