Choosing a wireless e-book reader is getting tougher all the time! Well, maybe not all that tough but here’s a chart comparing the offerings from Amazon, Sony, and IREX.
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Device |
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Price |
$299 |
$489 |
$399 |
$399 |
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Screen Size |
6 inches |
9.7 inches |
7 inches |
8.1 inches |
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Touch Screen |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
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Rotating Screen |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Storage |
2GB not expandable |
4GB not expandable |
2GB expandable via Memory Stick and SD |
No on-board memory, comes with 2GB SD card |
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Wireless |
Sprint |
Sprint |
AT&T |
Verizon Gobi chipset for worldwide use |
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Bookstore |
Amazon |
Amazon |
Sony eBookstore |
Barnes & Noble |
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Content Availability |
350,000+ books newspaper, magazine, blog subscriptions |
350,000+ books newspaper, magazine, blog subscriptions |
100,000+ books One million public domain books via Google* Participating local library rentals* *not available over 3G |
750,000+ books “Users can purchase books, newspapers or magazines from a wide variety of sources”* *not available over 3G unless purchased through built-in bookstore |
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Natively Supported Formats |
Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible, MP3, MOBI, PRC |
Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, Audible, MP3, MOBI, PRC |
ePub, PDF, JPEG, BBeB, RTF, TXT |
ePub, “multiple DRM solutions” |
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Formats Supported via Conversion |
PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP |
HTML, DOC, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP |
DOC, HTML, “other text file formats” |
Not sure yet, will update when more info is available |
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Web Browser |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
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Other Features (lists may be incomplete) |
Bookmarks, annotations, dictionary, Wikipedia, search, audiobooks, iPhone sync |
Bookmarks, annotations, dictionary, Wikipedia, search, audiobooks, iPhone sync |
Highlighting, annotation, dictionary, handwritten notes with included stylus |
Bookmarks, search, included stylus, “users will have the ability to download content to the device while traveling abroad next year” |
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Available |
Now |
Now |
December ‘09 |
October ‘09 (Europe in mid-2010) |
The IREX one was just announced, so we’ll try to fill in more details as we get them.
Could someone please give the actual area of the various screens, and not just the diagonal dimension?
That would be most helpful in a comparison.
indeed, going by the supplied images alone, the IREX has a much wider screen. We’re not talking standard screen sizes here, it’s not 16:9 or 4:3, they’re proprietary sizes.
Some better dimensions and details on it would be good too, how thick are they? How big are they overall? How heavy? No one wants a heavy e-book reader, and the kindle looks like it has the same footprint as the IREX.
Also, anyone got any idea what it’s like to get RSS feeds on any of these? It’d be a great feature.
I have a Kindle DX and I read RSS feeds every day on it. I use Bloglines.com for it and it works pretty nice.
Tthe web browser is very basic but it works well when your on the go and don’t have/need a laptop with you.
I hope it doesn’t take long for government to force these device makers to allow for purchasing from ANY ebook store. I hate that you have to buy from a specific one.
EXACTLY! I want government making more decisions in my life.
If you don’t like something, talk with your wallet. Don’t whine to your politician.
Wallet doesn’t give much choice when there are only 4 choices in a market.
Net Neutrality should make it possible for people to do what they want with their spectrum and their Internet.
Selling people an internet access in a device that is locked to certain internet stores should not be acceptable.
You can do whatever you want with your spectrum and your internet. You can Use a Laptop. You can Use a Kindle. You can use an iPhone, a Cell Phone, a USB 1xEVDO Dongle….
For your information, there are more than 4 eBook makers on the market.
Take Bookeen (www.bookeen.com) for instance, they’ve been around for quite some time already, or recently announced iRiver or Asus’ very own EEE eReader!
As for me, I tried Bookeen’ Cybook Gen3 (loved the reading quality provided thanks to one of the best screen around!) but settled with Sony 505, 700 (poor screen) and just ordered 600…
Do what I will do. Purchase all of the readers. Don’t be so cheap.
You are not obliged to purchase an eReader. If you do not want to be locked into one service don’t whine, just don’t purchase. Stick with paper and you can buy books anywhere you want.
For the Sony Ereader and irex, in fact any of the eReader’s that support ePub, you can go to an eBook store like Shortcovers. Shortcovers sells books in ePub format that you can then put on your eReader device. You can also sync with your Blackberry or iPhone if you have one. My experience is that Shortcovers pricing is in many cases cheaper than Sony Bookstore.
