Can't decide which e-Reader to get for my own preferences

[mentalxfiction]

Hey guys!
So I just wanted to say since the past two months I've been looking for reviews on all kinds of e-readers, and the three that stood out were obviously the Nook, Kindle and Sony.

After visiting a good few websites and reading a good few reviews, I settled on the Kindle WiFi and was picometers short from ordering it, but here on mobileread I've read on some of the threads that the Sony Reader is pretty good, too.

So I'm back to square one.
This is basically what I want from the e-Reader (in no particular order):

1. Shouldn't be too pricey. Maybe $200 maximum, and that too only if there's no other choice (one reason I liked the Kindle, it's relatively cheap)
2. Is able to support free books and PDFs since I'm not too crazy about buying e-books online.
3. Has great screen quality, doesn't necessarily have its own illumination
4. Isn't too fragile.
5. Decent battery life, not expecting it to last weeks, but the e-Reader shouldn't die in two to three days usage.
6. Is compact. Big and bulky is a no-no
7. Should be long-lasting or has a long warranty.

Putting aside the aforementioned, I'd summarize this by saying I just want a reader that will allow me to read as many books as I want with as little faults as possible, regardless of what the features are.

Oh and I live in the UAE by the way, which is in the Middle East. Is it possible to get all the books (free or priced) available on Amazon and B&N?

Last question~ Does the WiFi on the e-Readers allow me to browse any website? Stupid question, but I'm kind of under the impression that the Kindle WiFi can only access Amazon.

Thank you!

Edit: I've looked around everywhere for websites that offer free books, and have found just one that offers books of my choice. So I'd like to stress that PDF support is a must.

[viviena]

Originally Posted by mentalxfiction

After visiting a good few websites and reading a good few reviews, I settled on the Kindle WiFi and was picometers short from ordering it, but here on mobileread I read on some of the threads that the Sony is better, as a majority of the posters had stated so.

Ooh, that statement's gonna start fights. Let's just say that each device has their fervent defenders, but they're all good devices in the end, really no objective 'best' about it.

1. Shouldn't be too pricey. Maybe $200 maximum, and that too only if there's no other choice (one reason I liked the Kindle, it's relatively cheap)

The Kindle 3's the winner here, but if you're interested in the Nook, that would also work, as would the Sony Reader 350.

2. Is able to support free books and PDFs since I'm not too crazy about buying e-books online.

Edit: I've looked around everywhere for websites that offer free books, and have found just one that offers books of my choice. So I'd like to stress that PDF support is a must.

All three support PDFs, however Sony does it the best. For the Nook and Sonys, you can find free ebooks from any place that has EPUB copies, and Amazon has a lot of freebies for the Kindle too.

3. Has great screen quality, doesn't necessarily have its own illumination

All eink devices don't have their own backlighting. The Kindle 3 and the Sony Reader *50s have the newest and clearest Pearl screens.

4. Isn't too fragile.

All eink devices can be considered somewhat fragile, due to the glass layer of the screen (always a good idea to keep it in some sort of case or other protective pouch). That said, the Sonys have very sturdy, and IMHO the best build quality of all the big name ereaders. Amazon has been praised for its excellent customer service regarding worn Kindles. I've often heard of Nooks suffering cracking from their buttons, but perhaps somebody will come along and tell me otherwise.

5. Decent battery life, not expecting it to last weeks, but the e-Reader shouldn't die in two to three days usage.

K3 makes the claim for the longest battery life, with 3 to 4 weeks. You can expect claims of at least 2 weeks from Sony as well. Nook is slightly less. These are all based on ideal usage patterns, and the reality of your device's battery life might vary greatly.

6. Is compact. Big and bulky is a no-no

Sony Reader 350 is definitely the most compact and portable.

7. Should be long-lasting or has a long warranty.

I'd tip this to Amazon slightly because of their reputation for excellent customer service. All ereaders are fairly long lasting as long as the screen holds up however.

Oh and I live in the UAE by the way, which is in the Middle East. Is it possible to get all the books (free or priced) available on Amazon and B&N?

