What should I look for?

[Davimee]

Hello,

I'm just starting the process of researching ebook readers, and I'm lost! Right now I'm not even sure what I should be looking for. For now, I just read free books I've downloaded from Google Books or Project Gutenberg. I don't anticipate spending much money on ebooks, as there are so many free classics out there. I'm not even sure what questions to ask at this point.

At first I thought I really wanted something with back lighting, so I'd be able to read at night. I'm not completely opposed to a book light, but the ones I've seen for ebooks run around $50, and if I break down and spend $270 on an ebook reader, I won't be able to spend an extra $50 on a light. But I suppose the extra light is something I could save for, after I've bought the reader.

Price is important for me. I'm still saving for an ebook reader, but I figure I'll be able to spend around $200. If I need to go up another $50 or so, I can, it will just take a little longer.

I don't know what ebook formats I should look for... I have Calibre downloaded, so I can probably convert ebooks to a different format if I need to, but it would be nice if that wasn't always a necessity. (I'm reading on my Palm T/X right now, so most things I want to read have to be converted.)

My Palm has a pretty small screen, so I think I would be content with a 5" reader. I've never actually seen an ebook reader in person, so I haven't quite grasped how big they are, other than through pictures. I do realize it will be much bigger than my Palm, but I am hoping to stay as compact as possible. I'm not completely opposed to going for one with a 6" screen, but from what I've seen the bigger the screen, the higher the price.

I don't need an ereader to play mp3's, I'd just as soon keep my small mp3 player for that. It doesn't need to have any wireless connections, as I don't mind downloading the books to my computer, then transferring them to the reader through USB.

I don't really think I need an SD slot, although I'm not opposed to having one. From what I've seen I could easily fit 100 books on any ebook reader out there, and that's more than I can imagine having at one time, anyway. I mean, I wouldn't be reading that much (probably a book a week, or so), and I'd just as soon store the books on my computer and transfer them to the reader when I'm ready for them.

My library will soon be offering ebook downloads, and those are epub with the adobe DRM. (Do I have those terms correct?) It would be nice to be able to download those books, but it's not absolutely necessary.

I saw that ereader.com has the eSlick with $100 worth of free ebooks, but I don't think that would work with the library books. And if I could find something cheaper, I'd prefer that as I could get it sooner. (I probably won't be getting anything for a few months, as I'm just starting my search. And I usually mull over things like this for a while before coming to a final decision. )

Does anyone have any other suggestions for things I should look for in an ereader? I figure once I know what kind of features I should look for, then I can narrow down the choices. I'd love any help anyone here can offer!

Oh, one thing I like on my Palm is if I'm reading and come across a word I'm unfamiliar with, I can click on it and it gives the option to look it up in the dictionary. I'd really like this option in an ebook reader, if possible. It doesn't need a touch screen, but if there is some way to select text through buttons, and look something up in a dictionary, that would be helpful. It's not mandatory, but it would be nice.

Also, I don't make any notes in the book or highlight, so that's not important. Although now that I think of it, if highlighting were an option, that would be nice. But it doesn't make or break it for me.

I can't think of any other questions at this time.

Thanks!

[RonF]

Sony PRS-300 fits most but not all of your wants. It does not offer the dictionary. Sony and Nook are the only 2 to do local library checkout right now, afaik.

As for a $50 for a light, that's some light I just picked up 2 lights at Barnes & Noble for my 300 ($8.95 & $10.75) that I plan to try out to see which is better. I haven't had a chance to try them yet, probably the next day or 2. You can see that thread here.

MSRP for the 300 is $199, and can be found on sale occassionaly for ~$179. There will be others that will chime in soon with even more info for you.

[Madam Broshkina]

I would go with the Sony 300 or a 505 if you can find one. As for classic books check out the eBooks posted on this site. They mostly come from Project Gutenberg but are formatted much better.

[kjk]

Try to get to a Barnes and Noble, or Best Buy, or some store that allows you to play/read with an eInk screen Reader for a while, to make sure you are comfortable with that type of display...if possible, read a couple chapters on it.

[Davimee]

Thank you, Ron! I guess I thought you had to buy the light that comes built in with the case that is sold on Sony's website, which is $54.99. I hadn't thought of using a regular book light. I'm assuming if I bought a book light I would also need a case? I would think you wouldn't want to clip a light directly onto the ereader...

I'll be anxious to see if there are any other suggestions as to what I should look for. Hopefully I can get to a store one of these days that sells ebook readers, so I can see how big they really are.

[omk3]

The prs-300 or the pocketbook 360 sound about right for you.
Don't worry about book lights, any light will do.
Check the reader matrix for specific features https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix.
And be sure to download the lovingly formatted free ebooks we have right here!

