Advice on E-Readers anyone?

[LillFilly]

I'm looking at getting an e-reader. I'm currently looking at the Sony Reader Touch. The Sony Daily Reader is an inch bigger and also nice. The first you can download books from the computer, the 2nd has wi-fi so you can get them on the go. I don't need anything for video, color picture, etc. I just want to read books, though I want an MP3 option for audio books. I've also looked at the Kobo from Borders and the Pandigital from B&N. Anyone have any favorites, any personal experiences, and suggestions or technical tips? I want to purchase from an actual store so I can have on-hand troubleshooting and/or replacement if anything happens. Thanks!

[Sonoma]

I'm actually charging my eReader Touch right now. I read a lot of fan fic that I've downloaded from various websites. When I bought mine, Sony was the only one that would support Word documents. I've been very pleased with mine so far. The Daily version was just coming out, but I couldn't justify the higher cost for the additional features it would contain.

My friend has the predecessor to the Touch. The screen's smaller, and I like the flexibility of using either the touch screen or the control buttons to turn the page. Makes it easier when I'm reading on an hour-long train ride, being contorted into very uncomfortable positions. No matter where my arms are, I can still find a convenient way to turn the page.

I bought mine at Best Buy, and they had some of each Sony model running in 'demo' mode.

[shadowpanda]

I'm from the UK and so don't know how relevant my options might be to you, LillFilly.

I've got a kindle, bought from Amazon and I love it. The screen was bigger than the other ones available, it seems slimmer, but still sturdy and it's dead easy to get free books for it. I don't know how it would handle word documents for fan fic, I haven't got round to trying that yet. The buttons are easy to use without encroaching on the screen and I like the way it isn't back lit and doesn't hurt my eyes. It's also got wifi, but I don't know how good it is as it's not a feature I use too often

Don't know if that's of any use for you

[Lyse]

I have an Aluretek (not sure if that's spelled right). I got it because it supports a ton of formats - from mobi to text. It doesn't have a touch screen - but for a basic reader it does a great job.

[Crossbow]

Honestly, I cheat and use an eReader app on my Android phone. It's small enough to fit in my pocket, which for me is a drawback to many of the eReaders out there: they're too big for me to carry comfortably. If I'm going to carry something almost the size of a hardback book, I'll carry a book.

That being said, I'm starting to consider an Android tablet as the prices come down. Plus, I read an article recently about rooting the Nook eReader to turn it into a cheap tablet PC....

[Elspeth]

Both the hubby and I have the nook. We love them. Very easy on the eyes to read. Plus we like that you can add memory to them. We are actually getting one for my Dad for Christmas this year. Another nice thing with nooks (not sure if this applies to the others) but we can share books since we both use my account.

[kpzra]

I went for a Nook because of the e-ink, if was much easier to read for long periods. There are sites out there that will convert txt files ti e-pub.

[Sliceanddice]

the kindle is still the one to beat but the nook is great cause it also has elibraries and free books through it.

[TheSHAD0W]

I would've strongly recommended Astak's EZ Reader, but it's apparently been discontinued. Too bad, since it's the best one I've ever used.

[Amina516]

Kindle also has books for free through Amazon and other sites. Even if the format is not supported, there are easy to learn programs that will change the format for you to be able have it supported on your eReader.

I didnt care about color, I didnt care about touch screen. All I wanted an Ereader was for reading. So honestly, I plotted out a list of all the pros and cons of the current eReader leaders (hey, that rhymed) and kindle came out on top.

Storage capacity isnt an issue. It can support an average of 3500 books. The kindle 3 has an MP3 player as well as a web browser, though it is black and white, it is good for email and simple searches. There is also a text to speech function WHICH ACTUALLY READS THE BOOKS FOR YOU..OUT LOUD (theres a speaker)!!! I had my kindle read the "Hobbit" for me as I folded laundry. It was insane. I love it, and one day we will be married and have little electronic babies. Also, battery life (if you keep the wifi off) is about 3-4 weeks which is AWESOME if you forget to charge things daily....like me.

The e-ink display is easy on the eyes. You can download games to play like Minesweeper and word games and sodoku. There is a full qwerty keyboard and you have access to the amazon store through the kindle. Book delivery is like 10 seconds from hitting the "order" button to having it on your kindle (with wifi activated, of course or having the 3g on)

Thats just me though. I LOVE IT. First day I had about 50 free books on there and started carrying it everywhere.

[Jester]

I've been pondering an e-reader myself, and have talked to a few people and done a little research online.

According to at least one of my friends, it is best to stay away from the Kobo for pragmatic rather than technological reasons: Borders is, apparently, in some hot financial water. According to said friend, it is this close to declaring bankruptcy as a business. Hardly the backing you want for your e-reader.

Most reviewers tend to rate the Kindle highest, and with its access to books via Amazon, it's got an amazing potential library for you to explore.

Myself, I have started to think about upping from the e-reader to maybe an iPad, or maybe even a full-on laptop or notebook with an e-reading app....I hate when I travel and my big old clunky desktop computer (which probably still has vacuum tubes in it) stays at home and is inaccessible to me. I am off to do some shopping/researching in this today.

So if anyone has any suggestions in THAT category (laptop/notebook computers), feel free to let me know!