So which is the best ereader for library books?

[ensyed]

I like my Kindle 2 but it appears most of the books I like are available from the NYPL. I have been reading them on my macbook Air... not really desirable. I cant carry it around like a ebook reader. I cant be bothered with hacking the kindle for library books (thx to the wiki being removed by Amazon)
Its time to ditch the Kindle.

Which ereader is the best for library books?

Of course if Apple comes out with a ebook/Tablet this question becomes moot.

Thx

[gwynevans]

Well, I'd have thought that one of the Sony Readers would be the answer - the question comes down to how much the annotations/dictionary support of the Touch is worth to you? If not a priority, then the Pocket (or even a PRS-505, if you get a good price) would seem to be ideal.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ensyed

Which ereader is the best for library books?

Of course if Apple comes out with a ebook/Tablet this question becomes moot.

Thx

The best one currently is the Sony PRS-600.

As for Apple, don't hold your breath.

[poshm]

I use my sony reader 600 for library books and so far, so great. I like the fact it shows how many days left you have to read the book in your book menu - saves having to remember when it will expire.

[kelly1010]

I have the Sony 505, and the library book issue was the deal breaker between the sony and the kindle. I don't need the frustration of having to strip drm...I like being able to load my books and read.

[ensyed]

Thanks for your help.
I nearly bought the Sony but then read about the Nook. If it can accept library books it maybe better

wifi
b&N
ability to read PDF
library books

I dont need any feature except reading and ability to get books from various sources on the reader. I guess my Mom is getting my Kindle. I can still read my Kindle books on my iphone.

[luvshihtzu]

I have a Kindle and bought a used Sony 505 for what the Kindle can't handle. The Sony works nicely for the library ebooks. I could never get the hack to work for my Kindle and Adobe Digital editions. If only Amazon would do the firmware update, the Kindle would be perfect.

[DrMoze]

Originally Posted by ensyed

Thanks for your help.
I nearly bought the Sony but then read about the Nook. If it can accept library books it maybe better

wifi
b&N
ability to read PDF
library books

I dont need any feature except reading and ability to get books from various sources on the reader. I guess my Mom is getting my Kindle. I can still read my Kindle books on my iphone.

Do you REALLY want wifi? It is a total waste and product of feature bloat imo. And it eats battery life up faster--I really like the Readers for their long battery life. Honestly, it is no problem to find various books online (from many sources), and just load a pile of them onto the Reader periodically. In fact, 90% of the time I only connect my Reader when I borrow new books from the NYPL (every 1-3 weeks)--which tops off the charge too.

Wifi is a useless feature for an ebook device used for leisure reading imo. If you want internet access to read blogs, rss feeds, etc., better to use a webphone/blackberry or laptop.

That said, you might want to consider the 505 as well. If you just want to read books, the 600 is overkill (feature bloat of touchscreen, dictionary, anotations, etc., plus reduced contrast in the display). The 505 would be great, and the 300 is pocketable, with a great display. All of these borrow library books nicely.

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by kelly1010

I have the Sony 505, and the library book issue was the deal breaker between the sony and the kindle. I don't need the frustration of having to strip drm...I like being able to load my books and read.

Originally Posted by DrMoze

Do you REALLY want wifi? It is a total waste and product of feature bloat imo. And it eats battery life up faster--I really like the Readers for their long battery life. Honestly, it is no problem to find various books online (from many sources), and just load a pile of them onto the Reader periodically. In fact, 90% of the time I only connect my Reader when I borrow new books from the NYPL (every 1-3 weeks)--which tops off the charge too.

Wifi is a useless feature for an ebook device used for leisure reading imo. If you want internet access to read blogs, rss feeds, etc., better to use a webphone/blackberry or laptop.

That said, you might want to consider the 505 as well. If you just want to read books, the 600 is overkill (feature bloat of touchscreen, dictionary, anotations, etc., plus reduced contrast in the display). The 505 would be great, and the 300 is pocketable, with a great display. All of these borrow library books nicely.

And these two posts pretty much sum up exactly why I have a 505 and love it. Itʻs perfect for my needs. I just want to READ!! Now, if I could just get my library on board with spending more effort getting ebooks that are mindless, fun reading for me! They get way too many pdf and epub that are non-fiction, and actually more the types of books that are really (imo) more conducive as pbooks where you flip here and there.

(and my reader charges up while I download and arrange books. I like that the copies are on my computer too. and LOVE the feature of being able to see how many days are left!)

[DrMoze]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

And these two posts pretty much sum up exactly why I have a 505 and love it. Itʻs perfect for my needs. I just want to READ!!

