Thank you all for the quick replies!
Kiwimick .. I'm really liking the 650 but I think that the in-built battery might be an issue later on. I'll be sending the e-reader overseas so when it comes time to change the battery, I think it'll be more practical for me to send a battery that can be easily changed versus them having to take the unit apart to change the battery or having to have the unit sent back to me or Sony. Does anyone know what is the average life expectancy of a rechargeable battery? The only other thing that made me shy away from this one was that someone posted a review stating - "The PRS-650 only has one set of buttons to turn pages. For one handed page turns, you pretty much can only use your left hand." I realize that there is also the touch screen option but I wasn't sure how practical it would be after a few hours of reading with the smudging and such, so I was leaning more towards buttons (but might have to settle for touch screen).
Yes, I'll be loading the books on the reader for him and will send him more on memory cards over time. Thank you for your reply.
Boswd .. I think the Nook is off my list based on some of the reviews I've read about it. One that keeps coming up under the 'cons' is - "Fairly short battery life for an e-reader (around 4 days of general use with wifi off somewhat due to touch screen)" and "very glitchy" and "frozen nook" (apparently a common problem according to people in the community forum on the Barnes & Noble's website). At one time I was leaning real heavily towards the Kobo but then I decided against it .. to be honest, I can't remember why right now, I'll have to give it another once over. Thank you for your reply.
Fjtorres .. The *how* is just for reading, nothing more. I've got loads of e-books on my computer already that I will be loading onto the reader (mobi, pdf, epub, etc). Once I send my father the reader the only option for reading more books will be the ones that I load on memory cards, therefore, most of the books are going to be any free books I find on the web or from the computer collection I already have. I will not be buying any from Amazon or B&N or any other online site. The Kindle and Nook are off the list but I will look into the others. Thank you for letting me know about the prices - I've seen listings from $139 - $399 - It's nice to know what an average cost should be. Thank you for replying.
Vadimled .. I've bookmarked that site and I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of use out of it. Thank you.
Abookreader .. I'm not sure about the 602 but I know the 301 has a built in battery which is one of the things that I was wanting to stay away from. Also, and if I'm wrong please let me know because I really need to know .. I'm guessing that 'operative memory' is internal and flash memory is external? So the more books you have loaded the more memory you need to make the reader run smoothly. With only 64MB or 256MB of internal memory wouldn't the reader be real sluggish fully loaded? Yes, I'll be loading the reader initially but later on I'll be sending more on memory cards. Thank you for your help.
FF2 .. You're right about the hand movements being compromised. He can't use his left hand at all and I'm afraid he might drop the reader by swiping a touch screen (not to mention smudging although I'm not sure how big of a problem that is). I think buttons would be a better option because his hand would already be on them while holding the unit (if the buttons are on the right hand side that is). I really don't want a Kindle simply because of the external keyboard. I don't think that he'll ever use it. It's just one more thing that'll get in his way and only frustrate him more, especially if he's in the middle of reading when his hand accidentally hits a key or his hand slips onto the keyboard. Thank you for your reply and kind wishes.
Jocampo .. The Kindle is a no go because of the keyboard and because it doesn't offer a memory card slot. The option for using a memory card is a real must as it's the only way that I'll be able to get him more books in the future. Thank you for your reply.
Has anyone ever heard of or does anyone have a Gemei? I was looking at the GM2000 because all the sites that referred to it said that model came with a 7" LCD or a 6" E ink screen but I can't seem to find any info on their site (or anywhere else for that matter) about the 6" E ink reader.
Thank you everyone for all the help, it's truly appreciated.
