[emellaich]

Rique,
I'm guessing you aren't seeing a lot yet because you have very specific requirements and its tough to find a perfect solution.

My opinion is that ebook readers are at the early stages of their life and you will have to decide what tradeoffs you are willing to accept. Ebooks have entered a rapid change portion of their lifecycle, and their are better book readers only six months away. However, this will always be true for the foreseeable future. There will always be something better on the horizon. If you see value in today's devices, then buy one now. Otherwise you will always be waiting because something better will always be just around the corner.

I will offer some specific comments below:

Originally Posted by Rique

Hello from Warrenton, VA[LIST][*]Format support - Do I need DRM? - don't want to limit selection. I think E-Pub, for the library. I think PDF - for work related docs - nothing fancy (just text). Also newspapers, magazines and/or RSS - would be nice! If non-DRM mobi available, even better. Don't mind converting - and use a Mac and a PC (OS not important).

Find the books you are interested in reading and find out where you can get them. Most current books will require some DRM support. Therefore, you will need a reader that supports some type of DRM.

PDF is a real issue. In many cases, PDF's are designed to be read at a fixed size, and that size is not a 6 inch screen. Newer pdf's can be 'reflowable' if you have the correct software (adobe digital editions). Otherwise you'll want to stay away from PDFs or look towards one of the emerging newer screen devices.

[*]Folders - or tags - or organizational support with Calibre? - Have to have something.

I believe that Sony is the only one with this.

[*]Bookmarks[*]Performance - the less "flash", the better. The quicker the page flips, the better.[*]Battery life - poor battery life is a deal-breaker.[*]Readability (is that a word?) - Good contrast (don't like Sony 700).[*]Size - 9.7" factor is probably too big (although I have not held one, so I could be wrong). I think 5" or 6" are better for me.

None of these are problems with the current readers

[*]Price - Max price was $250. However, Cybook Gen3 changed my mind - I have upped that to $299.[*]Service and Support - Prefer domestic (US) suppliers and service. Also to online - an active and enthusiastic group helping one another to use and improve the product.

I had a Cybook and was disappointed. Specifically their support has not been very good. Also, you mentioned folder support above -- that makes me think you are looking to have a large library of books on your reader. With the Cybook the best experience is if you keep only a handful of books on the reader. When I had 400+ books it could take me half a minute to a minute to start up my machine. In comparison, the Kindle takes less than five seconds. This instant on start up time is very important to my reading experience.

[*]Coming Soon - Willing to wait a bit for something terrific, a good value, and definitely coming soon. I want to avoid vaporware.

As I said earlier, you will always be waiting if you don't jump on board. There will always be something better on the horizon.

With as many specific concerns as you have, I don't think anyone but you can really figure this out. I don't specifically recommend a Cybook, but I know that others do. Given that, my position is that your choices are (in no particular order):

Kindle 2
Sony PRS 505
Jetbook
The Astak EZreader
http://shop4.frys.com/product/583463...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

The reason I gave a link for the EZreader is because its often for sale at quite a bargain at Fry's. If price is your criteria, you might want to check it out. I think its out of stock right now, but supposed to be in stock soon.

Some of my questions with the Bookeen may be actually issues with their hardware. I had frequent crashes and other problems that were due to the SD card reader. It was improved greatly after Bookeen traded out my unit. Also, sometimes it took some work to get the page to turn. Furthermore, there were the long start up times. Also, the Cybook only had page turn buttons at one spot -- the lower right corner. Because of this, I wasn't sure whether the problems were software (Bookeen) or hardware (Netronix). This has made me a bit cautious of Netronix hardware until I hear more positive reports from others who have had success as users. Netronix hardware is used in the eslick, Coloris (not sure exactly how this one is spelled), Bookeen, Astak Mentor. Please note that Astak has two lines. The Ezreader uses Hanlin hardware and I don't have any experience with them. The Mentor line is based on Netronix.

Perhaps because of my Bookeen experience my pleasure with my Kindle 2 is due to the way it just works. I turn it on, and I am reading a book within seconds. Page turns only require one button push and they happen quickly. My biggest beef's about the K2 are (2) no folder support; and (2) price.