eBook Reader Review

Kindle vs. Nook: Who rules in reviews?

At their most basic, e-book readers display pages of text. Most e-book readers use E Ink Corp.'s electronic paper display technology to do a reasonably good job of this. These screens don't have backlighting or the rapid refresh rate of a computer monitor, something reviewers say reduces eyestrain and makes e-book reading almost as comfortable as settling in with a dog-eared paperback. However, several testers say Apple's iPad 2 tablet computer (*Est. $500 and up) doubles nicely as an e-book reader, causing no eyestrain despite its backlit screens, and an article in The Wall Street Journal quotes ophthalmologists who say backlit screens don't harm the eyes. If you can deal with their smaller screen sizes, Apple's iPhone, including the latest iPhone 4S (*Est. $200 and up with contract) and iPod Touch (*Est. $200 and up) can also serve as capable e-book readers. The Barnes & Noble Nook Color (*Est. $200) also abandons the traditional E Ink screen in favor of an iPad-like color touchscreen.

While all e-book readers have the same basic functionality, features can vary widely. Almost all major brand e-readers can now download e-books wirelessly, even Sony e-readers, which had a history of requiring hardwired transfers. Built-in MP3 players are a common feature, as are dictionaries and basic web browsers. Audiobook and text-to-speech support are also becoming fairly widespread. More touchscreen-enabled e-book readers are appearing as well.

Most e-book readers can read several file formats, including PDF documents and the ePub format (favored by most e-book stores, free e-book websites and public libraries). However, Amazon.com uses its own proprietary file format, and e-books you buy there will only work with Amazon's Kindle e-reader and free Kindle app for smartphones and iPad. Some (but not all) e-book readers support plain text, Microsoft Word and HTML files.

The best reviews of e-book readers pit several models against one another. ConsumerReports.org ranks several of the latest e-book readers based on its own tests. Major technology websites and publications also test a large number of e-book readers, with the best rankings found at CNET, PCMag.com and Laptop Magazine. Other worthwhile opinions can be read at Macworld, Wired, Engadget.com, PC World, MobileTechReview.com and elsewhere -- including British sites such as PC Advisor, Pocket-Lint.com and TrustedReviews.com. As for e-reader apps, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Macworld, PCMag.com and others conduct very detailed tests to judge the best way to read e-books on the iPad 2, iPhone or iPod touch.