E-Reader Faves

dyvaris · 09-17-2010, 01:32 AM

I am interested in purchasing an e-reader and wondered about everyone's favorite and why - or views on which ones to avoid and --also, why? Thanks--truly appreciate any advice or comments.

ficbot · 09-17-2010, 07:20 AM

I have owned a Sony, a Libre and a Kindle and of the three, I prefer the Kindle because it has two features I use that other readers do not have (multilanguage dictionary support and text to speech). If it were not for those two features which made me upgrade, I probably would have been happy to keep my Sony. The Libre, I found its formatting not as nice (line spacing was not always maintained). And I have also tried a Kobo and while both of my parents have them and are happy, I did not like it and would not recommend it. It feels very slow and pokey to me compared to my Kindle.

Peregrine · 09-17-2010, 11:36 AM

Dyvaris, a good place to look is the Which One Should I Buy forum on this site - https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=123.

Personally I had a Sony Reader when they first came out and enjoyed it a lot, though the Connect website left a lot to be desired. Now I have an iPad which I love for reading in dark rooms with the backlight, and for it's capability to access multiple source websites for books - iBooks, Kindle, Nook. I don't know if I would recommend an iPad if all you want is the ebook functionality - there are a lot of good options that provide that, but personally I love it for books and games, movies, and everything else.

desertgrandma · 09-17-2010, 11:39 AM

Ask 5 different people and you'll get 5 different answers. Everyone has their favorite.

Mine is the Kindle. Customer service is unbeatable........important if you should run into a problem or have questions. Their 'call me' service is outstanding.

Really intuitive to use.

Jack Tingle · 09-17-2010, 11:45 AM

I recently put my money down and bought a Kindle 3 with 3G. I'm beginning to think I could have saved the extra $50, but it's still early yet. Otherwise, it's a fantastic reader. The Pearl screen is gorgeous.

I also own an Ectaco jetBook, which is an excellent reader, with a tremendous set of formats supported, which is a great plus. It also has an SD card slot, which makes putting on content very easy. The compact 5" form has some real advantages in portability and handling.

I started reading on Windows CE PDAs. They worked fine for everything but direct sunlight. The larger 5" and 6" screens are a bit more pleasant than the PDAs 3.5" screens. I don't read much on my 2.8" smartphone. That's a little too small.

Start with what you can afford, and what matches your needs. Use the MobileRead Wiki for research. Read the boards for opinions.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

Romiman · 09-17-2010, 01:56 PM

I decided to take the new Sony 350 because of its size, light weight and new bright "Pearl" Screen.
Also a decision for free formats* and the new improved PDF presentation and against mp3-player and a "war of buttons* ".

*in comparison to the kindle

jeffcobb · 09-17-2010, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ficbot

I have owned a Sony, a Libre and a Kindle and of the three, I prefer the Kindle because it has two features I use that other readers do not have (multilanguage dictionary support and text to speech). If it were not for those two features which made me upgrade, I probably would have been happy to keep my Sony. The Libre, I found its formatting not as nice (line spacing was not always maintained). And I have also tried a Kobo and while both of my parents have them and are happy, I did not like it and would not recommend it. It feels very slow and pokey to me compared to my Kindle.

Its funny but the last place I worked before here was as a firmware engineer at Sony in SF and had ready access to all of their toys (and got to keep the ones I worked on). When I was in the market for an ereader they just had that first model out that mangled PDF files and generally didn't play well with others so I wound up buying a British one (CoolER) and my wife liked it so much I had to order her one the following week. I loved that ereader but to face facts, though the tech support was really good (and didn't treat me like a moron) after about 6 firmware updates (this was some seriously 1.0A stuff) they still couldn't get them to be stable. Since I have better things to do with my scant off-hours then play tech support, I just went and got us a couple of the cheap Nooks. They are OK but in serious need of features. So far however they have been quite stable and reliable. I thought about the Kindle but since Barnes and Noble is just down the street I figured if something went wrong I could just drive down there and get same-day service...

Stitchawl · 09-17-2010, 09:24 PM

Get a Sony of your owny...

Stitchawl

horse_girl · 09-18-2010, 12:31 AM

I shopped around and ended up buying a Nook. It had the features I wanted and then some. It has a touch screen at the bottom with menus rather than buttons for everything. You can swipe your finger across the bottom or use the side buttons to turn pages. The touch screen uses the Android OS, so it feels much like a smartphone that way. However, it has the e-ink screen for reading. I like the e-ink better than my laptop for reading. it's much easier on the eyes, and that goes for all ereaders using the technology.

