best e-reader for Australian student?

jules9105 · 06-09-2010, 01:24 AM

Hi everyone,
I have read many posts from fellow Aussies asking what to buy, but my situation is slightly different. I am a student and so price is a deal breaker, unfortunately. Also I have only seen the Kobo 'in the plastic' as a clever person put it

And I really wanted to love it since it's inexpensive and I can buy it here, but I didn't like it at all!

There were three things:
1. The 6" screen just seemed too small. It felt... odd. As if half the page was being cut off.
2. The contrast was terrible, especially in smaller fonts. I think this is because it has 8 shades of grey, not 16.
3. The speed of navigation through the menu and selecting settings or starting a book was very slow.

So I guess what I'm looking for is:
- A reader for under $300 (really would prefer under $200) AUS
- At least 16 shades of grey, or really good contrast.
- A screen bigger than 6"! btw I would love to read newspapers on it, so I'm seriously thinking about the Kindle DX purely for its screen size... but it's so expensive.

- FAST refresh rate.

If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it! I've spent so long researching, now I just want to buy one!

Thanks, Jules.

kgn · 06-09-2010, 02:07 AM

From my experience - none at that size costs under $300. For that money, you will have to stick with 5" or 6". There are only a couple that are this size anyway - the Kindle DX comes to mind.

Have a look at the Officeworks ones. They look pretty good - at least for novels. Dunno about PDFs - I do not think any of the 6" ones will be that good for that.

You many need to go to a netbook type computer.

06-09-2010, 01:24 AM	#1
jules9105 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: none	best e-reader for Australian student? Hi everyone, I have read many posts from fellow Aussies asking what to buy, but my situation is slightly different. I am a student and so price is a deal breaker, unfortunately. Also I have only seen the Kobo 'in the plastic' as a clever person put it And I really wanted to love it since it's inexpensive and I can buy it here, but I didn't like it at all! There were three things: 1. The 6" screen just seemed too small. It felt... odd. As if half the page was being cut off. 2. The contrast was terrible, especially in smaller fonts. I think this is because it has 8 shades of grey, not 16. 3. The speed of navigation through the menu and selecting settings or starting a book was very slow. So I guess what I'm looking for is: - A reader for under $300 (really would prefer under $200) AUS - At least 16 shades of grey, or really good contrast. - A screen bigger than 6"! btw I would love to read newspapers on it, so I'm seriously thinking about the Kindle DX purely for its screen size... but it's so expensive. - FAST refresh rate. If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it! I've spent so long researching, now I just want to buy one! Thanks, Jules.

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06-09-2010, 02:07 AM	#2
kgn Groupie Posts: 171 Karma: 94 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Brisbane, Australia Device: Pocketbook 302	From my experience - none at that size costs under $300. For that money, you will have to stick with 5" or 6". There are only a couple that are this size anyway - the Kindle DX comes to mind. Have a look at the Officeworks ones. They look pretty good - at least for novels. Dunno about PDFs - I do not think any of the 6" ones will be that good for that. You many need to go to a netbook type computer.

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