I've been using eBook eReaders for several years now, I started with the eBookwise 1150, then migrated to the Sony PRS505, finally changing to the Sony PRS700. I've come to realize that each of these eReaders, while being a great way to read, are very expensive for a piece of electronics that only does one or two things (many of them have MP3 players incorporated in the design.) Particularly when you add the fact that they only display in black and white.
I've recently switched to a Mobile Internet Device (MID), the SmartDevices SmartQ 7. It too has it's shortcomings, but it does so much more than the eReaders, handles many more book formats, and has several different operating systems available for it (Ubuntu Mobile, Android, Windows CE 6.0, Mer) and probably several others I'm not yet aware of.
It has built-in wireless, USB on-the-go and USB, takes SD cards up to 16G, plays audio and video, has a web browser and email capabilities, and too much more to list here.
The most attractive part about it is that it sells for on eBay for $230 U.S. including shipping. I've had mine for several weeks now, and I love it.
I might go back to an e-ink device if they ever get one that's reasonably priced, has a colour screen and does all the things that the SmartQ can do.
It's just my opinion, as button says.
Dan
Gallery: E-book e-reader list is growing
Sony promises to be a major e-book player by recently adding two new e-readers to its library - a pocket version and one that features a touch screen. Sony also offers access to Google's public domain library. This means that Sony e-readers will have access to over a million books.
The The Reader Pocket Edition will sell for $199 and the Reader Touch Edition will sell for $299, and the 7-inch model has a price tag of for $399.
Talkback Most Recent of 12 Talkback(s)
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dpayment@...20th Oct 2009 -
I'm seriously thinking . . .
about getting one of the older Netbooks via eBay, or somewhere cheap. I could put a couple of reader programs on it, along with Foxit reader, and just use that.
And spend less money, too.
JLHenry20th Oct 2009 -
RE: (Gallery: E-book e-reader list is growing)
Nintendo DS has an e-book facility - why is this not included in your review?
ScotCan20th Oct 2009 -
RE: (Gallery: E-book e-reader list is growing)
e-books are great. I have nearly 1000 e-books. I've read them on a PC, a laptop, a netbook, and a Palm device. Do we really need many more devices and formats to read them with? The books store so easily. My only problem with e-books is that they don't seem to be edited as thoroughly as the print books. There are many more grammatical errors, misspelling and words missing than in print books. This is annoying as many e-books are as expensive as their print versions.
merco@...20th Oct 2009 -
RE: (Gallery: E-book e-reader list is growing)
Is there an Ebook reader out there that will read PDF
files without modification?
Not all EBooks are books, sometimes, we'd just like to
carry our critical documents (instruction manuals,
disaster recovery plans etc) on them.
gavin.bollard@...20th Oct 2009 -
native pdf files
Kindle DX will handle native pdf. When plugged into your computer via USB, the DX looks like a memory stick. Anything you can find or anything you can scan into pdf can be displayed on the DX. Bad side, can't zoom in/out. Hopefully, this is a firmware upgrade in the near future as the competition heats up
pvandevisse@...20th Oct 2009 -
Reading PDF Files
Believe it or not, I have Adobe's Reader on my Palm Treo. I also have eReader and MobiPocket Reader. Between these three, I think I've got most of the available formats pretty much sewn up...
Edouin22nd Oct 2009 -
RE: (Gallery: E-book e-reader list is growing)
I'm using ADE on my laptop. Adobe Digital editions.
It's a free download and allows you to read .pub or
.pdf files and when you close it and reopen it it
keeps you place. The only drawback is the white
background that gives me eye strain. To the person who
commented about the errors on e-Books; try proof
reading one on a computer and looking for all those
errors. I found a few errors on each page the first
time I proof read my novel. Minor things like a comma
in the wrong place. then I re-read and found a few
errors per chapters. I'm doing it for the fourth time
and still finding errors, mostly minor like I miss the
r when I type your fast! It has to be perfect though
as it will probably be published I print. When I'm
rich i'll pay a proof reader! But e-Books and the low
cost of publishing will revolutionise the availability
of fiction and non-fiction. Adobe and other sites are
giving away free e-Books like Mills and Boon; enjoyed
by millions but not my taste. I think people who don't
read many novels and read lots of non fiction like me
will find new genres that match my taste and fast
moving stories that are the type of thing I enjoy
writing. I am also a comedy writer and we need a lot
more than that. Our creative efforts as writer can
become a revolution that may well help pull the world
out of economic recession and create a world of
readers. Children were caught up in the world of Harry
Potter and his magic; now we need some magic for
everyone to enjoy. It will be another revolution
similar to the one that pop music brought to us and
ABBA outsold Volvo cars in Sweden at the height of
their success. Perhaps, the future of the US economy
relies not on General Motors but the creative genius
of technologists giving us the tools and writers
exercising their imagination.
