[lloydt]

I wanted to start a new thread here to share my observations as an owner of both the iLiad and the Sony Reader. I bought my first iLiad last August, and when a bag I had it in was stolen in late May, I took the opportunity to buy a Sony Reader for comparison--knowing that my wife was going to take it for her own on a very long trip she's now on.

I used The Reader for about five weeks, reading about 2000 pages of books. And I have some interesting observations about the two devices.

Direct hardware comparisons aside, the most surprising difference to me was that there was a significant difference in what I read, much more than in how much I read. With the Sony Reader, I read almost exclusively books. I came to regard it as a book, and I would almost automatically turn it on and resume the book-reading where I had left off. With the iLiad, I had always found that I would tailor the item (news article, newsletter, or book) to the individual occasion. If I was waiting on a food take-out order, I'd read a couple of articles from the Wall Street Journal. If I was reading over lunchtime, I'd read news more often than a book. And at home, before dinner or before bed, I'd generally use it to read articles or books--whichever was more on my mind.

The iLiad seems to want to be a newspaper, more than a book reader. I realize that this may now be changing with Mobipocket and the ability to buy modern, current books. But everything about the iLiad--its size, its superior graphics capabilities, its ability to annotate files, and (probably most importantly) its use of a full directory structure and ability to rename and delete files--seems to specifically tailor it to news reading.

Ultimately I realized that, for me, the iLiad was the right device. Together with a small bag I carry it in, it has allowed me literally to replace my briefcase and my Franklin Planner. When I do business or pleasure travel, I'm able to travel dramatically more lightly, even if I do bring a notebook computer as well. The fact is that a computer is awkward and imposing in most face-to-face meetings, and the iLiad (with the speaker turned off, please!) strikes up just the right balance between good old fashioned paper and a full-on computer; it really doesn't interfere with my thinking or communicating, which a notebook somehow does. And while traveling, it allows me to do away with reams of hand-written notes and just-in-case reference items.

Of course all of this is far beyond the intended application of a Sony Reader. Having spent now nearly a year working continually with e-ink readers, I want to offer this. If you want a device to read books, to carry a bunch of books, and to do it very practically and efficiently, get the Sony Reader; it's a no-brainer for $150 after the book credits. But if you've always had dreams of replacing a hundred stray articles laying around your house, if you want to be able to use your daily minutes of down time to catch up on your pile of guilt and pleasure reading, or if you can't stand reading 3-to-6-page items on your computer screen, the iLiad is probably your baby.