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My first ebook reader was induced by Baen Books, when they started their Webscription program. I had read samples on my computer, but the computer doesn't go to bed. I finally got my hands on a Rocket eBook, which convinced my I would be able to read on a screen of that quality (which even then seemed lower quality than my then-current monitors). My experience with the Rocket showed my I liked being able to have multiple books at hand (even though the memory only included about 8 Mb, no removable media). The back light made it neat to read at night, and on several camping trips I was able to read in total darkness.
Shortly after I bought the Rocket, Nuovomedia was purchased by RCA, and support for the Rocket went down hill.
The Rocket, and it's successors which developed into the ebookwise device, are about the size of a hardback book. There is a significant weight in the battery, but the placement of that weight in a bulge on one side made it surprisingly easy to hold and use one-handed. The touch screen can re-orient the screen to all four sides, and the buttons are easily reached from all those orientations. Several of us here on Mobile Read use the Rocket as our ideal model for button placement and usability.
As eInk screens became available, I closely watched a program by Barflies at Baen to create a reader. This ended up being a Bookeen Cybook Gen3. After being able to handle several copies of the Sony 500 and 505, I decided their buttons just didn't feel right, and I had significant loyalty to the NAEB reader process. I bough the Gen3 through NAEB, and shorty after my shipment came through, NAEB quit business because of difficulties with dealing in small numbers of devices. I have no complaints about this, because support (what support there is.....) was available thru Bookeen.
I love the screen. It's not perfect, but the things I notice are much more likely to be a product of bad formatting rather than the screen it's displayed on. On the other hand, I broke one, and it cost $120 to get it replaced. Ouch, and I still don't know what cause the fracture.
On the other hand, I've discovered that I HATE the D-button interface used on the Gen3 (and on all the competing products that use the reference design). I have to take too much care to get the button pressed, without triggering a nearby button. I don't feel comfortable holding it in either hand, and It doesn't easily come to my hand in landscape orientation. But I've read a LOT of books on it.
My next reading device will have better ergonomics, and I'm back to a requirement to hold the device in my hands before purchase. I like the looks of the Pocketbook360. I still don't really like the feel of the newer Sony models. I've never managed to hold a Kindle - maybe that will change if they get stocked in a retail store - and I don't like the looks of the keyboard. The Kobo seems like more of what I've got. Ain't gonna buy an Apple device (And I Have used a Mac - I tested software that released for the Mac and PC on the same day, on both devices, side by side. I hated the Mac, and that's after my first two computers were both Apple ][. )
If my next device is larger than my current 6inch screen, it will have a plastic substrate screen. Don't want to take a chance on breaking another one. I don't think I want something as small as a cellphone as my primary reading device, but a 5 inch screen may be ok. Ergonomics will end up being the key, though I'll be looking for good firmware support too. And I have a goal to never infect my computer with ADE, so I'm looking for a device that will read without requiring Adobe.
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