Review: Microsoft Surface as an e-reader

I was obviously a very good girl this year as Santa brought my Microsoft's new Surface tablet for Christmas. This review is solely about it's function as a e-reading device, a review of the tablet's other features will follow shortly.

Look and Feel

The Surface feels pleasantly heavy in the hand and the bevelled edges give it a quality feel. However as an e-reader the weight is a concern. It is difficult to imagine holding the device for any length of time, especially as it is wider than it is high, which makes holding it portrait style, like you would a traditional e-reader, difficult and uncomfortable. The Surface does come with the much-publicised stand, which means if you have a table and don't mind reading in landscape mode then the weight and dimensions become less of an issue.

Overall 2/5

Screen

The screen is bright, crisp and clear - although not as sharp as the iPad with it's retina display. I enjoyed viewing covers and illustrations on the screen, and did not have any issues with finger smudges on screen. However when reading a novel I had to give up after 10 mins as the backlight was hurting my eyes. You can turn down the screen brightness using the charms bar, but for me that didn't solve the problem. Reading magazines in colour was however a much better experience. The images and text appeared quickly, and there was less of a jarring lag when turning pages or resizing text than I get with my Kindle.

Overall 4/5

Apps

One of the first apps I downloaded was the Kindle app which is very similar to the Android app but obviously occupying a much bigger screen. The app works well and is quick and simple to use. I was quite worried about finding a decent app to read non-DRM EPUB files but there are several apps available for this purpose. I personally prefer Book HD, which is easy to use and has a very nice layout. I particularly like the option of having multiple shelves for different types of books - like collections on Kindle but with the ability of viewing covers. A big plus of using a tablet for e-reading is the ease of transferring books. The Surface comes with SkyDrive which is a cloud based storage system, you can also transfer via a full sized USB, download from your e-mail or web stores or use the micro-SD port. This is really helpful for me as I don't have to go via Calibre or mess around with cables.

Overall 5/5

Other Features

Whilst some people might like not to be bothered when reading, I don't mind it too much. With the Surface I quite like having Messaging running in the background whilst reading, which allows me to then chat to people when they come online, instead of having the laptop running and having to switch devices. It is a simple left to right swipe to change between your book and chat, and back again. The same applies to having music in the background, listening to audio books and browsing the web - all features in Kindle which don't function as well as they could.

For those who like to type notes into their books - this feature is still available in the Kindle app, although I haven't tried it in the other apps. The standard keyboard, much praised by Microsoft, takes a little time to get used to due to the lack of tactile feedback (it is much easier to type with the sound on) but once you get used to it works well; I type about as fast as I do on a normal keyboard and indeed wrote this post entirely using the Surface and it's keyboard. Much more ergonomic than the Kindle keyboard, particularly if you add a lot of notes.

Overall 5/5

Overall

As a device purely for e-reading, the Surface tablet has many attractive features but for me the weight and backlit screen mean I won't be getting rid of my Kindle just yet, as the reading experience for books is just not good enough. If you are more into magazines or comics then maybe this is a device to consider. That is not to say I don't like the Surface as a tablet device but for reading it just cannot compete with an e-ink device.

3/5

Promotion/Giveaway: Teen Life by D.M. Mejias

D.M. Mejias is offering copies of his book Teen Life to giveaway on GoodReads. The author says Teen Life deals with all the issues teens face today such as drugs, bullying, pregnancy, sex, and peer pressures while showing teens how to successfully navigate through the turbulent high school years. It is an easy and to the point read with the occasional illustrations. It also talks about love, how to make your crush fall in love with you, how to treat your sweetheart, how to deal with difficult people and more.  This book explains the consequences of bad choices and shows how choosing positive alternatives can successfully impact their lives. Everybody knows a teen that needs the information on this book, so help me pass it on.

The giveaway ends August 28th, so head over there now to get your entry in (you will need to be a member to enter).

Review: Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez

Kill Decision is a techno-thriller by Daniel Suarez. This non-stop, seat of your pants story follows a very realistic and frighteningly, scientifically plausible plot in which unmanned armed drones are turned against their makers. The scientific accuracy of this novel is a definite strength, which I believe will appeal to sci-fi and military fiction fans alike.

The story itself is well paced with good, well developed characters; I particularly liked the characterisation of McKinney; the ‘ant’ scientist. There was also a real sense of camaraderie amongst the group assembled to find those responsible for the drone attacks. The plot builds well throughout, although the ending, whilst acceptable, was a bit lacklustre for my liking; not entirely satisfying. Looking past the fiction, the science is presented well and in an unbiased way, allowing the reader to make their own decisions on if the progress of this type of technology is good or bad. Some have compared the writing style to Michael Crichton but whilst I saw similarities between Kill Decision and Prey – I wouldn’t say the overall writing compares to Crichton; as there isn’t very much for the reader to work out in Suarez’s work.

Overall a good thriller which will keep you engrossed from start to finish. A perfect book for fans of writers like Tom Clancy and Andy McNab. Kill Decision is available from Amazon UK for £6.43, unfortunately only as a dead-tree book. 

Review: Mortuary Confidential by Kenneth McKenzie

Mortuary Confidential is a collection of anecdotes about the lives and experiences of undertakers. It offers a different, more light hearted perspective on the industry than I had experienced before, although it is not as humorous as I had originally imagined.

It’s a real mix of some inspiring and heartbreaking stories – some of which left me in tears – and some really funny ones including my personal favourite of the undertaker who accidentally made up a person to look like someone completely different. Unlike similar book Stiff there is very little technical detail and the focus is primarily on the experiences of the undertakers rather than the corpse. There were also no ‘gross out’ moments, making it a more appealing book, although, as mentioned before, there are some very sad moments which may upset some people, especially the recently bereaved.

Overall, I found it a humorous as well as thought provoking book, which was extremely easy to read. It’s the kind of book you might take to an appointment where you don’t want to be too bogged down in an evolving plot but just want something light to pass the time.

Mortuary Confidential is available from Amazon UK for £6.47.