E-Readers: What 's Hot for 2008 and Why??

Aaida · 06-25-2008, 12:02 PM

Hoping some existing owners weigh in here!

I'm going to be purchasing an e-reader in the next couple of months, after month of salivating over the thought :þ

...I'd really love everyone to weigh in on what they love about theirs, or the one's that they've seen.
Personally, I'm interested in:

- something that's a decent size (portability's not something I need)
- user friendly interface and good looking design
- battery enough to last a day or two?
- decent amount of storage space
- supports pdf's and doc's
- wireless = nice
- easy to read / good contrast

- being able to change the font/justification of the text would be a bonus

- EVDO etc is not necessary. I'm in Australia and spend an ingloriously large portion of my day in front of the computer

...I'm an amazon addict, but I'm also tech savvy so I'd like something that can read Amazon's standard format (Kindle) or to be able to source a conversion program for them (is that possible??!)

Any thoughts on Sony's e-reader, the BeBook, the Kindle... or wait for the the 9.7" Astak Mentor?

tirsales · 06-25-2008, 12:14 PM

I appologize, I misread the intention of the thread. Sorry.

--

* Decent size: iLiad or Astak (I dont know wether the 9,7'' Astak will be available today).
* Kindle ... as far as I know at least not legally
* Battery - yeah, thats where you are loosing the iLiad. My Sony lasts more then long enough (a couple of books) though, and I guess other Readers do as well
* Storage space - every reader I know supports some kind of card-interface - CF, SD, etc. Storage space shouldnt be a problem

* WiFi - iLiad, Astak, dont know if others support WiFi
* Font justification should AFAIK be possible on every device, or?

Greg Anos · 06-25-2008, 12:22 PM

Your choices are really thin. Basically the Iliad. Hopefully in a year there will be better choices. I use the old Cybook 1st gen, with a 3 hour battery life and a 10" LCD screen. But it does not read .DOC's and does PDF quite poorly. It does HTML, RTF, TXT, PRC and some others.

RickyMaveety · 06-25-2008, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaida

Hoping some existing owners weigh in here!

I'm going to be purchasing an e-reader in the next couple of months, after month of salivating over the thought :þ

...I'd really love everyone to weigh in on what they love about theirs, or the one's that they've seen.
Personally, I'm interested in:

- something that's a decent size (portability's not something I need)
- user friendly interface and good looking design
- battery enough to last a day or two?
- decent amount of storage space
- supports pdf's and doc's
- wireless = nice

- being able to change the font/justification of the text would be a bonus

- EVDO etc is not necessary. I'm in Australia and spend an ingloriously large portion of my day in front of the computer

...I'm an amazon addict, but I'm also tech savvy so I'd like something that can read Amazon's standard format (Kindle) or to be able to source a conversion program for them (is that possible??!)

Any thoughts on Sony's e-reader, the BeBook, the Kindle... or wait for the the 9.7" Astak Mentor?

I love my Kindle. Design and function are perfect for my needs. However, it is my understanding that the Kindle is not avaiable in Australia, so despite your addiction to Amazon, while it might be what is perfect for you, it might not be what you want for practical considerations.

I do not believe there is or are any conversion programs that will convert the Kindle format to any other.

I can't give you any thoughts on the Sony, or any other ereader device. I compared them, decided the Kindle was perfect for me, and I haven't had a second thought about it.

So, in my opinion, Kindle = wonderful. Other readers = if they work and if you can get the books you want in a format that can be read on them, AND if they are available in your part of the world, then why not?

ePossum · 06-25-2008, 08:45 PM

Quote:

- being able to change the font/justification of the text would be a bonus

This isn't just up to the device - it also is dependant on how the e-book itself has been formatted.

There was a thread started fairly recently in the "which should I but" part of the forum by another Australian (I think the title of the thread was something like "e-ink in the land of OZ") - the respones include some places you can go to actually see different e-ink e-reading devices in action. If you're able to do that, you might find that it helps clarify your thoughts about what kind of device is best suited to your reading habits.

Aaida · 06-28-2008, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

*snip* However, it is my understanding that the Kindle is not avaiable in Australia *snip*

Yeah, I was incredibly disappointed about that when it first came out!

...but you can purchase them through eBay etc... Apparently you can download and load the books to it manually without any dramas, so the Kindle's still a viable option for me

lordmax · 06-28-2008, 08:17 AM

Hi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaida

Hoping some existing owners weigh in here!

...I'd really love everyone to weigh in on what they love about theirs, or the one's that they've seen.
Personally, I'm interested in:
...
Any thoughts on Sony's e-reader, the BeBook, the Kindle... or wait for the the 9.7" Astak Mentor?

Personally I can only suggest the iLiad.
Astak Mentor seem to grow in price and in release time, sigh
iLiad is larger than other and wifi and battery stand for over 2 books or 48 hours to me.

JSWolf · 06-28-2008, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaida

Yeah, I was incredibly disappointed about that when it first came out!

...but you can purchase them through eBay etc... Apparently you can download and load the books to it manually without any dramas, so the Kindle's still a viable option for me

The Kindle is not an option for you unless you can supply Amazon.com an American credit card linked to an American address.

pilotbob · 06-28-2008, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Kindle is not an option for you unless you can supply Amazon.com an American credit card linked to an American address.

Or he buys it on eBay.

BOb

RickyMaveety · 06-28-2008, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Or he buys it on eBay.

