Was it worth spending an enormous amount? For me, yes. I travel internationally almost monthly. I have always hauled tons of books (the curse of being a reader). An e-ink based reader (in my case, the Sony) proves to be a very good solution. Not only does it eliminate the weight, it also provides several other benefits, to wit:
- I don't have to decide which books to carry on versus pack in checked luggage. No longer do I need to predict my mood 5 hours hence.
- I don't have to advertise to others what I am reading. I once was reading a book about airline disasters on a trip. The flight attendant came by and asked me to put it away (she was joking, thankfully, but still...).
- I can fall asleep while reading, and even if the ebook hibernates, I can find my place again when I wake up.
The e-ink solution breaks new ground for this sort of device. The screen resolution (dots per inch) is significantly higher than a standard computer display (which is typically either 72 dpi or up to 100 dpi). A handheld 170 dpi display renders text at a level of fine detail similar to ink on paper, making the reading experience far superior to reading from a liquid crystal display. Fonts are rendered beautifully on my device!
The miserly power consumption of an e-ink display takes the urgency out of reading. I do not have to wonder if I'm going to make it through the chapter before my device runs out of power. I now wonder if I'll ever even make a dent in the battery from normal reading. The only time my reader dropped below a full power indication was when I forgot to turn off the MP3 player, and it played silently for a couple of hours while the book sat on a table. (I generally do not read and listen, so I don't consider the MP3 player a critical feature of this device.)
If the primary consideration is cost, an ebook reader is not a wise choice. An ebook reader offers convenience whose price cannot be measured by the discounts (or lack thereof) realized through buying ebooks.