eBook Readers (Sony 5" on sale for $169)

[kermitology]

I'm giving myself a tonne of heartburn right now trying to figure out if I should get an ereader.

As far as I'm concerned my choices are narrowed to iPad and Sony Reader. I'm more inclined to go with the Sony Reader at this point because the library seems to support lending books in formats for the reader most. I'm very curious however if anyone has come across any reviews of the iPad as a reader, and if you can load books on your own without going through the book store app.

Does anyone have this research done yet? I'm usually pretty good at finding this stuff out for myself, but so far I'm not 100% sold in any specific direction.

I'm only really interested in something as a reader, I've got an iPhone and too many computers in the house.

[@theCBE]

I don't really have any knowledge of the different readers or book formats but I saw someone using the sony while waiting in line for a movie. It looked really slick and the size was great but I noticed that he was having a hard time reading because there wasn't enough light.

The model he had didn't have a back light and he was really struggling to tilt it so he could read. I'm not sure there are several models but it struck me as something that I probably wouldn't think about when purchasing an ebook reader but definitely something that would piss me off later on. Normally I would read in the light but on places like airplanes I could see it becoming an issue.

[Clever_Iggy]

I'll be really interested in hearing some responses. Thanks for posting Kermit.

Kermit: Can I ask (a) why you eliminated the Barnes & Noble "Nook" and Amazon Kindle? and (b) what draws you to the Sony Reader? From what I've read, they've been losing ground with the Kindle, Nook and now iPad coming out.

[Bobblehead]

This article came out today. http://moconews.net/article/419-how-...rt-as-a-guide/

I think your best bet is to wait until the iPad comes out and see how the LCD works in bright light. It is an IPS display but it is also backlit so it may have issues in bright light that e-ink won't have. Wait 6 weeks and see what the final production models finally are like.

Edit: actually, looks like it came out last week. Still applies though since I don't think much has changed in that time.

[photon]

iPad isn't out yet so I haven't seen any reviews of it from an eBook reader point of view. It supports ePub so in theory you should be able to read anything in that format from other stores, but a closed platform and book publishers being involved don't inspire confidence that that'll be the case.

I'm basically in the same boat.. If it makes a difference I've seen the 5" screen Sony reader on dell.ca (smaller screen, but more portable too) for $200 a few weeks ago.

http://www.coolreaders.com/default.asp

These are some more that I've been considering, they were supposed to be launching new models after CES but I haven't seen them on their site yet.

http://booredatwork.com/2010/01/20/c...read-ces-2010/

[photon]

Originally Posted by @theCBE

I don't really have any knowledge of the different readers or book formats but I saw someone using the sony while waiting in line for a movie. It looked really slick and the size was great but I noticed that he was having a hard time reading because there wasn't enough light.

The model he had didn't have a back light and he was really struggling to tilt it so he could read. I'm not sure there are several models but it struck me as something that I probably wouldn't think about when purchasing an ebook reader but definitely something that would piss me off later on. Normally I would read in the light but on places like airplanes I could see it becoming an issue.

Yeah any eInk reader is going to have the same light issues a normal book would, so in low light an LCD might work better.. on the other hand an LCD will be hard to read in bright light, where an eInk display will look great.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

I'll be really interested in hearing some responses. Thanks for posting Kermit.

Kermit: Can I ask (a) why you eliminated the Barnes & Noble "Nook" and Amazon Kindle? and (b) what draws you to the Sony Reader? From what I've read, they've been losing ground with the Kindle, Nook and now iPad coming out.

The Kindle can't use the ePub format, so you have to convert the books which is a hassle. I got to play with a Nook recently and I liked it, may have got one had it been available but they were really back ordered. And nooks apparently have issues rendering ePub as well.. some books work but not all.

[@theCBE]

Originally Posted by photon

Yeah any eInk reader is going to have the same light issues a normal book would, so in low light an LCD might work better.. on the other hand an LCD will be hard to read in bright light, where an eInk display will look great.

Shows how much I know about them. I just assumed they were all LCD screens.

Well besides the light thing the Sony reader did seem very nice. After seeing someone use it, it does look like something I would consider buying.

[Agamemnon]

I love my Sony Reader. Mine has a back-light which is very handy, not sure if they still sell them with back-lights or not.

The iPad is a lot of things... the Sony Reader is just a reader, but it does reading _very_ well. Nice font-size feature helps make strange source material readable also.

