The Handy Dandy Guide to What Reader You Should Buy

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by newengland

Hi can somebody please help, I want to have the greatest selection of books to purchase, which reader is best for that?

Go to our wiki and look at E-book Reader Matrix. Pick the size screen you want and then look at the list of supported formats. This should aid you in choosing the one you want.

[kevindorsey]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Go to our wiki and look at E-book Reader Matrix. Pick the size screen you want and then look at the list of supported formats. This should aid you in choosing the one you want.

Ah, I've never even noticed the matrix. That's a very handy chart for newbs looking to buy an e-reader. Most of the items didn't even exist when I purchased my first

[Miss Unleaded]

Originally Posted by PennyPie

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

I think the info in this link is incorrect.

For example, it says that the Kindle 2 has an SD expansion slot, which I think is wrong. As I understand there used to be an SD slot in Kindle 1 but it was removed. It also says that the Kindle 2 does not have text-to-speach which incorrect. I think the columns got scrambled up.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Miss Unleaded

I think the info in this link is incorrect.

For example, it says that the Kindle 2 has an SD expansion slot, which I think is wrong. As I understand there used to be an SD slot in Kindle 1 but it was removed. It also says that the Kindle 2 does not have text-to-speach which incorrect. I think the columns got scrambled up.

I think you are right. They were ok but somebody insisted on adding another Netronix clone on the front of the list instead of the end and messed it up. I'll take a look and see what needs to be fixed.

[TonyTerra]

I have been so pleased with my PRS500 that I have just bought a new Sony PRS 505, I was very lucky that the are still in stock at some stores.I considered the PRS 600,didn't like the touch screen interface,finger marks all over the screen plus I got a great deal on the PRS 505 price.I also have a Viewsonic VEB 612w arriving in a few days I hope ?.Will give one of the sony readers to my wife.Ebook readers are terrific if you do much travelling.I use to carry 5 or 6 paperbacks with me when we travelled,Now I take 100 or so books on my reader.What a great invention they are.I would not consider the Kindle, do not like the idea of Amazon being able to delete your books wirelessly.It seem like a Big Brother mentallity

[confounded]

Well now I am totally confused. I am looking for the best ebook reader and so far have been told that: 1/ The Kindle doesn't work in Australia and 2/- that Sony does not offer warranties with their ebooks. Has anyone got anything positive to say out there, or maybe I'm in the wrong area????

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by confounded

Well now I am totally confused. I am looking for the best ebook reader and so far have been told that: 1/ The Kindle doesn't work in Australia and 2/- that Sony does not offer warranties with their ebooks. Has anyone got anything positive to say out there, or maybe I'm in the wrong area????

Whether Kindle works in Australia, easily can be checked on the US Kindle website. Go for the Kindle "international" and then check out Australia.
But even if the international version wouldn't be available for Australia, you still can use both versions (international and US) in every country. You only can't download via Whispernet then. But you always can sideload via USB and purchase via PC.

Concerning Sony's warranty: That's plain and simple wrong. Of course each manufacturer HAS to give warranty. Especially a brand like Sony. I guess, the ones who told you that meant: If you order Sony reader (or most of the other brands) outside of your home country (I've bough about half of my readers in US), you only have warranty in the country of origin. You have to send them back in case of warranty. That's annoying of course. But understandable, given that each country has its own profit centre (Sony US made the revenue for the reader, so they have to bare any costs for warranty as well). Usually, that's no biggy. Either a reader is faulty from the very beginning, or most likely it will "survive" the typical lifetime of 2 or 3 years without any failures.

[confounded]

Many thanks for your reply, it certainly is good to hear. I don't know why people say these things when they are not true...ah well, back to the big hunt as to the best one to buy in Australia

[ivon]

i have recently ordered an Ebookwise 1150 from Ebay and my interest is general business reading and bible. curious to know if it is possible to navigate easily between chapters and verses of bible on this device.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by ivon

i have recently ordered an Ebookwise 1150 from Ebay and my interest is general business reading and bible. curious to know if it is possible to navigate easily between chapters and verses of bible on this device.

