[fjtorres]

Actually, conversion of DRM-free books is, while not trivial, fairly easy with Calibre, a free application that has its own forum here. Check it out.

In general, the choice of Kindle or a non-Kindle (Sony, Nook, Pocketbook, Aztak, Bookeen, Jetbook, Aluratek, etc) really comes down to the bookstore: do you prefer the Amazon ebook catalog and buying experience to the various Adobe-DRM bookstores (Sony, Barnes&Noble, Booksonboard, Fictionwise, etc?). When you choose an ebook reader you aren't just choosing a gadget to read on, you are committing to a DRM-based ecosystem, that your ebooks will be locked into. (Unless you choose to become fluent in DRM-removal. Which in not trivial but is not particularly hard, merely technically illegal in some countries. Oddly enough, in other countries it is a consumer *right*.)

I would suggest you first choose the DRM-ecosystem you prefer. There are currently six supported in ebook reader gadgets: AMAZON Kindle, ADOBE Adept Epub, Apple ePub, Barnes&Noble ePub, Barnes&Noble eReader, and AMAZON Mobipocket, but the Barnes&Noble ePub is supposed to be folded into the general Adobe ePub camp later this year. Moving forward your choice is mostlikely going to be between Amazon, Adobe ePub, and Apple ePub, unless yet another independent ePub DRM scheme appears.

Once you settle on the DRM-ecosystem your protected books will come from, you will have a smaller list of reader gadgets (and software) to evaluate. Just don't forget that it *is* possible to find a lot of commercial and public domain ebooks without any DRM and those will not lock you into any specific DRM camp.

Doing it the other way, choosing the hardware first, means the hardware manufacturer makes the DRM-ecosystem choice for you. If you are comfortable with that idea, then you can simply choose whatever reader you fancy.

Good luck!