I have several hundred books, though I get them the same way I get music... not through the online store.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by photon

The Kindle can't use the ePub format, so you have to convert the books which is a hassle. I got to play with a Nook recently and I liked it, may have got one had it been available but they were really back ordered. And nooks apparently have issues rendering ePub as well.. some books work but not all.

Okay, you're going to have to slow down for me.

What's "ePub" and why do I want my future reader to have it? I'm pretty plain-jane - I want a reader that is easy to use and easy to download books. I'm not too worried about all the other gizmos that the iPad offers, so it's really been narrowed down to the Nook, Kindle and (perhaps now after reading a couple posts) the Sony Reader.

[kermitology]

Kindle is out because of the lack of native support for non-DRM formats, and the qwerty keyboard on the bottom is crap as far as I'm concerned. I don't want to see that on my device.

The nook I haven't looked at too much, but how much is it in comparison to the Sony and is it available in Canada?

I'm really hoping to find someone who reviews the iPad in relation and to know if you can load PDF/ePub/etc on the device or if the only way to load the files is via the iBook Store. The backlighting concerns me as well..

[Burninator]

I am in the same boat as you and I haven't been sold on any of the devices yet. The only serious choices right now are the Sony Reader, Kindle and the iPad.

Sony Reader
To be honest I haven't looked that closely at this one. I've seen a couple people with them on the train and took a brief look at the Sony website. But I haven't read many reviews or looked at their catalog.

Kindle
At the moment I would buy the Kindle over the Sony Reader. Amazon is in the book business already and they are here to stay. While the Kindle has several features that go beyond reading books which might appeal to some, they don't to me. But that is fine, because if I was going to buy the Kindle I would buy it solely to read books.

iPad
I would love to read a review about this one as a reader, but since they aren't for sale we will have to wait and see. I think there is only two issues with the iPad as a reader. The first is the catalog. It might take some time to build itself (and be available in Canada). It will probably have the Kindle app which could be a great feature to help keep prices competitive and have a bigger selection of books. My other concern is the screen and eye strain. I've heard from some (on this forum and other websites) that the screen quality is quite high which will help reduce eye strain, but the problem of basically staring into a light bulb is still there. I probably won't be convinced until I can try it out for myself or the vast majority of the reviews say that eye strain is not a problem.

So if those aren't problems I will gladly spend the extra money to get the iPad. The extra features will make for it.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by photon

Yeah any eInk reader is going to have the same light issues a normal book would, so in low light an LCD might work better.. on the other hand an LCD will be hard to read in bright light, where an eInk display will look great.

I find that reading a normal book in really bright direct sunlight is hard on the eyes anyways. The remedy to that solution is sunglasses. But I don't think that would work on the LCD screen because the screen would get washed away by the sunlight regardless.

[GrrlGoalie33]

I don't have a Kindle, but I do have the Kindle reader for both my iPhone and my PC, and I love reading books on the iPhone.

If you have an iPhone, seriously check out the Kindle app for it and save yourself a couple of hundred $$!

[photon]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Okay, you're going to have to slow down for me.

What's "ePub" and why do I want my future reader to have it? I'm pretty plain-jane - I want a reader that is easy to use and easy to download books. I'm not too worried about all the other gizmos that the iPad offers, so it's really been narrowed down to the Nook, Kindle and (perhaps now after reading a couple posts) the Sony Reader.

ePub is like mp3, it's a open book format that doesn't restrict you. The Kindle limits you to their "ecosystem" only, so if you buy 100 books for your Kindle, then find out Amazon makes the Kindle from ground up babies (or just want to, you know, choose a different brand of reader) you basically have to throw your books away and buy them all again.

ePub gets around that by being open, so anyone who wants to make their eBook reader read ePub can. So I can buy an ePub book from one place and read it on any reader I care to buy (except a Kindle unless I convert it).

Of course the Kindle has other perks, the ease of buying books wirelessly, wikipedia access in Canada (no Internet tho).

The nook supports ePub but I don't think they have any wireless access in Canada yet.

I like the Pocket Edition Sony because it's form factor is nice (no keyboard) it's smaller and is just simply a reader; no other nonsense. Don't get a Touch edition Sony though because the touch screen is not very good. You can go into a Sony store to try them out.

Originally Posted by kermitology

The nook I haven't looked at too much, but how much is it in comparison to the Sony and is it available in Canada?