You *don’t* have to buy from just one bookstore for any of them. There are a number of sources for ebooks, and most, if not all, support all the major formats, even crippled ones.
Also, I believe the iRex press release did say the storage WAS expandable via an SD slot.
Would be cool to have another line in the graph that says in which regions it’s available right now. Not clear on the “Available” line where it’s available at the moment.
Engadget says 2GB on-board memory plus an SD slot. WTF?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/23/irex-unveils-dr-800sg-wireless-ebook-reader-with-touchscreen-te/
Nicholas was at the event and he’s telling me that there’s no on-board storage but the unit comes with a 2GB SD card. I pressed him on it and his response was “the guy said 100 times there’s no memory” and that “flexibility” was the company’s reason.
I’ll update the chart if this turns out to be incorrect, though. “The guy” is in reference to a PR rep for IREX and it’s possible he may have misspoken.
I’d never thought I’d see the day where the Kindle was the cheapest option. lol
Just $100 more to go Kindle! You can do it!
The kindle is cheaper because it’s the smallest. If you want to get even cheaper, there are 5″ readers (Sony Pocket Edition & the Hanlin EZ Reader) that are $200.
Sorta like a line-up of shiny Walkmen… right before the emergence of MP3 players.
“Sorta like a line-up of shiny Walkmen… right before the emergence of MP3 players.”
Wow, that sounds profound. Except…what are you talking about? What’s the “MP3 player” version of the e-book reader you are referring to that is going to blow the current competition away?
I think it will be the 9″ iTouch a couple years from now. Full color touch OLED, with all the features of the iPod Touch with voice ability. Computer, ebook reader, wireless device, phone, etc etc all rolled into one flat, energy-saving easy on the eyes.
The problem being that it will have less functionality that netbook, less portability than a smartphone and cost 2 to 3 times as much as either. Tablet computers are not new and there’s a reason they haven’t picked up market share – after the “wow” wears off they’re just an awkwardly sized device without a “home” (outside of a few niche applications). Of course if you slap a picture of a partially eaten apple on it all bets are off. And who’s using a 9″ phone? The current iPhone is plenty big already enough.
Ok, I have an idea.
These devices are :
B&W
Although they have a web browser it’s rudimentary at best.
Yes, they connect by 3G, but how many times do you need to buy a book while you’re in the park?
However
Netbooks are very much cheaper
Because they possess an OS they are multi-taskers.
Surprise-they have color screens and some are just about as big as the bigger e-readers.
I want to see the Tech Chrunch gadget, ASUS tablet, or even the super secret Microsoft twin screen net book before making a purchase
and or
Why not put the iPod Touch on this list? It can answer “yes” to all the features, has a lower price point, color screen and has access to MULTIPLE ebook apps/databases, including all of Kindle’s books and Google Books.
It’s only major downside at the moment is the size of its screen and battery life, but those will be fixed in the next few years.
That’s acutally what separates a eBook reader, from other devices, big screen size, LONG battery life (because of the screen type) & screen technology. None of these are present in the iPod Touch.
iPod Touch rocks. I’ve read several books on it. The experience was just as good as reading dead tree books despite the smaller screen size. The only limitation is if a book has lots of diagrams or code (such as programming books), then iPod Touch is not necessarily a good option.
Very much agree.
Despite being from the stone or at best the bronze age of book readers, I use a Dell Axim X51 running WM 5. The screen is a little bit bigger than the iPod but not enough to matter. It suits me fine.
It’s also my PDA, has wifi, and I use it for games like Bejeweled.
I don’t need or want a fancy cell phone (mine costs $10/month with all the minutes and texts I need) Right now my Axim is dying(I’ve had it a long time) and I’m looking for something to replace it. A larger screen would be nice, but not absolutely necessary. I was hoping the Tech Crunch tablet would be out soon, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
I’m going over to the Apple “Refurbished” store and see what’s available today
I guess you aren’t ranking quality here, but the Sony bookstore is just terrible. You might avg price of book too. Amazon.com books are on average way cheaper. Sony finally has SOME books at 9.99 and Amazon hardly has any above
I own a Sony 505 and I can’t agree strongly enough with this. Sony’s content management software/bookstore sucks. Bad. Thank the FSM for Calibre.
