8+ Readers in comparison

[Jumpn Jack Flash]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

But they still have to learn from Sony and some others concerning design...

Sony have been in the Western market and learned a lot over the years but the stuff they have produced in the 80s was not the most appealing (other than the Walkman, that was a masterstroke ) at times. Design takes time to aquire unless you get lucky like Apple did with Ives.

Onyx seems to only have been around as a stand alone operator since just before CeBit last year, having no products of their own in the number of years as a manufacturing operator.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

But how does it compare to Sony 600, for example? Would you, without knowing, consider them both within the same price range?

The Sony is certainly a more attractive design, yes, but personally I'm not particularly bothered about such things. It's more important to me that the controls are well positioned than what the device looks like.

[poshm]

Have to agree with Harry that use-ability is far more important than the design of the device. I read a lot (as in several hours a day) so I'm more interested in how well devices work - good button placement, readability/clarity of screen, battery cycle, how well the on-board software works etc.

OP - I'd be very interested to see your rankings if you completely disregard the design of the device and focus purely on how it works - rather than how it looks.

[HarryT]

Of course, good control placement is all a part of the design of the device.

[poshm]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Of course, good control placement is all a part of the design of the device.

Yes you are right. What I really meant was if the OP could ignore how pleasing the device is to the eye or how stylish the OP perceives it to be and then rank the items.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by poshm

Have to agree with Harry that use-ability is far more important than the design of the device. I read a lot (as in several hours a day) so I'm more interested in how well devices work - good button placement, readability/clarity of screen, battery cycle, how well the on-board software works etc.

OP - I'd be very interested to see your rankings if you completely disregard the design of the device and focus purely on how it works - rather than how it looks.

That's a tough one. Because when I don't like the looks (as BeBook One for example), I hardly ever use it.
I'll do the ranking in a few hours. But one thing already is for sure: nook wouldn't rank #2 (around #6 then). And iRex 800 wouldn't rank #4 (around #6 then as well).
Are looks really not important to you? To me, any reader is just a gadget. More of a "toy" than actually being an instrument or tool. And to me, it has to be fun, to use that "toy". If my very first thought, when taking it from the shelf, would be "boy, that thing is ugly", I wouldn't care too much about functionality.
I'd be very interested about the ranking of Apple products, if it wasn't about the design.
BTW: I think it's very hard to differentiate between "looks" and some "functionality". For example: Is the ratio between screen and bezel just looks?

[mgmueller]

Criterias: My very personal "gut feeeling" = How likely is it, to take the respective unit on a trip when I have to care about luggage? (*)

#15: BeBook One (a bit ugly, looks a bit cheap)
#14: Sony 300 (don't like turning pages with the 5-way-button)
#13: Sony 700 (great unit, but given Sony 600 it has lost its place)
#12: Cybook Gen3 (nice unit, especially after the firmware update. But no real arguments against Kindle 2 and others)
#11: iRex 1000S (great unit, but too bulky for me)
#10: Sony 600 (very pleasant surprise, but given Sony 900 it has lost its place)
#9: Kindle DX (flawless, but the big screen doesn't have any real advantage to me and makes it bulky. Maybe with more advanced PDF support?)
#8: Sony 505 (still one of my favorites, but no real advantage over Sony 900)
#7: iRex iLiad (still one of my alltime favorites, but replaced by iRex 800)
#6: Cybook Opus (only a niche product for me, 5" often difficult to read. But within its niche it's phantastic)
#5: Kindle 2 (there's a reason why Amazon is considered market leader)
#4: iRex 800 (has grown on me and we've learned a lot in our dialogue with iRex)
#3: BeBook Neo (great featureset, way ahead of iRex 800. In Europe, way cheaper than iRex 800 [and even in the US $ 100 cheaper than iRex 800]. Has potential "to kill them all". Lacks some design "polishing" though)
#2: Nook (very elegant, very positive surprise. No problems at all with the touchscreen. And I love the B&N shop and to download eBoks via WiFi)
#1: Sony 900 (a real beauty. Display quality a bit below iRex 800, but more than acceptable)

(*) Of course, the "new" factor matters. It's more likely to take my new BeBook Neo with me to do some further experiments, than taking my "veteran unit" iRex iLiad.

[mgmueller]

Criterias: Taking costs into consideration (based on ranking #1). If a reader has the same functionality and touch and feel, but is more expensive, it ranks lower. (*)

#15: BeBook One
#14: Sony 300
#13: Sony 700
#12: Cybook Gen3
#11: iRex 800
#10: iRex iLiad
#9: iRex 1000S
#8: Kindle DX
#7: Sony 505
#6: Sony 600
#5: Kindle 2
#4: Sony 900
#3: Cybook Opus
#2: BeBook Neo
#1: Nook

(*) Units I'm rarely using, still won't change much. But within the high ranking gadgets, costs change the picture of course.
EDIT: I'm from Germany. So for example Sony 900 is more expensive for me because of customs, tax, 3rd party commission, .... For someone from US the picture might be slightly different.

