e-Reader Showdown! What’s the best e-Book reader for me?

Having trouble deciding on what e-Reader would be best for you? There are over 50 e-Reader models out there and a lot of options to consider. The three major bookstores (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Borders) produce their own device and have their own book libraries that you can buy books from. I read over the specs of a bunch of models, looked at some reviews and came up with a list of e-Readers that best caught my eye and listed them in 3 price ranges. First up..

Budget Reader: Amazon Kindle 3 ($139 - $189)

This one really caught my eye as a feature-rich device at a great price point. I don’t like the looks so much but it probably looks better in person. Not only is it thin but it’s also one of the lightest models out there. Excellent in portability and has some cool accessories you can buy.

Notable features: 

• Kindle apps are available for your iPad/iPhone, Mac, Anrdoid phone, PC, and Blackberry so you can read your Kindle books on any device
• 6” screen (600x800 resolution)
• Lightweight (8.5 - 8.7 ounces)
• 3500 book capacity (4GB, no expandable storage)
• Free 3G Wi-Fi provided by AT&T with $189 model (for downloading books where Wi-Fi is not available)
• Battery life: 1 month with wireless off, 3 weeks with wireless on for non-3G model. Three weeks with wireless of and 10 days with wireless on for 3G model.
• Newer e-ink display technology with adjustable contrast (blacker blacks and quicker e-ink refresh times)
• Side-turning page buttons (now softer sounding) 
• Ability to change font size/typeface/spacing of words/words per line/screen rotation
• Ability to highlight/take notes like a real book
• Books auto-backed up online
• Readable formats: Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, MOBI, PRC, HTML, DOC 
  Does not support EPUB
• Recharge time 4.5 hours
• Comes in white or graphite

Runner up (for budget e-Reader): Barnes & Noble Nook ($149 - $199)

Cheaper option (for budget e-Reader): Borders Kobo ($120)

Mid-Range: Barnes & Noble Nook Color with Wi-Fi ($249) 

Think of this one as a budget color e-Reader that’s feature rich and will be running apps (like Pandora) from Barnes & Noble’s own app store. Though you can’t get apps from the Android market, they seem to run on the Nook just fine. Barnes & Noble wants this device to be perceived as one that extends the reading experience through applications and less of a multipurpose device.

Notable features: 

• Nook reader app available for iPad/iPhone, Android Phone, PC (not Mac), Blackberry
• 7” touchscreen (1024x600 resolution, 169 pixels per inch)
• Reduced glare coating for optimum brightness
• Backlit so you can read at night
• .5 inches thick
• 8GB internal memory + microSD slot
• Wi-Fi only (3G model not yet available)
• Claimed 8 hour battery life with wireless off
• 15.6oz (almost 1lb)
• Runs on Android (Behaves like a computer tablet but can’t run Android Store apps)
• Access to the 2+ million nookbooks in Barnes & Noble
• Access to over 100 color newspapers and magazines (including Conde Nast/Hearst)
• Interactive kids books
• Built-in accelerometer
• Adjustable text/fonts
• Ability to lend books to fellow Nook users with LendMe™
• Readable formats: EPUB, PDB, PDF 
  Does not support DOC, LIT, TXT, AMZ [Amazon], LRZ/LRX [Sony]
• Launches November 19
   

Baller Range: Apple iPad ($499 - $699)

If you really want an e-Reader that can read pretty much anything from PDFs to EPUB to Kindle’s AZW format, the iPad is where its at. It’s a full-featured tablet that is not only very easy to read on, but quite cool. However, it does feel less like an e-Reader since it doesn’t use e-ink for real book-like reading but it sure is more capable. And it should be for the price. I didn’t even list the 3G version of this because not only is it more expensive, but the service will set you back $15 to $25 a month from AT&T.

Notable features: 

• 16/32/64GB capacities
• 9.7 inch touchscreen (1024x768 resolution, 132 pixels per inch)
• Battery life: up to 10 hours
• Access to Apple’s iBook store, Amazon’s Kindle store, or Barnes & Noble’s Nook store. 
• Support for a very wide range of book formats if you download the right (free) apps (except Sony’s LRZ/LRX format)
• 1.5 lbs (heaviest option)
• Interactive kids books
• It’s an iPad! You know what it does

Notable Baller Range: Amazon Kindle DX ($379)

I had to give this a decent mention as well as it is the largest e-ink reader you can buy. It’d also be useful for reading textbooks if textbook publishers ever decide to produce more digital versions of their books (which they should). It also makes a great newspaper/magazine reader.

Notable features: 

• 9.7” display (824x1200 resolution)
• Free 3G wireless provided by AT&T
• Battery life: 2-3 weeks with wireless off, 1 week with wireless on
• 3500 book capacity (4GB, non-expandable)
• 18.9oz (About 1.1lbs)
• Readable formats: Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, MOBI, PRC
• Recharge time: 4 hours
• Zoom feature
• Ability to highlight, save sections/notes like a real book

So there you have it! E-book readers are THE way to read books. Note that all of them have the ability to play MP3s and display pictures if that’s a feature you’d like.  

Some people still enjoy having shelves full of books, but I personally like the convenience of carrying thousands of books around in a slim and portable device. Plus, there are millions of free books out there for you to enjoy if you really don’t want to pay to read some books.

I’ve opted to read books on my iPhone and I’ve had no eye strain issues (that I was aware of) from reading hours on end in the dark. I actually read the entire Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins in 5 days on the iPhone and it was quite enjoyable. With e-ink, you can’t read in the dark without additional lighting, but I do like how it looks. However, with older e-ink readers, turning pages took a second to materialize (the nature of e-ink) which I didn’t like so much. The Kindle 3 does a nice job at speeding it up and making reading even more enjoyable.

I must note that I didn’t list any Sony e-Readers because they didn’t seem to stack up as well to the Kindle 3 in features for their price. But, if you’re looking for a smaller e-Reader with expandable memory options, the Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 ($180) is an alternative that can be had for cheaper.