I think the Nook is cheaper for the same sized screen, but it's not really available anywhere, sold out. And not officially available in Canada, so if you got one you wouldn't have the wireless working anyway.

Originally Posted by Burninator

Kindle
At the moment I would buy the Kindle over the Sony Reader. Amazon is in the book business already and they are here to stay. While the Kindle has several features that go beyond reading books which might appeal to some, they don't to me. But that is fine, because if I was going to buy the Kindle I would buy it solely to read books.

In that case I'd prefer a reader without a honking keyboard that I'll never use. The screens are the same (Unless you get the Touch version of the Sony, the screen has a layer over it for the touch and makes the screen blurry).

Originally Posted by Burninator

I find that reading a normal book in really bright direct sunlight is hard on the eyes anyways. The remedy to that solution is sunglasses. But I don't think that would work on the LCD screen because the screen would get washed away by the sunlight regardless.

Yeah my iPhone's screen is very hard to see in bright sunlight, sunglasses or no.

Originally Posted by Frankster

I don't have a Kindle, but I do have the Kindle reader for both my iPhone and my PC, and I love reading books on the iPhone.

If you have an iPhone, seriously check out the Kindle app for it and save yourself a couple of hundred $$!

Good point, Stanza is another good eBook app for iPhone.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Burninator

I am in the same boat as you and I haven't been sold on any of the devices yet. The only serious choices right now are the Sony Reader, Kindle and the iPad.

Sony Reader
To be honest I haven't looked that closely at this one. I've seen a couple people with them on the train and took a brief look at the Sony website. But I haven't read many reviews or looked at their catalog.

Kindle
At the moment I would buy the Kindle over the Sony Reader. Amazon is in the book business already and they are here to stay. While the Kindle has several features that go beyond reading books which might appeal to some, they don't to me. But that is fine, because if I was going to buy the Kindle I would buy it solely to read books.

iPad
I would love to read a review about this one as a reader, but since they aren't for sale we will have to wait and see. I think there is only two issues with the iPad as a reader. The first is the catalog. It might take some time to build itself (and be available in Canada). It will probably have the Kindle app which could be a great feature to help keep prices competitive and have a bigger selection of books. My other concern is the screen and eye strain. I've heard from some (on this forum and other websites) that the screen quality is quite high which will help reduce eye strain, but the problem of basically staring into a light bulb is still there. I probably won't be convinced until I can try it out for myself or the vast majority of the reviews say that eye strain is not a problem.

So if those aren't problems I will gladly spend the extra money to get the iPad. The extra features will make for it.

I really don't like the qwerty on the bottom of the kindle, plus I'm not as much interested in buying books as I am getting eBooks from the library as a method of loading the books, which makes the Sony Reader the better option. I will probably buy eBooks but aren't there more sources than just the Amazon book store on the kindle? There have to be.

And yeah, I really need to know what the iPad is like as a reader.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Frankster

I don't have a Kindle, but I do have the Kindle reader for both my iPhone and my PC, and I love reading books on the iPhone.

If you have an iPhone, seriously check out the Kindle app for it and save yourself a couple of hundred $$!

I can't stand reading on my iPhone, so that option is out for me as far as I'm concerned. I need something bigger.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by photon

Yeah my iPhone's screen is very hard to see in bright sunlight, sunglasses or no.

That's also something I've observed, and I'm wondering how the iPad gets around it.

[photon]

It won't really, it's an IPS LCD screen and will be basically the same as looking at the iPhone screen, just bigger.

And I'm leery of reading on an iPad, I know I can't read a lot on my computer monitor, which is also an IPS LCD.

[Russic]

I can only go off what the guys on the macbreak weekly podcast said about the ipad. True, it's a mac based podcast so it would be understandable that they would side with the ipad, but 3 things to consider: they do tend to call out apple when they suck, they are massive kindle fans and they got to actually use it.

Their mini reviews were very positive for the ereader aspect of the device. The two that got to use it said they are putting away their kindles as soon as the ipad comes out (this seems big to me as they talk about their kindles all the time).

I can't confirm but I have to think the ipad will display any epub file. That would be like an iPod playing mp3's from iTunes but nowhere else. Apple is lockdown happy but not that bad (I hope). Even if iBooks isn't available at launch (and I doubt it will be) there are plenty of epub books out there ... I can't vouch for them being legal, but there are a ton out there.

Oddly enough i haven't heard anything about PDF support. I suppose it could read them the same way the iPhone does.