Do you still have some sort of presence in the USA, e.g. a US residential address or access to a VPN? If so, life will be much easier. Nook's integrated bookstore, B&N, is US-only, though there's nothing stopping you from loading EPUBs from elsewhere.

As for Amazon, have you tried browsing listings in their Kindle Store on their website? Usually it's good in telling you upfront whether you can buy books based on your location. The Kindle Wifi listing does have this tidbit: 'Unfortunately, we are currently unable to ship Kindles or offer Kindle content in United Arab Emirates', which would cause me some concern. Unless, again, you change the location of your account to the USA.

Last question~ Does the WiFi on the e-Readers allow me to browse any website? Stupid question, but I'm kind of under the impression that the Kindle WiFi can only access Amazon.

You'll already need your own wifi access, but yes, any website, not just Amazon.

So, based on your criteria, your choices are really, so I think, either the Kindle 3 Wifi or the Sony Reader 350. It depends which of your criteria proves the most important to you.

[mentalxfiction]

Ooh, that statement's gonna start fights.

Oops! *quickly edits*

Do you still have some sort of presence in the USA, e.g. a US residential address or access to a VPN? If so, life will be much easier. Nook's integrated bookstore, B&N, is US-only, though there's nothing stopping you from loading EPUBs from elsewhere.

As for Amazon, have you tried browsing listings in their Kindle Store on their website? Usually it's good in telling you upfront whether you can buy books based on your location. The Kindle Wifi listing does have this tidbit: 'Unfortunately, we are currently unable to ship Kindles or offer Kindle content in United Arab Emirates', which would cause me some concern. Unless, again, you change the location of your account to the USA.

Well, unfortunately I don't.
Though I'm a bit surprised it says that on Amazon because my friend has a Kindle 2 so perhaps it's a minor glitch? *crosses fingers*

You'll already need your own wifi access, but yes, any website, not just Amazon.

Yup, I do have WiFi access.

Thank you so much =) You've helped me narrow it down a lot!
I just have a question (yes, another one :P). The Sony Reader 350 is about $50 more expensive than the Kindle, so does the Sony have better features? I'm asking in terms of value for money because I don't want to end up buying something a bit on the pricier side if there's something cheaper on the market with almost similar functions.

Also, I have a petty issue with the Sony Reader 350 which is that I personally find it hideous >.< I know, I know, a bit shallow but I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy reading from an e-Reader more if I like its appearance. The touch screen feature though is very tempting, not really something on my list for must-have features, but tempting nonetheless.

I'll just wait for a couple of more replies before I make any decisions.
Thank you once again though ^^

[viviena]

Originally Posted by mentalxfiction

Though I'm a bit surprised it says that on Amazon because my friend has a Kindle 2 so perhaps it's a minor glitch? *crosses fingers*

Well, maybe your friend was in another country at the time when he got it, or somebody brought it over for him? Perhaps his account has as its location the USA? If you really want a K3, there are ways. My only concern would be that Amazon won't sell Kindle ebooks to somebody living in the UAE.

Thank you so much =) You've helped me narrow it down a lot!
I just have a question (yes, another one :P). The Sony Reader 350 is about $50 more expensive than the Kindle, so does the Sony have better features? I'm asking in terms of value for money because I don't want to end up buying something a bit on the pricier side if there's something cheaper on the market with almost similar functions.

Well, what's better for you?

The newest Sony Readers have the best implementation of touchscreens I've seen for ereaders yet. That's pretty much indisputable. Annotation, footnotes and dictionary lookups are, as you can probably imagine, are very easy with a touchscreen interface, and were one of the primary reasons I bought a 350. Fingerprints are surprisingly not a problem, probably because they're not like the glossy screens of LCD-based touchscreen phones, etc. Everything else depends on the person. It allows for excellent tag-based organisation of one's library (not folder-based, but I don't like folder-based anyway). I can read library ebooks with it. I love the reflow feature of the Sonys, which allows one to readjust the text size of novel-type PDFs -- with most other ereaders, your options are to read PDFs in landscape mode, pan and zoom, or convert from PDF to a more ebook-friendly format, all three things which I hate doing. I love the size of the 350. It's really very light and compact, important for me since I use public transport a lot and tend to read when idle.

