eBook readers have really come into their own over the last few years. Before that, they were small; hard to add books to; heavy; and expensive! But now they can be seen all over, in the airport, on the bus, or on the beach. ebook readers are hot! So now you ask yourself, what ebook reader is right for me? That depends on what you are going to be using it for. Do you travel a lot and want instant access to thousands of books directly from the device? Do you plan on reading strictly books, or are newspapers and blogs important also? How many books would you like to keep on your device? All of these are very important questions when it comes to choosing the perfect ebook reader for yourself. Four of the most popular and functional ebook readers on the market today are Amazon’s Kindle 2 and Kindle DX along with Sony’s PRS-700 and PRS-505.
Are you most concerned with wireless capability? If you would like to have the ability to find and purchase books directly from your device, the Kindle family is for you! In the US, the Amazon Kindle 2 and DX are connected to Sprint’s 3G wireless network which allows you to access the Amazon Kindle store directly on your device. Wherever you have cell phone service, you can download books in under 60 seconds. And the best part, THERE IS NO MONTHLY FEES OR CONTRACTS! The Sony family of readers does not have this capability and must be plugged into your computer to download new books.
Will you be reading only books? Or will newspapers, blogs, and PDF’s be a regular thing? The Kindle family has the widest selection of ebooks available, with over 275,000 titles and new ones being added every day. Also with the Kindle you have to opportunity to subscribe to your favorite newspapers and blogs. The Sony readers have more flexibility when it comes to non ebook formats, such as PDF, Microsoft Word documents, and other text formats. Although the brand new Kindle DX now has native PDF support. Whether you choose a Sony or a Kindle you will find the ebooks are much cheaper than their printed counterparts. New York Times Bestsellers start at $9.99 at the Kindle Store.
Storage capacity is a major buying point. Will you be carrying your entire library or just a couple of you favorites? The Sony models can hold anywhere from 160-350 books directly on the device. You can also increase that amount by sliding in a SD or memory stick. With the Kindle 2 you have 2GB of storage which allows for about 1,500 books to be stored. The Kindle DX has 4GB of storage allowing for 3,500 books to be kept on the device.
In general, the bottom line is, most people who spend most of their time with works of fiction (read this as romance novels and similar themes) will generally prefer the Kindle. People who read the classics, non-fiction, and higher quality fiction works will generally prefer the flexibility and quality of the Sony. That being said, the industry still has a long way to go in terms of non-fiction books and many may want to wait to see what happens in the next generation.
This overview is based on articles about using the ebooks in the US. However, here in Bali, all the features will work with the possible exception of the Sprint 3G wireless network info. I have not tested any of these here in Bali yet.
On last thing: I’ve been very successful using my iPhone as an ebook reader. The screen isn’t as big as the readers listed above, but it’s big enough. Plus, I always have it with me!
So, just how do you get books on your iPhone or iTouch? Start with eReader, an e-book viewer that Palm and Windows Mobile users may recognize. The iPhone/iTouch version (http://www.ereader.com/iphone/) lets you download and view books purchased on the eReader or Fictionwise Web site (which, in addition to fiction, each carry a wealth of popular business titles).
For the moment, eReader can’t open PDF and other e-book files you might already have on your PC. For that, look to Stanza. It’s great for reading public-domain works and the like. And it’s free. (So is eReader, but you have to buy books for it.)
The Kindle does have an edge in that you can download books from Amazon on the run — no PC required. But seriously, how often do you really need to do that? I am loving using my iPhone as an e-book reader, and I’m quite confident you will, too.
Have a question or problem? Write me at BaliPCAdvisor@Gmail.com. I’ll try and answer as soon as I can.
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