[afa]

Originally Posted by Professorshak

- A device that would automatically retrieve, via Wi-Fi or some other method, the latest news, articles, and magazines. When I wake up, I know that today's paper is already loaded and I can read it on my way out to work. The next week's economist would be in when its out. If such a device exists, that would be my first filter.

I think the Kindle and the Nook have magazine subscriptions, and maybe the Sony PRS-900. But of course, not all the magazines/journals you read would necessarily have e-formats, so you probably want to do some research to find out if your preferred ones do or not.

- A device that uses eInk, possibly color.

Don't hold your breath. There is currently no such thing as a color e-Ink screen. I assume there are people working on it as we speak, but it's still a long way off. In a recent interview, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said something about how color e-Ink is probably at least a couple of years away from being a reality.

- Ease of travel. Not too big/heavy but not too small either.

With the exception of the larger readers like the Kindle DX, iRex, iPad etc., I think pretty much all e-readers would fall into your stated category. Some are smaller than others, of course, but generally speaking, they're all quite portable.

-Can read uploaded files such as PDF, DOC, etc...

I'm not sure about DOC (I believe the Sony Readers will read them, and the Aluratek Libre/Ectaco jetBook -- same hardware -- will probably read them, as they seem to read every format, and I think the Kindle does, too), but PDFs are fairly common, and most e-readers will read them.

- Something affordable but has good value. I'd be willing to get the iPad (once it goes down in price) except for the above cons, but I'm not sure of the alternatives.

Firstly, I wouldn't expect the iPad's price to reduce significantly in the near future. Maybe once the next generation comes out (probably next year) you might be able to find the current one for cheap. But most people were actually pleasantly surprised by the iPad's entry price, which was less than was expected, so it doesn't look like Apple has any reason to reduce it. Of course, this is just conjecture.

As for affordable, that depends. What is "affordable" in your opinion? I'm sure if you give your target price range, the members here will be able to help you.

I will say, though, that since you stated magazines/newspapers/journals as your primary reading material, and not books, your choice is probably a little limited. Specially on the portability side. While you could, theoretically, read mags on a smaller device, they're far from ideal.

Your probably better off looking at some of the larger screen devices, which means accepting that they'll be far from pocketable. Something like the Sony PRS-900 or the Kindle DX might suit your needs. And a lot of people here seem to like the devices by iRex. And, of course, the iPad.

And the large devices will be more expensive, too. Just some things to consider...