I wanted a way to read Project Gutenberg in bed, and my netbook didn't do the job very well. So, I started researching ebook devices.
Due to my usual reading position, weight was something of an issue; I don't read coffee-table books in bed. Mostly, I wanted something that felt good in my hand, instead of reminding me it was there all the time by making me uncomfortable and/or having to prop it on something, such as the person on the other side of the bed, who tends to object to being used as a book stand. I wanted a screen size reasonably close to a mass-market paperback, my usual reading format (the eyes aren't what they used to be). I wanted very long battery life; I have enough stuff sitting around charging at any given moment. And, as an additional consideration, I wanted to buy a device from an established company.
After some research, it came down to the Sony PRS-505 or the Kindle 1 (later versions of either did not yet exist). I tried out a 505 at Border's, and I liked it very much. The screen was easily readable, it felt good in the hand, it was heavy enough to feel solid but not so heavy as to be annoying, and it just plain worked for me. It took some time to get my hands on a Kindle, but I eventually, of all things, ran into a fellow in a park reading one, and he let me try it out. Its initial "curb appeal" was terrible. It felt like a cheap plastic toy. Valuable real estate was wasted by a keyboard I would have little or no use for. But the real killer was the fact that in order to get my own files, or non-Amazon ebooks, onto the Kindle, I'd have to email them off somewhere and pay a fee to have them sent out wirelessly, whereas with the Sony Reader, I could just plug in a USB cable. Since my purpose was to carry a library of books I was planning to read or re-read (I have over 2000 on the 505 right now), instant gratification in buying best-sellers was no part of my needs. I should mention I dislike Sony intensely -- the rootkit thing -- but at least they can't reach into my ebook reader and take my books away, as Amazon can and has done.
So, a year+ later, how do I like it?
I love it. We're inseparable. It does exactly what I wanted, and does it better than I dreamed it could. I love being able to pull it out wherever I am and read whatever strikes my fancy at the moment in my 2000+ book library. I have everything in there from Plato and Cicero to recent SF (I do buy a few ebooks), so there's always something that fits my mood.
I recently outfitted it with an
M-Edge leather cover, which makes it feel like a real book (yeah, I'm one of
those people!) and a
booklight (which, I should warn any interested buyers, is an excellent booklight but much bigger than it looks in the picture), and evicted my netbook from its neoprene sleeve (hey, it has a padded case, too, so it's not like it's homeless!) to protect the case that protects the Reader. Yes, a case for the case; hopefully the recursion will end there.
The PRS-505 isn't cheap, though the prices of used ones on eBay have dropped since the iPad came out. Adding a wall-wart charger, case, and light (all optional but very useful) will increase the total outlay even further. In my opinion, though, it has been totally worth it. I can't say it's the best reading device out there, but it has certainly met my needs and exceeded them.
Don't worry about the software that comes with whatever device you choose, unless you're buying DRM'd ebooks from that company's store (and why would you want to do that?). Just get Calibre, which will save your time, your sanity, and your library.