Looking for a simple one

[FlorenceArt]

Unfortunately, it's hard to stay away from technical considerations in the e-book market as it is today, mostly because of competing formats and DRM issues.

The Pocketbooks have been mentioned several times, and they are good readers, but IMO the Cybooks (Gen 3 and Opus) offer a simpler and more robust alternative. If you want to just read and forget about the technicalities (as much as is possible), they are a good choice.

[light]

Today I've made a list of all the ereaders recommended here and some I've found on the internet which are available in Belgium.

Yesterday I watched some movies on youtube on the sony prs-300. This remains my favourite mainly because of the price and the buttons on the right. Also it handles a lot filetypes (Am I correct at this?)


But some questions raised in my mind.
The prs-300 appeared a bit slow. But I don't know if that's the eInk technology or that it's the sony. I guess the eInk.
There are some pdf-books on project gut. which are in fact scanned books. Is that doable on an eReader?

Are there differences between several eReaders on how good they handle with pdf's. I've heard different oppinions on this subject.

--

I also found out that there are several cheaper eReaders in Belgium that go under the 250 euro I mentioned earlier.

---

Kindle (+ leather sleeve)
190 euro

no ePub

Sony prs-300
170 euro
soft sleeve


Cybook opus
200 euro
leather sleeve
sd slot


Pocketbook 360°
240 euro
sd slot


Bebook mini
195 euro
sd slot


Hanvon N516
200 euro
sd slot


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Although I mentioned the sd slot availability, I don't see it is a real disadvantage if it lacks one.
I can't read more then one book, so having thousands of books available is not needed.

[GeoffC]

I'm glad someone mentioned the Cybooks .... !

Not forgetting there is an Orizon coming out (supposedly) soon .....

[light]

Just saw a 30 minute review of the cybook opus, and it looks interesting as well.

Are there real differences if it just comes to reading books? I mean slower or faster pageflipping etc.

[Zetmolm]

As to PDFs, stay away from that format if the book is available in another format.

All books that are on Project Gutenberg are also available (for free) in other formats than PDF, which are much better for an e-reader, e.g. mobi for the Kindle and ePub for all others.

People have different opinions on PDF support largely because people have different types of PDFs they want to read. Reflowable PDFs that contain just text are OK on most readers. The problem is with non-reflowable PDFs and PDFs containing pictures or graphs. Then all 5" and 6" readers fail to some extent.

Unfortunately, most publishers of PDFs that contain just text have no idea what they are doing to us and create them as non-reflowable.

If you want to be able to buy Dutch books (is that your native language?), then all devices on your shortlist are OK except the Kindle. All the others support ePub with Adobe DRM, which is the format in which all Dutch books are sold. If you don't care about buying Dutch books, the Kindle is the best value for money.

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by light

Just saw a 30 minute review of the cybook opus, and it looks interesting as well.

Are there real differences if it just comes to reading books? I mean slower or faster pageflipping etc.

Cybooks and Pocketbooks are based on the same hardware, so they have the same screen. I didn't notice any marked difference in speed on ePubs, but Pocketbook is VERY slow when opening and reading mobi books.

In my opinion, the reading experience itself is smoother on the Cybooks. But the differences are not very big really. Geeks like the Pocketbook better, because it has an open firmware and you can customize it more and add apps (if you know how to do it, I didn't bother finding out myself). Me, I just want to read, and the Cybooks are perfect for that.

[church mouse]

Zetmolm is absolutely correct regarding pdfs.

As for page turning speed, on the 300 I have never been bothered by the slight delay (it seems no more than half a second) with epubs. I do have still some lrf books (Sony's old format) and they can take longer. The Sony is not the quickest unit on the market, but it has always been £30+ cheaper in the UK than the rivals you have on your list, and is now £50-90 cheaper.

If you can get your hands on the various units you will be able to buy with more confidence, but I believe both the BeBook Mini and the Cybook Opus are decent, reliable units which will serve well.

