Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Portable ebook reader

OK, I am officially looking for a portable ebook reader! I definitely want an e ink based device, because I already have a very good smartphone that works fine for me. So, the biggest selling points for me would be:

  • a larger screen than a PDA type reader
  • ability to read image-based PDF files
  • wide range of supported ebook formats, both commercial and free. Plain TXT is a must!
  • the device must support Unicode
  • convenient design and nice look. You know, I don't want to be embarrassed when people see me read this thing!
  • some text entry mode would be nice, but this is not crucial
  • decent screen quality. I am realistic and I understand that ebook readers with better screens are still a few years away, but I hope to choose the best that's out there right now.
  • a lot of memory or support for high capacity SD cards. Chances are, If my smartphone supported HCSD I would not even need a portable ebook reader.
  • easy syncing. WiFi would be nice.
The models that I plan to look at first (and see how these readers measure up to the demands listed above) are:

I do have to say that Sony PRS-505 and Amazon Kindle are by far the strongest contenders.

1 comment:

stuff said...

I think it is worth trying your cell phone. I saw that you valued a larger screen, but you might find you like ubiquity more. If you have internet connectivity on your cell phone you can install a book with a few clicks at mobile.booksinmyphone.com They have a www site also and I have also downloaded to a $10 micro SD card which should hold hundreds of books.