Ebook Readers Currently Available

Ebook Readers - The Different Ebook Readers Currently Available

There are 5 different Ebook Readers currently available.

First up is the Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader - this is the best-selling ebook reader on the market, due in part to its endorsement by Oprah Winfrey.

It was launched in 2007 and version 2 has just been launched and will be available from Feb. 24 - hopefully Amazon will have made enough this time around, as version 1 was sold out for months.

It displays books, newspaper, magazines and blogs on "electronic paper" and you can download books etc... over Amazon Whispernet via the Sprint EVDO network. The Kindle is a portable digital book reader that does not require a computer and books are downloaded wirelessly. There is no fee for Whispernet. The new Kindle Ebook Reader is very thin and will read the books out to you if you prefer. The Kindle Ebook Reader i selling well so if you are into stock trading then you might also consider buying shares in Amazon! The price for the new Ebook Reader is $359.

The Sony Reader is the main competitor to the Kindle Ebook Reader at the moment. It uses an electronic paper display from E Ink Corporation.

The latest version of the Sony Ebook Reader is the PRS-700. It has a touchscreen that doubles up as a virtual keyboard. The touch screen allows note taking. It has LED lighting for poor lighting conditions. Internal storage - 512MB. Sale price in the USA $399.

The iRex 1000S Ebook Reader gets mixed reviews - it seems to be a good device that is however a bit sluggish, way too expensive (over $700), and not very user-friendly.

The Cybook by Bookeen is an ultra-light Ebook Reader that uses E Ink screen technology. It is readable under direct sunlight. It reads a wide range of file formats and allows access to a wide range of digital documents. Cost $350.

There is also the Cybook DeLuxe which is the Cybook + a set of accessories i.e.
- cover
- USB Charger
- 2 GB SD memory card
- Stereo earphones
- Extra battery
The accessories will cost you an extra $100.

EReader from Plastic Logic is expected to have a selected release for the second half of 2009 with general release in 2010. The intention is that it shall replace paper, it will be less than 7 mm thick, and weigh less than 16 oz. (about 500 gr.) It will display MS Office documents, PDF files etc... but doesn't seem interested in the ebook market.

The device uses flexible plastic substrates for the display. This produces active matrix displays that are thinner, lighter and stronger than glass silicon displays.
It is described as a business reader, for reading bsuiness documents.

Where can you use your Plastic Logic eReader?
Wlle they say : "With wireless capability, ... the Plastic Logic eReader is designed to be used virtually anywhere." Make of that what you will. Does it mean the PL Ereader has wireles capability? To me it sounds ambiguous, but we shall in 2010.

Finally, the eSlick by Foxit is expected any time soon. It will be about the size of a medium paperback and 0.4 inches thick with a 6-inch 800 x 600 resolution display. The eSlick Ebook Reader panel is made by the same firm as Amazon uses, and it will have 128MB of inbuilt memory plus a 2GB SD card. It also doubles as an MP3 player.

Their site is a ridiculous grey on black therefore illegible - so I didn't bother reading it - let's hope the device is more intelligent. Price is $250 - still expensive but less so than all the others.

At the moment it is the Kindle Ebook Reader that it stealing all the glory, which is why I put a picture of it here, but who knows maybe the others will come up with something better!

UPDATE : For information on another alternative to the Kindle Ebook Reader see the Onyx Boox Ebook Reader

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