Looking for a simple one

[light]

Hello world,

As I want to buy an eReader, and did not exactly knew what it should offer, and seeing the eReader market expanding just while i'm in search for one, I guess that I could use some advice.


In the beginning of my search for an eReader, I was quite amazed/amused by all the tech stuff that join the eReaders. And before I knew, I was like: "That seems a nice feature, and that could come handy, and maybe I could put some music on it, oh, and definitely a sudoko application for when I don't want to read and memory expansion sounds interesting for storing every single book available".
At that particular stage I wasn't able anymore to see the forest for the trees and I was missing the actual concept of an eReader.

Well, I guess I'm just looking for an eReader that is more like a physical book in electronical format than an electronical device with all sorts of gadgets and one of them is reading books.

An eReader that :

• Is quiet simple
• my eyes can bear long enough, just like a physical book.
• Supports the most common formats, including a decent PDF-support. I would like the read romans from an eBook store, read some classical literature from project gutenberg, and read some non-fictional books/extracts/... .
• A normal to long battery life would be nice, but I guess that's not a problem as the eInk displays are very small energy consumers.
• And last, but not least. The price. As a student I don't have enormous loads of cash to spend, so I'm looking for an eReader in the lower-priced class. Let's say a maximum of 200 euro.

A thanks in advance,

And a good night for those who are about to follow me to sleep.

[speedtouch]

I can easily recommend the PocketBook 301+ for you. It should meet all your requirements very well and even come in at your price point.

[Noah98]

I would recommend the Kobo. It is inexpensive, fits all of your needs, and elegantly designed.

It is much simpler (just offers a great reading experience) and cheaper than the Pocketbook 301+

[HarryT]

I'd suggest the Kindle 3. Inexpensive. Has access to undoubtedly the best bookstore of any device, and easy to load your own content onto.

[MLDaeni]

I second the recommendation of speedtouch: PocketBook 301+ is a good choice.

[Care]

I would say the Kindle, but it doesn't support epub, which is the most common format now.

The Kobo is a basic reader, but make sure you like to use your right hand for turning pages.

I love my Nook. It does everything you need, but the battery only lasts me 3-4 days (I read a lot though).

[GeoffC]

light Welcome to mobileread .... Where be you ?

[church mouse]

Light - just wondering if you are in Europe, since you refer to €s?

If so, then the new lower prices for the Sony 300 and 600 (with the 300 at only £99) might do all you want. (There are rumours of new Sony products later this year, but I doubt thay will be at these lower prices)

Personally, I cannot bear the touchscreen of the 600 and am a happy user of the 300 - it's pdf functionality is limited if you are wishing to use it for more that just pdf books. I have also found the 5" screen is perfectly fine for book reading and the unit fits easily in to a jacket pocket.

The PocketReader range has just gone back up in price some way above your €200 limit.

I do not believe Kobo is available directly within Europe.

Of course, the new Kindle 3 must, in my opinion, be considered - nothing in Europe offers quite the simple "one stop shop" functionality, with the new Pearl screen as well, at anything like the price. Much as it may pain me to admit this.

If you live in the US, then your choices are much greater and others are better placed to advise.

[bainsy]

Most people will recommend what they use and there's nothing wrong with that because what they use might suit your needs very well. Now for me I have a Sony PRS-505 which I love but I have been tempted to pre-order the new Kindle 3 for these reasons

1/ Pearl screen
2/ WiFi (not bothered about 3G but that's an option if you think its something you need)
3/ Kindle Store ease of getting books

Now if someone ask me what to buy I would just say (and i'm from UK so as said above our options are not as good as in USA) go for a Kindle 3 at £109 for the WiFi version or if for some reason you don't like the Kindle maybe the Sony PRS-300 = £99 at Waterstones (if you don't mind the 5" screen)

Anyway im sure all the readers have good and bad points these are just the 2 I really like out of them all and I would not spent silly money on an e-reader so things like the Kindle DX are way over priced (unfortunately).