[Davimee]

Madam Broshkina, thank you for the suggestion to check out the ebooks here! I didn't realize different sites would have different formatting.

kjk, we don't have a B&N in our town, but in March we have plans to visit the big city, so that is on my list of things to do! Goodness, I sound like I live out in the sticks. *lol*

[Davimee]

omk3, the PocketBook 360 looks intriguing! It's a little more than I'd like to pay, but the smaller size is a definite plus! For either this one or the Sony PRS 300, how do you charge them? Can you plug them in to the wall, or does it have to charge with your computer?

[omk3]

Both the sony 300 and the pocketbook 360 have a 5inch screen (smallest on an ebook reader right now). The pocketbook has definitely more features, like the dictionary you mentioned you'd like for example, so I think it might be worth the higher price.
About charging, I know that you can charge the sony either from the computer with a usb cable or from the socket with a wall charger. I don't see why the pocketbook or any other reader should be any different.

[Davimee]

Also, I've also seen online the Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro for $199. That one is not listed on the ebook reader matrix. How would that compare to the Sony 300 or PocketBook 360?

Thanks.

[gwynevans]

Looking at the reviews, they suggest that the Pocket Pro is a serious contender but that the UI's more awkward than the Sony & the Sony physically feels a bit more up-market. The functionality of the PP is a bit hit & miss, in that the font size steps are too large, although it does have SD card & MP3 support.

Going by what you say in your first post, though, in your position I'd only be looking at the Pocket Pro if it was at a significant discount to the Sony Pocket - the Sony's work well, the UI doesn't get in the way & they have a quality 'feel' about them.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Davimee

Also, I've also seen online the Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro for $199. That one is not listed on the ebook reader matrix. How would that compare to the Sony 300 or PocketBook 360?

Thanks.

The Pocket Pro is the Hanlin v5. It has been rebranded several times.

[Davimee]

Thanks for the replies! I recently found out that Borders has the Sony, and Car Toys has the EZ Reader, so I will head over to those stores sometime this week and look at them both. These forums are great! I probably would not have even considered purchasing an ebook reader if I had not found these forums.

[polly]

Originally Posted by RonF

Sony PRS-300 fits most but not all of your wants. It does not offer the dictionary. Sony and Nook are the only 2 to do local library checkout right now, afaik..

Any reader that supports ADE ePubs or PDFs will handle local library checkouts.

Originally Posted by Davimee

Also, I've also seen online the Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro for $199. That one is not listed on the ebook reader matrix. How would that compare to the Sony 300 or PocketBook 360?

Thanks.

I wouldn't be too impressed by the offers of free books. Those are almost always free books from Project Gutenburg. You can find better stuff right here on MobileRead.

I've used both the PocketPro and Sony 505 extensively. You should be aware that the PP and Sony 300 both have the same screen. The PP has a 400 mHz processor and the Sony has a 200 mHz processor, so the PP has more computing power.

IMHO, the PP is easier to use because it uses a folder system. As far as your computer is concerned, it's just another flash drive, so put files where you like. The PP reads more file formats, but it doesn't read all of the gracefully. The Sony uses metadata, so if the author or title metadata isn't entered right, the book doesn't end up where you expect. The actual name of the file has no meaning to the Sony.

Also important to a person on a budget is that the PP is much better equipped out of the box. Mine came with the USB cable, a wall adapter to charge from the wall, a 2GB SD card loaded with books, ear buds, a decent leatherish case, and a wrist strap. They even threw in a little screwdriver for the battery case. Compare that to the 300, which just comes with a case sleeve and USB cable.

Form factor is also important. Sony has always had good aesthetics. The PP is more homely, but the rubberized coating prevents fingerprints. I find that I really like the rocker switch on the side for page turns. The 505 and 300 both aggravate my arthritis when I turn pages. I would look at how they feel in your hands and where the buttons are in relationship to how you want to hold it. You'll be turning pages a lot, so it's good to have something comfortable.

My PP has a very solid feel and I have no problems with the font steps. The ePubs that I generally use have five steps. Some of the other formats have as many as ten.

You don't say how soon you want/need this, but you should be aware that several new readers were just announced or previewed at CES, so there will be a lot more choices over the next few months. Cool-er, Boox, and Astak have all announced new readers with touch screens that are expected to sell in the $250 range. The touch screen would certainly make dictionary support, notes, and highlighting easier.

[Davimee]

Thanks, Polly! This post helps a lot! I am planning to wait until February or March to purchase an ebook reader. It sounds like the EZ Reader has a lot going for it. I'd rather not spend the extra $50, even though the new ones would come with more features that I would find useful. However, if there's a chance that the current ereaders would come down a bit in price, I'd be willing to wait a little while longer for that.