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Grendel Rex · 01-28-2012, 04:04 AM

I've just thought about getting an ereader this week. I only want to read novels, mostly Sci-fi and Fantasy, either at home(mostly in bed) or on the bus on my way to work. I kind of thought having a backlit LCD would be good for in bed or other dark places but I think the E-ink screen might be easier on the eyes and I like the long battery life of dedicated ereaders. While I've seen features that look nice the only must have feature I want is to remember where I stopped reading(bookmark) since I've been reading books for almost 50 years with nothing more than that just fine. I tend to prefer buttons but I suppose I could get used to a touchscreen if it works which it seems to from what I've read in reviews. Internet access is unimportant, I can download books on my computer and transfer them but it seems that's a feature I'm stuck with with a new gen reader. Weight is not an issue, almost al the readers I've looked at weigh about as much as the small novel I'm reading now.

Now for the part that's confunded me. I've seen that there are various file formats and of course no reader can use them all(you'd think by now they would learn from 30+ years of multi format BS). I've also seen there are ways to convert most of them although perhaps with some issues. What I want to be able to do is to have the widest possible selection of titles that I can read on my reader.
I came down to either a Kindle or Sony PRST1 with the latter leading because I can go to a store and buy it. What I'd like to know is if I get the Sony am I going to be stuck with a reader that I can't read most of what's available? Are the books on Amazon only available through Amazon or can I buy them somewhere else in a more friendly format? Are there any other reasons to go with a Kindle over the Sony?

Also, being that I have zero experience with ereaders I'm assuming there are going to be features I may come to really want, so I'm not too sure about buying a cheaper older generation device to break into the market which to be honest isn't even really an option since all the stores I've looked at don't carry much in that regard.

Thanks for any help and advice.

01-28-2012, 04:04 AM	#1
Grendel Rex Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: none	Very new and have some questions. I've just thought about getting an ereader this week. I only want to read novels, mostly Sci-fi and Fantasy, either at home(mostly in bed) or on the bus on my way to work. I kind of thought having a backlit LCD would be good for in bed or other dark places but I think the E-ink screen might be easier on the eyes and I like the long battery life of dedicated ereaders. While I've seen features that look nice the only must have feature I want is to remember where I stopped reading(bookmark) since I've been reading books for almost 50 years with nothing more than that just fine. I tend to prefer buttons but I suppose I could get used to a touchscreen if it works which it seems to from what I've read in reviews. Internet access is unimportant, I can download books on my computer and transfer them but it seems that's a feature I'm stuck with with a new gen reader. Weight is not an issue, almost al the readers I've looked at weigh about as much as the small novel I'm reading now. Now for the part that's confunded me. I've seen that there are various file formats and of course no reader can use them all(you'd think by now they would learn from 30+ years of multi format BS). I've also seen there are ways to convert most of them although perhaps with some issues. What I want to be able to do is to have the widest possible selection of titles that I can read on my reader. I came down to either a Kindle or Sony PRST1 with the latter leading because I can go to a store and buy it. What I'd like to know is if I get the Sony am I going to be stuck with a reader that I can't read most of what's available? Are the books on Amazon only available through Amazon or can I buy them somewhere else in a more friendly format? Are there any other reasons to go with a Kindle over the Sony? Also, being that I have zero experience with ereaders I'm assuming there are going to be features I may come to really want, so I'm not too sure about buying a cheaper older generation device to break into the market which to be honest isn't even really an option since all the stores I've looked at don't carry much in that regard. Thanks for any help and advice.