But with my Nook, I can borrow books from e-libraries. BN offers freebie Fridays with a free ebook every week, and they've had coupons where if you take the Nook into the cafe in the BN store (not a Starbucks like some stores have but a BN run cafe), you can get a free treat. Last month, it was Godiva chocolates...yum!

Each ereader has advantages and disadvantages. No one can say which one is better. Only you can decide what's right for you. For some that's Sony, for others Kindle, for me a Nook.

Shop and compare.

GA Russell · 09-18-2010, 12:42 AM

Welcome dyvaris!

I like very much my jetBook Lite. It uses AA batteries, so no need to go without while your internal battery is charging.

Its latest firmware has pdf reflow, and Adobe ePub DRM.

Most JBL owners consider its reflective TFT screen to be far superior than the eInk vizplex screen. However, word is that the new eInk pearl screen is almost as good.

It currently sells for $99.99 at Newegg and elsewhere. It has been on sale once in the past for $69.99.

If you can wait till Thanksgiving weekend, you will be sure to find some great deals on eBook readers.

Lady Fitzgerald · 09-18-2010, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Welcome dyvaris!

I like very much my jetBook Lite. It uses AA batteries, so no need to go without while your internal battery is charging.

Its latest firmware has pdf reflow, and Adobe ePub DRM.

Most JBL owners consider its reflective TFT screen to be far superior than the eInk vizplex screen. However, word is that the new eInk pearl screen is almost as good.

It currently sells for $99.99 at Newegg and elsewhere. It has been on sale once in the past for $69.99.

If you can wait till Thanksgiving weekend, you will be sure to find some great deals on eBook readers.

Apprently, NewEgg is discontinuing the JetBook Lites. They only have the Mickey Mouse book covers and the Burgandy JBL in stock. They do not even show the other colors as being stocked anymore. The only way to get one from Amazon now is through a secondary vendor (I just got one from them to serve as a back up unit). It appears the JBL is going to be replaced by the JetBook Mini which is a pity since the JBL is so much better than the Mini.

Other than that, I also feel the JBL is a great reader. I don't like the reflective LCD as well as an e-ink screen but the ability to swap batteries in the field and the way it handles images is superior to anything else I've seen, qualities that are essential for me.

church mouse · 09-18-2010, 09:02 AM

I have owned two Sonys (505 and 300) and never had a single issue with either of them. They were both really well made and, if you avoided the Sony Library software on your computer, really easy to maintain with Calibre.

However, I have recently taken a Kindle 3 on test and, after a week of use, know that I will be keeping this and using it as my primary e-reader. I'm not in to playing games or listening to music on my e-reader, I just want to be able to read e-books comfortably and easily and the Kindle 3 does this really well.

The new Sonys have the improved screen as well and, were it not for the fact that I don't like touchscreen devices (a purely personal thing) I might not have moved away from Sony, but paying a premium price for a feature I don't like made no sense.

Latinandgreek · 09-18-2010, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ficbot

I have owned a Sony, a Libre and a Kindle and of the three, I prefer the Kindle because it has two features I use that other readers do not have (multilanguage dictionary support and text to speech). If it were not for those two features which made me upgrade, I probably would have been happy to keep my Sony. The Libre, I found its formatting not as nice (line spacing was not always maintained). And I have also tried a Kobo and while both of my parents have them and are happy, I did not like it and would not recommend it. It feels very slow and pokey to me compared to my Kindle.

The new Sony models (PRS-350, PRS-650 and the upcoming PRS-950) have 12 pre-installed dictionaries (two monolingual eng. dictionaries, as well as French, German, Italian, Spanish and Dutch translation dictionaries). It doesn't have TTS, however. The upcoming dictionaries from Pocketbook have TTS and touchscreens as well.

Every e-book reader on the market is somebody's perfect e-reader, it all depends on his or her specific wants and needs. Do you have any features that you would like to see in an item? Any file formats that you think you would like your e-book reader to support, any screen size that you have in mind? What kind of books do you plan to read on it? Classics, bestsellers, journal articles, newspapers...? If you tell us a bit about your needs, we can help you narrow down your choices.

