Best Ebook Reader The Bestselling, Best Value E-Readers Around
The best ebook reader is a difficult thing to define. After all, how do you tell which is best? So many brands and so many models are fighting for the title. So if you have decided to make the wise investment, you’re in for a tough choice.
There are many factors that add up to the overall quality of an ebook reader. There is, however, a difference between what the market currently considers as the best and what you would consider as the best, depending on your individual needs.
The most important features that make the best ebook reader is portability and lightness, good memory capacity, long-lasting battery, easy to use interface with good navigation, and the right type of screen. However, these readers now also come with special features such as landscape/portrait reading, text to speech features, font size adjustments, and several others.
One good guide is to check out what others are buying.
The Kindle 2 from Amazon is currently the best ebook reader. Despite the efforts of many e-reader brands to topple the Kindle off the number one spot, Amazon continues to rule the market. The Kindle 2 excels in features, content, and the technical.
When it comes to content, you get a dedicated content service from which you can source your ebooks. You can even download newspapers, magazines, and blogs, and enjoy them all on your slim and light Kindle 2.
The Kindle 2 has a 6-inch screen that uses the usual E-ink for comfortable reading. Its battery life can last for 2 weeks on a single charge, which takes up to 4 hours. It comes with 16 levels of gray and a maximum resolution of 600 x 800. All in all, it can store up to 2 GB worth of ebook files. These files can be anything from Kindle or AZW format, TXT, MOBI, and convertible formats PDF and Microsoft Word files.
But what make the Kindle 2 the best ebook reader are its two most innovative features: the Text to Speech and the 3G and Whispernet wireless connectivity.
The Kindle DX is another extension of the Amazon genius when it comes to e-book readers. The only thing keeping the DX from the top spot is its relatively higher price than the Kindle 2. The Kindle DX, however, is a few notches higher than its predecessor.
It has a larger 9.7-inch E-ink screen, perfect for those who prefer larger screens. The reader itself has an overall size of 10.4 x 7.2 x .4, making it large enough for your comfort but slim enough for your convenience, though the Kindle 2 is expectedly lighter.
The Kindle DX features the same dedicated content service as well as the capability to support newspapers, magazines, and blogs. It also comes with the same breakthrough features, the Text to Speech and the 3G and Whispernet wireless connectivity.
The difference that makes the Kindle DX the best ebook reader is that it can already support PDF format, and adds RTF to its convertible formats. It also has a higher resolution of up to 1200 x 824, and can store up to 4 GB of files, which is the market’s largest possible built-in memory.
Another beloved best e-book reader series is the Sony PRS, which offers the latest Sony PRS-700. This series is known for its excellent quality, but they are reserved for those with larger budgets given their higher prices. The PRS-700 is available at a price of up to $800. For that price, you get a 6-inch E-ink touch screen device with up to 600 x 800 resolution, 8 grayscale levels, and a battery life of 2 weeks on a single charge, which only takes up to 2 hours.
There are, however, several limitations, such as its 420 MB limited memory. It also does not support newspapers and magazines, nor does it offer Text to Speech features. Aside from that, it is not equipped with wireless connectivity. Its format support is limited to BBeB Book, PDF, and ePUB, and convertible formats DOC and HTML.
Despite these limitations, the PRS-700 sells well, perhaps because of its touch screen offer and its reliable quality, its sleek look, and the Sony brand.
The best ebook reader list is ruled by Amazon and Sony, and a host of other lesser known brands. If the Amazon Kindle readers are out of your league, then at least Sony has an affordable offer that you can easily afford. Considered as the cheapest no-frills ereader around, the PRS-300 from Sony is not a feature-focused offer, but is quality-oriented.
The 5-inch model comes with a 2-week battery and 440 MB memory capacity, which can hold up to 350 ebooks. It does not have the touch screen featured in later PRS models, but its directional pad works satisfactorily. It also comes in dark blue, silver, and rose colors so you can choose which one fits your preferences best.
You can avail of the PRS-300BC for only $199, with some sellers still offering discounts. The package comes with a special Intuitive eBook Library software that works on both PC and Mac.
With almost 5 stars on Amazon and a price of under $250, the Bookeen Cybook Opus 5-inch e book reader is a great value offer. The slim, sleek, silver ereader looks like a modified version of the Kindle, so in looks, you have nothing to complain about. It uses an E-ink 76mm x 101mm screen with a resolution of 600 x 800 and up to 200 dpi.
It comes with 4 levels of grayscale and supports both landscape and portrait orientations. Unlike the COOL-ER, which requires you to go through the settings to choose from landscape and portrait, the Bookeen Cybook Opus comes with auto-rotation thanks to its integrated accelerometer.
The Bookeen Cybook Opus is one of the best ebook reader with an affordable price. It can support EPUB and PDF files and comes with 1 GB of internal memory. One of the best things about it, however, is that you can extend the memory with its microSD card slot. The page-turn buttons are also located on the sides of the reader for one-handed reading convenience. And to top it all off, it comes with 12 different font sizes.
3. COOL-ER
The COOL-ER is a popular budget-friendly choice among young ebook fans. The sleek and very attractive e book reader comes in several colors and takes after the appeal of the iPod mp3 players. It even comes with a unique D-Pad scroll wheel more popularly seen on iPods. At under $250, the package comes with a dedicated content service for ebooks and can support blogs, making it ideal for the young and tech-savvy.
The COOL-ER comes with a 6-inch E-ink screen and a battery that can exceed 2 weeks. It has 8 gray levels and a 1 GB memory. It is extremely light at only 6.3 ounces, which makes it the lightest in most top ten best ebook readers lists. It can support PDF, TXT, and HTML files. As for its image and audio support, these are quite limited to just JPEG and MP3, respectively. It can also allow you to read in portrait or landscape orientations.
But for its price, you already get a good deal for an entry-level ebook reading companion.
Choosing the Right Reading Companion
You are buying an ebook reader for yourself. So you have to find the best ebook reader that fits your needs. First, consider your budget. This will narrow down your choices to a select few that falls within your price range. Then consider the usage you have in mind. If you want something you can take with you and fit into your purse, check out the smaller models.
If you want a reader that won’t give much strain to your eyes, pick a bigger model or choose one with font size adjustments. Do you devour books or just like some light reading? Your range of reading will determine the ideal memory capacity for you. All these factors will lead you to your best ebook reader.
