Portable eBook Reader
In the Portable Ebook Reader pages you will Find eBook Reader Reviews to Help You Choose the Best eBook Reader
By Mike Tait
A portable ebook reader maybe just what you need if your book collection no longer fits on your shelves or you are conscious of the environmental impact of producing more paper books.
Although they have been around since about 1998, the portable ebook reader is really starting to gain in popularity. Even though the first popular portable ebook reader was the Sony Librie in 2005 and then the Sony PRS 500 Reader and iRex iLiad both in 2006, it is the Amazon Kindle that came out in late 2007 that most people think about when talking about a portable ebook reader.
Some of the Early Portable eBook Readers
Competition is a good thing for the consumer and the portable ebook reader
Even More Choices Today
Since 2009, the eBook Readers came of age as more manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon. Some of the lesser known ones that come to mind are the COOL-ER by Interead, BeBook by Endless Ideas, the eBook by Elonex, and the eSlick by Foxit.
The Portable eBook Reader Competition Heats Up
The bigger players have not been resting on their laurels. The Sony Ebook Reader lineup is constantly evolving. Sony brought out the 5 inch Reader Pocket Edition PRS 350, 6 inch Reader Touch Edition PRS 650, and the 7 inch Reader Daily Edition PRS 950, have now all been discontinued to be replaced by the new 6 inch PRS T1 with Wi-Fi.
Amazon, with their Kindle Ebook Reader, brought out the Kindle 2 on February 10, 2009, the Kindle 3 on July 28, and the much larger Kindle DX which was first released on May 6, 2009. In November 2011, Amazon’s lineup has extended to include the Kindle 4, the Kindle Touch, and the Kindle Fire.
Then on the 30th of November 2009, Barnes & Noble entered the portable ebook reader market with the Barnes and Noble Nook which quickly became a very healthy competitor for the Amazon Kindle. They have since increased their lineup to include the 6 inch Nook 2 or Nook Touch, the 7 inch Nook Color, and the Nook Tablet.
And now we have the Apple iPad; even though it is not a dedicated ebook reader, one of its functions is an ebook reader. So, it will be interesting to see if the iPad takes market share away from the dedicated ebook reader market. It is getting harder to decide which is the best ebook reader for our needs.
Portable eBook Reader Technology
Although most dedicated portable ebook readers use e-ink or e-paper screen types, it is worth mentioning what other options are available. There are a few readers that use LCD screens, the most well known was the Jetbook by Ectaco. Unlike e-ink screens that have a 1 – 1.5 second page turning time, the LCD display features faster page turning.
Although the best medium for reading ebooks is a dedicated portable ebook reader device, there are other options as well. A few portable multimedia players and smartphones include a text viewer. Most notable are the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, plus PalmOS based devices. Lastly, you can use PDA devices, notebooks, tablet computers, or sub-notebooks as a digital ebook reader.
Electronic Paper or Electronic Ink Display
Most of the electronic book readers use electronic paper or ink displays commonly known as e-ink. The idea behind this technology is for these devices to mimic the appearance of common ink on paper. E-ink displays are said to reflect light to the same degree as ordinary paper making them easy on the eye; this is because they have a wide viewing angle, reflect ambient light instead of emitting their own light, and they can be read in direct sunlight.
The Best eBook Reader
So, which is the best ebook reader? In my opinion, the new Kindle DX
Every single ebook reader has some pros and cons or even missing features, but it is obvious that Amazon is continually upgrading and improving the Kindle line – with their three new versions (the Kindle, Kindle Touch, and Kindle Fire) there will be no doubt that the best ebook reader on the market for many people will be a Kindle
This has become a significant point of interest for me because of the revolution in e-book content that is happening now. Amazon is leading the way and I intend to publish some of my written works and sell them on the Amazon store. I think that single issues, rather than entire books are the next big thing. Just as comic books used to release issues each month, I am going to release issues and charge by the issue.
Thanks for your overview of portable ebook readers. It’s amazing how quickly technology changes and how manufacturers appear and disappear. I was glad that the Kindle has evolved to include the new Touch and Fire and also the prices are getting cheaper and cheaper.
I used to mock people who bought e-book readers because I am one of those snobbish web developers who won’t buy a tablet, i-pad or e-book reader because they are limited in the number of functions they perform. “Why would I buy a piece of hardware that does what my laptop can already do?, I would ask myself. Well, all that’s changed since I learned that I could make an extra income selling my e-book content to the kindle market.
In all honesty I had no idea that there were so many different ebook readers out there and the ones that were released earlier on that you discussed I had no idea about. The first one I knew about was the Kindle then the Barnes and Noble Nook. I would like to have one though; are the older ones less expensive than the new ones? Are they even still available?
Out of the earlier ebook readers that I mentioned, the only one that is available is from Sony. However, the versions I mentioned are now obsolete – the latest Sony is called the Sony PRS T1 with Wi-Fi. Actually, the latest Kindles are so cheap now that it doesn’t make sense to look for an older ebook reader to save money. You can pick up the latest Kindle Touch from only $99! See the Ad at the top of the post.