Kindle, Nook or Sony.

[luv2knit]

You are getting a lot of good info here.

I just went through this search last month, spent 3-4 weeks reading every thread and lurking here and asking questions. So I'll tell you on what i decided.

I rejected nook or kindle because of the proprietary books from b&n and amazon. so kindle was thrown out right away, and nook soon thereafter as it held no advantage once you toss out buying from b&n and realize the plethora of ereaders and ebookstores out there.

i finally settled on a BeBook Neo. It could read all the formats, has an epaper screen, and people are very happy with it. It also does mp3s, which was a requirement for me also as I want to carry my mp3 audiobooks on it (on the sd card).

i ended up getting a BeBook Neo opened but used for only 2 days after christmas, paid $142.50 for it on eBay... another one went for that amount the day before so i offered that much to someone that had their's listed for much more and it wasn't selling - they took the offer.

BUT if money wasn't an option i would have gone for the sony 950PRS. love that thing, look and feel. a larger screen, if that appeals to you. but i couldn't justify the price.

so my BeBook is working great, has a simple and nice modern feel, and i am in love. i have decided that i can save my pennies, and some day when sony comes out with a 950 like device with epaper color then i can splurge at that point.

also, jump in with both feet into calibre - it is easy to use, fun to play around with, and will get your library organized from day one.

oh, and if you end up getting a sony go ahead and download the sony reader software NOW and start playing with it. download some free books, move them around, etc. you can do that all on your pc now to see what system you like to use BEFORE you even get your reader. heck, do the same with calibre as well - and you'll find that you probably prefer calibre for permanent library management. might as well start ADE too - get it all hooked up properly on your computer and you'll be a old wisened pro before your ereader even arrives

[Yar-PocketBooker]

my little 2 cents here - did you folks try to look at PocketBook devices?

[Fortissimo]

Originally Posted by luv2knit

You are getting a lot of good info here.

I just went through this search last month, spent 3-4 weeks reading every thread and lurking here and asking questions. So I'll tell you on what i decided.

I rejected nook or kindle because of the proprietary books from b&n and amazon. so kindle was thrown out right away, and nook soon thereafter as it held no advantage once you toss out buying from b&n and realize the plethora of ereaders and ebookstores out there.

i finally settled on a BeBook Neo. It could read all the formats, has an epaper screen, and people are very happy with it. It also does mp3s, which was a requirement for me also as I want to carry my mp3 audiobooks on it (on the sd card).

i ended up getting a BeBook Neo opened but used for only 2 days after christmas, paid $142.50 for it on eBay... another one went for that amount the day before so i offered that much to someone that had their's listed for much more and it wasn't selling - they took the offer.

BUT if money wasn't an option i would have gone for the sony 950PRS. love that thing, look and feel. a larger screen, if that appeals to you. but i couldn't justify the price.

so my BeBook is working great, has a simple and nice modern feel, and i am in love. i have decided that i can save my pennies, and some day when sony comes out with a 950 like device with epaper color then i can splurge at that point.

also, jump in with both feet into calibre - it is easy to use, fun to play around with, and will get your library organized from day one.

oh, and if you end up getting a sony go ahead and download the sony reader software NOW and start playing with it. download some free books, move them around, etc. you can do that all on your pc now to see what system you like to use BEFORE you even get your reader. heck, do the same with calibre as well - and you'll find that you probably prefer calibre for permanent library management. might as well start ADE too - get it all hooked up properly on your computer and you'll be a old wisened pro before your ereader even arrives

Great advice here, sir. I initially thought of doing this but my pc doesnt recognise epub, mobi,etc. formats so I just felt whats the point. Apparently, I'm going to have to download some program that recognises these formats. I might as well wait till I get my reader. Or what do you think?

The price for a bebook neo should be about the same for a sony prs 650.

[G J Lau]

I am no expert but the Nook seems to satisfy all your requirements. I've heard that the battery is easy to replace although I haven't tried it myself. Saw a Sony and that also seemed very good. Direct ePub support is nice but as someone pointed out you can easily convert to mobi using Calibre and Kindle has all the same public domain books.

One thing I learned over the years is that there is no perfect system. Every system has it good features and bad features. The key is to choose the system with the bad features you can best live with, if that makes any sense.

