Help me, oh wise flist

[ishtar79]

So I've been dowloading e-books like crazy for my MBA final project thing because duh, academic books are expensive. And this post should in no way be considered related to the current "to download illegally or not" clusterfuck, because-duh. Anyone who knows me even a little bit can guess my views on file sharing.

I'm thinking of getting an e-reader, but don't know what a good option is. Obviously I covet the allmighty iPad, but it's a liiiitle bit over my budget right now. Can anyone recommend me a decent e-reader somewhat in the lower price range?

Comments

[elf]

Mobileread's Which one should I buy? forum is great for helping people sort out the pros & cons of various ebook readers.

The good news: they're all great for casual reading. And while they have their differences, the general rule is "people are happy with the one they got."

The bad news: nothing is great for PDFs, because PDFs are designed with *pages* in mind, and any screen that isn't the same size as the page is going to have problems. Especially scanned PDFs, if you're working with those; they can't easily convert to anything else, because they're images, not text.

If you mostly need to read letter-sized PDFs, look for something with a larger screen: the Kindle DX, or Hanlin A9, or Pocketbook 903. (Ereader chart of doooom may be useful. Or may just be overwhelming; that's a lot of data.) If you need *color* PDFs, there's really nothing good in the dedicated-ereader market right now; you'd be better off with a netbook. (Or an iPad. Which, as you've noted, is pricey as hell.)

[ishtar79]

Oh, thanks for the link!

See, the PDF issues is why I'd rather wait, because most of the books I d/l are in that format. I also really, REALLY want to read comic books on it, for which I probably need an iPad. The prices are bound to drop eventually, right?

[elf]

The prices will drop, and there'll be a market for used iPads as soon as people figure out that they're not, in fact, laptop replacements, and other tablets will show up.

I'm annoyed that I can't read comics on my Sony Reader, but on the other hand, I don't know that I'd ever get any *work* done if I could put *everything* I wanted to read on one device.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

Do you really need it to be portable, or will an ereader program that works on your computer do?

If you're prepared to spend the time converting the buggers to the right format, the kindle works well and is reasonably cheap. I use the Sony whatever the top of the range one is and it's not far off an ipad here.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

After some research and reading the comments, I think I'll save up to get a Sony further down the line, and make do with my computer for now.

[ackonrad.livejournal.com]

http://ackonrad.livejournal.com/177152.html

This is the one I want. I've read through forums about ebooks and stuff, and this one plus the 6-incher Sony are supposed to be the best, but the Sony is more expensive.

http://fire-juggler.livejournal.com/7608.html

Here is a tutorial how to transfer ebooks from your computer to a Kindle without having to buy them from Amazon.

I will use mine for reading m/m books. ;-) :-D

[ackonrad.livejournal.com]

P.S. There is a current debate about downloading ebooks illegally? What have I missed?

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links, sweetie. I think I'll save up to get the Sony further down the line.

Oh, and the books debate:

http://community.livejournal.com/sf_drama/3151380.html

[kagyakusha.livejournal.com]

I did an e-reader teaching clinic last week and the best one that anyone brought in was either the Kobo or the Sony.
I absolutely do NOT recommend the Kindle because not only is it kinda ugly, more importantly, Amazon REFUSES to allow library e-book downloads for it (which is imho, jerky!).

TL:DR - Kindle BAD. Sony or Kobo GOOD

Full disclosure: I have an iPad myself.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I think I'll save up to get Sony further down the line. (Or the iPad, even! I covet it so, and I also read a lot of comic book downloads)

[miranda-skye.livejournal.com]

I've got a Sony PRS505 Reader (which you can currently buy (http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/sony+prs505+6e2809d+ereader+28manufacturer+refurbished+model29/6337796/) secondhand from Waterstones for £60) and I love it. The display is easy to read and with a decent case (not the Sony one; I have a Tuff-Luv one) it's pretty close to reading a proper book. Mine has been all over Europe with me; the charge lasts forever. And you can put on pretty much what you like.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I think I'll go with the Sony, further down the line.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

For what it is worth? I have a Kindle and they have gone down in price. You can search the net on the Kindle and I've been able to transfer fanfic and other documents by changing the text from word format to rich text.

Books tend to be fairly cheap on it. And you can also get publications. Also right now - the going rate is $185, free 3G, and no extra payment for wireless. It's simple and easy to read without hurting your eyes, because unlike the I-Pad and the Nook - it's not backlit.

One of my cousins bought the Nook, and switched it a year later for a Kindle. Kindle's also don't have the glare.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I'm avoiding the Kindle because of format issues (and the books may be cheap, but pirating's cheaper! *g*).

As for reading issues, I really need to see the devices up close. Most aren't available yet in Greece, but that's about to change soon.