Mike106132000@...21st Oct 2009 -
eBooks - bad for consumers, good for publishers
Here's my beef (several) about eBooks:
1. The reader is expensive! Even a cheap one is $200+. This compared to a plain paper book that comes with a user interface included.
2. The reader will be obsolete shortly. The technology, though technically not all that new, is being upgraded all the time.
3. Formats aren't compatible across readers. Admittedly I haven't researched this part but I assume some books are available in one format but not others so you can't really read everything on any reader.
4. The eBooks cost as much as a real book. This is ridiculous. I can understand the price on a real book since you've got a physical product, but when all the publisher/distributor has to do is download a bunch of bits and bytes why do you have to pay as much as if you got a real book?
5. You finish the book and that is it. Hey, I like to pass books on to friends and I like to get books from friends. I also like used book stores, Goodwill, and garage sales. But with the eBook you buy it for your reader and you can't loan it to a friend without giving them your reader. This truly diminishes the value of the book.
6. Just more electronics. The Reader is just another thing to lose, misplace, break, have the batteries run down, buy another charger for, etc.
7. It's just duplicating something most of us already have - a computer. And if you go with a netbook, nearly the same size, you can get a full functioning computer for not much more than the Reader.
No, I'm not a Luddite. I stay close to the leading edge on equipment and make a living maintaining and supporting tech stuff. I just don't see the value of eBooks and readers.
boomchuck121st Oct 2009 -
Thank you
I have been doing as much research as possible regarding an e-reader, and after reading your post, I have decided to include the netbook in my search. I agree that the e-reader function is limited, but i like the idea of having several or hundreds of books on hand without the volumn or weight involved. What about a Tablet PC? It also has more abilities.
davehockman@...22nd Oct 2009 -
What did you expect?
Eh? Did you say the same when them new-fangled net-books came out too?
It's a new concept in mobility and eLiterature, its a new product (relatively speaking) and it's an aggressive market. Each publisher wants their readers to read on their software and hardware. Kinda like the old PC wars back in the 80's, eh? IBM, Commodore, MS, some upstart called Apple, and hundreds more.
Eventually it will settle itself out as everything does, we just have to give it time.
However #4 is totally out to lunch! Have you ever priced a first edition hardcover book? If you walk out with change from a $50 bill, you're doing good! I'm not talking about some cheap serialized ghost-authored action/romance/comedy/teen angst novel. I'm talking about a "decent" novel that is written by someone who actually knows how to write a book! Luddites easily drop $50 or more for one of those books. I can get the same book for between $7 and $15. I can also get "pre-release" editions (not fully edited, but can't wait for it to come out...), called Advanced Reader Copies (ARC's) also for $15. A serious reader/collector with sufficient funds would pay almost anything to find out who did what to whom months before the official release date. My most expensive ebook I've ever bought was $15, half of what it would be at Amazon.com. And it was an ARC! Why would I want to go back to paper books? Devices? who needs them, eh? I have over 300 books on my cell phone. I cannot carry half that many novels in boxes - People want to be able to de-clutter their lives, not create libraries in their basements - they have better uses for their houses than a book repository. Heck, I cannot even give my complete Encyclopedia Britannica's away!
True, I have a lot of books in boxes, many of which I could never part with as most are complete sets by authors, or series', or no longer in print, and grew up with them and cannot get them in ebook format, so yes, I still read real books, but I never travel to them - even for my morning coffee - my cell phone is my book. It is also my Reference library, my data storage device (to my online data archives via my website), and I can access and edit any of my MS Office documents on my cell too. Why do I need a netbook, laptop or e-Reader? Simply because it is more efficient to use the appropriate device for the appropriate task. I get eye strain from using my cell, and my netbook even (yes, I have one of those). I would like an eReader, but I am not ready to drop $200 just yet. When they come down to sub-$100, then I'll look more seriously. I'm not a geek, and I'm not a luddite. I just like technology because it makes my life easier - which is what it is supposed to do, right?Edouin22nd Oct 2009 -
price of ebooks and why get a reader
"4. The eBooks cost as much as a real book. This is ridiculous. I can understand the price on a real book since you've got a physical product, but when all the publisher/distributor has to do is download a bunch of bits and bytes why do you have to pay as much as if you got a real book?"
I buy almost exclusively ebooks these days (can you say font enlargement?). They are about 20% less than dead tree books. The cost of printing and distributing a book is not that high compared to the cost of creating the book from author to typesetter so the discount from paper to electrons isn't going to be that large either.
I don't have a dedicated reader; I read on my laptop, netbook or Palm TX. Other than eInk, there is no reason for me to buy yet another device. Mine will read almost any format just by getting the appropriate reader software (free). I can also get my ebooks from any provider. Someday, perhaps, when ebooks are ubiquitous, I'll get a dedicated reader. Until then I'm happy with what I have.
TheComputerator7th Dec 2009
Talkback - Tell Us What You Think
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