Tablet or E-Book??

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maverick786us

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I am looking for something for my 10 year old niece, which can act as a possible replacement of book, with which she can read PDF, word and other commonly used text format. It should be completely touchscreen and contain paintbrush kind of application, in which can drow (virtual magic slate) and if possible listen to mp3 or watch small videos

So out of E-Book and Tablet PC, which one will be a better option / The problem with Tablet PC is it takes time to boot. Doees E-Book boots intantly or just like any other OS it takes time?
 
The newer model of the Sony Reader has a touchscreen, but I don't know whether or not it's capable of using Magic Slate. However, neither it nor the Amazon Kindle (which doesn't have a touchscreen) is capable of handling any audio or video format at this time.

But do you really need a touchscreen for your niece to use Magic Slate? A netbook is a cheaper, more widely available option that can handle what you want it to do.
 
No eBook reader, AFAIK, has a Paintbrush or Magic slate type of app. Nor are their e-ink technology capable of playing back video. The Sony eReaders does support MPS playback. Ebook readers however do boot pretty much instantly. Well at least my Sony eReader does anyway. Fairly sure that the Kindle does as well.

So based on the criteria of a paint program AND video playback, an eBook reader is not a good option.

Now whether or not a touchscreen laptop is a good option depends on the following question that tiraides already asked: Does your niece honestly need a touchscreen to use Paint/Magic Slate? For the usage scenario that you have described, a $300 ish netbook sounds like it would do the trick perfectly.
 
There really is no comparison, a tablet pc kicks the crap out of an e-reader. Boot time? You boot a tablet maybe once a week.

Now a tablet pc is a lot heavier and more expensive but you have access to so much more.
 
One of the primary features of the eReaders: e-ink, for less eye-strain. eReaders aren't really made for playing back video/audio -- they're main goal is to make books more portable while maintaining the low eye-strain of actual paper/ink as opposed to a bright, LCD computer screen.
 
Tablet = carrying an encyclopedia around. Might be good for your niece's karate or Olympic weight lifting career.
 
The form factor of a BOOK can never be replaced by a notebook or netbook.
 
Well touchscreen is not mandatory, however for a kid, drawing using touchscreen will be more easy. Because drawing using conventional mouse is not easy. I can skip the video playback part as well, its not necessary, just an added advantage
 
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I recently came across this thing. It looks as a perfect thing for a 10 yr old child for reading and drawing. Can someone suggest me similar device with some better options??

Thanks in Advance
 
eCRATER seems to have various touchscreen tablet PCs and UMPCs available -- which I found by searching Google for "touchscreen umpc" -- but, IIRC, eCRATER is an online "marketplace" that's similar to eBay. I've never used eCRATER before, so I can't tell you whether or not it's worth the effort.
 
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