That said, I have been more than happy with my Sony PRS-505, and I hope to upgrade to a Sony 650 or 950. I'm also looking into the Pocketbook pro 903, for reading scanned PDFs and the like.

boswd · 09-18-2010, 01:33 PM

I chose the Nook over the Kindle, I was all set on buying a Kindle after playing around with my co-workers but after my wife came home with the Nook, I was sold, what I liked better about the nook was the touchscreen navigation and it's overall looks. After then further researching the two I went with the Nook over the Kindle based on these reasons

1. as stated color touchscreen navigation with color book cover flow. It's just a more "NoW" feel to it. I loved my iphone and now love my Droid X which has touch screen, I just can't imagine using a joystick or directional pad especially now, in this day of age with the way techonlogy we have available. In an instant the Kindle "felt" very very outdated.

2. E-pub, allows you to check out books for the librarty and shop wherer you want to without any "altering" of DRM or converting etc.

3. "InStore" experience. with the Nook you have some fun gimmicky features when you bring your Nook into a Barnes and Noble store. Read any book for up to an hour, each day. 'MoreInstoe" offers extra coupons, ebook deals and store coupons for Nook only owners. Starbucks Freebie each month. You show the Starbucks Cafe cashier the nook starbucks special and you get something free, it's been coffee, Godiva Chocalate etc.
This makes the Nook something more than just another electronic gadget. It really adds to it. Is it a deal breaker, of course not, but is it a fun added touch. Yeah, I love it.

4. Instore support, have any questions or issues you can bring it in to your local BN and have a rep work with you.

5. Replacable battery, At some point these Litiuom batteris will start to lose their ability to hold a charge and having to send your Kindle in to Amazon to have it replaced is just a pain in the you know what. With the Nook i can out to my local Best Buy or BN and pick one up or even order one.

6. Expandable memory, you'd be surprised how quickly your library can grow.

7. Design. I love the way the nook looks, very sleak, clean looking the way it's packaged and designed and feel, it has a very high end look and feel to it. It's like something Apple would design. Great Job on their part. I find the Kindle's very ugly.

8. Wireless connection. This one is just a general, since the kindle is wireless as well. But having said that when deciding between devices that do or don't have it. I can tell you you are going to want it. it just makes life easier and more convienant. I can order a book on BN's webisite and have it the book ready to download on my nook without having to hook it up to sideload. if you are out and about, at an airport, train station or wherever you can shop with your device and have it in about 30 seconds. And I love shopping with the Nook color book cover, cover flow. I like to see what the books look like.

9. Lend Me feature, though the Publishers have BN on a short leash with this. (Not all books are eligable, you can only lend a book once and for only two weeks) the feature is still alot more that what the others have to offer which is nothing. And the lend me library seems to be growing so that is nice.

The nook does take a little bit of learning curve. Kind of like your smartphone but not nearly as complicated, the Nook is fairly basic but learning to navigate and developing a rhythem with it, it goes from "hmm" to " I love this thing.

So those are the reasons why I chose the nook over the kindle and others.

Good luck and happy e reader hunting.

fjtorres · 09-20-2010, 05:59 AM

I have a Hanlin Clone (BeBook one), Pocketbook 360, and a kindle 2. I have used Sonys and Jetbooks enough to form an opinion.
My go-to reader these days is the 5in PB360 because of its size, ergonomics and software flexibility. The Kindle 3 is getting pretty close to the Pocketbook firmware in flexibility. Both the PB360 and Kindle are very stable.
To be honest, *today* the first question a would-be 6in reader buyer needs to answer is why *not* Kindle WiFi? They have the best screen, the best embedded store, and the lowest price.
If you really value a touchscreen interface and ePub file support then Sony or the larger Pocketbooks make some sense.
If you value customizability and having things *your* way, then you'd want to look at the Pocketbook line. And at 5in the PB360 is really sweet and fun to own.
But the first thing you need to decide is *where* you're going to get your DRM'ed ebooks; Amazon or somewhere else. 'Cause the market today is split right down the middle: Amazon vs everybody else. Once you settle that, the choices get easier to make.
Things may change next week, but this week...

Good luck!

09-17-2010, 01:32 AM	#1
dyvaris Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: kindle	E-Reader Faves I am interested in purchasing an e-reader and wondered about everyone's favorite and why - or views on which ones to avoid and --also, why? Thanks--truly appreciate any advice or comments.