Those are what made the 350 preferable to me, but I do admit that when buying a Sony Reader, you're paying a premium for features which other ereaders can already do to some extent. For what the Sony Readers can do, they do very well, IMHO, but what they don't do may be enough to discount it for those looking for something a bit cheaper. I had very specific needs, but the Kindle 3 might be a better option for those who want value for money, as it seems to have everything except the kitchen sink.

Also, I have a petty issue with the Sony Reader 350 which is that I personally find it hideous >.< I know, I know, a bit shallow but I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy reading from an e-Reader more if I like its appearance.

I do love my little 350 very much, appearance and all, but if you really do find it hideous, I'd advise you against buying it, touchscreens or not.

[mentalxfiction]

Well, maybe your friend was in another country at the time when he got it, or somebody brought it over for him? Perhaps his account has as its location the USA? If you really want a K3, there are ways. My only concern would be that Amazon won't sell Kindle ebooks to somebody living in the UAE.

Hmm I'm not sure... I'll ask though then try to figure out what to do from there.

The newest Sony Readers have the best implementation of touchscreens I've seen for ereaders yet. That's pretty much indisputable. Annotation, footnotes and dictionary lookups are, as you can probably imagine, are very easy with a touchscreen interface, and were one of the primary reasons I bought a 350. Fingerprints are surprisingly not a problem, probably because they're not like the glossy screens of LCD-based touchscreen phones, etc. Everything else depends on the person. It allows for excellent tag-based organisation of one's library (not folder-based, but I don't like folder-based anyway). I can read library ebooks with it. I love the reflow feature of the Sonys, which allows one to readjust the text size of novel-type PDFs -- with most other ereaders, your options are to read PDFs in landscape mode, pan and zoom, or convert from PDF to a more ebook-friendly format, all three things which I hate doing. I love the size of the 350. It's really very light and compact, important for me since I use public transport a lot and tend to read when idle.

All of what you mentioned is what's keeping me from buying the Kindle. Especially the bit about the PDF. I read a lot of customer reviews about how reading PDFs can prove to be a chore with the Kindle and I'm probably one of the laziest out there, so fixing the PDF and/or converting it would be extremely irritable.

Those are what made the 350 preferable to me, but I do admit that when buying a Sony Reader, you're paying a premium for features which other ereaders can already do to some extent. For what the Sony Readers can do, they do very well, IMHO, but what they don't do may be enough to discount it for those looking for something a bit cheaper. I had very specific needs, but the Kindle 3 might be a better option for those who want value for money, as it seems to have everything except the kitchen sink.

Hmm, well you have a point. But what is really putting me in a dilemma is the availability of books, as it seems I won't be able to bag a few from the Amazon website if it ends up not selling to the UAE. Though my friend actually has a lot of free books on her Kindle so I'll just ask her how she got them. Edit: Oh wait if Amazon ends up not selling to the UAE then I won't have a Kindle to begin with =/

I do love my little 350 very much, appearance and all, but if you really do find it hideous, I'd advise you against buying it, touchscreens or not.

Maybe it looks bad in the pictures, but I found the Kindle (from the pictures on the Amazon website) a lot better in terms of appearance.

So I guess now all that's left is to ask my friend about the problems regarding the shipping and if & how I can get free books in the Kindle.

Thank you again~ Hope I'm not a bother 'cuz I change my mind a lot.

[jbcohen]

Personally I think you should get a bit more picky then you have been:

1) Set a price limit: Up to $100, Between $100 and $150 and $150 and up (My Libra Pro is in the up to $100 category)
2) Do you want a touch screen (Try the Sony PRS)
3) Do you want simplicity of operation (Get the Kobo)
4) Do you want a lot of personalization (Kindle)

My Libra Pro is cheap but its not touch screen like the Sony PRSs, its got a lot of buttons on it so its not exactly real simple like the Kobo and it has none of the personalization that the Kindle does. So its sort of yo get what you pay for.

