EBook Readers...

Begbie

Begbie

Begbie

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So my dad fancies one of these, for going on holiday etc. He goes a few times a year, so could be beneficial. Personally I see the idea horrible, would rather have a proper book to read > reading from a screen.

I've tried to read an ebook from the pc before and I couldn't do it.

Anyway, I have read that unless you spend a few bob they are pretty rubbish, backlight, memory, battery life e.t.c.

Can anyone show me the way to ebook readers, or convince him not to waste his hard earned cash on one?



P.S Mods sorry if this is in the wrong place, wasn't sure where it would go.
 
I have been using a Sony Touch Ereader for several months now and it is excellent. In fact I read a huge amount and it has become invaluable. Battery life is excellent, needs recharging every couple of weeks or so. It has a overhead light attachment which also has excellent battery life. It is compatible with the excellent Calibre software.

It is easy to read, responsive and reasonable priced.
 
Mrs L got me the Sony PRS-300 for Christmas and I got to say I am really impressed with it. Nothing too flashy but it does the job. Excellent battery life and from what I understand the price is pretty reasonable with no crappy DRM either. I read quite a lot at lunch time and prob have to charge once a month if I am lucky

If you want to spend a bit more for some more features, I would wait for the Asus ebook reader. We had a demo of it in the office a few months back along side the kindle. Despite it coming in quite a few pounds below the kindle it looks and feels a lot better. Page turns are quicker. Was due out this month but it got put back till July due to some changes in the e-ink system it uses.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I am probably going to get flamed, but have you thougt about an iPad?
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not even a viable alternative - the ebook readers use the electronic ink that looks like paper and is very easy to read - an ipad is simply a pc screen.
i have been thinking of getting an ebook reader recently and that asus one looks pretty good.
 
A proper Ebook reader does not feel anything like reading from a PC screen, as it's display is a largely passive thing (zero refresh rate except when changing the page).

An Ipad is a PC/laptop type screen, it's going to be awful for reading from long term, I'm already seeing reports that it's badly reflective compared to a proper Eink display (unsurprising as it's an LCD effectively), and the battery life on it is going to be pitiful compared to a true reader (I've read 6 full books in the past 2 weeks, average of 400 pages each on my PRS-505 and only just had to put it back on charge).

An Ereader like the PRS-300, 600, 505 etc is about as close as you can get to a paper book for reading :)
I can read my 505 for 3-4 hours straight with no more problems than I'd get reading a book (less if you take into account that I tend to read hardbacks which weigh more than the 505;P), but can't read a book on a PC screen (no matter how good) for more than 30-60 minutes without my eyes hurting.
 
I love my Sony 505, can even use it with one hand which can be more comfortable sometimes. Another point over normal computer screens is that e-readers perform better the more background light there is, so they are fantastic outdoors.

I would say that if your dad plans to buy his ebooks, get a Kindle. Amazon seem to have the best selection and the fairest prices. The books i've bought for my 505 were all massively overpriced considering they are pretty much a free by-product that costs almost nothing to distribute. It's a huge PITA if you want to read new releases.
 
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Begbie said:
I've tried to read an ebook from the pc before and I couldn't do it.
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If you buy an e-book reader i.e. something like a sony prs 505 (which I have and is excellent) then completely and utterly ignore what you posted above.

As others have said using an e-ink display is completely different to a pc/ipad screen and is just like reading a normal book.

If you can try and go down to waterstones as they sell the sony ebook reader and probably have a model you can test instore.
 
Love reading from my iPad. And when I'm on a break, I can post on the forums from it. Like now :D

My dad loves his Sony reader though
 
We have a Sony 505 and we love it, my other half can read 5-10 books whilst on holiday so that's a lot of space saved. The screen is fantastic, no eyestrain at all and we haven't met anyone who hasn't been surprised at how good it is. There are probably better models available now but we can't find any reason to upgrade besides getting one with a backlight.
 
ricky1981 said:
We have a Sony 505 and we love it, my other half can read 5-10 books whilst on holiday so that's a lot of space saved. The screen is fantastic, no eyestrain at all and we haven't met anyone who hasn't been surprised at how good it is. There are probably better models available now but we can't find any reason to upgrade besides getting one with a backlight.
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I take it you have seen the backlight book cover you can buy for it?
As seen here: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665480080

its perfect for reading in the dark (you can definitely get it a lot cheaper too)
 
ricky1981 said:
You may have just found me a great birthday present for the missus :D
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:) got mine at the same time as I got the prs 505. Infact I think I got it on the release date :)

Its excellent, takes normal batteries so yes it does add a little bit to the weight but not much. Plus you can always change it back to the normal cover for daytime reading.
plus I find the actual leather cover itself far superior to the standard one.
 
Thanks guys, though all the suggestions albiet very helpful. All seem a bit pricey. Basically if he wants one he should be looking at spending £170ish for one of the sony ones? The Kindle seems US based?
 
aardvark said:
not even a viable alternative - the ebook readers use the electronic ink that looks like paper and is very easy to read - an ipad is simply a pc screen.
i have been thinking of getting an ebook reader recently and that asus one looks pretty good.
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this is not the case, have a look at an ipad, it does not look like a typical monitor screen and is very easy to read (no idea why or how they have achieved it). The price difference between the kindle DX and Ipad. You might as well get an Ipad. At least go use one before righting it off.
 
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