Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great
But the casual reader can also get one of the sub-$200 ebook readers. I have a couple of them, and they have about the same level of ability as the Nook. What makes the Nook work the extra +$60?
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I have one of those too, the Astak EZreader Pocket Pro. All of the sub $200 readers I am aware of have the smaller 5" screen and don't have wireless. I think having the larger screen as well as the wireless capability is worth the extra $60. Having read on both 5" and 6" screens, I find the 6" much easier to read on, especially for long periods. I seriously looked at the newer Sony reader, but I didn't like the eInk touchscreen very much - I didn't notice that the touchscreen blurred the text much, but the fingerprints on the screen drove me crazy (this is one of the reasons I can't stand reading on my iPod touch). I also looked at the Kindle, but I didn't like the keyboard - it seem awkward, just a personal preference. Also, the nook is awesome at displaying ePubs. I haven't had to hand edit any ePub files just to make them readable on the nook (unlike having to edit every ePub file to make it readable on the Pocket Pro).
If you always have computer access (or are outside the US and can't purchase over wifi), the wireless feature may not be such a big deal. I've been in the situations where I haven't been near a computer and would have loved to have been able to download the next book in a series, so I like the wireless feature. Because it is wireless and doesn't require a computer to buy books, my computer-phobe Mom would be comfortable using it. (She's been looking at my and my sister's nooks.) She would never use a Sony or an Astak, no matter how easy they are to use, just because she is convinced that if she touches a computer, it will completely meltdown. (My sister and I have tried to show her otherwise, but trying to convince her she can use a computer is like moving a mountain.)
Anyway, all this is subjective. I like my nook enough to recommend it to others and I also like my Pocket Pro enough to recommend it to others, depending on the person. There are pros and cons to every device and I haven't seen any one yet that could qualify as the 'best ebook reader ever!!' (except to its owner
). Luckily there are a lot of options out now, so I think there is something for everyone.