[Latinandgreek]

Personally, I do think that the Kindle 3 is a great device, but it's biggest advantage is the Amazon store. If you take that away (i.e. if you live in a country where you can't buy from the Amazon store), I really don't see any advantage to owning the Kindle, as it really doesn't read all that many formats. For reading PDFs you are probably best off with a Sony, but if you don't like the design there are other brands that you can look into, such as Pocketbook. Pocketbook devices don't have the new Pearl screen, but they do read many formats, including PDF and epub, and there are touchscreen versions of their new models (you have to use a stylus, however).

[mentalxfiction]

Personally I think you should get a bit more picky then you have been:

1) Set a price limit: Up to $100, Between $100 and $150 and $150 and up (My Libra Pro is in the up to $100 category)
2) Do you want a touch screen (Try the Sony PRS)
3) Do you want simplicity of operation (Get the Kobo)
4) Do you want a lot of personalization (Kindle)

Well the thing is, excluding the first question, the rest are neutral for me.
1. I think price range should be between $100 and $150, but like I already mentioned, $200 is the maximum I'd like to pay.
2.Touch screen sounds good but it isn't something I particularly want.
3. Hmm, simplicity of operation would be something I prefer, but I'm assuming the others are relatively simple too?
4. Even though I wanted the Kindle, I had no idea it offers a lot of personalization, so again, that is completely neutral for me.

I also checked out the Libre Pro, and yes there are so many buttons! I'd be lost in no time trying to figure it out.

Pocketbook devices don't have the new Pearl screen, but they do read many formats, including PDF and epub, and there are touchscreen versions of their new models (you have to use a stylus, however).

I checked out the Pocketbook, and I really liked most of them, especially one of the Pocketbook Pro models, but they're quite out of my price limit =(

However, I asked my friend about the Kindle and she actually ordered it from the UAE too and knows a few websites that offer free e-Books for it.

I'm definitely leaning most towards the Kindle now, but I'd still like to wait it out and look around for more e-Readers.

Thank you both for your help =)

[HarryT]

Both the Kindle and Sony are excellent devices. My personal preference is for the Kindle in terms of ease of buying books, but I'm sure you'd be happy with either.

[JulieMack]

While I did not check out the Sony, I seriously LOVE my Kindle, I looked at a few and wrote a review about it here.

What I think is the biggest benefit to the Kindle is the access to books at Amazon. Amazon is a HUGE online retailer and is not going away anytime soon. It is super simple to get books, etc. This is just my personal opinion. I don't regret my decision and I have the older version of the Kindle which was over $200. The latest Kindle is under $200 and probably has made improvements!

Also, as far as customer service, Amazon was great. I dropped my Kindle (only a couple feet) and the screen got messed up. I called them and since it was within a year, they overnighted me a new one (in one day) with a box to return my old one - EASY! So, there you go!

[Caltsar]

I personally love my nook, but since you are outside the US the B&N store needs some workarounds to use. That said, it also supports any ePub and PDFs you may buy that use ADEPT DRM (Adobe Digital Editions).

I've been eying the Sony PRS-350 though... it's a bit smaller and easier to carry around, and while I wasn't impressed with touchscreen e-ink displays before (too much lag, made the displays too glossy, and they used poor quality touchscreen hardware that felt mushy), Sony really knows what they are doing now. The touchscreen on the PRS-350 is great. It also has a better ecosystem for international users.

An eBook reader is something you do hold for extended periods of time, so my general advice to anyone is to hold one and play with it a bit before you decide if that's at all possible. The kindle is pretty nice, and while I hate how thin the kindle 3 is, some people like it

[mentalxfiction]

Originally Posted by JulieMack

While I did not check out the Sony, I seriously LOVE my Kindle, I looked at a few and wrote a review about it here.

What I think is the biggest benefit to the Kindle is the access to books at Amazon. Amazon is a HUGE online retailer and is not going away anytime soon. It is super simple to get books, etc. This is just my personal opinion. I don't regret my decision and I have the older version of the Kindle which was over $200. The latest Kindle is under $200 and probably has made improvements!

Also, as far as customer service, Amazon was great. I dropped my Kindle (only a couple feet) and the screen got messed up. I called them and since it was within a year, they overnighted me a new one (in one day) with a box to return my old one - EASY! So, there you go!

