Welcome to our site! Between my husband and I, and several of our friends, we have personally owned every eBook Reader reviewed on this page. That includes the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX, the Sony PRS-505 and 700, and the Ectaco Jetbook. What can I say? We're a little obsessed. We have compiled all of our research, first-hand experience and the stores where we bought our eBook readers for the lowest prices, and that's what you'll find below. All of us are big fans of eBay.com, because 99% of the time, you can win or buy the exact same ebook reader for a lot less money. We include manufacturer and eBay buying options below. We hope this information helps you find the eBook reader that's right for you.
AMAZON KINDLE READERS
The Amazon Kindle readers are extremely popular because of Whispernet, which allows you to shop the Kindle store directly from your Kindle. You won't find another eBook reader with the Whispernet feature! The Kindle 2 (latest generation), which was released in January 2009, is probably the world's most popular eBook reader. It is sold by Amazon.com. The Kindle 2 is sleeker, more ergonomic, and has a longer battery life than the original Kindle. It also offers more Whispernet coverage, a text-to-speech feature, and 16-level grayscale. The best news is that the price tag just dropped for the third time: it's down to $299.00 on Amazon! You can't even find it cheaper on eBay.com.
The newest digital reader from Amazon.com was just released on June 10th. It's called the Kindle DX and you can buy it for $489.00. While the Kindle DX shares many features with the Kindle 2, there are three key changes. The most visible change is a really large screen: 9.7 inches! Great for viewing business documents, college textbooks or for leisure readers who like big screens. The other two changes include a native PDF reader, and the internal storage has been ramped up from 2GB to 4GB.
Features:
Only available in the Kindle DX:
- A huge 9.7" e-ink screen (16-level gray scale)
- 4GB of internal memory (holds up to 3,500 eBooks). Non-expandable.
- A native PDF reader
Features available in the Kindle DX and Kindle 2:
- Read-to-Me. This is a new text-to-speech feature that allows the Kindle to read out loud to you. It can read any newspaper, magazine, blog, or book, as long as the author has not disabled the feature.
- Built-in speakers.
- 16-level gray scale! Both Kindle's use e-ink technology, which reads like real paper and is easy on the eyes. Even in bright sunlight! You can view a picture depicting gray scale to your right.
- Longer battery life - Read for four days while connected wirelessly, or turn off the wireless and read for two weeks!
- The Kindle 2 offers 2GB of internal storage (holds over 1,500 books). Non-expandable.
Available in all Kindle's:
- The world's largest electronic bookstore: Over 245,000 books, audiobooks, U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available.
- Wireless connectivity - This enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle, no matter where you are. You do NOT need a computer. Your e-book is auto-delivered wirelessly in 60 seconds or less!
- Kindle utilizes a technology called Whispernet, which uses Sprint's high-speed data network. Unlike a cell phone connection, Whispernet will work no matter your location. A new feature of the Kindle 2 is that it gives you more coverage--it uses both high-speed EVDO and fallback to 1xRTT.
- Free book samples: Download and read the first chapter for free before you decide to buy. All newspaper subscriptions offer a risk-free two-week trial.
- Kindle has six adjustable font sizes.
- Kindle controls are designed for ambidextrous use, and the screen will never become hot, so you can read for as long as you like, comfortably.
- Kindle DX is the only reader with a native PDF Reader. Both Kindle's support the following native file formats: Kindle (AZW), MOBI, PRC, TXT, Audible and MP3. Convertible files include: PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP.
- PC and MAC compatible
SONY DIGITAL READERS
SONY has always been a major rival of the Kindle. True to form, Sony also released a new model this year, the PRS-700. The big deal about this digital reader is an integrated touch screen! It also has a built-in LED reading light for reading in the dark (NOT a backlight, so it won't cause eye strain). You won't find another eBook reader that has these features! Now, quite possibly the best feature of the 700 and 505 Sony readers is the incredible amount of storage. Using an SDHC expansion card, you can expand up to 32GB. That's about 28,000 books, my friends! You can purchase from Amazon.com for $345.00. If you'd like to check out the eBay listing for the PRS-700, please click here. Next is Sony's 2008 model, the PRS-505. Many people feel that the protective cover for the touchscreen in the PRS-700 causes some extra glare, and still prefer the PRS-505. You can buy the PRS-505 on Amazon.com for $249.95, or click here to view the eBay.com listings.
