Can anyone recommend me a good book reader to check out? I read alot and Ive been thinking about getting an e-book but there are too many out there to know whats good and whats junk. Are any of these good?

Amazon Kindle
Sony eBook
Barnes & Noble Nook

 

The Nook is selling great, and is the cheapest option out there. The Kindle comes in a larger "DX" model also.

The Nook with WiFi for $150, or WiFi and 3G for $200. You can change font sizes pretty easily also. You can go to a Barnes and Noble store to play with one, I think Best Buy might have them also.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/feature...;linkid=1596887


The Kindle ($190) and Kindle DX ($380) <u>have a physical keyboard</u>.

A coworker has a Kindle, and it works great, but I have more interest in the Nook. I know games are available on the Nook, not sure about Kindle.



eBooks are evolving super fast, and the same books are available on the Amazon, Sony, and B&N devices.

 

Why not buy books? No 'start-up' costs and you can sell them back to a used book store...?

 

You can loan eBooks out to friends, and they cost a fraction of the price (most $10). A coworker of mine is studying for her CISSP (security certification) and doesn't want to haul around a 20 pound book all the time. Her Kindle fits in her purse, and she can study anytime she wants.

It's great for those who travel and can read an entire book in one plane trip. They don't have to find a library or book store to get their next book, just search, download, and it's ready within a minute.

I believe newspapers are also getting into eBook subscriptions, so you can download your daily NYT, LAT, WSJ, etc. no matter where you are in the world.

 

You can buy a netbook for a fraction of the price. Every computer has the ability to read e-books. I would never buy a special purpose device like an iPad when a general purpose device will work just as well.

As a side note, the lady at Radio Shack said that you can buy a netbook for $50 with a internet contract. You have 3 days to cancel the internet contract and keep the laptop. That was a few months ago.

 

Unless you really need it, I'd try to keep the gadgets which will end up in a drawer after a month to a minimum. Ask your friends with an iPad.

 

There are many benefits to most e-readers, iPad excluded. The iPad is not an e-reader.

E-readers use e-ink technology that doesn't drain the battery. The battery is really only used to initially display the text. It doesn't use a backlight and the goal has been to make it as easy on the eyes as print.

It's $200, can access WiFi and 3G with downloads directly to it, and the battery can last a week without having to find an outlet.

It's cheaper, requires much less power and recharging, has a built-in 3G connection, easier to sit and read than a backlit monitor, smaller, thinner, lighter than a book, meant to be handheld (one hand, not two and no lap needed) and direct access to the catalog. It doesn't need to "power up" or "shut down"

Think about someone in Chicago/New York riding the train/subway to and from work, or a frequent flier who doesn't have power outlets available and needs to minimize space and maximize convenience.

 

That's exactly why I bought my netbook. It can be held with one hand comfortably from the side or the bottom. It can do alot more then a reader. The only downside is that it has a 7 hour battery life.

 

I have the Kindle and have no issues with it at all. I read ALOT of books and its just alot easier for me to carry that around than it is a laptop or netbook. I would recommend it to anyone over anything else.

 

We have a kindle at my house and I think its very convenient. Most of the classics are dirt cheap and then regular books at $7? My dad bought like 30 different classic titles for about $3.