ebook reader suggestions

My wife and I are considering buying an ebook reader. Does anyone here have any suggestions on which ones to look at. The Kindle and the Nook seem to be the most popular ones. Also, my local library offers ebooks via Safari, OverDrive and NetLibrary. Do any of these allow you to download straight to the reader, or do you have to download to a computer first, then to the reader?

Hey Paul,

My wife, who reads way too much, researched and tried out all of the e-readers out there a few months ago and hands down the Sony one beats the rest. If I remember right…the Kindle has a 6" or a 9" screen and the cost between the two models was significant. Sony had one at 6" and for a little more they had a 7" model that was perfect. The extra inch makes a huge difference and it is still compact enough to take with her and not need a larger bag to carry it in. The other thing was the Sony one was aluminum and not plastic and felt like it would hold up a lot better. Also, to answer your question… it has wi-fi and 3G so she can browse and download directly too the reader. Hope this helps you out. - Michael

The one thing I wanted to add…was the color Nook was not out when she was looking if I remember right. That might make a difference in her choice. I know that none of the b&w versions from anyone come with a backlight…and that is the biggest downside to any of them. Good luck. :smiley:

That is actually the biggest plus. They aren’t really B&W, they are epaper (as opposed to lcd screens). The contrast is much better with epaper and they are way easy on the eyes. The recent price reduction on the kindle make it a great buy. With the g3 kindle, you can download books just about anywhere on the planet for free. If you have a lot of wi-fi hot spots (wireless house/shop/Macdonald’s or Starbucks) then the $139 version is perfectly fine.

Yeah I called it B&W but it is really E-ink Pearl. Because it uses that technology you can not backlight them. It would wash out the entire page. This is where the color Nook comes in. Color is not an issue if you are really going to use it for only reading books. That being the case. The Sony 6" model is priced within a few dollars of the Kindle and I know from first hand use that the Sony blows the Kindle away. There are tons of reviews online that go both ways…as with anything these days, but the solid construction of the thing is anothe great plus. A lot of this is going to be user preference…so I would go out and play with all of them and see what you prefer. You also have good return policies with all three vendors…so not a whole lot too worry about.

Yep. Very much personal preference. I read for an hour every night, and when I am travelling. I stare at a pc screen way too much, and it bugs my eyes. That is why I lean toward the kindle. It really is much closer to reading a printed page.