There is a forum for the Ebookwise which is a better place for technical discussion. However, to answer your question. The Ebookwise uses a TOC for html like navigation, generally gets to the book. It also has a search feature. I posted an ASV Bible in the MobileRead eBook uploads area and coded each chapter to make it each to search and all the verse are especially marked. For me it is ok.

Dale

[gcude]

I'm new to the forum but have read all posts and still need to know something about the built-in dictionaries some readers have. Do they all work such that you can indicate a word in the text and have the definition pop up without closing the book, opening the dictionary and then reopening the text? Is there any reader available or imminentthat does the former and also has go to page and search functions?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by gcude

I'm new to the forum but have read all posts and still need to know something about the built-in dictionaries some readers have. Do they all work such that you can indicate a word in the text and have the definition pop up without closing the book, opening the dictionary and then reopening the text?

The ones that support dictionary look up, for the most part yes.

Originally Posted by gcude

Is there any reader available or imminentthat does the former and also has go to page and search functions?

I don't know them all... but the kindle has those functions. Although it uses locations not pages.

BOb

[ChrisC333]

Originally Posted by confounded

Well now I am totally confused. I am looking for the best ebook reader and so far have been told that: 1/ The Kindle doesn't work in Australia and 2/- that Sony does not offer warranties with their ebooks. Has anyone got anything positive to say out there, or maybe I'm in the wrong area????

Hi,

The Kindle does work in Australia. If you want to get a taste of what titles are available (due to copyright restrictions we have a smaller list here) you can download Kindle software that runs on a PC. This will allow you to buy from Amazon and read on your desktop or notebook computer. You can also buy a Kindle machine, although the Australian version comes with a USB cable rather than a regular charger. The 3G Whispernet download service works here too - but not in all parts of the country. You don't need an account with a telco, the download cost is built into the book prices for here. There's a coverage map at the amazon site which shows coverage in much of Tasmania.

[gcude]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

The ones that support dictionary look up, for the most part yes.



I don't know them all... but the kindle has those functions. Although it uses locations not pages.

BOb

Does anyone know of one with go to and dictionary lookup that doesn't have the constraints of the Kindle?

[ChrisC333]

Hi,

There doesn't seem to have been much advance on the task of filling in all the blank spaces in the original post, but if you want a versatile solution that covers the maximum number of bases then my vote goes to getting a small netbook, particularly now there are PC versions of many good reader software programs.

I currently use three methods:

iTouch.
Major advantage being that it's small enough to live in my pocket for casual reading. Surprisingly easy to read despite its small size.

E-ink reader
iRiver Story in my case. Better screen size but not nearly as easy to cart around as the iTouch. Fine if you carry a handbag or wear a coat with big pockets, but not really suitable for everyday carrying in trouser pockets. It all depends on your circumstances. E-ink works better in strong light (but poorly in low light).

Netbook
Bigger and heavier than both but a lot more versatile. Heftier than most paperbacks, but still around the weight of a chunky hardback. Can run a range of reader software, and is brilliant for storage, cataloguing and general access and searching. I have no difficulty whatever with the alleged computer eye-strain which seems to be a concern of some die-hard E-ink fans. I've spend thousands of hours over 25 years reading and writing on regular computers without suffering from eye problems. If you do get tiredness or difficulty it's often fixable by
a) Adjusting the screen brightness and contrast and
b) Making sure that the type, strength, and angle of the light in the room itself is not interfering with comfortable use of the screen (often overlooked or badly done in both homes and offices).
Somewhat less portable than the IRiver Story or Kindle yet still lighter and smaller than many laptops which are regularly carried for work purposes.

Bottom line: It's all good in its own way, and the words are more important than the device. A good reader won't improve a bad book.

Cheers,

Chris