Which E-Book reader to buy?

S

Sei

Skilled
My uncle is coming down from the U.S. I desperately want a e-book reader. Last 2 months, I've been reading books off my Samsung Spica off its tiny 3.2" screen. :ashamed:

Now, there are 3 choices (I think):

1. Amazon Kindle ( 189$ for 6" screen and 489$ for 9.7" screen. Only 3G here.)

2. Barnes and Noble Nook ( 6" screen, 149$ for Wi-Fi and 199$ for 3G+Wi-Fi )

3. Sony Reader ($189 for 6" screen)

4. iPad ( 500$ for 16GB version)

The obvious advantages of the first three are that they are dedicated e-book readers. So, huge battery life and light-weight. Battery lasts more than a few days from what I've read online. They can read pdfs natively and Nook (not Kindle) also has support for ePub natively. Both have 2GB internal memory (~ 1500 books) which is more than enough but the Nook even has a microSD slot.

The only reason I've mentioned the iPad is because it is much more than an ebook reader and is still more or less priced the same as the Kindle DX. But since I've already got the iPod Touch, I'm not getting too much attracted towards it.

So, my queries:

  • Is 6" screen more than enough for reading without any strain?
  • Is the screen visible in sunlight?
  • With the price being more or less the same, which is better? Kindle or Nook?

Here is a comparision of the features of Nook and Kindle:

NOOK and NOOK Wi-Fi vs. Kindle eReader comparison - Barnes*&*Noble

Need to make a decision fast. Help please! :)
 
You know I've been thinking about it for a long time. I may buy the Adam eventually but not as a dedicated e-book reader. A 10" screen is too huge to be able to read comfortably. I'm getting more and more inclined towards the Barnes and Noble Nook. Plus, after realizing the ease of reading on a portable device (my Spica phone :p) I don't think that I'll be moving to books anytime soon.

Some advantages of the Nook:
  • Price - 200$ for 3G + Wi-Fi
  • PDFs run as smooth as e-books
  • 3.5" color screen to browse books

Nook eBook Reader and PDF Documents

The only disadvantage that I found was that the UI was a bit sluggish. But that seems to be the case with e-ink displays.

Suggestions people!
 
Sei said:
^ Damn, more confusion now :(
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My dad got Kindle for himself a long time back and still keeps complaining about having to pay at-least 20-30USD per book, If your okay with that then you should get the Kindle, if not get the ones which let you read your own pdf's
 
@ OrangeWrath: Wow, thanks for pointing me towards the Sony Reader!! I didn't even glance at it thinking that Sony must have made everything propriety as they usually do. But after reading the reviews on Amazon, especially this one:

Disclaimer: I bought the Sony knowing I'd never pay to download an eBook. Instead, thanks to Gutenberg and Calibre I can build a portable library of time-tested classics for free. That's priceless!
Click to expand...

I'm more or less certain on getting the Sony Reader Touch Edition. Hit up this link for more reviews if anyone is interested:

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Sony Digital Reader Touch Edition - Black (PRS600BC)

Any other suggestions would be surely welcome!
 
Recently one of my friend got himself a Nook and he hasn't stopped raving about it. The pricing is also exceptionally good. For a similar price you end up with only a Sony mini reader. I personally find the Nook very attractive due to the additional LCD strip for the navigation. Also IMHO more VFM since it has a LCD and an E-Ink screen.
 
^ Actually Nook and Sony are pretty close when compared to features. But, the UI is reported to be pretty slow on the Nook. On the Sony Reader, however, all the user reviews are saying that it is pretty snappy. 50$ more for a better UI experience is worth it I think.

No Wi-Fi on the Sony, but that's not really an issue. Once I load it up with books, I don't think I'm going to need to add books for weeks again. It also supports MS Word along with ePub which is an added advantage.
 
Well, Nook has promised software updates to correct the sluggish UI. But then again connectivity is an option you shouldn't overlook. Sometimes I use my Nokia to torrent an ebook that I have suddenly heard about and mail it to my email ID [while I'm at work, yes I'm that jobless sometimes] to read it immediately.
 
^ Hmm, I wish I had time to wait for the update but till now from what I've heard is that pages sometimes take 1-2 seconds to load. That must be irritating. And the LCD screen is going to be a battery-drainer. Let's see, I'm going to read more reviews before I take a decision. Till now it's like 55-45 (Sony-Nook) :p
 
The nook is a fantastic reader for 149/- especially now that it has received the 1.4 update.

Just fyi, it can also be rooted if you so desire.

3G is useless for you since it is only on AT&T's network. Afaik Kindle allows 3G usage worldwide, though I'm not sure of the charges for the same. Get the 149/- nook.
 
stalker said:
With the nook at 149, the kobo is pretty useless at the same price.
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Same here. If I were to restrict myself to 150$, then the Nook is the best option. I would love to hear any negatives/disadvantages of the Sony Reader. Links would do great too! :)

Another thing which I discovered was that the Barnes and Noble store via Wi-Fi is only accessible in the U.S. So, Wi-Fi is practically of no use for me. The Kindle allows download anywhere over the world over Wi-Fi, but features are lesser than what I'd like.

One advantage of the Sony Reader is that it allows us to highlight passages and quickly see the meanings of the words using the inbuilt dictionary. I'm really getting inclined towards the Sony Reader.. someone please give me some disadvantages! :p
 
You can order the nook with delivery in India for about $165...excluding customs.
For about Rs.8000, I'm inclined to get one.
The Sony, on the other hand comes to ~$200+$35 for shipping...~Rs.11,000.

I'd go for the Sony, if like you, I didn't need to pay for shipping. The only downside to it is that you can't change the battery yourself, whereas the nook lets you.

Anyway, sorry about hijacking this thread, but would there be any problems with customs if I ordered for the nook?

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

The nook doesn't support txt files, and doesn't support pdf zoom.
Apparently pdf files are pretty hard to view on 6inch screens, even if pdf reflow works.
I'd have to convert all my files to epub format to make them readable on the nook...I guess the sony would have a similar problem, but its got the advantage of being able to read txt files.
 
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