Bless you. I was beginning to think that no one else understood what a READER was for, and that everyone wants a feature-burdened multifunction electronic gizmo that needs to be recharged constantly. I like the Sony Readers (500, 505, and now 300) just because they DON'T have the useless bells and whistles, and because they act more like a real book (no convoluted menu systems, no plethora of options, take it on vacation with no need to bring another charger, etc.).

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

Bless you. I was beginning to think that no one else understood what a READER was for, and that everyone wants a feature-burdened multifunction electronic gizmo that needs to be recharged constantly. I like the Sony Readers (500, 505, and now 300) just because they DON'T have the useless bells and whistles, and because they act more like a real book (no convoluted menu systems, no plethora of options, take it on vacation with no need to bring another charger, etc.).

Still driving that '67 Ford Falcon? Or that "Oldsmobuick" '68 Delmot?

[poshm]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

Bless you. I was beginning to think that no one else understood what a READER was for, and that everyone wants a feature-burdened multifunction electronic gizmo that needs to be recharged constantly. I like the Sony Readers (500, 505, and now 300) just because they DON'T have the useless bells and whistles, and because they act more like a real book (no convoluted menu systems, no plethora of options, take it on vacation with no need to bring another charger, etc.).

Defo agree with that. If I could get an ereader which had ALL the bells and whistles BUT had a very long battery life that would be heaven. But seeing that's a no-no I'll stick with the 600 which lasts a good week or more between charges.

I love my iPod touch but having to charge it daily is a pain.

[DrMoze]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

Still driving that '67 Ford Falcon? Or that "Oldsmobuick" '68 Delmot?

No, rolling in the '68 Valiant. But seriously, I have a blackberry for net access like looking things up on wikipedia, reading short blog entries, etc. And it has to be charged pretty much every day. OTOH, the Reader sits around like a regular pbook, ready to read instantly, seems to never need charging, and lets me get lost in turning page after page without dealing with 'features' and excessive 'interfaces.'

I have as many gadgets/toys as the next person, but I honesty think some of them actually suffer from 'feature bloat' and ebook devices is right near the top of that list. 99% of my Reader time is spent turning pages and reading text on a comfortable display--perfect. The other <1% is spent accessing the menu to select a new book to read. What else doyou need an ebook device for?I don't see why people want web access to read short entries on a slow-to-refresh grayscale display. I'm glad Sony still makes a long-lived basic reading device.(Although it is also bringing out more feature-laden battery-hogging versions, alas.)

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

No, rolling in the '68 Valiant. But seriously, I have a blackberry for net access like looking things up on wikipedia, reading short blog entries, etc. And it has to be charged pretty much every day. OTOH, the Reader sits around like a regular pbook, ready to read instantly, seems to never need charging, and lets me get lost in turning page after page without dealing with 'features' and excessive 'interfaces.'

I have as many gadgets/toys as the next person, but I honesty think some of them actually suffer from 'feature bloat' and ebook devices is right near the top of that list. 99% of my Reader time is spent turning pages and reading text on a comfortable display--perfect. The other <1% is spent accessing the menu to select a new book to read. What else doyou need an ebook device for?I don't see why people want web access to read short entries on a slow-to-refresh grayscale display. I'm glad Sony still makes a long-lived basic reading device.(Although it is also bringing out more feature-laden battery-hogging versions, alas.)

freaking AWESOME!! hahahaha....And I do hear you about the need for a plain Jane basic reader. But I am not one of those sorts. I want a device that offers more than reading alone. For over 200-bones it needs more, a lot more. I am not wanting a full on tablet PC sort of reader but more along the lines of a PDA like device that works with Google Apps, has some sort of note taking beyond those horrible soft-keyboards or even slide out keyboards, a touch display and the ability to add smaller utility apps sort of like we can on our PDA's. Two reasons are, believe it or not, are I want crossword puzzle software that reads .puz (Across Lite) formate puzzles from NYT. I also want to run the shopping list app I like.

I AM buying a basic reader this winter some time but only for the 5" form factor not because I am happy with the feature set.

I want these things because I do not want to drag around a PDA, a reader and a laptop when I am on the go. But I do hear what you are saying. I think in dedicated reading devices you have a case of waaay more powerful hardware than is needed and on the other side they need more hardware to run all the vanity apps people think they want. And the last thing I want is ANOTHER media player or device...THAT is a way over valued function which is also usually beyond the hardware in the device, especially for PDA's.

[DrMoze]

hmmm... an ebook device with touchscreen for crosswords/sudoku/kakuro/etc. would be cool. For me, I always have my blackberry handy for phone, email and web access. It's definitely pocketable. So, I'm happy that my Reader just acts like a book.