There are a lot of reviews of e-book readers available on the internet currently. You will also find them in magazines and newspapers every now and again. It’s a reflection of the fact that e-book readers have really taken off – driven to a large extent by the launch of the Amazon Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009. Right now there is a big range of e-book readers to choose from and a lot of people are looking for help in order to make a buying decision.
The lion’s share of reviews, understandably perhaps, have a very strong focus on the hardware itself – the Kindle’s screen is this size, the Sony Daily Edition screen is that size, this one incorporates touch screen functionality, that one has no wireless, and so forth. Which is all very well, but if you’re choosing your first e-book reader then in all probability you will be making a mental comparison between e-book readers and traditional books rather than between different types of e-book reader.
First of all, and just to put your mind at ease, a recent survey of e-book reader owners in the USA found that four out of five of them actually preferred using an e-book reader to reading on a traditional paper book. Based on this type of feedback it doesn’t look like those who have made the jump from paper to electronic books are missing the feel of a proper bound volume. It looks as if manhandling large, paper volumes is an unattractive prospect for those with experience of e-book readers.
One of the main things that you should check when selecting your e-book reader is the display. Assuming that the primary function of your e-book reader is to read books rather than surf the web or watch video, you will certainly want to go for a reader with an e-ink technology display. These are, quite honestly, much more similar to reading printed text on paper than reading on a backlit LCD monitor. They also use less power, which allows you to go for weeks between charges. The screen will instantaneously go black when you turn the page. This is not a serious problem, you will notice it at first but, after a couple of reading sessions, you won’t notice it at all.
A further important aspect to consider is the controls and the user friendliness. The Amazon Kindle controls for example, are well laid out and pretty intuitive to use. It’s very easy to drive the Kindle using only one hand, which makes it perfect if you’re sitting propped up in bed or on a crowded train or bus. The Sony reader features touch screen controls - but this comes at the expense of a slightly poorer display as today’stouch screen technology is not completely transparent and also necessitates the use of a slightly more reflective screen.
Finally, don’t make the mistake of thinking that e-book prices are the same for all readers. A recent survey, performed by the New York Times, highlighted variations in the cost of books across different e-book reader platforms. In some cases the difference was large enough that choosing the right reader could save you enough money to pay for the reader itself within a year and you would still be left with a few dollars to buy some books! Clearly book pricing is changeable – so be certain to check on the current price of e-books for the reader that you are considering buying.
