Narrowing down to a few choices

[HardBall]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

Have you had a look at the upcoming Pocketbook 903 pro? It's eink, so no video, but I think that it might cover your other needs.

I just watched a video on that after you mentioned it. Does it bring any additional benefits than the Adam or the Edge? If I get something like that, I will also need to purchase an a separate tablet and carry both, as polly suggested.

[HistoryWes]

I'm sure someone will point out that the iPad is not an ereader, but it's been my primary reading device for several months now. I really feel that I've got the best of all possible worlds. I have my Kindle app (I haven't bought any kindle books yet, but get many free ones), I have my Nook app, my Kobo and Borders app, and now my Bluefire Reader on which I can read all my Sony books without having to strip them. Along with iBooks, this gives me multiple sources for books and those six apps take up almost no space.

I really enjoyed my eink reader when I had it, but honestly I haven't experienced any eye strain, and I spend several hours a day looking at my iPad screen. Screen glare is a legitamate issue, but there are now plenty of anti-glare screen covers.

[Grimm]

NOOKcolor or wait for the WiFi version of the Samsung Galaxy tab. I have the NOOKcolor and will likely get the WiFi Galaxy tab when it hits shelves early next year.

[HardBall]

Originally Posted by HistoryWes

I'm sure someone will point out that the iPad is not an ereader, but it's been my primary reading device for several months now. I really feel that I've got the best of all possible worlds. I have my Kindle app (I haven't bought any kindle books yet, but get many free ones), I have my Nook app, my Kobo and Borders app, and now my Bluefire Reader on which I can read all my Sony books without having to strip them. Along with iBooks, this gives me multiple sources for books and those six apps take up almost no space.

I really enjoyed my eink reader when I had it, but honestly I haven't experienced any eye strain, and I spend several hours a day looking at my iPad screen. Screen glare is a legitamate issue, but there are now plenty of anti-glare screen covers.

Originally Posted by Grimm

NOOKcolor or wait for the WiFi version of the Samsung Galaxy tab. I have the NOOKcolor and will likely get the WiFi Galaxy tab when it hits shelves early next year.

I'm glad that you guys really enjoy reading on glossy LCD screens. For me, it works for the most part, but only to a certain extent. Reading on such a screen beyond a certain time limit is definitely taxing on my eys, my concentration, and forces me to take frequent breaks. I think most of the people that I know feel the same as well, with a few exceptions. I think if majority of the people were to use iPad for reading, it would be fore short periods; and for longer readings, paper would still be needed.

I'm sure iPad and the other tablets have very robut annotation and notetaking apps, which are a step above most e-readers like the Kindle. But their glossy backlit screens still make them serviceable but imperfect reading devices for long periods, or outdoors.

[Moredread]

I think the edge would be the best choice. You have both - the opportunities of an eInk-Device and the features of a tablet. I don't own one myself (I own a tablet PC and an eInk Device). But to have both options in one device is the best thing if you need it for studying. I don't know an eInk-device that is good for anything else than reading.

If you want to know if the edge fits your needs watch all the youtube-videos out there. It is not the perfect device (e.g. no landscape-mode on the eInk-Display) but if you don't want to walk around with two devices (which, in my eyes, is the best idea) you end up with this device.

The only alternative would be devices with a Pixel-Qi Display. I heard a few negative things (the eInk-Layer should be slow and dark), but the videos I saw on youtube were ok. The biggest problem in my eyes is that actually there is no device with Pixel-Qi you could buy. And there is no way to get your hands on such a device - personnaly I don't believe videos too much. That they have great screens in the laboratories doesn't mean that this screens will hit the market.

[Harmon]

Before you decide on which EBR to get, you need to spend some time thinking about the "ecology" it will become a part of. What I mean by "ecology" is the electronic environment established by your other eGadgets: computer, tablet & phone.The ecology will point you to certain EBRs, and away from others. For example, there is an Apple ecology which includes the Mac, the iPad, & the iPhone or iPod. In this ecology, you use iBooks and do not have the option of buying a dedicated EBR. However, if you have this trilogy, you can add a Kindle and turn it into an Apple/Amazon ecology, able to access all your books on all four devices IF you download the Kindle app & buy your books from Amazon. If, otoh, you were to attempt to add a Sony to the Apple ecology, you would find that you can't do it - there's no Sony app for the Apple devices. However, you could get a Nook, and establish an Apple/Barnes&Noble ecology. The point is, whatever your electronic ecology, you need to know how well it will integrate with whatever eBook you might be thinking about.

You also have to establish your tolerance for messing about with things like converting ebooks to specific formats, relying on your computer to buy & transfer books, &c. Sonys seem to require more of this than other EBRs.

Finally, you have to reveal your innermost consumer being: are you the kind of person who is willing to pay what it takes to get the book you want right now, or are you the kind of person who likes the concept of "free" and is willing to search the net for DRM free public domain books, or connect to a public library which lends out ebooks? If the former, you want an EBR which is connected to an online bookstore. If the latter, you want an EBR which reads the epub format & works with the Overdrive software which interfaces with the public libraries - in this case, Sony comes out ahead of the Kindle. Or you might want to get an EBR other than one of the name brands if you are not interested in the relatively costly eBooks the majors carry.

In short, buying an EBR is like buying a pair of glasses. It's not just a matter of the lenses. You have to choose the style, and get the frames sized correctly.

[erictoma]

This poll is intentionally biased to show that the only eBook readers available are nook and Ipad !