eBook Readers

Laptop Magazine doesn't rate ebook readers, but editors do have reasonably detailed reviews. An in-depth look at the new Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 and Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 is… especially helpful; K.T. Bradford says both are "compelling devices" and "definitely worth considering" if you're shopping for an ebook reader. Laptop Magazine does offer a traditional review of the Amazon Kindle DX, but it earns only an average rating.

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Mixed in with a hodgepodge of gadgets are a handful of ebook-reader reviews. Editor Dan Costa compares the Amazon Kindle 2 to the original Amazon Kindle and to the Sony Reader PRS-700, which is now… discontinued. He also writes full reviews of the latter two e-readers, but doesn't cover lesser-known models. The Amazon Kindle 2 gets PCMag.com's Editors' Choice award, but Costa gives accolades to the Sony Reader as well. A video review is included.

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Gizmodo.com doesn't rate ebook readers, but its reviews are very balanced. The Amazon Kindle 2 and Amazon Kindle DX are both reviewed, and Gizmodo.com editors pull no punches when pointing out where these… ebook readers fall short. The site also hosts reviews of the Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 and the Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300. Unfortunately, Gizmodo.com's search engine makes it difficult to find reviews.

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ConsumerReports.org doesn't test ebook readers as it does other products, but editor Paul Reynolds does post a few free test-based reviews on the ConsumerReports.org electronics blog. Reynolds takes a look… at the Amazon Kindle DX, but he concludes that the Amazon Kindle 2 is a better choice for most people. The iRex Digital Reader DR800SG also gets a review, and Reynolds has very positive initial feedback for this e-reader.

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This richly detailed essay from novelist Nicholson Baker describes the experience of using an Amazon Kindle 2 for the first time. Baker discusses usability compared with the experience of reading a book.… Overall, he comes to the conclusion that the Amazon Kindle 2 can't beat a real book -- the screen is a sickly gray, many classic books are not available on the device and illustrations are muddled. Baker also notes that you can't transfer or lend Amazon.com Kindle books to another ebook reader or user.

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Like an announcer at a boxing match, Zara Rabinowicz narrates the findings of an ebook reader comparison that runs through 10 rounds. Points of comparison include size, storage, screen, setup, file format… support, connectivity, style and battery life. A winner is declared in each category. The iRex iLiad and Sony Reader PRS-505 seem to win the most rounds but when the time comes to select an overall winner, Rabinowicz goes with Amazon's (original) Kindle, which is now discontinued.

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In this older review, Wired's Priya Ganapati summarizes the major ebook readers currently available and those soon to be on the market. They are not rated or ranked, and no one model emerges as a clear… winner over the rest. Ganapati provides a brief description of each, along with a summary of positive and negative points of consideration. It doesn't appear that Wired has actually tested any of these products; most of the comparisons refer to specs.

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Large numbers of iPhone book app users contribute reviews to the iTunes Store; over 35,000 have weighed in on the Stanza app alone. Each review consists of a written narrative and a rating system of one… through five. Of e-reader apps, Stanza and Amazon Kindle for iPhone both outperform the competition. While Stanza's reviews tend to complain about the newest version -- many users found their libraries deleted upon upgrade -- Kindle's users have the opposite experience, praising the newest version.

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