[bbusybookworm]

Hi Seeker and welcome to this forum.

I'll have offered to show off my Gen 3 and PRS 500 to you, but I'm no longer in Delhi so Can't do that.

Originally Posted by seeker

1. I need something that is not expensive ($250 - $300) - I live in a developing country (India currently) so can't afford to spend that much on an ebook reader.

This is the hardest part, as most of the current readers are close to or above the $300 mark. You might be able to get an old Sony PRS-500 for about $ 150-200 but you'll still have to pay shipping & Customs if you get it delivered to India and that will probably cost you another $70 to $100.
But It may still not meet your needs.

2. It must support PDF and HTML

Well All the main three, Namely Sony PRS - 500/505 , Cybook Gen 3, Hanlin V3 /Bebook support PDF so you have a choice. And While the Sony 505 is the only one that has reflowability, all the others do a reasonably decent job of displaying PDF's.

Unfortunately, the Sony's will not display Html without conversion. And while there are great utilities like Caliber to simplify that, it is still something to keep in mind.

3. Must be able to read in low light conditions: I will spending a large part of my time reading on the bus on my way home from work ... its usually dark by that time. So that probably excludes all the e-ink readers .

True, but you could always attach a clip on reading light, and i've seen them for sale for a couple of hundred rupees.

This way, you still have the advantage of being able to read in full sunlight, which you would probably not get with a LCD screen.

4. It cannot be a UMPC, cannot have a camera: My workplace is paranoid about security and so does not allow personal cameras and laptops.

Well, If not looking at E-ink, you have the option of a Older PDS like the HP Ipaq series, or Palm Tungsten , or an iPod Touch.

I Can't comment on the Ebook wise as i've never even seen one, let alone used one.

5. It should not require any special operating system (in particular, m$ windoze) to work with it. It shouldn't force me to use Windoze just to download some material to it - I'm a Linux user and am not comfortable in the world of windoze.

That's one drawback of the Sony PRS 500 that it does not show up as USB device. you need a Program to transfer files over. And the official software is windows only .

Luckily Kovid has developed a great replacement in Caliber and you can use it manage your reader (500/505) in Linux and OS X as well as Windows. The only drawback is that you can not purchase books from the Sony store with this.

The advantage of the Gen 3 and the Bebook is that they show up as USB mass storage devices so you can just drag and drop stuff onto them. Also, you can purchase books from them easily without having to install any software as they support Mobipocket, and that just requires you to enter the device PID when you buy the book and download it and transfer to the device.

6. Shouldn't be a windoze based solution: I don't want to worry about viruses getting into my reader!!!

Gen 3 and Bebook are both linux based. The upcoming Astek is expected to be based on Win CE.

8. Ebook store support not required ... I don't read that much fiction, etc. ... I'm quite a geek and I've got enough of geek stuff to read !

True, but it is nice to have it available for the times you might need it.
Gen 3 and Bebook can use any Mobipocket reseller, and there are a lot of them.

The Sony can use any stores which offer PDF /EPub With Adobe DE, which againg is a windows only solution.

9. It need not be fashionable - I'm not trying to make any fashion statement ... I'm too old to make fashion statements .

Still, It's nice to look at pretty stuff, and the Sony is the best looking of the bunch.

A

fter searching around I found that the Nokia 770 seems to fit the bill (it has extras, but thats OK) - its price has dropped to $100 on E-Bay (US though) and it has a PDF reader and back light for low light conditions. HOWEVER, I also found out that 770 carries the risk of the WSOD, so I've had to (very, very reluctantly) drop it .

Have you considered its successor the N800, which is selling for about $175-200 in the US. You'll shell out for some accessories, but you can always spread that over time.

Its also Currently being supported by the Latest updates to the OS so its worth a look. And being Linux, you'll brobaly be right at home.

I'll be moving on to China soon and so I naturally considered Hanlin V3 - that too seemed to fit the bill except for the lighting (but at least worth considering). However, the company advertises $299 in its English web page but 2980RMB for the Chinese market in its Chinese web page. 2980RMB = $438! Thats daylight robbery !!!!!

Have you considered mailing them to confirm the Chinese price. It may be that the web page is wrong / or of date. Worth a try.

Or you could always try purchasing from one of the resellers (eg. Bebook) and get it shipped to India or even china if it workes out cheaper.

Astak was looking good until its price-tag came out. It seems like just a Hanlin V3 and costs the same, so thats out too.

And It's still not out, so the price is also still not final.

Sony 505 requires windoze. Also, not available worldwide.

True, but you can find sellers on ebay who will ship worldwide, and if you're careful, the Warranty, or lack off should not be that much of an issue.

That's How I got my Prs 500 after all.

Cybook Gen3 - too much $$$ .

The Price might go down you know. The UK Price being provided by WH Smith is £ 180 pounds and includes the case, so if this continues, we might get a price drop from Bookeen sometime in the near future (We Hope).


So In Summary, In e-in devices if you'r willing to accept old tech, you could probably get the Sony PRS 500 well within your budget. It is however not as nice as the newer screens on the new devices, so be aware.

It is also probably not going to get much support from Sony any more, so you'll b dependant on the community which however is quiet active.

The other option is to get Something like the Hanlin V3 / Bebook, as while I have and love the Gen 3, until Bookeen reduces the prices is a bit too expensive. You may have to up you budget a little, but you'll get a new gen device, which as a proactive community behind it bring updates. It also has Folder View (Which none of the others do) and supports the most formats right now.(For which formats check out the Comparison matrix in the Wiki.)

Finally you could go for one of the non e-ink devices like a Windows Mobile PDA (You'll have to look around for one without a camera, which is hard to find), a Palm OS Device like the Tungsten (however which is on its way out) iPod Touch, or a Nokia N800/810. The problem with one of these option is that you're going to need windows to load stuff onto them (except for the Nokia's). You might be able to get away with using an emulator like Wine but no guarantees.


Hope this helps.