Which e-Book reader to buy? Best combination of price and value?

ThePensioner on 02/11/2011 - 22:59

hi all, i'm not sure which e-Book reader to buy. i've been struggling with eye-strain because i'm always looking at my LED PC screen. i'd love something that'd allow me to take notes with a stylus or some type of pen device. i know the iPad can read books, but the LCD will just give me more eye-strain.

i'm looking at the Kindle from amazon, Sony e-reader and the iPad - unless there are some others out there?

i want something that can read pdfs, .docs, and other document files. battery life isn't an issue for me.

is there an indepth review out there?

are there any bargains at the moment or do i need to wait?

thanks

General Discussion

Comments

  • ESEMCE on 03/11/2011 - 08:11

    If you just want a reader, then e-Ink is the way to go, but e-Ink has a very slow response time, so I don't think it'd be very good at other tasks, and as a result, I doubt you'll find an e-Ink reader with any stylus input feature.
    So to expand your options, consider this:
    I minimise eyestrain when reading on my Galaxy S (SAMOLED screen) by inverting the colours ie black screen, white text. (for dark situations, I use a grey text to reduce contrast)
    I find this works pretty well, and as an added bonus, for OLED screens at least, black is the most efficient "colour" to display, for LCD, black is the most power hungry.

    As such, you could seriously consider any Android powered tablet device. Because you want stylus input, you can even look at the bottom end of the market with resistive screens that prefer stylus input! (Capacitive screens will need special conducting stylus and, I believe, are not as pinpoint accurate as a resistive screen with a stylus)

    • ThePensioner on 03/11/2011 - 17:31

      where's the galaxy s?

      • ESEMCE on 09/11/2011 - 15:17

        The Galaxy S is a phone, only a "puny" 4" screen.

  • bargainr on 03/11/2011 - 09:16
    +1

    Kindle is awesome, you won't regret it as an eBook platform. Screen is easy on the eyes, font size adjustable, etc. But it's a dedicated eBook device. iPads are good (I have both) but they serve different purposes. If you read alot, buy alot of books, then you won't be disappointed with a kindle.

  • ThePensioner on 03/11/2011 - 17:13

    ok thanks. i see the kindle on amazon for $79. how much is it when it's converted to AU and delivery? i've seen games on the steam store for $30, but then it shows up as $80-$90 in AU.

    anyone know?

    • Morbo on 03/11/2011 - 23:13
      +1

      The $79 Kindle 4 is the ad-supported version and is only available in the US. The cheapest one available to the rest of the world is $109 (exactly the same as the $79 one but no ads). Shipping is about $21 USD. The Amazon exchange rate is a few cents worse than the Australian rate. I got one delivered a few weeks ago for AUD $133. You can get them from DSE for $139 now.

      I think it's still worth it at that price, seriously impressive device. For the basic task of reading text, it's perfect. It only takes a few formats but it's not really an issue as it is simple to convert the files. However if you need to keep the pdf format - for example, if the document contains images, diagrams etc - it is more problematic. The screen is too small to comfortably view a full page so you need to read it in landscape mode to make it readable and only get about a third of the page at a time.

      The other issue you mentioned is taking notes. If you absolutely need to use a stylus then you should rule out the Kindle altogether as it isn't possible with any version. It is possible to take notes on the Kindle 4 using the on-screen keyboard and the 5-way controller, however it is obviously not a particularly quick way to do so (though I've found it to be better than I expected). Maybe look into the Kindle Keyboard version if you don't necessarily need a stylus. (I haven't used the keyboard version but I imagine it would be reasonably easy to take notes on).

  • ThePensioner on 03/11/2011 - 17:13

    the sony reader is $180 at target.

  • ThePensioner on 03/11/2011 - 22:12

    does anyone know how much the price will increase once i tell them i'm from aus?

  • kiriakoz on 03/11/2011 - 22:18

    I have a kindle and I haven't regretted it one little bit.

    I love the e-ink display… it's very easy to read in various conditions.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2011 - 04:19

    I have an old Sony reader and think it is fantastic… my mum has one of the just released models too and is happy with it…
    The sony reader does come with a stylus and has a handwriting function if you wish to take a small amount of notes, but I wouldn't recommend it if you wanted to write loads.
    Definitely go with an e-ink one though, stay away from the other screens, the eye strain just isnt worth it and they are not as practical outside.

    The Sony readers can be a bit of a hassle to get books for, the sony store isnt available in Australia yet, so you have to buy from Borders etc. online, which they do link to through the program.
    The kindle is cheaper, e-ink and is easier to get books for, so this is probably the better option (especially now that it can be purchased in AU.)

  • ThePensioner on 04/11/2011 - 09:37

    the sony e-reader seems like a good buy.

    so the kindle is $140 from DS? so the sony has a stylus. how's the sony for .pdfs? i guess i could always convert them. what do you guys think?

    thanks

    • auna on 04/11/2011 - 13:57

      http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/56342

      You can contact me through my profile.

    • auna on 04/11/2011 - 13:57

      Dupe comment.

    • Ultraman on 04/11/2011 - 14:17

      File format-wise, Sony is your best bet if you want to read .Doc files — when loading I think the software converts the .doc to .rtf file.

      Kindle — unless the new ones have changed — you're stuck with reading only books you download via Amazon.

      Overall, the $40 extra you pay today for the Sony would be well worth it — the touchscreen beats the clunkiness of the five way controller. I paid $300 for my Sony when it first came out and don't regret it. For $180, I should have bought it for my mum instead of the Kindle and I do regret that!!! Lols, unfortunately it would be hard to return it to the USA…..

      Stylus - I agree with bercilak above - is ok for small amounts of notes or scribbles only. An example of what the stylus is handy for though is picking out words on screen to display the dictionary entry, instead of trying to stab at a word with your finger.

      Review wise - check out the Whirlpool or MobileRead forums.

    • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2011 - 18:16
      +1

      The sony is alright for .pdfs
      They work alright but depending on how they are formatted, it can get a little weird with the pages.
      One page of a .pdf would become 2.5 on the ereader, leaving half a page blank.
      I have only had this problem on some pdfs though.
      If I get this problem I usually convert the pdf into a different format (usually .doc) and try with that.

      What jbk says about the kindle is true also, you can generally only get ebooks from amazon, with the sony you can get them from borders, angus and robertson, fishpond..anywhere really which sells epubs (i find these to be the best format)
      I have also read somewhere that some kindle books come with a download limit…so if you buy it and then remove it from the device you may not be able to re download…but im not 100% sure about this.

  • tomo88 on 08/11/2011 - 15:54

    hey guys, i'm looking at getting a refurbed 3rd gen kindle http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/56278, what do you guys think? On price and over the 4th gen one?

    TBH I'm swaying with this one as 109/139 is an approx 20% discount for effectively the same use. Sure, the 4th gen is more pocketable and smaller, but I already feel the 3rd gen is small enough and I think that the 20 bux saving is worth it. But I haven't got a 4th gen, only from what I've gauged from reviews so just want to see if other's feel that the differences are minimal. That 20 bux saved can goto a few books so i think its worth it

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