e-Readers Tested: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
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Another skeptical author turned into a real Kindle fan after buying his first e-Reader >>>>
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Guest article by a Nook blogger outlines ten reasons the Nook is the best e-Reader option for you, including comparisons to the Amazon Kindle >>>>>
Random Mini Reviews
(our thoughts)
The Bookeen Cybook Opus
The Good: Comes with 75 free books, can store 1000 titles on 1 gig memory, 5.3 ounces, 12 font sizes and can adapt to left handed or right handed, handles most formats, 8,000 page turns on a single charge and is popular in Europe with 1 million public access titles.
The Bad: No wi-fi so it requires USB downloads, no applications feature. Price: $280.00 US Verdict: Good
The Bad: No wi-fi so it requires USB downloads, no applications feature. Price: $280.00 US Verdict: Good
The Interead Cool-er
The Good: At 6 ounces, it's 40% lighter than a Kindle, it comes in 8 funky colours, it has 1 gig of memory, half as much as Kindle 2 but has a SD slot for additional memory, they sell 320,000 books on their own website so plenty of selection.
The Bad: No wi-fi like the Kindle and their e-book store is more costly than Amazon, the navigation is not as easy as other devices - Price $249.00 US, Verdict: Good
The Bad: No wi-fi like the Kindle and their e-book store is more costly than Amazon, the navigation is not as easy as other devices - Price $249.00 US, Verdict: Good
The Ectaco Jetbook
The Good: Nice & Small with a 5" screen but still has an MP3 player & enough memory for plenty of books, You can flip pages quickly with three buttons & rotate pages horizontally/vertically & load e-books easily.
The Bad: Design is not as cool as other models, does not support some major formats & button pressing is ackward.
Price - $180.00 US, Verdict: Okay
The Bad: Design is not as cool as other models, does not support some major formats & button pressing is ackward.
Price - $180.00 US, Verdict: Okay
Hanvon N516/ N520
The Good: Has all the features of most e-readers, high contrast e-ink 5" screen display, holds hundreds of e-books, has MP3 player & expansion memory slot & the maker has a good reputation
The Bad: Not avaliable in the US, has no wi-fi downloads, very little support outside China & not much information about it
Price about $250.00 US Verdict: Okay
The Bad: Not avaliable in the US, has no wi-fi downloads, very little support outside China & not much information about it
Price about $250.00 US Verdict: Okay
The Foxit eSlick Reader
The Good: It is one of the lightest (6.4 ounces) and cheapest units right now, Has 128 MB memory, 6 inch screen with E-ink and is similar to Sony's Reader. Excellent PDF support, MP3 player and more.
The Bad: It needs a USB connection to download new titles, it does not support popular e-books so no bestsellers avaliabe and does not stand out from the other e-readers. Best if you only want to read free e-books. Price $260.00 US approx, Verdict: Okay
New Review by Daniel Knippers
The Bad: It needs a USB connection to download new titles, it does not support popular e-books so no bestsellers avaliabe and does not stand out from the other e-readers. Best if you only want to read free e-books. Price $260.00 US approx, Verdict: Okay
New Review by Daniel Knippers
Endless Ideas BeBook
The Good: It will support almost twenty file types and you can transfer content from your computer or online very easily. It's a very straightforward design with simple navigation, easy to read 6" screen with E-ink display, can flip 8,000 pages on a single charge, and you can listen to MP3 while reading.
The Bad: It has no integrated wireless therefore you need a computer to download, no hardware keyboard, is not widely avaliable in stores and costs even more than the Sony e-reader. Price $249.00 US Approx, Verdict: Okay
The Bad: It has no integrated wireless therefore you need a computer to download, no hardware keyboard, is not widely avaliable in stores and costs even more than the Sony e-reader. Price $249.00 US Approx, Verdict: Okay
The Samsung Papyrus
The Good: Large Touchscreen with a sylus pen, 512 MB of memory, it looks like a Kindle but has more applications like a calendar, scheduler, memo pad, contact list & comes in three cool colors.