[GeoffC]

If there are any peculiarities in page turning, you'll be surprised at how quickly one forgets the distraction; whether it is a 'flash' or a slow turn....[mind I primarily read mobi/prc books, so can't say anything about whether epubs are slower/quicker at turning].

Try, where possible, to avoid pdf books when there are alternatives - and avoid DRM unless you 'can live with it!'. Like most of us you may find Geographic Restriction increasingly a nuisance !

[HarryT]

The Sony is probably the poorest of the 5" readers. It has an extremely old version of the ADE software on it, which is used to display ePub and PDF files meaning that, for example, all ePub books are displayed left justified. It's also the only 5" device not to have some form of memory expansion available. I'd avoid it, unless cost is your primary concern.

The best 5" device is perhaps the Pocketbook 360, with the CyBook Opus a close second, although the 360 is also more expensive. I'd go for either the PB360 or the Opus myself.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

light, I would say that the two most respected devices among comparison shoppers here at MobileRead over the past year have been the PocketBook 360 and the jetBook Lite.

Both will fit within your budget, and the prices are coming down..

Haven't noticed that at all, except for import from the US. Even the Sony's are at the same price as last year.

Originally Posted by light

Although I mentioned the sd slot availability, I don't see it is a real disadvantage if it lacks one.
I can't read more then one book, so having thousands of books available is not needed.

I like the SD card as I find it often easier to put books on it. I have an internal card reader, so I just pop the card, put it on the card reader and just start copying. I only have 1 USB1.1 and 1 USB2 slot open and that USB2 is often taken by my external HD. And my internal card reader works at USB2 speed...



About the difference between 5" and 6", before I bought my BeBook Mini, I was afraid 5" was too small (even though i came from a 3.4" device). But, after having used it for a week, I decided it was a perfect size for me. I now also have a 6" and I find the difference between them negligible. Maybe, when I grow ancient and need a huge lettering, I will have to move to a larger device

[light]

If I can buy the cybook for 210 euro and the sony prs-600 for 250 euro. Is it worth the extra 40 euro? Are there major plusses to that specific sony model over the cybook? Aside from the touchscreen.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by light

If I can buy the cybook for 210 euro and the sony prs-600 for 250 euro. Is it worth the extra 40 euro? Are there major plusses to that specific sony model over the cybook? Aside from the touchscreen.

Yes, lots. Searching, a very good built-in dictionary, and excellent annotation capabilities. There are, however, a number of down-sides, too, such as a somewhat poorer quality screen (due to the Sony's resistive touch screen), an inability to handle more than a few hundred books at once, and a rather elderly implement ion of the ADE firmware, meaning that all ePub books are displayed left-justified.

[church mouse]

Originally Posted by light

Are there major plusses to that specific sony model over the cybook? Aside from the touchscreen.

light - I would caution against assuming the touchscreen used by the Sony is a "major plus" and recommend you try to use one in the flesh and then decide.

I thought I would love the touchscreen, but testing it in the shop against the 300, I was surprised that the 300 seemed to be clearer and did not suffer with the horrible glare back the 600 could experience in certain lighting/position conditions.

I then checked back on the postings on these forum pages and discovered, from those with more knowledge than I, why the touchscreen had been less acceptable to me than the basic 300 screen.

If you have no problems with the screen, then HarryT is pretty accurate in describing the good points of the 600.

[bainsy]

If you can get hold of a PRS-505 that's a good option on a 6" screen. I'm sure if you look around there will be places that still have some like Amazon or other on-line shops.



I did buy both a 505 and a 600 at the same time planning on returning the one I didn't like but as soon as I put the 505 and 600 side by side the contrast on the 505 just blew the 600 away and I didnt feel I would enjoy reading on the 600 knowing that text looked so much better on the 505 (which for me is the main thing an e-reader needs to be is clear)

anyway the video below shows a side by side 505 and 600 although it is a review for the 600

[light]

Thanks for the advice,

Today I'm going to a nearby city to search for eReaders. I've found out that there are normally 9 stores where it is supposed to be possible to buy one.

We will see..