eBook Reader Review

Ebook readers put hundreds of books at your fingertips

At their most basic, ebook readers display pages of text. Reviews indicate that most ebook readers, which use E Ink Corporation's electronic paper display technology, do a reasonably good job of this. These screens don't have backlighting or the rapid refresh rate of a computer monitor, reducing eye strain and making ebook reading almost as comfortable as settling in with a dog-eared paperback. While all ebook readers have the same basic functionality, there is a surprising amount of variation in features. The best e-readers can download ebooks wirelessly, while budget readers usually rely on a USB connection to transfer files. Built-in MP3 players are a common feature, as are dictionaries, memory card slots and support for multiple file formats.

Like many gadgets, ebook readers have limited file compatibility, and not all e-readers support all ebook file formats. Amazon.com and Sony both use their own proprietary file formats, and titles at Amazon.com are only compatible with their Kindle e-readers (Sony is currently transitioning its ebooks to the open ePub format). Mobipocket (owned by Amazon.com) is one of the most popular formats for commercial ebooks and is the most versatile, as it is also compatible with many PDAs and smartphones. Some (but not all) ebook readers offer support for plain text, PDF, Microsoft Word and HTML files.

The best reviews of ebook readers pit several models against one another, using analysis and photographs to compare features and performance. CNET, PCMag.com, TopTenReviews.com and Britain's Which? magazine provides some of the best e-reader reviews. These sources conduct extensive testing and offer balanced, detailed analysis on a large number of ebook readers. Other good review sources for e-readers include Wired, Laptop Magazine, Gizmodo.com and Engadget.com. ConsumerReports.org doesn't test ebook readers like it does other products, but editors have written a few blog postings on standout models. When it comes to e-reader apps, The Unofficial Apple Weblog provides a very detailed round-up of eight iPhone applications.