I'd originally decided on a Cybook - better variety of document type support (esp. Mobipocket), no proprietary format, no "we don't want your business" barriers for non-U.S. citizens to overcome - but, while I've been waiting impatiently for NAEB to clear all the annoying red tape so that they can start accepting orders, I've been reading posts and starting to reconsider. If I were to buy the Sony PRS-550 from BH Photo, it would be almost a hundred bucks cheaper than even NAEB's deal for the Cybook. The difference of the cost of an SD card (since the Sony apparently doesn't come with one) is negligible, given the prices that I can pick them up for on sale locally.
For those who've got the Sony and who've used an eBookwise 1150 (or similar), is converting eBooks for the Sony more or less of a hassle than doing so for the eBookwise? How well does it handle conversion of HTML? I read a fair amount of online, self-published fiction and fanfiction, most of it chaptered and including a linked Table of Contents (courtesy of the eFiction website script) and the eBookwise Librarian handles it quite nicely. Would the Cybook handle that better than the Sony? I mainly buy through ebookwise.com and stick to the multi-format books, so past purchases shouldn't be an issue either way.
How well does either the Cybook or the Sony fit in a purse? Other than the occasional eyestrain issue with prolonged periods of reading the 1150 in bright direct sunlight, my biggest gripe about it is that it's just enough bigger than a (normal sized) paperback to require a really big purse to take it along.
As for what I read: sci-fi and fantasy mainly, with a smattering of romance and action thrown into the mix. So far, my ebook purchases have mainly been multi-format from ebookwise, though I've got a handful of PDFs that I read on the laptop. My occasional nostalgic forays into the classics (Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare, etc.) are, I think, a moot point as I can get them here or directly from Project Gutenberg and other sources in convert to just about any format imaginable. I read a lot of HTML-published fiction, as mentioned before, and it would be nice (thought not a must) to be able to read manga scanlations on something other than the laptop.
I'd love to be able to take advantage of the local library's ebook loans through Overdrive; if anyone can confirm that either the Cybook or Sony actually works with that setup, then that might be the dealmaker right there.
I'm steering clear of the iLiad for two reasons: (1) cost, and (2) size. As far as I can tell, it's actually bigger than my eBookwise 1150. That might be fine to use at home, but it's just too darn big to be convenient to carry around. As long as the reader has a comparable overall size and font size to a standard paperback, I'll be happy. I'm not too terribly concerned about font size, as I run my laptop resolution at 1280x800 with normal (not large) font size and would run it at an even higher resolution if it would go there.
In many ways, the Panasonic Word Gears looks like a darn good fit for me - if only it were actually available in Canada.
