[viviena]

Originally Posted by mentalxfiction

After visiting a good few websites and reading a good few reviews, I settled on the Kindle WiFi and was picometers short from ordering it, but here on mobileread I read on some of the threads that the Sony is better, as a majority of the posters had stated so.

Ooh, that statement's gonna start fights. Let's just say that each device has their fervent defenders, but they're all good devices in the end, really no objective 'best' about it.

1. Shouldn't be too pricey. Maybe $200 maximum, and that too only if there's no other choice (one reason I liked the Kindle, it's relatively cheap)

The Kindle 3's the winner here, but if you're interested in the Nook, that would also work, as would the Sony Reader 350.

2. Is able to support free books and PDFs since I'm not too crazy about buying e-books online.

Edit: I've looked around everywhere for websites that offer free books, and have found just one that offers books of my choice. So I'd like to stress that PDF support is a must.

All three support PDFs, however Sony does it the best. For the Nook and Sonys, you can find free ebooks from any place that has EPUB copies, and Amazon has a lot of freebies for the Kindle too.

3. Has great screen quality, doesn't necessarily have its own illumination

All eink devices don't have their own backlighting. The Kindle 3 and the Sony Reader *50s have the newest and clearest Pearl screens.

4. Isn't too fragile.

All eink devices can be considered somewhat fragile, due to the glass layer of the screen (always a good idea to keep it in some sort of case or other protective pouch). That said, the Sonys have very sturdy, and IMHO the best build quality of all the big name ereaders. Amazon has been praised for its excellent customer service regarding worn Kindles. I've often heard of Nooks suffering cracking from their buttons, but perhaps somebody will come along and tell me otherwise.

5. Decent battery life, not expecting it to last weeks, but the e-Reader shouldn't die in two to three days usage.

K3 makes the claim for the longest battery life, with 3 to 4 weeks. You can expect claims of at least 2 weeks from Sony as well. Nook is slightly less. These are all based on ideal usage patterns, and the reality of your device's battery life might vary greatly.

6. Is compact. Big and bulky is a no-no

Sony Reader 350 is definitely the most compact and portable.

7. Should be long-lasting or has a long warranty.

I'd tip this to Amazon slightly because of their reputation for excellent customer service. All ereaders are fairly long lasting as long as the screen holds up however.

Oh and I live in the UAE by the way, which is in the Middle East. Is it possible to get all the books (free or priced) available on Amazon and B&N?

Do you still have some sort of presence in the USA, e.g. a US residential address or access to a VPN? If so, life will be much easier. Nook's integrated bookstore, B&N, is US-only, though there's nothing stopping you from loading EPUBs from elsewhere.

As for Amazon, have you tried browsing listings in their Kindle Store on their website? Usually it's good in telling you upfront whether you can buy books based on your location. The Kindle Wifi listing does have this tidbit: 'Unfortunately, we are currently unable to ship Kindles or offer Kindle content in United Arab Emirates', which would cause me some concern. Unless, again, you change the location of your account to the USA.

Last question~ Does the WiFi on the e-Readers allow me to browse any website? Stupid question, but I'm kind of under the impression that the Kindle WiFi can only access Amazon.

You'll already need your own wifi access, but yes, any website, not just Amazon.

So, based on your criteria, your choices are really, so I think, either the Kindle 3 Wifi or the Sony Reader 350. It depends which of your criteria proves the most important to you.