I'm an e-book fan - I have the original Rocket eBook, and more recently have been using a PocketPC (iPAQ 4700). So, I'm not one of those idiots who don't get the concept (like those who believe that a reader has to either give full-color magazine-resolution, or smell like paper to be useful). I've had the Sony reader long enough to read a couple of novels now. I know many reviewers have bashed it, and I know many owners defend it. My problems with it are:
- Limited, over-priced selection from Sony. I can live with that - I assumed it would be the case when I bought it, but it's going to hamper adoption.
- Limited contrast. That's right - it really is dark gray on light gray, and contrast gets worse in low light. The resolution is fine, but for those who think it's the best there is - my iPAQ, at 4" 640x480, has 200ppi _in color_, compared to the Sony Reader's 170ppi.
- No backlight. Don't tell me adding a light will ruin battery life, or I should get a head-lamp - I'm used to readers with backlights, and both have had a perfectly usable battery life. I don't _need_ to go months between charging. Jeez, just plugging it into your PC to add some content ends up charging it. BTW, I have a head-lamp, a lightwedge (hate it), and a flex-neck clip-on (love it for paper books). The Sony reader has a real glare problem when used with a book light.
- Poor management software. CONNECT Reader is buggy and limited.
- So-so ergonomics. Others have remarked on the lack of page buttons for one-handed, right-handed holding.
- Book display has many problems. Why such a large margin in "The Constant Gardener" - that's totally wasted space, requiring more page turns. Three text-size selections is not enough. Lack of HTML rendering is a real deficiency. The RSS feeds I tried are formatted way to poorly to try and deal with. PDF page turns can take a long time. All this adds up to "HALF-BAKED".
- Slow screen refresh. Not much of a problem when reading, but a real hindrance to navigating menus.
Just my opinions, of course...