EBook ereaders allow you to carry hundreds of
books in one small, easy to access location. Today it's all about
convenience and choice. Unfortunately, all ebook readers are not
the same and some books can only be viewed on certain reader devices.
Finding the right eBook ereader can require a fair amount of research.
Fortunately for you we have taken care of the hard work for you
and have posted our reviews of the most popular eBook ereaders
here at DashReviews.com. Please review the ereaders below to help
you make your choice.
Free Sample Books:
Multiple & Adjustable Fonts:
Additional Features
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price
10.4" x 7.2"
18.9 oz
YES
YES
YES
9.7"
1200 x 824 pixels
NO
YES
YES
256 MB
3,500 Books
3.5mm stereo audio jack, built-in stereo speakers
YES
4 GB
SD
14 days (with wireless off); 4 days (wireless
on)
YES
4 hours
MS Word, HTML, JPEG, PNG, BMP, PDF, Text, Amazon
Kindle (.azw), Unprotected Mobipocket books (.prc,
.mobi), Audible Audio books (.aa), MP3
YES
YES
Free book samples. Download and read first chapters
for free before you decide to buy.
As it stands, in our opinion, the Kindle
DX is the eBook ereader to beat. It's much larger
screen truly sets it apart from all the other, smaller
digital readers. Arriving to market just a few months
after the Kindle 2.0, it has taken readers' imaginations
by storm. The screen is in fact two and a half times
the real estate of the Kindle 2.0, and you can easily
switch from portrait to landscape viewing modes. This
give the DX a major advantage over the other ereaders
in the education market as it is sizeable enough to
read textbooks, which until now have been difficult
for eBook ereaders.
What sets the Amazon Kindles apart from
all the rest is primarily the 3G network card which
enables you to search for, purchase, download and
read books, all on the same ereader device. None of
the other ereaders out there can do that. We're not
talking WiFi or hotspots or service plans either.
It's FREE! with no contract. You can even subscribe
to newspapers and magazines. Amazon's Whispernet uses
Sprint's wireless network and it's all setup for you
when you purchase your new Kindle.
The screen actually feels like paper.
It's crisp and reads like a printed page so there's
no glare and it never gets hot. It's very intuitive
and works just like a book more or less. The battery
can last up to 14 days although it drains faster when
you have wireless turned on (4 days).
On the negative side, the Kindle DX
is expensive, far more than any of the other ereaders.
Also, its relative size, while a plus on one side,
can be a disadvantage when you want something to easily
carry around. All that said, if given a choice of
ereaders to choose from, we'd pick the Kindle DX on
any day of the week over any of the other ereaders.
Free Sample Books:
Multiple & Adjustable Fonts:
Additional Features
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price
8" x 5.3"
10.2 oz
YES
YES
YES
6"
600 X 800
NO
YES
YES
256 MB
1,500 Books
3.5mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers
YES
4 GB
SD
14 days (with wireless off)
YES
4 hours
MS Word, HTML, JPEG, PNG, BMP, PDF, Text, Amazon
Kindle (.azw), Unprotected Mobipocket books (.prc,
.mobi), Audible Audio books (.aa), MP3
YES
YES
Free book samples. Download and read first chapters
for free before you decide to buy.
After the DX, the Amazon Kindle 2.0
is, in our opinion, the #2 eBook ereader out there
on the market today. However, depending on your needs
and desires, it could be the perfect ereader for you.
The Kindle 2.0 eBook ereader first shipped on 24 February
2009. It's new, and it's very much improved! New features
include slimer (1/3 inch which is as thin as the average
magazine), lighter (10.2 ounces), longer batter life
(14 days with wireless turned off), 20% faster page
turns, more storage capacity (over 1,500 books), text-to-speech
feature, improved display with 16 shades of grey (reads
like real paper), improved navigation and improved
ergonomics. The Kindle 2.0 still accesses the 3G network
via Sprint, which enables you to download ebooks in
under a minute, all for free.
The screen actually feels like paper.
It's crisp and reads like a printed page so there's
no glare and it never gets hot. It's very intuitive
and works just like a book more or less. The battery
can last up to 7 days although it drains faster when
you have wireless turned on.
While we may actually prefer some of
the other devices for their look and feel, but the
Kindle 2.0 is a dramatic improvement over the initial
version. There are currently over 245,000 books available
to Kindle 2.0 and Kindle 1.0 plus newspapers, magazines
and blogs from around the world.
Sony Portable Reader System
PRS-505(Rating: 4.2
out of 5.0)
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price
6.9" x 4.8"
9 oz
YES
NO
NO
6"
600 X 800
NO
NO
YES
192 MB
160 Books
YES
2 GB
MMC/SD/SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
7,500 pages
YES
2 hours
NO
YES
The Sony Portable Reader System PRS-505
is a step up from the PRS-500. While still utilizing
their e ink technology from the 500 and looking and
feeling like a real book, the PRS-505 contains more
memory (enough to hold 160 eBooks) and has a slightly
cooler look.
