[enarchay]

This post is a little detailed, but only because I want people to understand exactly what I'm looking for.

I like to read a lot in my free time. I have more than a bookshelf of books, and I have a huge wish list. I was complaining to my friend about book costs, so he recently started sending me some PDF books. Unfortunately, I can’t stand to read long books and articles on my computer because it hurts my eyes after a while. He recommended that I buy an ereader, and it sounded like a good idea. This would hopefully allow me to comfortably read all the content I can’t stand to read on my computer, while saving me some money in the process. However, I cannot decide which ereader to buy. I’ve narrowed it down to the Kindle 2, the Sony PRS-505, and the Sony PRS-700, but I can’t decide between them, and no matter which one I buy, it seems like I get some major drawbacks.

First, some background. I’m a college student and I read a lot in my free time. I read almost zero fiction, so I’m not sure Kindle’s store would be a big advantage for me. When I'm not reading the required texts for my college classes, I primarily read about philosophy and theology. Most of the texts I'm interested in are usually academic. For example, this summer I was hoping to buy The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy, some Backwell Companions, some books on logic, and some books on philosophy of religion (as an example, Warrant: The Current Debate by Alvin Plantinga). Before I even get to asking about the specific ereaders, my first question is, Do you think I will be able to get most of the stuff I want to read in ebook format? Glancing at amazon, for example, The Oxford Handbook is not available in Kindle format (or PDF from what I can tell). There's the option of torrent sites, but I'm not sure how I feel about that ethically, and I'm not sure if torrent sites would offer what I'm looking for either.

Some background on my reading preferences. When I'm reading, one thing I hate is when I see a quote I want to remember that takes too long to copy by handwriting; if I bookmark the page, I sometimes later forget what quote I wanted to remember. I don't typically annotate, but I do sometimes take separate hand-written notes. Another thing that is also a pain is when I come across an unfamiliar word and have to grab a dictionary.

Taking all into account, here is what I would like to get in an ereader:

Multiple format support – very important. Since many of the books I already have on my computer are in PDF or dvju format, and many articles I would want to read would come in DOC or HTML format, it is important that the ereader will allow me to view as many of these different formats as possible. I don’t care if I have to convert as long as the converted file looks just as good as the original.

Ability to highlight text and take notes – fairly important. Like I said, I often like to remember certain quotes, but I don’t feel like having to copy it down. It’d be nice if the ereader allowed me to highlight text for later reference. The ability to add notes would be nice as well, but that is less important than being able to highlight text.

Clear screen – very important. I’m going to be using this ereader as a replacement for most books, so I’ll be using it to read for extended periods of time. Obviously, I don’t want eyestrain, and I want to be able to read the books as comfortably as I would if they were paperback.

Dictionary – mildly important. While it’s not a must, it would be nice for the ereader to have a built in dictionary.

Now the problem is, I don’t think I can get all four of those things in one ereader.

The Sony 505 offers support for multiple file formats, but you cannot zoom in on PDFs. Like most ereaders, it doesn't support djvu, but maybe that's not really a problem - how hard is it to convert dvju files to PDF or DOC? Moreover, the 505 has no ability to highlight text and take notes. (I guess I could use the bookmark function, but like I said, I’d probably later forget what quote I was trying to remember). A big plus for the 505 is that I can get it at a local store for $259, including the leather case and charger.

The Sony 700 comes so close to being perfect for me. It offers multiple format support like the Sony 505, but it allows you to zoom in on PDFs. The 700 also has the ability to highlight text and take notes. Plus it has a touch screen. The big problem is, many reviewers complain that the screen clarity suffers pretty bad when compared to the Kindle and 505. Some reviewers actually recommend the 505 over the 700. Are the upgrades worth the lack of readability? I checked the Sony 700 out at borders, but it was locked in place, so I couldn't really look at it from different angles. I thought it looked pretty clear, but I didn't have a 505 to compare it to.

The Kindle 2 also offers much of what I want. It has the ability to highlight text and take notes. It has (from what I read) a clear, readable screen. Unlike either Sony, it has a built-in dictionary, plus access to wikipedia - this is a big plus. While being able to download books from wirelessly on the Kindle is an advantage, it's not that important to me since I doubt I'll be using the Kindle store much. All in all, the Kindle 2 would probably be perfect for me, if it were not for the fact that it does not natively support PDF, DOC, or HTML files. I don’t mind converting files, but from what I’ve seen, converted PDF files suffer greatly. I tried converting some PDF files myself, and they looked pretty bad. Maybe there is a better way to do it, but I haven't seen it. In addition, it seems like converting PDF files to Kindle format leaves out the table of contents. Would this mean I would have to flip the pages over and over to get where I want?

Anyway, I can’t decide. If I get the Sony 700, I get pretty much all I want, but then I have to put up with the glaring screen. If I get the Sony 500, I gain readability, but lose all the important upgrades the 700 has. If I get the Kindle 2, I get all I want, but what good is it if it doesn’t support the majority of the books and articles I want to read (e.g. PDF, DOC, HTML)?

There's one more factor I haven't mentioned. Since ereaders are advancing rapidly, it would probably be best for me to wait a year when they are hopefully more advanced. However, my birthday is coming up in ten days, and this will probably be one of the last birthdays where my parents are willing to get me a nice gift. Plus, I'd probably save money in the long run - as I have many books already on my computer I can't stand to read. Not to mention, there are a ton of articles and blog posts I'd like to read more often, but I can't stand to because of the eyestrain from using my computer. So I think in the long run it'd be better not to wait. On the other hand, I don't want to spend a ton of money when I'll probably be replacing the ereader in the future, so I'm looking for the bang-for-my-buck.

As you can see, I’m stuck. I have no idea what to do. Can any of you give me some advice?