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View Poll Results: which is the best ebook reader in your opinion?
Hanlin 3 4.84%
iRex iLiad 15 24.19%
Sony Reader 30 48.39%
StarBook 0 0%
Bookeen / Cybook 17 27.42%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 62. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 01-03-2008, 06:30 AM   #1
redbaron101
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Hi All,

I've read reviews for the current crop of readers, but dont have any personal experience of any ebook reader; spec. wise I think the latest Hanlins & Iliads appear to be better on paper (pardon the pun) - which is the best ebook reader in your opinion?
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Old 01-03-2008, 06:39 AM   #2
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It's an impossible question to answer unless you specify "best at doing WHAT".

You can forget the Hanlin/Starbook in terms of popularity - I honestly can't recall one single person on this forum having one; they seem to be aimed almost exclusively at the far eastern market, rather than the west, from what I can gather about them.

As far as the rest go, each has strengths and weaknesses:

- The Sony is very well made and the cheapest, but doesn't have dictionary lookup facilities.

- The iLiad is the most expensive and most capable (it's more of an "eInk Tablet PC" than a bookreader) but has a short battery life and a long boot time.

- The CyBook is, IMHO, a good middle ground. It's somewhat more expensive than the Sony, but a lot cheaper than the iLiad. It has dictionary support and supports the very popular MobiPocket format. Of course, I'm horribly biased since I own a Gen3!
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Old 01-03-2008, 10:50 AM   #3
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It's an impossible question to answer unless you specify "best at doing WHAT".

You can forget the Hanlin/Starbook in terms of popularity - I honestly can't recall one single person on this forum having one; they seem to be aimed almost exclusively at the far eastern market, rather than the west, from what I can gather about them.

As far as the rest go, each has strengths and weaknesses:

- The Sony is very well made and the cheapest, but doesn't have dictionary lookup facilities.

- The iLiad is the most expensive and most capable (it's more of an "eInk Tablet PC" than a bookreader) but has a short battery life and a long boot time.

- The CyBook is, IMHO, a good middle ground. It's somewhat more expensive than the Sony, but a lot cheaper than the iLiad. It has dictionary support and supports the very popular MobiPocket format. Of course, I'm horribly biased since I own a Gen3!
Is the mobi pocket format drm'd? - I usually avoid drm, as I dont personally like being tied to one device - if I buy a book, I would want to to be able to read it in any device, for example I chop and change mp3 players all the time, usually every couple of years or so, (thats one for me and another for the missus), but we share the the players (usually just switch sd cards around or copy and delete songs as we need them) so buying drm music would have greatly limited our choices especially since we change mp3 player brands as well, so for us buying the cd's and converting them is much cheaper and more flexible. I didnt want to be in this predicement with an eReader, having ebooks that either cant be transfered or couldnt be accessed say in five or six years time.

Does anyone else know why the illiad takes so long to boot? I have a palm T3 which I still use - great little device - turns on instantly. I know my Palm T3 can read pdfs etc) but I always found the screen while okay for writing notes, viewing pics or running apps, too small for books, or long films. If my T3 can do so much more, why does the illiad take so long to boot? (the comparison chart on this web site put it at 44 seconds!)
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:00 AM   #4
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Mobipocket files are .prc and can be found both DRM (from mobipocket and other vendors) and nonDRM format.

In most cases, you can register several devices to the DRM key (depending on vendor it's between 2-4, I believe).

But alternatively, you can buy the book in a DRM'ed lit and then convert that to an nonDRMed .prc that you can read on any device that you can install a mobi reader on.
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:08 AM   #5
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Mobipocket files are .prc and can be found both DRM (from mobipocket and other vendors) and nonDRM format.

In most cases, you can register several devices to the DRM key (depending on vendor it's between 2-4, I believe).
depending on the vendor - what like paperback digital?

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But alternatively, you can buy the book in a DRM'ed lit and then convert that to an nonDRMed .prc that you can read on any device that you can install a mobi reader on.
Is converting a drm'd lit to a non drm prc legit? What would you use to convert lit to prc?
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:15 AM   #6
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:20 AM   #7
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And then there was the Amazon Kindle ....
but with amazon, again it for the US only! Dont you guys even have to pay Amazon 10cents to upload your own documents the kindle?
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:28 AM   #8
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You can pay them 10 cents to send it wirelessly. You can load them yourself via USB if they're a supported format. If you want them convert a document, you can send it to username@free.kindle.com and they will convert it and send it back to you. Then you can load it via USB for free. The mandatory 10 cent charge is one of the most common misconceptions spread about the Kindle.
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:29 AM   #9
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You can pay them 10 cents to send it wirelessly. You can load them yourself via USB if they're a supported format. If you want them convert a document, you can send it to username@free.kindle.com and they will convert it and send it back to you. Then you can load it via USB for free. The mandatory 10 cent charge is one of the most common misconceptions spread about the Kindle.
You can also download files using the browser for free.
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:37 AM   #10
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You can pay them 10 cents to send it wirelessly. You can load them yourself via USB if they're a supported format. If you want them convert a document, you can send it to username@free.kindle.com and they will convert it and send it back to you. Then you can load it via USB for free. The mandatory 10 cent charge is one of the most common misconceptions spread about the Kindle.
my bad, Alisa, didnt realise this was the case. Still, the kindle is only available in the US though
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:44 AM   #11
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Is converting a drm'd lit to a non drm prc legit? What would you use to convert lit to prc?
Well, breaking the DRM may not be 'legal' depending on where you are. It depends on if you have a problem with that or not.

To convert a LIT use ConvertLit to explode it & use the OPF file in Mobipocket Creator to generate a Mobi file.
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:50 AM   #12
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Well, breaking the DRM may not be 'legal' depending on where you are. It depends on if you have a problem with that or not.

To convert a LIT use ConvertLit to explode it & use the OPF file in Mobipocket Creator to generate a Mobi file.
Thanks AmeicOak, thats worth noting for later!

You guys in the US have got it well easy - Im having a hard time just looking for an uk retailer!
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Old 01-03-2008, 12:05 PM   #13
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my bad, Alisa, didnt realise this was the case. Still, the kindle is only available in the US though
Sadly, yes, but there are rumors that it will be coming to Europe in the not-too-distant future.
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Old 01-03-2008, 12:06 PM   #14
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The Sony entry needs to be split into the 500 and 505 and the Hanlain entry needs to be split up to the V3, v2, V8. Plus there is no Kindle. So basically, (IMHO) the poll is almost useless.
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Old 01-03-2008, 12:13 PM   #15
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The Sony entry needs to be split into the 500 and 505 and the Hanlain entry needs to be split up to the V3, v2, V8. Plus there is no Kindle. So basically, (IMHO) the poll is almost useless.
Hi Wolf, I've been a bit selfish, the poll is to try and help me decide which eReader to go for, hence why I didnt include the versions - I wanted to try and guage which brands were more popular - I havent even included ones like Kindle because they just arent available here (in the uk).

I know different eReaders have different strengths - my main collection of ebooks consist of pdfs, but it looks like even the illiad doesnt cope with a4 pdfs to well either.
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