Something specifically simple

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by kacir

I dislike Sony as well. The vast majority of their products , IMHO, offer less features and more incompatibility for more money. I still haven't forgotten their rootkit fiasco.

Yet, with memory cards you are wrong. Even the oldest and least compatible Sony Reader PRS-500 you could use Sony Memory Stick OR standard SD card. I know, there was older Sony Librié, that was even less compatible, but that was available only for Japanese market.

With Sony reader you will get your money worth.


I own PocketBook 360°. It has *all* you ask for. SD card support, user-replaceable battery, great snap-on cover, it is really small and very ergonomic. But, (you knew there would be a but, didn't you ;-) ), it is not simple reader. It has huge number of configurable options. It supports large number of formats, it has several alternative versions of reading software, lots of themes, dictionaries and other stuff available.

The but is no but to the 360°, as there is no duty to use all the possibilities. You are free to upload your favourite format and just read using only the page forward button.

Also as Kacir pointed out, the Sony takes any brand of SDHC cards up to 32GB additionally to its 2GB internal storage that is good for at least 1,200 books.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by kacir

Yet, with memory cards you are wrong. Even the oldest and least compatible Sony Reader PRS-500 you could use Sony Memory Stick OR standard SD card.

Thanks for pointing that out, kacir. I didn't want to say that again myself because I'd then be harping on a brand the OP doesn't seem to like.

OP: Think clearly about where you're going to pick up your books, because in the marketplace, format is everything. The Kindle's charm is its access to the Amazon market, which uses the mobi format exclusively. You can read compromised PDFs as well, but you can't read ePub. Additionally, all current eReaders can read PDF files, technically speaking, but the files tend to be impractical if you need to change the viewing size and are not searchable unless the person who created them had the patience to set them up that way. You can also send PDFs to yourself though Amazon and have them converted to mobi, but the result is imperfect and, as with other eReaders, it's best to use Calibre for that.

Conversely, ePub readers like the Sonys tend only to read ePub, LRF and (again, compromised) PDF. Many people here might recommend the PB360 for its versatility: It can read FB2, TXT, RTF, HTML, PRC, CHM, DJVU, DOC, EPUB, TCR and PDF.

The PB360 looks a bit like a bathroom scale with the cover on, but the advantage is that you needn't buy a separate case to protect the screen. It also takes an SD card and has the most versatile UI I've ever played with personally. (Sadly, it uses the Vizplex screen and lacks a keyboard, which are two reasons I don't own one -- the other being the design.)

The advantage of mobi is the variety of books available at Amazon. The advantage of ePub is the variety of books available everywhere else. However, if a book has been designed to be read as ePub, I often find it's best read that way.

Then again, you might find yourself downloading the public domain books in the Mobile Read library exclusively, which Patricia and others have ensured are formatted at least as carefully as the best available public or proprietary versions. In which case format would be rather less important.

The Sony allows you to do things like use your own screensaver images, while the Kindle will only allow that if you install a hack (otherwise, you're going to get really familiar with Agatha Christie's face). The PB360 does all of that already.

[flib]

Well, several of you have recommended the PocketBook 360 and it looks to me like it suits me quite well! I'll look into that and consider everything else said here.

Thank you everyone!

[ProfCrash]

I would point out that just because an e-reader has 3G or wireless available does not mean that you have to use it.

[flib]

I'm pretty much decided on the PocketBook 360 Plus. Now I'm just wondering what source I should use for eBooks and what format to use.
Are any eBook formats better in any way? If so, which ones are the best?
Where can I buy eBooks in those formats?