Text can be read in 3 different font
sizes, and because of the e ink technology there's
no strain on your eyes while reading. It can be viewed
at angles up to 180 degrees in either portrait or
landscape views. You can recharge it in 4 hours for
over 7,500 pages of reading before you need to recharge
the ereader. It also comes with the ability to search
across an entire eLibrary.
Check
price
6.9" x 4.2"
9 oz
NO
NO
NO
5"
600 X 800
NO
YES
YES
128 MB
95 Books
YES
2 GB
7,500 pages
YES
4 hours
YES
YES
The JetBook Reader by ECTACO allows
you to read books and even view photos and listen
to music. With external memory cards you can essentially
store as many books as you like (limited to 95 in
the eBook ereader itself).
While the JetBook doesn't utilize electronic
paper display technology, the screeen can still be
easily read outside or in areas with low light levels
due to the VGA reflective monochrome TFT display.
The screen doesn't use backlighting, which also helps
limit eye fatigue.
Free Sample Books:
Multiple & Adjustable Fonts:
Additional Features
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price
7.5" x 5.3"
10.3 oz
YES
YES
YES
6"
600 X 800
NO
YES
YES
256 MB
200 Books
YES
4 GB
SD
7 days
YES
2 hours
MS Word, HTML, JPEG, PNG, BMP, PDF, Text, Amazon
Kindle (.azw), Unprotected Mobipocket books (.prc,
.mobi), Audible Audio books (.aa), MP3
YES
YES
Free book samples. Download and read first chapters
for free before you decide to buy.
While all the recent hoopla has recently
been geared towards the new Kindle 2.0, the Kindle
1.0 is still nothing to sneeze at and is now even
cheaper. What sets Kindle apart from all the rest
is primarily the 3G network card which enables you
to search for, purchase, download and read books,
all on the same ereader device. None of the other ereaders
out there can do that. We're not talking WiFi or hotspots
or service plans either. It's FREE! with no contract.
You can even subscribe to newspapers and magazines.
Amazon's Whispernet uses Sprint's wireless network
and it's all setup for you when you purchase your
new Kindle.
The screen actually feels like paper.
It's crisp and reads like a printed page so there's
no glare and it never gets hot. It's very intuitive
and works just like a book more or less. The battery
can last up to 7 days although it drains faster when
you have wireless turned on.
While we may actually prefer some of
the other devices for their look and feel, Kindle
ereaders are still the #1 eBook ereader hands down.
You have literally hundreds of thousands of books
you can instantly download and start reading and Amazon
seems to be adding thousands every day. We don't doubt
they will have over a million books to choose from
within a year or less.
iRex iLiad eReader 2nd Edition(Rating: 3.9 out of 5.0)
Check
price
6" x 4.2"
5.3 oz
YES
NO
NO
5"
800 x 600
NO
NO
YES
1 GB Storage / 32 MB RAM
1,000 Books
YES
Micros SD / Mini USB Slave
2
14 Days
YES
NO
YES
Bookeen's Cybook Opus is nicely sized
and fits well into just about any pocket, briefcase
or purse. Weighing in at 5.3 ounces, it's the lightest
digital ereader currently on the market. It can hold
over 1,000 ebooks in its relatively large 1 GB storage
drive. The Opus runs on Linux operating system and
is compatible with DRM and non-DRM files. It can read
HTML, text, JPG, PNG and GIF file formats.
While the Opus is primarily available
in the UK, there are a few distributers selling in
the US, so if you're interested you can probably find
one for around $250 or so.
Sony Portable Reader PRS-500(Rating: 3.7 out of 5.0)
Check
price
5.2" x 3.4"
6.4 oz
NO
NO
NO
5"
240 X 200
NO
YES
YES
16 MB
NO
N/A
NO
n/a
NO
NO
While the Franklin eBookMan EBM-911
isn't in our top tier of eBook ereaders, we must say
it's not a bad place to start if you want to get a
ereader at a reasonable price. Franklin eBookMans now
come in two different models, the eBookMan EBM-900
and the EBM-911. While they really aren't much more
than glorified PDAs, you can purchase the EBM-900
for less than $80 compared to Amazon's Kindle which
is well into the mid $300s.
On the plus side the eBookMan EBM-911
is quite versatile, enabling you to read ebooks, listen
to MP3s and audio books, and even use it as a PDA.
It connects to your computer through a USB port and
comes with a reasonably large display.
On the negative side this ereader has
a short battery life, comes in grey scale only and
isn't compatible with Microsoft Reader.