So Good luck in finding your perfect e-reader

Kindle 3 here
Sony PRS-300 here

[light]

Thank you all for your advices.

Yes, I do live in Europe, in Belgium to be more precise.

Today I tried to order the kindle and while I was advancing to the final order screen it became clear that the free shipping was not for orders outside the U.S. and I even had to pay import costs (wich are both logical but I hadn't thought about them in the first place).
The kindle with a protective leather case would cost me more or less 135 euro (172 USD). But with the extra costs it came on almost 190 euro (240 USD).
Wich still remains a fair price in comparison to the prices that are offered at online belgian shops. Where prices start at 250 euro (320 USD) without a protective sleeve (for the sony 300).

After that I went to the german and uk amazon store. The german store links directly to the american store if one wants a kindle. The uk store offers their kindles only to uk residents, and links to the american store if you want one when you live outside the uk.

Also another point is that the kindle would arrive between 1 and 15 octobre. Wich is quiet long but doable.
Also the warranty is a problem when I do import a device from the us.

---
I'm not sure whether I would like a 5" eReader. I compared the 6" kindle measures to a book I'm reading now and 6" seems a nice screen-size to me.

EDIT: I just found out that the sony prs-300 is delivered with a soft sleeve right in the box. What are the experiences with it?
Maybe I just need to try the 5" screen instead of judging out of almost nothing. With a bit of luck I will find a store who can show me the device.

---

I guess I have to let go the 200 euro and probably raise it to 300 euro. Or search on for a cheaper one on the net.

---


Again, thank you all

[GA Russell]

light, I would say that the two most respected devices among comparison shoppers here at MobileRead over the past year have been the PocketBook 360 and the jetBook Lite.

Both will fit within your budget, and the prices are coming down.

Both handle many different formats (a requirement which seems to knock out the Kindle), but whether they or any other device meet your needs for pdf's is something you will have to determine.

[Anarel]

I would definitely give the Kindle 3 a shot. You're getting the biggest in copyright library there is, a multi-platform ecosystem to read your books on, a well thought out device and great customer service.

And if you don't like the Kindle you can return it for a full refund up to thirty days after it was purchased.

[Noah98]

The Kindle 3 offers the best features/quality for the money. It is the reader that I think would satisfy most new buyers. I usually recommend it unless the buyer has specific needs.

However, in your original post you mentioned that you want something simple (lacking things like music, games, and internet I assume). You also mentioned that you wanted support for the most common format, which is epub. In that case, the Kindle might not be for you. Keeping low price in mind (wouldn't that exclude the Pocketbook 301 and 360?), there are only a few quality options. That is why I suggested the Kobo (not sure though if it is available in Europe). The Sony PRS-300 at $128 is also not a bad choice, but it is rumored to be updated in September, so you might want to wait.

[comma]

The nook for its epub capability
kindle 3 for a better ebook store

rest, specially sony et al - give it a pass

[church mouse]

EDIT: I just found out that the sony prs-300 is delivered with a soft sleeve right in the box. What are the experiences with it?
Maybe I just need to try the 5" screen instead of judging out of almost nothing. With a bit of luck I will find a store who can show me the device.

---

light - I have used both a 6" and a 5" screen and have been surprised how pleasant the reading experience for e-books is using the 5" screen.

As for the protective jacket for the 300 - it is just about okay however it does not provide the screen with much protection from knocks and bangs, so I would advise you get a protective carry case if you stick with sleeve (my original 505 died only because the screen broke after getting bashed in my courier bag). You can get a reliable case for about £12 (look at Amazon UK for Ultimateaddons armor case). You could also consider the Ultimateaddons Leather case (£12.99) - I use this for my 300 and I think it is great value for money.

If you do increase your budget, then I do think the PocketBook 360 is a lovely little reader, and it has it's own protective cover.

As you will have seen from many of the answers you have received, you would have a far wider choice of readers if you lived in the USA.