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The difference really is night and day. It is the FREE format used by Google books and Gutenberg.org. Not much use on a plane or car trip. Unless the color screen on the new iPad has capabilities that, for some reason, Apple failed to mention (). There probably is no product that would survive this kind of fall.
Sony and Nook and Kindle all use the same vendor for eInk, and if you are seriously trying to replace books, no LCD screen comes close. Be careful out there - Nook appears to support free formats, but if you try their desktop program, and the specs carefully, you'll see it is useless for free formats. Sadly, I dropped it on a tile floor and the display failed. The eInk look is as good as paper.
FREE MEDIA - This is important. Sony is the only major vendor to support ePub with no DRM. it will not be usable for reading. Any LCD screen is too fuzzy and flickery to be comfortable for any serious use. Because of the flow characteristics of text within PDF documents, many are not suitable for reading on ANY reader.
I have had the PRS-505 for over a year. The Kindle and Nook do NOT allow you to read free material in ePub format. This is the only practical free format for ebooks. If you want to read classics, or move your book freely from desktop to reader to friend's readers, you cannot use the Nook or Kindle. It uses almost zero power when the page is the same, versus LCD screens which waste a tremendous amount of power on backlighting. Personally, I would not purchase ANY device which does not work with rights-free ePub format. Unfortunately, it's out of warranty, so I have watched the market very carefully.SCREEN - Please note that, unless you have held and read eInk technology, you should not be purchasing ANY device for reading.
That leaves you with some of the smaller vendors and Sony - none others at present. BATTERY - Again, eInk technology is a requirement. The Kindle, Nook and Sony readers will go 10-14 days without a charge - iPad or any other LCD will go a few hours. Also, note that PDF results may vary. There are many other features you CAN consider, but these three completely outweigh all others.
I had initially bought a Nook, which I returned within 2 weeks of purchase due to the inability to load my pdf documents. With the refund money, I bought the PRS-505 and was still left with money to spare.I uploaded at least 2,000 books (approx 2gb worth of the 4gb produo sd card), some of them comics and the reader picked them up fairly quickly. So far it has been a joy to use and have no cons to report.My only issue is the inability to search for a particular book without having to peruse through the entire list and the fact that the tags of the pdf's are not displayed the way they show on the pc, but rather like how they are embedded at the moment the document was created.After all the nightmares and dissapointment that I experienced with the Nook (mind you, I was treated very well when I went back tot he store to return it), this has been quite a respite.
I love the fact that this isn't touch screen, but it is as easy to use as one that is and no smudges on the screen. I was about to pay $200 plus for one, but then I found this Gem at an outlet store selling for $99 brand new. So, I decided it was time to buy an ebook reader. This is a very attractive looking device and feels very solid (all metal casing) in the hand which is very satisfying because so many new gadgets feel like flimsy pieces of junk these days. Wow sony really knows how to please. They have been making consumer electronics for so long that they have button layout and design down to nearly perfect. I'm glad I got this since it has two slots for expansion, which means you can add unlimited memory, torrents, other books you may have purchsed, pdfs, etc.You can covert essentially any pdf book or manual into an ebook by simply dragging and dropping into the device in literally seconds. Other readers you are stuck purchashing material exclusive from vendor and have no hope of expansion.
The screen is easy on my eyes. I called SONY, reprogrammed and now it works fine. Now that I don't have to lug books around, I LOVE it. Couldn't imagine reading off a computer. This was my Xmas gift to me 2 years ago. Whatever my mood, the book is at my fingertips. The problem was not with the reader but a programming conflict between the vendors. There was a problem for awhile downloading epub books but this seems to have been resolved between Sony and Overdrive Media.
Wherever I go I can read a book: sitting in traffic, dining out alone, waiting for car repairs etc. My only gripe is the battery life is awfully short. As a book person I first thought ick. My new BFF resides in my handbag. No glare. Another plus: I download ebooks from my library website for free. Right now I have 35 books stored.
She loves it. I bought this for my wife for Christmas. She hasn't put it down since see opened it. Easy to use and buying books and transfering from computer to the book reader is simple. Won't use it for PDF's, so I can't comment on that.
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