BOb

But, BOb, would the person buying the Kindle out of the country be able to buy books from the Kindle store without a US address and credit card?? I mean, it's all very well and good to be able to get the free prc files, and even to buy the non-drm prc or mobi files from some of the online stores, but not being able to purchase from the Kindle store would be (to me) a very big downside to owning a Kindle in another part of the world.

Mind you ... I think Amazon should make the Kindle available worldwide, even if the Whispernet is not. I would think that there are a lot of potential purchasers who would be quite happy to be able to download and transfer via USB. But then, I don't run the company and I'm quite sure they don't care what I think.

DaleDe · 06-28-2008, 05:32 PM

Some may prefer it similar to the ones that buy the Hanlin reader which has few if any commercial books available and with Igors fix they can even buy some mobipocket DRM books and use them on a Kindle. It is pretty competitively priced these days with other choices that don't include some of the features of the Kindle.

For example:
Dictionary support
AA audible file support
search capability
large SD cards
Keyboard
left/right handed use.
screen snapshot
notes

Dale

cbell · 06-28-2008, 07:34 PM

Aaida, I suggest you take a look at http://www.dadirect.com/iliad/

DA Information Services is in Melbourne and has iLiads (both editions) and Cybook Gen3s in stock, along with all accessories/spare parts. DA also has HanLin V3.

HarryT · 06-29-2008, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

But, BOb, would the person buying the Kindle out of the country be able to buy books from the Kindle store without a US address and credit card??

No, they would not be able to do so.

pilotbob · 06-29-2008, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

But, BOb, would the person buying the Kindle out of the country be able to buy books from the Kindle store without a US address and credit card??

No, but I believe that purchaser would know that. They can still by Mobi books from Fictionwise once they get their Kindles' PID using Igor's scripts.

BOb

Aaida · 07-04-2008, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Or he buys it on eBay.

BOb

( *cough* ...actually... that would be "she"

)

but neway...

You can manually 'register' a Kindle with amazon, you may/may not need a US address for to complete it *shrugs* (don't have one obviously, so I can't try it) I would have thought that they'd have to be able to cater for owners that travel outside of the US or relocate entirely
Kindle support will be released worldwide soon enough, though. i'll be able to cope with waiting for downloadable content if that's the reader I choose to buy... I'd probably be grumpy if I bought another e-reader when I had decided that I really wanted the kindle, and then the kindle gets itself released here! *grin* <18mths later

I've got a US postal address.. hey, and come to think of it a US c/card too!... that I'd be able to 'borrow' if it became totally necessary

) also though. Would seriously be in Royal Pain in the Ass territory

06-25-2008, 12:02 PM	#1
Aaida Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 865 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: To be decided!	E-Readers: What 's Hot for 2008 and Why?? Hoping some existing owners weigh in here! I'm going to be purchasing an e-reader in the next couple of months, after month of salivating over the thought :þ ...I'd really love everyone to weigh in on what they love about theirs, or the one's that they've seen. Personally, I'm interested in: - something that's a decent size (portability's not something I need) - user friendly interface and good looking design - battery enough to last a day or two? - decent amount of storage space - supports pdf's and doc's - wireless = nice - easy to read / good contrast - being able to change the font/justification of the text would be a bonus - EVDO etc is not necessary. I'm in Australia and spend an ingloriously large portion of my day in front of the computer ...I'm an amazon addict, but I'm also tech savvy so I'd like something that can read Amazon's standard format (Kindle) or to be able to source a conversion program for them (is that possible??!) Any thoughts on Sony's e-reader, the BeBook, the Kindle... or wait for the the 9.7" Astak Mentor? Last edited by Aaida; 06-28-2008 at 07:16 AM.

06-25-2008, 12:14 PM	#2
tirsales MIA ... but returning som Posts: 1,600 Karma: 511342 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Germany Device: PRS-505 and Really not owning a PRS-700	I appologize, I misread the intention of the thread. Sorry. -- * Decent size: iLiad or Astak (I dont know wether the 9,7'' Astak will be available today). * Kindle ... as far as I know at least not legally * Battery - yeah, thats where you are loosing the iLiad. My Sony lasts more then long enough (a couple of books) though, and I guess other Readers do as well * Storage space - every reader I know supports some kind of card-interface - CF, SD, etc. Storage space shouldnt be a problem * WiFi - iLiad, Astak, dont know if others support WiFi * Font justification should AFAIK be possible on every device, or? Last edited by tirsales; 06-25-2008 at 12:19 PM.

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06-25-2008, 12:22 PM	#3
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,259 Karma: 35056282 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	Your choices are really thin. Basically the Iliad. Hopefully in a year there will be better choices. I use the old Cybook 1st gen, with a 3 hour battery life and a 10" LCD screen. But it does not read .DOC's and does PDF quite poorly. It does HTML, RTF, TXT, PRC and some others.

06-28-2008, 05:32 PM	#11
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	Some may prefer it similar to the ones that buy the Hanlin reader which has few if any commercial books available and with Igors fix they can even buy some mobipocket DRM books and use them on a Kindle. It is pretty competitively priced these days with other choices that don't include some of the features of the Kindle. For example: Dictionary support AA audible file support search capability large SD cards Keyboard left/right handed use. screen snapshot notes Dale

06-28-2008, 07:34 PM	#12
cbell Frenetic Posts: 590 Karma: 8181 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Australia Device: iLiad V2	Aaida, I suggest you take a look at http://www.dadirect.com/iliad/ DA Information Services is in Melbourne and has iLiads (both editions) and Cybook Gen3s in stock, along with all accessories/spare parts. DA also has HanLin V3.

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