09-18-2010, 01:33 PM	#14
boswd Banned Posts: 2,391 Karma: 1001781 Join Date: May 2010 Device: The Nook, Nook color and Droid X	I chose the Nook over the Kindle, I was all set on buying a Kindle after playing around with my co-workers but after my wife came home with the Nook, I was sold, what I liked better about the nook was the touchscreen navigation and it's overall looks. After then further researching the two I went with the Nook over the Kindle based on these reasons 1. as stated color touchscreen navigation with color book cover flow. It's just a more "NoW" feel to it. I loved my iphone and now love my Droid X which has touch screen, I just can't imagine using a joystick or directional pad especially now, in this day of age with the way techonlogy we have available. In an instant the Kindle "felt" very very outdated. 2. E-pub, allows you to check out books for the librarty and shop wherer you want to without any "altering" of DRM or converting etc. 3. "InStore" experience. with the Nook you have some fun gimmicky features when you bring your Nook into a Barnes and Noble store. Read any book for up to an hour, each day. 'MoreInstoe" offers extra coupons, ebook deals and store coupons for Nook only owners. Starbucks Freebie each month. You show the Starbucks Cafe cashier the nook starbucks special and you get something free, it's been coffee, Godiva Chocalate etc. This makes the Nook something more than just another electronic gadget. It really adds to it. Is it a deal breaker, of course not, but is it a fun added touch. Yeah, I love it. 4. Instore support, have any questions or issues you can bring it in to your local BN and have a rep work with you. 5. Replacable battery, At some point these Litiuom batteris will start to lose their ability to hold a charge and having to send your Kindle in to Amazon to have it replaced is just a pain in the you know what. With the Nook i can out to my local Best Buy or BN and pick one up or even order one. 6. Expandable memory, you'd be surprised how quickly your library can grow. 7. Design. I love the way the nook looks, very sleak, clean looking the way it's packaged and designed and feel, it has a very high end look and feel to it. It's like something Apple would design. Great Job on their part. I find the Kindle's very ugly. 8. Wireless connection. This one is just a general, since the kindle is wireless as well. But having said that when deciding between devices that do or don't have it. I can tell you you are going to want it. it just makes life easier and more convienant. I can order a book on BN's webisite and have it the book ready to download on my nook without having to hook it up to sideload. if you are out and about, at an airport, train station or wherever you can shop with your device and have it in about 30 seconds. And I love shopping with the Nook color book cover, cover flow. I like to see what the books look like. 9. Lend Me feature, though the Publishers have BN on a short leash with this. (Not all books are eligable, you can only lend a book once and for only two weeks) the feature is still alot more that what the others have to offer which is nothing. And the lend me library seems to be growing so that is nice. The nook does take a little bit of learning curve. Kind of like your smartphone but not nearly as complicated, the Nook is fairly basic but learning to navigate and developing a rhythem with it, it goes from "hmm" to " I love this thing. So those are the reasons why I chose the nook over the kindle and others. Good luck and happy e reader hunting. Last edited by boswd; 09-18-2010 at 01:51 PM.

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09-17-2010, 07:20 AM	#2
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	I have owned a Sony, a Libre and a Kindle and of the three, I prefer the Kindle because it has two features I use that other readers do not have (multilanguage dictionary support and text to speech). If it were not for those two features which made me upgrade, I probably would have been happy to keep my Sony. The Libre, I found its formatting not as nice (line spacing was not always maintained). And I have also tried a Kobo and while both of my parents have them and are happy, I did not like it and would not recommend it. It feels very slow and pokey to me compared to my Kindle.

09-17-2010, 11:36 AM	#3
Peregrine Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cary, NC Device: iPad	Dyvaris, a good place to look is the Which One Should I Buy forum on this site - https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=123. Personally I had a Sony Reader when they first came out and enjoyed it a lot, though the Connect website left a lot to be desired. Now I have an iPad which I love for reading in dark rooms with the backlight, and for it's capability to access multiple source websites for books - iBooks, Kindle, Nook. I don't know if I would recommend an iPad if all you want is the ebook functionality - there are a lot of good options that provide that, but personally I love it for books and games, movies, and everything else.

09-17-2010, 11:39 AM	#4
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Ask 5 different people and you'll get 5 different answers. Everyone has their favorite. Mine is the Kindle. Customer service is unbeatable........important if you should run into a problem or have questions. Their 'call me' service is outstanding. Really intuitive to use.