[viviena]

Originally Posted by Fortissimo

Great advice here, sir. I initially thought of doing this but my pc doesnt recognise epub, mobi,etc. formats so I just felt whats the point. Apparently, I'm going to have to download some program that recognises these formats. I might as well wait till I get my reader. Or what do you think?

Download Calibre, and if your intention is to get the Sony Reader 650, the Sony Reader Library as well. Both recognise EPUB at least, and Calibre can read many other formats as well. Both have inbuilt viewers for EPUB as well as some other formats.

[tm3]

Originally Posted by G J Lau

One thing I learned over the years is that there is no perfect system. Every system has it good features and bad features. The key is to choose the system with the bad features you can best live with, if that makes any sense.

very true, and the nonstandardization of ereaders make the choice tricky.

to the OP, i'm also choosing with the reading experience being the #1 priority.

it is too bad that you can't get a "hands on" as i think that is the best way to tell what features matter to you, and what features don't. i visited BB yesterday and while a month ago all of the display units were nonfunctional, this time they had a working k3, nook, 350, 650 all side by side as well as a dead 950.

some random observations:

one thing that stood out to me that i had not read about here is that i really preferred the ereaders that had dark cases (k3, 650) over the ones with white or silver cases (nook, 350, 950).

also, i had thought that "seen one font you've seen them all" but with the side by side comparison the k3 stood out as having the most attractive display because of the font.

the 950 is the ideal size. k3 is the ideal weight.

i would second the advice you have received about downloading software (ADE, calibre, etc.) and playing with it as this may have some influence on your decision. for example, it is possible to convert the format in calibre and then email the book to your k3. i think that is much preferable to connecting the device and downloading.

good luck!

[ChuckW]

Hi,
My first post. I have had a Nook Wfi for 2 months and over 150 books, A lt of free ones, I live the screen, but wish it were touch, I have trouble using the little touch screen on the bottom, especially when web browsing. I have using adobe digital for library books. I have a question. Kindle has a book I would like to read and I am willing to buy it from Amazon if I could read it on my Nook. Can it be done?
ChuckW

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by ChuckW

Hi,
My first post. I have had a Nook Wfi for 2 months and over 150 books, A lt of free ones, I live the screen, but wish it were touch, I have trouble using the little touch screen on the bottom, especially when web browsing. I have using adobe digital for library books. I have a question. Kindle has a book I would like to read and I am willing to buy it from Amazon if I could read it on my Nook. Can it be done?
ChuckW

Not on your Nook. You would have to be willing to strip the DRM and convert the file to EPub. Or you could buy the book and read it on an android phone, blackberry, IPad, ITouch, PC, or MAC.

[Sydney's Mom]

I love my K3. I read library books, and buy books from Amazon. I am glad it doesn't have any distracting color.

[Tattncat]

Originally Posted by Care

I would go with the Sony. I love my Nook, but the Sony has a better battery and much better dictionary. The Nook's dictionary does work with non B&N books, but the Sony's is much easier to use and has language support.

Ditto! I have both. For my purposes, I like my Nook. However, for the needs you are describing, I would suggest the Sony.

[jehane]

Originally Posted by tm3

one thing that stood out to me that i had not read about here is that i really preferred the ereaders that had dark cases (k3, 650) over the ones with white or silver cases (nook, 350, 950).

Hi tm3

Most brands have different options for the casing, at least one dark and one light. I know the Sonys come in colours, different ones depending on the model. eg my 300 is a darkish pink, which I think is still available for the 350, but the 650 comes in red. One of them comes in dark blue, but I can't recall which. I've seen both black and white casings for the Kindle. So I wouldn't rule out the nook, 350 or 950 on that basis without checking what other colour options they have. There's also the option of skins and decals.

The improved contrast with the darker casing has been mentioned occasionally - I took it into account when I was buying mine because someone here had mentioned it. Not so much for which device, but for the colour options.

[SandysConnected]

The KOBO!!

[trevgriff]

Get the SOny 950. I have owned and used the following; Sony 500, Sony 505, Sony 900, Nook, Kindle III, iPad and the best IMO is the Sony 950.

[Fortissimo]

Thanks again, guys. I've decided on the prs 650 and I'm getting it shipped from the US, however I'll be paying about $110 more. I would like to ask if products bought from the US for use in other countries still have the 1year gurantee on them. In my case, I'm buying from the US for use in Nigeria.