which reader ?

[filb]

Hi, looking for some advice on what might be good for my wants. I've heard the Sony's are very good quality. But pricey, except for the 300 series model but that doesn't have an SD slot. A coworker who has one says the B&Noble Nook is a "dog", buggy and slow, and that B&N (like Amazon) "tries" to lock you into buying ebooks only from them. (or make it harder to put on the free books?) He also said the cheaper ereaders often have crappy software, and their e-ink quality may not be so great. I like the fact he has language dictionaries and touch screen on his 300 model. However, for eink, I don't think having to use a clip on light at bedtime in the dark is so great though, although of course I understand lack of backlight saves batteries. He also touts e-ink readers as lasting weeks without recharge. But I read the Nook lasts 10 days. (quite acceptable I feel) I asked him about wi-fi, if it can be used for browsing web sites, and he seemed to say it's only for buying books. Is that correct?
I'd like to checkout ebooks from my library. It appears they offer Adobe epub, Adobe pdf, Mobipocket, and Overdrive WMA or MP3 audiobooks. So something that supports all these would be nice. I'd want it to be able to use ALL popular FREE open-source file formats too. I've seen folks on the bus holding giant sized ereaders. I wouldn't want that....His Sony 300 looked like a nice, portable size.

[JSWolf]

The nook with the new 1.5 firmware is no longer slow. You can take out library ePub no problem. Also, then nook support standard Adept DRM so you can buy ePub from Sony, Borders, BooksOnBoard, etc. So there is no vendor lock as long as you don't buy eBooks from B&N.

[dorino]

The nook with 1.5 is still a tad slow, imo. It's definitely not as noticeable! There is no "lock" on buying books with a nook, but Amazon doesn't support the nook (or anything but the Kindle)

Cheaper readers generally have the same e-ink quality if they're e-ink readers; Only two types on e-ink screens are on the market, right now, the Pearl series (in the x50 sony models, Kindle 3 series) and the Viziplex (present on most circa-2009 readers)
The difference is noticable, but expensive readers often sport Viziplex as well. Cheaper ones, like the Kindle 3, also sport Pearl!

The lack of a backlight isn't really to save battery life, but instead to provide readability. Backlit screens falter in the sun almost always.

The wi-fi on a nook can be used to browse the web, there is an experimental webkit-based browser available on the main menu.


On the topic of screen size: The 350 (That's the model you're talking about, I assume, as the 300 wasn't a touch-screen reader) sports a 5-inch diagonal screen, while most other readers sport a 6-inch diagonal screen. The 350 is very portable, yes.

On the topic of battery life: The best-case battery life of a Kindle 3 is touted as 30 days. The Nook, previous generation Kindles, and, in fact, most e-ink readers sport a 7-14 day battery life. In comparison, an LCD-screen reader like the Nook Color or a netbook sports a 5-10 hour battery life.

[speedtouch]

Take a look at what PocketBook has to offer. Their ereaders offer great battery life and superb ebook file format support. I have a 301+ and would recommend it to anyone coming into the ereader market. It just works. And works very well. Not to mention it's extraordinarily light. But it is not backlit and has no wifi/3G capabilities (thus, no web browsing), if that's something you require. You can use any PocketBook to read ebooks from your library as it supports Adobe Digital Editions DRM system.

Take a look around on the Flea Market, that's where I got my used 301+.

[darknessangel]

I use this criteria for buying mine:

If you like more style and versatility in formats on your reader and SD cards: Sony

Connectivity: Kindle, Nook (I may be wrong here as I'm not so interested in this)

Technical pdfs: Pocketbook 902, Asus (?), iPad

Cheap: Kindle or whatever you find the cheapest

So, just pick your priority and go for it!

[Toonces]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The nook with the new 1.5 firmware is no longer slow. You can take out library ePub no problem. Also, then nook support standard Adept DRM so you can buy ePub from Sony, Borders, BooksOnBoard, etc. So there is no vendor lock as long as you don't buy eBooks from B&N.

Does that mean to say that once you buy an eBook from B&N, it will lock it to their book selection?

[SkyDream]

If looking for Sony forget the x00 models (300,600,900) and go for the PRS-x50 models. Although they are a little more expensive the new screen and touchscreen is worth the money.

[ChupaLibro]

Obviously I'm biased, but in my research before buying, the Nook won me over by supporting EPUB / sideloading books, having a memory card slot, library boook borrowing support, pricing, and the in-store service (exclusive offers, being able to read most books in their store as if I was picking it off the shelf without buying). The latest 1.5 firmware makes the device faster (page turns are blazing) and better book organization options.

It also plays music, has a few games, and includes a web browser. I don't use most of these because I want it for reading books, but they're nice to have. Just my $0.02.

[SkyDream]

Except for games and browser 650 and 950 are at least on the same level. The 350 is missing a sd card slot.