The Bad: No wireless features like Kindle, lacks a large library of e books, only available in Korea so far, and the name - Papyrus? Price is $299.00 US approx, Verdict: Okay
The Bad: No wireless features like Kindle, lacks a large library of e books, only available in Korea so far, and the name - Papyrus? Price is $299.00 US approx, Verdict: Okay
iRex iLiad/ Digital Readers
The Good: Large 10.4" screen with 1,280 x 1,024 resolution, cool design and wi-fi capable. Very pleasant to read documents & news on this device
The Bad: Pricey at $699.00 & $859.00 US, they weigh 10 & 20.1 ounces each and the response is sluggish according to some. There are no additional features to justify paying this much for a device that may be obsolete in three years. Verdict: Okay
The Bad: Pricey at $699.00 & $859.00 US, they weigh 10 & 20.1 ounces each and the response is sluggish according to some. There are no additional features to justify paying this much for a device that may be obsolete in three years. Verdict: Okay
Comparison of Sony's five Readers
Sony Portable eReader PRS505
This edition came out 25 months ago & is very nice but it's outdated technology looks old compared to it's replacement, the PRS300. The unit is light in weight, sleek & has a sharp quality display.
Unfortunately it has the smallest memory (150 books) and the slowest refresh rate (time to turn the page) of all the Sonys. Other complaints from users is that there is a flash when turning, that some pages cut off, places were lost, top of pages cut off, some screens cracked & that the batteries lasted less that two years. However, most buyers did praise the unit for enjoyability and ease of use.
Don't purchase this unit unless you are a collector, or can find it marked down 50% in the clearance section, the 2009 models have been updated to correct most of the flaws of the early models and have a better interface. 45 reviewers on CNET.com gave this unit 3 out of 5 stars.
Bottom Line: To Avoid
Unfortunately it has the smallest memory (150 books) and the slowest refresh rate (time to turn the page) of all the Sonys. Other complaints from users is that there is a flash when turning, that some pages cut off, places were lost, top of pages cut off, some screens cracked & that the batteries lasted less that two years. However, most buyers did praise the unit for enjoyability and ease of use.
Don't purchase this unit unless you are a collector, or can find it marked down 50% in the clearance section, the 2009 models have been updated to correct most of the flaws of the early models and have a better interface. 45 reviewers on CNET.com gave this unit 3 out of 5 stars.
Bottom Line: To Avoid
Sony Digital eBook Reader PRS700
Sony's first touchscreen Reader was released one year ago & was cutting edge back then but current users might be disappointed because was replaced by the PRS600 just nine months later. The Digital Book has all the features of the PRS505 but with two & half times the memory (350 books), a touchscreen for note taking, a faster CPU & arguably a better design. It has less buttons than most eReaders, relying on the touchscreen for navigation.
Sony included a top LCD back-light for reading in dark light but some users say it does not help & this was discontinued on newer models. Some say that highlighting & writing on the screen is skittish and it difficult to mark the exact passages & the flaws in the touchscreen made the contrast (darkness of font against the screen) the worst of all Sony's products.
This model has the worst screen sharpness of all Sony e-Readers & the screen is too sensitive when pressing the screen buttons or flipping pages. Go for either the newer PRS600 or PRS900 which have more accurate touch response. 21 reviewers on CNET gave this unit 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Bottom Line: Outdated & Flawed
Sony included a top LCD back-light for reading in dark light but some users say it does not help & this was discontinued on newer models. Some say that highlighting & writing on the screen is skittish and it difficult to mark the exact passages & the flaws in the touchscreen made the contrast (darkness of font against the screen) the worst of all Sony's products.
This model has the worst screen sharpness of all Sony e-Readers & the screen is too sensitive when pressing the screen buttons or flipping pages. Go for either the newer PRS600 or PRS900 which have more accurate touch response. 21 reviewers on CNET gave this unit 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Bottom Line: Outdated & Flawed
Sony Pocket Edition PRS300 - $199.00 US
Just out this August, the Pocket Edition is Sony's entry model designed with the budget conscious book lover in mind. It is very similar to the PRS505 but has more memory (350 books), faster page turns due to a speedy CPU and is lighter and smaller than it's predecessor.
The contrast and sharpness of the screen is better than either the 505 or the 700 models and allows for more larger font sizes (five vs three) therefore it is more suitable to those with poorer eyesight.
