e-book readers

myoky · **Posted:** April 30th, 2010, 11:19 pm

So, I've wanted an e-book reader for wuite a while now, and I plan on getting one pretty soon. But, seeing as new ones are almost constantly coming out, it's kinda hard to compare them all to see which one is the best.

If any of you guys know about e-book readers, what would you recommend I get, and why? I want to get one before August, so if it's being released after that, I probably won't buy it.

Thutmose · **Posted:** May 1st, 2010, 12:15 am

I own all three versions of Amazon's Kindle.

When version 1 came out in 2007, I bought it immediately. It had a lot of flaws, but I loved it nevertheless. So when Kindle 2 was released in 2009, I bought it right away (and it was much, much, better than version 1). And I bought the Kindle DX (the large screen one) right when that was released as well. Yes, it was pretty expensive, but I don't regret it.

Now, what e-reader is best for you depends on what you want it for, and how big your budget is.

If you want to read best-sellers or other conventional commercial books and have a moderate budget, then I'd recommend the Kindle 2. Whether you buy the DX or the regular version is up to you - the DX has a bout twice the screen space as the regular version, so it works well with images embedded in books, and can display PDF files. I'd recommend taking a look at Amazon and the books selection, see if they have the kinds of books you are interested in.

If you don't want to read books, but instead want an e-reader for documents, then I'd take a look at the Sony readers. There are lots of options. There's also the IREX iLiad e-reader, but it's pretty expensive.

I think that the Kindle 2 or DX is your best bet, imo. But, like I said, it depends on what you want to do with it. Don't even bother looking at the Nook.

myoky · **Posted:** May 1st, 2010, 9:06 am

A few months ago, I did some research on the different e-readers that were out, and I was leaning towards the Sony Daily Edition one, because when I compared it to the Kindle, I thought it had better features (Google bookstore, wireless book and periodical downloads, and a touch screen).

But, since then several new ones have come out, so I'm not sure what's the best option now. Really, I'm looking for something that has access to a variety of book sources, and possibly wireless compatibilities and a touch screen lol.

N.L.Y. · **Posted:** May 1st, 2010, 9:20 am

I have the Kindle's 2nd ed., and if that's what you want out of a reader, then you shouldn't get it. Its features lean towards making it as comfortable as reading a book, and while it's possible to put things on it from other sources than the Amazon store, it's not as straightforward.
Personally, I'd recommend the Kindle over anything else, but like he said - Sony does it best, after that, and in a more gizmo-like way.
Decide which features most suit you between the Touch and Daily editions, I'd say.

AnonymousBo · **Posted:** May 1st, 2010, 11:20 am

Do any of these e-book readers allow you to virtually highlight text or write notes in the margins?

N.L.Y. · **Posted:** May 1st, 2010, 11:46 am

The Kindle does, yes, on both of those things, plus underlining. Bookmarking, also.
I've never actually used a Sony one, so I don't know, exactly.

insultobot · **Posted:** May 1st, 2010, 2:08 pm

I would say (like I did a few months back) consider the Nook. It does everything the Kindle does, has a basic browser (tiny color touchscreen), you can lend books to friends no matter the ereader they use, connect over wifi or with free at&t 3G, 2GB internal mem, expandable with a MicroSD slot, built in dictionary you can access mid book, supports EPUB, PDB, PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3.

It does not support DOC, LIT, TXT, AMZ (Amazon), LRZ/LRX (Sony). That saddens me. Especially the TXT and DOC parts.

The Kindle does support DOC, LIT, TXT, AMZ (Amazon).

If you have an iPhone, you could use it as an ereader, but battery life, lcd headaches, etc.

The kindle is definitely a great reader as well. In fact, so is the Sony reader. I like what I have seen with their Reader Touch. Personally, I would probably end up with a Kindle in the long run just because it is to ebooks as ipod is to mp3s. But I still like five different ereaders from five different companies for five different reasons. I guess it comes down to what you want to do with the device.

If you have a laptop, netbook, or some tablet pc, you probably just need the reader. If you you already have an mp3 player, again, you probably just need the reader. While it is nice to have a single device do all of these for you, managing all your data when it is redundant on three different devices makes for an annoying day.

On last suggestion is the eDGe. It is a "dual book" that I recently saw a clip of. Looks interesting and useful, if not gimmicky. It supports epub and pdf.

Quote:

The enTourage eDGe™ is the world’s first dualbook, combining the functions of an e-reader, netbook, notepad, and audio/video recorder and player in one. It’s a comprehensive device that lets you read e-books, surf the Internet, take digital notes, send emails and instant messages, watch movies and listen to music anywhere, at any time. This is nothing you've ever seen before!

Get books wirelessly, move files onto your enTourage eDGe™ using an SD card or a USB flash drive. Use the mini-USB port to move files back and forth from a Windows, Mac, or Linux-based PC. And with a netbook built in, you can forget the limitations of other e-readers, the enTourage eDGe™ does it all!

here's a playlist with a bunch of info.

Thutmose · **Posted:** May 1st, 2010, 2:59 pm

Also keep in mind that with the Kindle, you can read the books you buy on your iPhone and computer as well. The DX also natively supports PDFs (not very well, but they're there if you need them).

insultobot · **Posted:** May 4th, 2010, 10:40 pm

Just wanted to pop back in to suggest this ebook manager
http://calibre-ebook.com/

It lets you do quite a bit. And of course, since I am using it, its free.
Features in spoilers as it is a long list.

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