The Kindle 2. Only available from Amazon and, as yet, only available in the US, the Kindle is an ebook reader that connects to Amazon via and allows you to download content. The screen is monochrome, and it uses e-ink. Readers say it’s like reading a book, only you can carry a whole library with you. It has a 6 inch 800 px by 600 px screen. It has an SD card slot, so you can carry an enormous number of books, depending on the size of the card. With the Kindle you are locked in to Amazon’s system, although it will read other formats, and there is a conversion process (you upload the documents and Amazon converts them to the Kindle format for a small fee). It will load pdf files, but users say that it doesn’t always render properly. Excellent battery life.
The Sony reader. The 505 is similar to the Kindle, but with a different ergonomic design and a more open format, though it still isn’t totally open. Another e-ink reader. It has an SD slot, and you can buy books in the Sony format but it will also read doc formats and pdf. There is a version, the 700-series that has a sidelight (e-ink can’t have a backlight, the technology doesn’t allow it) but not all readers like it and it is more expensive. It has a 6 inch screen (that’s measured diagonally), like the Kindle. It has an internal rechargeable battery that will go for a long time between charges.
The Cybook Gen 3 from Bookeen. An open source e-ink e-reading device. This one has a 6 inch screen but there is a larger, 10.1 inch screen version available and has more functionality than the Sony or the Kindle. It has MobiPocket Reader, iBook Reader, Boo Reader, Adobe reader, XOEB (eXtended Open E-Book, currently proprietary to Bookeen) and Boo Reader Vision pre-installed, so it will read a multitude of formats. It has an SD card slot.
The BeBook is another e-ink reader, again in monochrome. It’s open source, and can read pdf, html and mobipocket formats, as well as rtf.
The Iliad. This has more functionality, with a touchscreen and input devices. It’s also more expensive than most e-ink machines. You can upload your own documents and make notes, and it will recognise and use jpg’s.
There are new e-ink devices coming on the market all the time, it seems, so keep your eye out for new ones. Most of the existing ones are around £200, or $350, but discounts are often available.
The Ebookwise is old technology and is not eink. However it is about half the price of e-ink machines. It can be bought from Fictionwise, but they will not export the device out of the US. However, you can ask someone to get one and post it to you. It is backlit, and only reads files in its own proprietary format, IMP, although if you invest $15 in the Ebookwise Librarian program, that becomes a matter of dragging and dropping the file you want into the window of the program, which will then convert it for you (it can’t do pdf). You get your books on the Ebookwise by a USB link with your computer. The screen’s brightness is adjustable and on a low setting the rechargeable battery will last for around 20 hours. The screen is 6 inches diagonally.
Non dedicated devices.
You can read ebooks on a variety of devices, and all have their advantages and disadvantages. All of these devices are in colour.
Your pc or mac. Not ideal, because you are sitting in front of a screen, and you might want to relax with your book. However, you will be able to read almost anything you want to in any format!
A netbook. There are plenty of these on the market these days, from the Acer One to the Asus netbooks, and the MSI Wind. Most have screens between 7 inches and 10 inches in size, and they are in effect mini computers. They will have either a Windows XP system installed, or a Linux one. You can download and install whichever ereading program you want. They aren’t as ergonomically sound or as portable as the dedicated readers, but they will do other things. Battery life is much lower, although you can buy extended life batteries which will give you up to 8 hours in some cases, though usually it’s more like 6.
A PDA. These little devices are the modern version of the Filofax. The top models have Internet cards, interchangeable batteries and high quality screens. The iPaq 4700 has probably the largest screen, at 4 inches and a stunning screen, with 640 px by 480 px definition. They come in two versions, the Windows version or a Palm version, and they will both hook up to your computer. Most come with SD and Compact Flash card slots. You can install reading software like mobipocket, ereader or Microsoft reader on them and they will cope with most formats. PDA’s have backlights, and they will also hold your diary, contacts, notes and they have touchscreens. Battery life is around 5 hours of continuous use, and some come with removable batteries, so you can switch them out and double the time. Because many people are moving to smartphones, PDA’s are often available second hand at very reasonable prices.
A tablet. These are like netbooks, but the screen can be rotated and it will sit flat on top of the keyboard. They are heavier than readers, and thicker, and they might get hot in use. Battery time is comparable to netbooks. They are more expensive than netbooks, because of the technology required.
A phone. Most phones will read ebooks, if you save the book as html. The screens are much smaller, but clarity is usually excellent.
iPhone and iTouch. These deserve a separate mention. There is a special free program, the Stanza, that you can get for this device that makes an ebook a pleasure to read.
A web browser (UMPC). Like the Nokia 810 or the Samsung Q1, these devices feature high quality 4 inch screens (the size may vary), usually run on Linux, which served as excellent ereaders.
