Kobo, sony pocket 300 or sony 505 or others?

[SandyBrooks]

Help me choose one please. I've played around with the sony 300 and 600 in Target. I didn't like the screen on the 600 (glare) so I ruled that one out. The 300 has a nice screen, but 5 inches seems a bit small to me. Maybe it would be fine, I don't think I'll really know until I've read a few books on it. So, the Kobo seems like a good fit for me as it has a 6 inch screen and is much cheaper than the other 6 inch readers. Of course it is not available to me in US yet. My other thought was to buy a used sony 505 which also plays mp3 files, which would be great for listening to audio books too. I don't really know how sturdy these devices are though so maybe buying used isn't a good idea? I just watched one sell for $175 on ebay, so its in the same general price range as the other devices.

Other option would be to spend more and get a nook. I am generally trying to keep the cost low 'cause I don't know how much I will use an ereader, and I think that the technology is rapidly changing so I'd likely upgrade in a few years. Advice anyone?

[Yar-PocketBooker]

Others, if I may)))

[Stephanos]

I have the 505 and am very pleased with it. I think your idea of not spending too much is a good one, since the next generation of e-ink is forthcoming. Right now, the Sony 300 is on sale everywhere. I have seen it for as low as $139.99 with free shipping. You could buy it and use it for a while at home to see if the 5 inch screen is adequate for you. Just make sure you buy from a store or a reputable online merchant.

[fjtorres]

It really depends on what matters to *you*.

If price is paramount the Sony 300 and the Jetbook/Aluratech twins are kings of the lowball for now. Next month, Kobo joins the party in the US.

Note that, 5" screens are fine as long as:
1- You're used to reading paperbacks (Or on smartphone or PDAs)
2- You choose a reader with good font controls

Now, things you should decide *upfront* if you care about them a lot, a little, or not at all include:

1- Wireless access for ebook purchases
2- touch screen
3- multiple legacy format support (prc, ereader, fb2, lit, docreader, etc)
4- text-to-speech
5- typographical controls (you get to choose any Truetype font, fonts size, line spacing, margins, alignment, hyphenation, etc)
6- SD Card expandable storage
7- motion sensor for screen rotation and other uses
8- Folder-based or flatfile database-driven bookshelf; choose one or the other
9- Note taking/annotation
10- dictionary lookup from *inside* an open ebook
11- Warranty length and terms
12- Non-ebook app support (browser, games, etc)
13- Oh, yes; price...

[Kameli]

If you read novels without pictures 5 inch screen is plenty. I used to read with 3.5 and 4 inch palm devices and it worked just fine. Now I moved to 5 inch mainly because there is no smaller e-ink devices.

I don't think any ebook is that good for listening audiobooks. They are big and fragile compared to real mp3 players. It would be pretty awkward to listen when you do anything else. At least for me audio is when I am walking, driving, cleaning, washing dishes etc.

[wallcraft]

The EZ Reader Basic (6") and Pocket Pro (5") are good value for the money, and are on sale until May 16 (Mother's Day Blowout on all EZ Readers). Note that the Basic is about to be replaced by the Plus, with improved hardware (e.g. 16 gray scales) - but the basic is still a good deal at $199. The Sony PRS-300 is cheaper, but has many less features than the Pocket Pro.

[GA Russell]

Welcome Sandy!

Since you want to keep the price low (I share your view that one needn't spend the big bucks now, knowing that the devices will improve and the prices will come down), I recommend that you not make a decision until after you have considered the jetBook Lite and the Aluratek Libre, both of which we are now seeing on sale for less than $100.

The Ectaco jetBook forum here has many threads which discuss the Libre and the JBL.

[SandyBrooks]

Thanks for the input everyone, I looked into all of the readers you mentioned. I'm leaning towards the Sony pocket 'cause it has really good reviews, I've seen it in person and they are pretty darn cheap. Office max has them for $150 and there is a coupon for $30 off purchases of $150 or more. So, $120 total. I did see a nook today at best buy and it is super pretty, but I don't think I can justify spending twice as much. The secondary color touchscreen on it is kind of gimmicky to me too.

[dreams]

Great deal. I see the ad for 149.99 but didn't find the $30 off. Where did you see that?

[SandyBrooks]

I found out about it on slickdeals: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthr...6864&t=2010004

The forum lists a code there you can use for phone orders, or you can buy a coupon from ebay that has a code you can use to order online.

Sandy

[SandyBrooks]

You can also get it from tiger direct for the same price if you don't mind waiting for bing cashback. http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthr...6864&t=2012176 Might be a better deal actually as you won't have to pay sales tax (depending on what state you live in).

[SandyBrooks]

Ok, done, I ordered the sony pocket from Tiger direct. Very excited to try this out, I've already downloaded a bunch of books and calibre.