Alright, so I've got a lot of money recently. Well it's not a lot of money, but for a student getting all of this money that I can spend all at once is a huge thing for me right now. I've got almost $600 and an e-reader is something I'm interested in.
I was wondering, what is the best E-reader on the market? I've been interested in the Kindle because it's cheaper than most and I've heard a lot of great things about it but I'm wondering if anyone's had any experience with Sony's E-readers as I can get a pretty big discount on Sony products.
I am an extremely happy Kindle owner. Got one for Christmas, and I've done more reading in a short period of time on the Kindle than I have in over a year. Of all the e-readers it seems to have the largest library and the best chance for longevity.
@DonutFever: I'm not sure I'd like reading on my iPod touch, but I have been considering an iPad.
@hexx462: Yeah, I've heard nothing but great things about it. I've got a few questions. Is it touch screen? How much memory does it have? And how do you buy books (credit card, kindle points, paypal)?
I own a Sony PRS 505 and love it....its discontinued now and the replacements are subpar. Wil Smith on tested is always extremely complementary about Kindles, they're well priced. No brainer when I have to replace my Sony. Also stay the fuck away from busted ass Nooks.
So far my iPad's been a great E-reader. It got the Kindle app so I can buy books from Amazon, it got Stanza so I can import downloaded e-books in various other formats, and finally it got Bookman for reading PDF's and CBR's such as manuals and comics. (and well, iBooks... but since I'm not from the states, that app is pretty much useless)
It's expensive but not as limited as the Kindle, although that depends on what kind of stuff one reads I reckon.
@MatPaget: If you want to read on it get a Kindle. It's the best out there. E-ink is the main reason, doesn't make your eyes hurt and anyone who says an LCD is just as good hasn't used an E-ink display much.
Kindle is definitely the way to go, because of the e-ink. Reading large amounts from an LCD screen for long periods of time isn't very comfortable. Assuming you're only interested in reading and aren't looking for any kind of multipurpose media device, I'd highly recommend the Kindle.
@MatPaget: iv got a Kobo e-reader. its not as fancy as others on the market but it does what i want it to do and it has e-ink technology (something that the iPad doesn't) and it can use E-Pub files (something the Kindle cant do as far as i know). Also it's hella cheaper.
"@hexx462: Yeah, I've heard nothing but great things about it. I've got a few questions. Is it touch screen? How much memory does it have? And how do you buy books (credit card, kindle points, paypal)? "
It's not a touch screen, it has a keyboard with square d-pad. Your flip the pages with buttons near the screen on both the right and left side. It has 4g of memory, they claim it can hold up to 3,500 books (the books themselves are very small files). It's linked your Amazon account, I pay directly with my debit card.
Kindle is easily the best choice. Get the cheapest version, you dont really need 3G because you can store hundreds of books at a time on it due to it having a little over a gig of memory. Does not sound like alot, but keep in mind it is intended to only hold text, so you can hold more books then you can read in a month on it. Also it is easy to buy books, you can use basically any payment method since amazon is amazing, and you can buy the books on your computer, or the kindle itself. Also if you are interested in an ipad i personally would wait, they most likely will be announcing a new version in a few months.
Kindle all the way. If you're already familiar with amazon it makes things that much easier. I'd get the 3G, just for convenience. I've had one for about 13 months now. I definitely read books on it, but these days I like it best for reading the ny times and foreign affairs magazine. Mom and sister got them em for Christmas and love it too.
I've been thinking about getting a BeBook reader. It's got a lot of screen, it's e-ink, the price is reasonable and it's probably the ereader that accepts the most formats on the market (that I know of). The only problem is that is not associated with any official store (like the Nook or Kindle).
@MatPaget: I have the original Kindle 2 from early 2009 w/ 3G and the Kindle 3 wifi version, also last year I bought my wife a sony reader pocket edition and this year I bought her a Nook Color, in addition I have a Nexus One, previously had(and got rid of) an iPhone, and I have a 7" galaxy tab. I state this just so you understand that I do have some experience with e-readers in general and also reading on multiple e-ink and lcd devices; that being said I personally recommend the Kindle 3 for various reasons though primarily because it's basically the e-ink standard for e-readers, it does what it does well and the Amazon store is great.
I've got a few questions. Is it touch screen? How much memory does it have? And how do you buy books (credit card, kindle points, paypal)? "
Touch screen? No Memory? 3 gigs How to buy books? You buy them either through the Kindle Wifi / 3g, or you just buy them online at Amazon.com and they automatically upload to your Kindle once you buy them.
You can also import supported files through the USB cord ( PDFs, zipped Jpgs, Mp3s)
Cons; the "experimental" web browser is crap, you will not use it to search the web ever but that's just a "throw in". a lot of the time i wish there was a touch screen interface. Images don't scroll incrementally so reading things that aren't formatted for the Kindle ( PDFs, JPGs - basicly for comic book scans) can be cumbersome.
" I have a Sony Reader pocket edition and I've been satisfied with it. No wifi, but its just as easy to plug in a USB cable. "
I have this too and I love it. Even with the case I have it fits into my pocket and is still really light. No wi-fi, but I will be surprised if I ever finish all the books I will end up having on there.
" Get a library card, nothing beats the real thing. "
E-ink looks pretty much identical to actual paper.. and has the advantage of not taking up loads of room in your house or when you're travelling. I honestly don't understand complaints like this against e-readers. (at least ones that aren't using LCD screens).
May as well go back to riding on horses and using candles. Nothing beats the real thing, right? ;)
I think the Tested guys would agree that the Kindle is your best bet as a standalone e-reader. Personally, I use an iPad for reading (during the day, and during the night) and have absolutely no issues with the display.
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