[mgmueller]

Criterias: As requested, forgetting about the looks (based on ranking #1), focusing on the features (leaving costs out of the equation). (*)

#15: Sony 700
#14: Cybook Gen3
#13: Kindle DX
#12: Sony 300
#11: iRex 800
#10: Kindle 2
#9: Sony 505
#8: Nook
#7: Sony 600
#6: iRex 1000S
#5: Sony 900
#4: iRex iLiad
#3: BeBook One
#2: Cybook Opus
#1: BeBook Neo

(*) "Look" to me doesn't mean, accepting low display quality of course. "Look" really means just the design (which is difficult, because usually design will be linked to functionality as well).

[HarryT]

I've just noticed you don't have a Pocketbook 360! Serious omission - it's my favourite 5" device. You really should get one .

[poshm]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

That's a tough one. Because when I don't like the looks (as BeBook One for example), I hardly ever use it.
I'll do the ranking in a few hours. But one thing already is for sure: nook wouldn't rank #2 (around #6 then). And iRex 800 wouldn't rank #4 (around #6 then as well).
Are looks really not important to you? To me, any reader is just a gadget. More of a "toy" than actually being an instrument or tool. And to me, it has to be fun, to use that "toy". If my very first thought, when taking it from the shelf, would be "boy, that thing is ugly", I wouldn't care too much about functionality.
I'd be very interested about the ranking of Apple products, if it wasn't about the design.
BTW: I think it's very hard to differentiate between "looks" and some "functionality". For example: Is the ratio between screen and bezel just looks?

Thanks - I have to say this is one of the most fascinating posts on mobileread

The Kindle 2 has to be one of the ugliest ebook devices - it doesn't have the wow factor when you look at it like the sleek Sony prs-600 does. However it is my favourite reader to use at home - good, clear screen, page buttons either side, keyboard for annotating, being able to buy books and get samples without moving from my chair! And excellent search functionality.

The only minus for me is the lack of folder support but otherwise an excellent device for me.

So - no (for me at least) looks aren't always such a big deal.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've just noticed you don't have a Pocketbook 360! Serious omission - it's my favourite 5" device. You really should get one .

Has been recommend by quite a few members.
I've thought about it. But quite frankly, I haven't got any real use for 5".
I mainly read in 2 places: At home and on the road (not so much in the hotel, but really on the train or plane). At home, size is not a problem. When on the road, I've got at least my laptop bag, so I easily can transport 2 or 3 6" units.
That's why I'm even considering the bigger units: Que, Skiff and iPad (2 of these 3 I'll most certainly buy).
But after so many recommendations, I guess I have to reconsider PocketBook 360. (Have been a bit sceptical about the buttons from the pictures though).

[poshm]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've just noticed you don't have a Pocketbook 360! Serious omission - it's my favourite 5" device. You really should get one .

OP isn't keen on 5" devices I think. Though it is a very good device and o e I'd recommend to anyone wanting a portable e-ink device.

[poshm]

Thanks for ranking 3 OP!

Based on that ranking - it has got my interest up on the BeBook Neo. Will have to look into that one further I think.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by poshm

Thanks - I have to say this is one of the most fascinating posts on mobileread

The Kindle 2 has to be one of the ugliest ebook devices - it doesn't have the wow factor when you look at it like the sleek Sony prs-600 does. However it is my favourite reader to use at home - good, clear screen, page buttons either side, keyboard for annotating, being able to buy books and get samples without moving from my chair! And excellent search functionality.

The only minus for me is the lack of folder support but otherwise an excellent device for me.

So - no (for me at least) looks aren't always such a big deal.

Thanks a lot.
My initial reaction, when unboxing Kindle 2, was utter "shock". A friend was watching me and asked "what's wrong?".
I've had Sony 505 at that point and some other readers and then I got something with the design of a "cheap kitchen tool". But now, similar to you, I see Kindle 2 differently: Efficient and minimalistic.
Problem is, it doesn't have that many features. PDF support is very basic, support of file formats is rather limited. And some other units, originally at the lower end of my list, move forward a bit, shifting some others closer to the end of the list...
It's really tough to rank. You hardly can leave your gut out of the equation. I just never liked BeBook One, although its features are top and so is the display quality. Objectively, I have to rank it higher, but it doesn't reflect my personal feeling.
Basically, my summary would be: Without its looks, the Sony units loose a bit of ground. Not too much, because of some kind of folder support (collections), ePUB or dictionary. iRex 800 (hopefully just for the moment) enormously looses ground, right now it's basically a crippled unit. Nook looses some ground as well, but is "saved" by its low price and excellent webshop - and the 3rd party apps are helping as well.