Hmm~ But you see I may encounter a problem where, from the UAE, I might only have access to a limited amount of books.

I have read a lot of reviews praising the customer service at Amazon which is definitely another plus for the Kindle. Though a lot of the reviewers complained about freezing which I'm actually overlooking but am skeptical about nonetheless.

Thanks a lot for the review though!

I've been eying the Sony PRS-350 though... it's a bit smaller and easier to carry around, and while I wasn't impressed with touchscreen e-ink displays before (too much lag, made the displays too glossy, and they used poor quality touchscreen hardware that felt mushy), Sony really knows what they are doing now. The touchscreen on the PRS-350 is great. It also has a better ecosystem for international users.

An eBook reader is something you do hold for extended periods of time, so my general advice to anyone is to hold one and play with it a bit before you decide if that's at all possible. The kindle is pretty nice, and while I hate how thin the kindle 3 is, some people like it

I really liked the touch screen features too, but again, it isn't something I'm necessarily looking for and adding another $40~$50 for it feels kind of like a waste to me.

I actually really like how thin the Kindle 3 is, and according to the specs, the PRS-350 is just as thin =P
Plus, I've borrowed my friend's Kindle a lot, and even though it's an older version, I really liked it. Except for the part that the white color is very blah.

So I guess I'm getting a Kindle then? (would be really funny if they end up not shipping here after all)

[G J Lau]

One way to look at it is that you can't go wrong. Each of the three readers has its own intense partisans. So they are all good enough for lots of different people.

To me the key is figuring out what features you want to have versus what you must have. I would think that living outside the U.S. becomes a huge decision factor if one product provides clearly superior levels of support and access to ebooks. Beyond that it is personal preference and deciding which shortcomings are the least bothersome.

FYI, I own a Nook and am very content with it, but no doubt I could have been quite happy with a Sony or Kindle. Hey, it's all good as far as I am concerned.

[jehane]

What format are your free books in? PDF? Sony will handle that better. There are a lot of freebies from Amazon but a lot of the time they are US only. I've tried downloading free books from Amazon US using US details (was not required to enter a credit card) outside the US but it must have checked my IP address and would not let me download. Work out where you plan to get your books from, and what format they are available in. PDF and epub - Sony. Buying from Amazon - Kindle. Keep in mind that if they are DRM-free you may be able to convert between formats. Kindle also reads mobi files.

Do you have access or would you consider borrowing library books? Generally library books are in epub format so if this is an option for you then go with the Sony. If there is not a library with ebooks in your area, there are some that allow non-resident membership for a fee. The Free Library of Philadelphia is highly regarded here, although it looks like it's been recommended so much that it's membership has exploded. Someone reported being #30 on a waitlist! My local library has a decent selection and I haven't been any more than #2 on a waitlist, and even then I only waited a week or so to get that. It's for residents only though.

The form factor is one which you'll have to decide how important it is. Personally I much prefer the clean lines of the Sony - I find miniature keyboards extremely annoying and ugly. To each his own. The Sonys are generally regarded as the most solidly built, having said that the Kindles aren't flimsy. While Amazon have a great reputation for customer service, I wonder how well that applies from the UAE. If you have to pay return shipping it can get to the point where it's not worth sending it back if you have problems.

There has been a bit of discussion in the past about frame colours, and most people found that dark colours improved contrast. I'm pretty sure the Kindle comes in black and white, and I know that the Sonys come in a variety of colours (mine's a deep pink). So I wouldn't worry too much about disliking the white. You can always get a skin or decal.

[natasha_fawn]

Be aware that the Sony 350 does not have wi-fi capability. I mention this since you asked about browsing. The consensus seems to be that Sonys have the best pdf support, though if your pdfs are images of scanned pages they're not going to work all that well on anything. Keep shipping prices in mind when you're comparing costs. If Amazon doesn't ship to the UAE, I imagine you can still get one from another vendor or a drop shipper, but the cost will be higher. The Sony 350 is currently on sale for $130 at bhphoto.com, and they do ship to the UAE though it looks like the minimum shipping cost would be about $50.