09-17-2010, 11:45 AM	#5
Jack Tingle Punctuation Fetishist Posts: 557 Karma: 1070000 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The Bluest Commonwealth In East America Device: Kindle PW, Nexus 7 (2013), Galaxy S5 phone, Galaxy Tab 4 8.0	I recently put my money down and bought a Kindle 3 with 3G. I'm beginning to think I could have saved the extra $50, but it's still early yet. Otherwise, it's a fantastic reader. The Pearl screen is gorgeous. I also own an Ectaco jetBook, which is an excellent reader, with a tremendous set of formats supported, which is a great plus. It also has an SD card slot, which makes putting on content very easy. The compact 5" form has some real advantages in portability and handling. I started reading on Windows CE PDAs. They worked fine for everything but direct sunlight. The larger 5" and 6" screens are a bit more pleasant than the PDAs 3.5" screens. I don't read much on my 2.8" smartphone. That's a little too small. Start with what you can afford, and what matches your needs. Use the MobileRead Wiki for research. Read the boards for opinions. Regards, Jack Tingle

09-17-2010, 01:56 PM	#6
Romiman Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 8022 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Germany Device: Sony PRS-350	I decided to take the new Sony 350 because of its size, light weight and new bright "Pearl" Screen. Also a decision for free formats* and the new improved PDF presentation and against mp3-player and a "war of buttons* ". *in comparison to the kindle

09-17-2010, 09:24 PM	#8
Stitchawl Opsimath Posts: 12,344 Karma: 187123287 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand Device: Sony PRS-650, iPhone 5, Kobo Glo, Sony PRS-350, iPad, Samsung Galaxy	Get a Sony of your owny... Stitchawl

09-18-2010, 12:31 AM	#9
horse_girl Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 100001 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook, Motorola Droid	I shopped around and ended up buying a Nook. It had the features I wanted and then some. It has a touch screen at the bottom with menus rather than buttons for everything. You can swipe your finger across the bottom or use the side buttons to turn pages. The touch screen uses the Android OS, so it feels much like a smartphone that way. However, it has the e-ink screen for reading. I like the e-ink better than my laptop for reading. it's much easier on the eyes, and that goes for all ereaders using the technology. But with my Nook, I can borrow books from e-libraries. BN offers freebie Fridays with a free ebook every week, and they've had coupons where if you take the Nook into the cafe in the BN store (not a Starbucks like some stores have but a BN run cafe), you can get a free treat. Last month, it was Godiva chocolates...yum! Each ereader has advantages and disadvantages. No one can say which one is better. Only you can decide what's right for you. For some that's Sony, for others Kindle, for me a Nook. Shop and compare.

09-18-2010, 12:42 AM	#10
GA Russell Argos win Grey Cup! Posts: 7,674 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Welcome dyvaris! I like very much my jetBook Lite. It uses AA batteries, so no need to go without while your internal battery is charging. Its latest firmware has pdf reflow, and Adobe ePub DRM. Most JBL owners consider its reflective TFT screen to be far superior than the eInk vizplex screen. However, word is that the new eInk pearl screen is almost as good. It currently sells for $99.99 at Newegg and elsewhere. It has been on sale once in the past for $69.99. If you can wait till Thanksgiving weekend, you will be sure to find some great deals on eBook readers.

09-18-2010, 09:02 AM	#12
church mouse Evangelist Posts: 484 Karma: 5277078 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo Clara HD, Boox Poke 2, PocketBook Verse Pro (634)	I have owned two Sonys (505 and 300) and never had a single issue with either of them. They were both really well made and, if you avoided the Sony Library software on your computer, really easy to maintain with Calibre. However, I have recently taken a Kindle 3 on test and, after a week of use, know that I will be keeping this and using it as my primary e-reader. I'm not in to playing games or listening to music on my e-reader, I just want to be able to read e-books comfortably and easily and the Kindle 3 does this really well. The new Sonys have the improved screen as well and, were it not for the fact that I don't like touchscreen devices (a purely personal thing) I might not have moved away from Sony, but paying a premium price for a feature I don't like made no sense.

09-20-2010, 05:59 AM	#15
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	I have a Hanlin Clone (BeBook one), Pocketbook 360, and a kindle 2. I have used Sonys and Jetbooks enough to form an opinion. My go-to reader these days is the 5in PB360 because of its size, ergonomics and software flexibility. The Kindle 3 is getting pretty close to the Pocketbook firmware in flexibility. Both the PB360 and Kindle are very stable. To be honest, today the first question a would-be 6in reader buyer needs to answer is why not Kindle WiFi? They have the best screen, the best embedded store, and the lowest price. If you really value a touchscreen interface and ePub file support then Sony or the larger Pocketbooks make some sense. If you value customizability and having things your way, then you'd want to look at the Pocketbook line. And at 5in the PB360 is really sweet and fun to own. But the first thing you need to decide is where you're going to get your DRM'ed ebooks; Amazon or somewhere else. 'Cause the market today is split right down the middle: Amazon vs everybody else. Once you settle that, the choices get easier to make. Things may change next week, but this week... Good luck!

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