What about the eSlick Reader from FoxIt
http://bdgk.in/27
and the Sony PRS-300
http://bdgk.in/26
and the Sony PRS-600
http://bdgk.in/25
Stupid links shortener
Here’s the current one on the market that should have been added to the comparison.
eSlick Reader from FoxIt
http://bdgk.in/27
Sony Reader PR-300 200$
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002MSNS4S/bdg-us-20/ref=nosim
Sony Reader PR-505 289$
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000WPXQ2M/bdg-us-20/ref=nosim
Sony Reader PR-600 499$
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002MWYUFU/bdg-us-20/ref=nosim
Sony Reader PR-700 599$
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001HHZ1S6/bdg-us-20/ref=nosim
Plus I know there is a bunch of other ePaper reader on the market that should also be compared.
Here’s a more comprehensive list:
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix
Since the 505 is now discontinued I was was able to pick one up @ my local Wal-Mart for ~ $235. If you can find one it would probably be a better choice than the Sony 300.
Hmmm… None of then yet. I will keep reading PDF, TXT, etc on my widescreen Nokia 9500.
this is quite useless and premature. 2 of them are not even available yet
it is a shame all of them will work fine just in the states
This stuff is interesting, but my thesis is that whereas Kindle and iRex seem to be predicated on the construct of the book as less than the current experience (i.e., mostly text), the industry is headed for a full-blown re-boot that takes advantage of interactivity, touch/tilt, social engagement, movies, pictures, animation and sound, a topic that I expound upon in:
Rebooting the Book (One Apple iPad Tablet at a Time)
http://bit.ly/zOoEu
Check it out, if interested.
Mark
At what point does it stop being a book at all? One of the reasons I got a dedicated reader was to avoid the distractions that come with a multifunction device.
I’m surprised there’s no discussion of screen type. The Kindle’s e-ink display is a much different user experience than the other two models. Many Kindle users would say that the display is a differentiating factor (easy on the eyes, allows for long periods of reading, more of a print look and feel, etc.). This comparison really should take that into account given that it’s core to the device/experience.
All devices here compared have the same E-ink technology for the screen. iRex being as clear to read as the Kindle using a Wacom touch screen, while Sony is less clear because they use a resistive touch screen layer.
Battery Life?
No one cares about it?
Two words: Plastic Logic.
I had Kindle 2 device and it was good. However, after Kindle application became available for iPhone, Kindle device became redundant.
iPhone is always with me, reading is as good as on Kindle device, plus on iPhone you have backlit.
The only reason I thought E-ink devices can be attractive is for reading PDF files. However, with Paper application available for iPhone and Mac, reading PDFs is way faster and better on iPhone than on E-ink device. Plus, you have color.
In short, I think ebook readers are dead end. And Apple’s upcoming tablet will make them even less attractive.
Reading from LCD screen is not the same as reading from e-Ink screen. Totally different. You are comparing apples and oranges.
LCD is ok for ocassional use, but not for long term. It’s bad for your eyes. e-Ink is like normal paper. The best way to test is to read your LCD and e-Ink under bright sunlight. Spot the diff.
Unfortunately there’s way too much talk of this ability to read in sunlight. My wife and I do the bulk of our reading in the evening or in bed, and all these eReaders are as inconvenient as paper books when it comes to having enough light to read. Backlit would be nice !
We need to give priority to the ‘handibility’, feel or ergonomics of the device. I have the Kindle 1 and I have to turn pages back and forward with two hands. It is a foolish design disaster in this respect.
But don’t worry, you’ve got a iPhone. Why bother getting another device in your bag, when you have the mighty one in your pocket?
My ONLY question is whether you can change the contrast. I cannot bear reading gray type on a gray background. Until someone produces an e-reader that can reproduce the look of type on paper, I’m staying out of the market.
I’m with you ! My wife and I just returned our eReader for this very reason. Can’t read the darn thing. First thing we looked for was the contrast control….nothing. Next thing we looked for was a backlight…..nothing. (We rec’d this as a gift unfortunately.) We’ll also be waiting for this market to mature.
I have read over 40 books on my Kindle 2, and had a Kindle 1 as well.
The Kindle 2 is good enough to replace most paper books and is the “breakthrough” e-book device. You can read it at the beach and in bright sunshine…
The combination of the Electronic Ink screen, long battery life, great book selection at attractive prices, and the ability to easily download a book in one minute from almost anywhere makes it a transformative device.
And being able to easily download a book in the airport, in a car, or at a park turns out to be quite useful. Recently, I was sitting on a lanai in Kauai when someone mentioned an interesting book and one minute later it was on my Kindle.
iPhones are too small with too short a battery life, and have a screen that is not suitable for intense reading in most conditions.