In their quest to make this e-Reader a affordable unit, Sony has taken away some key functions. There is no MP3 playback for audiobooks or music and no expansion slot for additional memory. The 5" screen is also an inch smaller than the PRS600 or PRS505 and there is no touchscreen function. This is a very good but basic model.
If you are new to e-Readers, want to purchase one as a gift for someone else, do not think you will store more than 350 ebooks in your device and are not interest in using the touchscreen or audio playback features, this economical edition is right for you. 3 CNET reviewers gave it 4 stars out of 5 Pocket Edition Specifications here
Bottom Line: Good Buy For New Users
The contrast and sharpness of the screen is better than either the 505 or the 700 models and allows for more larger font sizes (five vs three) therefore it is more suitable to those with poorer eyesight.
In their quest to make this e-Reader a affordable unit, Sony has taken away some key functions. There is no MP3 playback for audiobooks or music and no expansion slot for additional memory. The 5" screen is also an inch smaller than the PRS600 or PRS505 and there is no touchscreen function. This is a very good but basic model.
If you are new to e-Readers, want to purchase one as a gift for someone else, do not think you will store more than 350 ebooks in your device and are not interest in using the touchscreen or audio playback features, this economical edition is right for you. 3 CNET reviewers gave it 4 stars out of 5 Pocket Edition Specifications here
Bottom Line: Good Buy For New Users
Sony Touch Edition PRS600 - $299.00 US
This lovely device is new to the scene as well, and has corrected the problems associated with the PRS700 and in a prettier package. There is a problem though, there is screen glare & screen contrast is not as sharp as the Kindle & you need a PC (not Macs) to charge and download titles as you do with all non-wireless Sony Readers.
On the positive, this model has a nice interface, a quick CPU to navigate pages & files quickly, the touchscreen is accurate and responsive so highlighting and noting paragraphs are easy, it accepts all formats including MP3, AAC, PDF & ePub so it will take almost any eBook, you can store more than 350 ebooks with expansion memory cards.
Ok, this is the best Sony edition for most book lovers because at some point you might want to store a large library on your device, you may want to easily take notes & use it as a PDF, & many people enjoy music while reading (the Pocket 300 can't do these things) 7 CNET reviewers gave it 3 stars out of 5. Touch Edition Specification here
Bottom Line: The Best Value e-Reader If You Can Live Without Wireless
On the positive, this model has a nice interface, a quick CPU to navigate pages & files quickly, the touchscreen is accurate and responsive so highlighting and noting paragraphs are easy, it accepts all formats including MP3, AAC, PDF & ePub so it will take almost any eBook, you can store more than 350 ebooks with expansion memory cards.
Ok, this is the best Sony edition for most book lovers because at some point you might want to store a large library on your device, you may want to easily take notes & use it as a PDF, & many people enjoy music while reading (the Pocket 300 can't do these things) 7 CNET reviewers gave it 3 stars out of 5. Touch Edition Specification here
Bottom Line: The Best Value e-Reader If You Can Live Without Wireless
Sony Daily Edition PRS900 - $399.00 US
This edition will be out in December and is identical to the Touch PRS600 except it has a 7" screen and can accept titles through 3G wireless signals directly from e-Book retailers who offer the service. Now users can get e-Books while walking, driving, on the train, even on vacation.
Finally Mac users, readers who don't use computers and those who dislike dragging and dropping files from their computer to their devices can buy a Sony.
Competition from the Kindle and Nook must have pushed Sony into adding this model. The downside is that at $399 it will be more expensive then most other e-Readers & you will have to charge it through a computer port or buy an wall adapter.
No reviews are out yet so we will keep you posted on any operating flaws (if any)
Daily Edition Specification here
Bottom Line: Expensive Late Edition Is Great For Gadget Lovers,
Professionals, World Travelers & people who love to read in style
Finally Mac users, readers who don't use computers and those who dislike dragging and dropping files from their computer to their devices can buy a Sony.
Competition from the Kindle and Nook must have pushed Sony into adding this model. The downside is that at $399 it will be more expensive then most other e-Readers & you will have to charge it through a computer port or buy an wall adapter.
No reviews are out yet so we will keep you posted on any operating flaws (if any)
Daily Edition Specification here
Bottom Line: Expensive Late Edition Is Great For Gadget Lovers,
Professionals, World Travelers & people who love to read in style
