Ebook Readers

In my last post about ebooks, I talked about the why and the how.

In this post, I want to talk about what kind of ereaders there are and my personal opinion of each one.  So here goes:

• iPad:  I love the iPad as an ereader.  You can download the Kindle and Nook applications to the device to access those purcases or use the iBookstore to read books that you've purchased from Apple or non-DRM type books that you have purchased elsewhere.  I have purchased ebooks from ibs.it, Bookrepublic.it and ultimabooks.it, and all of those ebooks worked great on the iPad. It does a good job at handling many different kinds of ebook types.  I even enjoy reading pdf files on the iPad.  I haven't had a problem with formating yet.  Drawbacks:  the device is expensive.  The cheapest iPad is $499, but it is also an excellent web browser, great for email as well as gaming and other apps.  Also, battery life is not nearly as good as the Kindle or Nook (I find if I used the iPad a lot, it does need to be charged at least once a day).
• iPod Touch/iPhone and Android phones:  many of the same apps for the iPhone/iPod Touch and Android devices that you might use on the iPad work on the iOS powered devices and the Android phones.  Phones are great when you're on the go.  Drawbacks: the small screen be frustrating to read on, especially long books, books with lots of images, and pdf's.  Definitely a last resort for me, but others might feel differently.
• Kindle:  Amazon.com's ereader.  I think that the Kindle is a wonderful device.  The e-ink screen is amazing and is easy to read.  I haven't tested out the new tablet that they have developed, but I have used several versions of the Kindle.  All work great, and it is easy to get books onto the device if you buy them from Amazon.  I haven't had a lot of luck putting non-Amazon content onto the devices, but I haven't tried it all that many times.  More and more stores are carrying the mobi format which has the best compatibility for the Kindle.  The Kindle also has 3G access that is free (at the time I am writing this) which makes adding books to the device a snap when you're traveling.  Drawbacks: not sure how many Italian books Amazon offers, and you're sort of tethered to this one store for your books unless you have the patience to figure out how to get other content on the device.  The amazing battery life and the fact that many libraries now let you check out books onto your Kindle makes this device hugely versatile.
• Nook: The first generation Nooks were so slow, but I recently played with the Nook color and the smaller version, the Nook Simple Touch Reader.  I actually preferred the simple touch reader over the color Nook, but both devices were a huge improvement over the first Nook that they released.  The new version has expandable memory, so I am sure that makes getting your own files and other ebooks onto the device a snap.  Since Barnes and Noble has so many brick and mortar stores all over the USA (and perhaps in Canada, too?), you can make use of free wi-fi to add content to your device.  The Nook color has expanded capabilities, can play media, and has the nice crisp color screen.  Drawbacks: Like the Kindle, the Nook works best with Barnes and Noble.  Not sure what kind of Italian offerings their store has either, however the Nook seems more open to other file formats besides its own.  Battery life, I felt, was slightly better than the Kindle, although not enough to sway me either way.
• Sony ereader:  Recently played with the latest wi-fi version...not sure what I thought of it.  The stylus was a bit tedius, and the touch screen seemed overly sensitive.  It didn't seem intuitive to use, although it seemed to work very seemlessly with DRM content that seems to be difficult to do with other ereaders. However, it was easy to read text.  Drawbacks:  I didn't like the interface...it didn't seem intuitive, but I got used to it.  The screen seemed smaller than I expected, but it was pleasant enough to use.  

Do you have an ereader? Do you love/hate ebooks? In my last post, as I said, buying Italian ebooks can be a cheaper alternative, especially when shipping costs can add a few dollars to the cost of a real book. Share your thoughts -- would love to hear from you.

NB:  All opinions expressed are my own.  I do own an iPad (which I purchased for myself). None of the ereader providers mentioned above paid for or sponsored this post.