Hmm… many of us spend hours a day on our laptops–and have no eye strain. The Kindles and these other e-ink devices *FLASH* the page when you turn a page… hardly good for or easy on the eyes!
Plus, ever try reading a Kindle in the middle of the night? Without turning on a light, so you don’t disturb your partner? Right! It can’t be done because it has no backlight.
Don’t get me started on the lack of folders, limited font selection, etc.
The iTablet will end up with a big market share–iTunes will expand to become the iStore, featuring music, movies, TV, *and* books. The eco system will there for a big hit! Add in arrangements with leading newspapers and magazines and you’ll have a versatile device, in color, that will be used as an ereader, video player, net browser, etc. and bought in droves.
Yes – completely agree with you here. I have a Kindle, and a Kindle2, and an iPhone. I’ve read 22 books in the last year and half, about 15 of them on my iPhone.
The Kindle is useless in the Dark, and I hate having to carry around a little LED snap on light (and even then, you get annoying glare on the Kindles Screen that is distracting)
The iPhone is _perfect_ in the dark, and is always with you. Many a time I’ve been sitting on a train, plane, or airport and just popped out my iPhone to read a book. The kindle’s only use for book reading for me is outside, bright sunlight.
I definitely going to get the Tablet, but, I still don’t know how much I’ll use it. I guess time will tell.
RIGHT ON !
Good news about the iRex! The $489 price tag for the Kindle DX needs to come down a bit since a laptop can be a good substitute for readuing e-books. Would you believe that eBay has the Kindle DX pricing from $488 up to an unbelieveable $999.95!! Amazon needs a worthy competitor in the e-Reader product line. I hope that the DR800SG is it.
The Kindle 2 has an awesome screen and you can read it forever. The price reduction to $299 makes it a nice price too i think.
Thinking about getting a kindle but I am hoping to borrow the books via libraries. Is this possible with a kindle?
If you want to see how the Barnes and Noble nook stacks up as well alongside the Kindle, Kindle DX and Sony ereaders, there’s a nice comparison site at:
http://ebookreader.compare2save.net
Wait until you see the Que by Plastic Logic. Unfortuately there will be quite a wait until it is released.
Trying to decide between Sony Reader PRS-600 and Kindle 2. Are your books backed up anywhere for either of these? Or if your device is lost, ruined, or stolen, how do you get your books back?
Since the Sony Daily Reader (900) has wifi, it is more appelaing than the 600, plus it has 16 shades of gray which is more than the 8 shades on the 600. Go with the new Sony 900!
Have been looking for ebook reader the comments here are really useful. The new Sony Daily looks about right – 7″ screen, around $400, unless of course they use the ‘resistive’ technology which fades the text. The Kindle DX looks great, but having to type in alt before numbers would be very annoying and it being proprietry causes issues, not to mention the expense.
eBook readers are that for a reason – the screen should look as close to a book as possible. Backlit wouldn’t work, as staring at Iaptop screens for hours (12h+, work and personal reading) would be not pleasant.
On another note, we may keep some trees alive, but electronics are indirectly responsible for great swathes of non-recyclable waste, at least paper is recyclable.
I also think the itab will just be a glorified iphone, which I’m sure will go down a treat for the masses!
Great comments, but still undecided, I guess it just comes down to personal preference, as always.
Is Sony the only e-reader that enables you to access books from libraries? I love to read but don’t necessarily want to buy books. What is required to use the library’s books? What does “not available over 3G” mean?
I bought one iRex one and a half years ago. It was amazing, although it had a really small battery life. You could indeed change gray scale and reading experience was better that with a book. It had an anoying problem: sometimes going to next page it skipped pages. I guess it had to do with format conversion of pdf pages.
But after 11 months some lines appeared on screen. Guaranty covered everything and I got it back repaired due to a “line out error”. Nevertheless, 1 and 1/2 months latter, some lines appeared again. They were the same as before, but this time the company said that that was “broken screen” and that I had to pay 175 € to repair it.
If you search on Internet, you will find too many cases in which the same has happened. I won’t buy an iRex, but Sony Daily Reader 900 with insurance, as it seems the screen shares the same technology as iRex. However, this screen has the best resolution without any glare and the eye experience is just fantastic, even relaxing.
I hope it helps.
The regular Kindle screen does rotate, just not automatically, which I found annoying anyway.