MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Ereaders- best for reading?

sirdouglas · 10-13-2009, 12:11 AM

Hello everybody,

I will be headed out to backpack Europe from December to January and have decided that I will need an ereader. I had a BeBook, but it got stolen on a bus, so now I am thinking about going with a different ereader.

The BeBook was wonderful because of the multiple formats it supported, continuous firmware updates, and it was very easy to use. Now I am seeing that the options in the ereader market have expanded, and many more are to come. Because I read a lot of academic PDFs, I thought the Kindle DX would work well for me, but I think I might start with something a bit simpler before throwing $500 on the DX. I think we are in the stage of ereader devices that can be compared to the first laptops in the 90s that were quite primitive compared to what we have today. Of course you can never catch up with technology, but I think I will wait until at least next year for better touch-screen devices that allow note-taking, highlighting, and good internet capacity.

In the meantime, I am thinking about getting a rather simple ereader that best fulfills its main purpose, reading. The BeBook was nice, but I thought the screen could be a little crisper and paper-like. I was also slightly bothered by the slow button response. Which ereader is best for reading, that is, has the clearest display, quick and easy page turns, and simply substitutes a real book the best? According to times.com (http://www.time.com/time/photogaller...929384,00.html), the Elonex eReader was considered the best ereader for reading, which was first reported by Stuff magazine. Upon further research of the device, I saw that it got average reviews and was often considered "just another ereader." What do you think of the device? Others that I thought were interesting:

Sony's Reader Daily Edition
-released in December?.. I need it by November.
-how about the other Sony ereaders? (the Touch Edition?)

Irex DR800
-looks very nice
-I read that the display isn't perfect
-it has all the bells and whistles I eventually want, but should I wait for future ereaders that handle such tasks better (no web browser?)

Cybook Opus
-just 5 inch screen? easy to convert PDFs?
-is it good for reading? good display?

Others, such as the Plastic Logic and the Polymer are part of my hesitation in buying the best that already exists.. they both look very nice, but next year only!

I always stress out with all the options in the technology world whenever I want to get something new. Anyone able to point me in the right direction? A lot of these new readers looks great, but which to go with? Like I said, I will need to have it by November. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Doug

10-13-2009, 12:11 AM	#1
sirdouglas Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: BeBook	Ereaders- best for reading? Hello everybody, I will be headed out to backpack Europe from December to January and have decided that I will need an ereader. I had a BeBook, but it got stolen on a bus, so now I am thinking about going with a different ereader. The BeBook was wonderful because of the multiple formats it supported, continuous firmware updates, and it was very easy to use. Now I am seeing that the options in the ereader market have expanded, and many more are to come. Because I read a lot of academic PDFs, I thought the Kindle DX would work well for me, but I think I might start with something a bit simpler before throwing $500 on the DX. I think we are in the stage of ereader devices that can be compared to the first laptops in the 90s that were quite primitive compared to what we have today. Of course you can never catch up with technology, but I think I will wait until at least next year for better touch-screen devices that allow note-taking, highlighting, and good internet capacity. In the meantime, I am thinking about getting a rather simple ereader that best fulfills its main purpose, reading. The BeBook was nice, but I thought the screen could be a little crisper and paper-like. I was also slightly bothered by the slow button response. Which ereader is best for reading, that is, has the clearest display, quick and easy page turns, and simply substitutes a real book the best? According to times.com (http://www.time.com/time/photogaller...929384,00.html), the Elonex eReader was considered the best ereader for reading, which was first reported by Stuff magazine. Upon further research of the device, I saw that it got average reviews and was often considered "just another ereader." What do you think of the device? Others that I thought were interesting: Sony's Reader Daily Edition -released in December?.. I need it by November. -how about the other Sony ereaders? (the Touch Edition?) Irex DR800 -looks very nice -I read that the display isn't perfect -it has all the bells and whistles I eventually want, but should I wait for future ereaders that handle such tasks better (no web browser?) Cybook Opus -just 5 inch screen? easy to convert PDFs? -is it good for reading? good display? Others, such as the Plastic Logic and the Polymer are part of my hesitation in buying the best that already exists.. they both look very nice, but next year only! I always stress out with all the options in the technology world whenever I want to get something new. Anyone able to point me in the right direction? A lot of these new readers looks great, but which to go with? Like I said, I will need to have it by November. Any ideas? Thanks, Doug