Sony Digital Reader Features:
Only available in the PRS-700:
- An integrated touch screen - the first e-Book reader to ever offer this feature! Screen size is 6" with 8-level gray scale.
- Built-in LED reading light: read in the dark without bothering anyone! Not a backlight, so no eye strain.
Available in the PRS-700 and PRS-505:
- A faster version of e-Ink's imaging film with faster refresh time, brighter white state, and 8-level gray scale, compared to the PRS-500 model.
- One charge will turn 7,500 pages.
- 512 MB of internal memory. The memory can be expanded to 2GB using an SD memory card, or up to 32GB (28,000 books!) using an SDHC expansion card.
- You can share your e-books online with your friends and family!
- You can use "Collections", a feature that allows you to group and organize book titles on the storage card.
- The readers use an iTunes Store-like interface to purchase books from Sony's Connect eBook store through your computer.
- File formats supported natively: JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP. Audio (unsecured): MP3, AAC. Text (usecured): BBeB, ePub, TXT, RTF, Adobe® PDF, Microsoft Word.
- A computer connection (broadband recommended) is required to download books.
- Natively PC compatible, but Sony Readers will also work with a MAC.
ECTACO JETBOOK EBOOK READER
Every single one of us was really impressed with the Jetbook eBook Reader offered by ECTACO, which was released in 2008. It has some really unique features that neither the Kindle nor Sony systems have! Seeing as Ectaco is the leading electronic language translator company in the world, it should come as no surprise that their eBook reader supports eBooks and audiobooks in over 27 languages! This is definitely the eBook reader for anyone who either isn't a native English speaker, or wants to learn a new language. Some other great features include a collection of books that come pre-installed on your reader, and the Ectaco company offers a free search service to help you find thousands of free books. (Imagine that--a company that doesn't want to only purchase books from their online store!) The easiest place to buy this one is from the the Ectaco website for $299.95. Even better, they have a special right now for $50 off plus a free dual USB cable and earlight! Of course, you should also check out eBay listings, where we have found the Jetbook for as low as $199.00!
Features:
- Support for e-Books in Albanian, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Faeroese, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian and other European languages.
- Built-in English <-> Russian, English <-> Polish, English & German dictionaries
- 5-inch VGA reflective monochrome TFT screen with 16-level gray scale. This revolutionary display reflects light without the need for backlighting, which can tire the eyes. Read easily in direct sunlight or subdued lighting.
- Weighs only 7.5 ounces - Really does fit in your pocket! The Sony weighs in at 9 ounces and the Kindle at 10.2 ounces.
- Memory: 112MB internal. Expandable via SD card slot to 2GB.
- 180 degree adjustable viewing angle and a 90 degree screen rotation. Can be viewed in both portrait and landscape mode!
- Auto page turn functionality. There are 8 different speeds you can set it to, and the pages will turn on their own.
- Offers two different types of font: Arial and Verdana, both available in 6 sizes.
- Supported file formats: FB2, TXT, PDF, JPG, GIF, ePub, Mobi, PRC, RFT and MP3
- JetBook comes with a collection of books pre-installed to help you on your way to building a library. Access to 500,000 free ebooks and audiobooks.
- 11,500 pages turned on a single charge!
- All messages, function support, and built-in manuals available in English, Polish, Russian and German. More languages to come soon!
- Books are FREE. Ectaco has compiled a huge list of free domain books, and if you can't find the book you want, they'll do a free search and find it for you!
- Also plays audiobooks
- Requires an internet connection via USB cable to download books.
- Offers a one-year International warranty
- PC and MAC compatible
We hope this information has helped you find the ebook reader that's right for you--best of luck and happy reading!