Digital Readers: The Future of Books
Tired of lugging tons of books with you when you travel? Here's a cool techie tip: get one of these digital readers instead
Although Amazon's Kindle has enjoyed the lion's share of the media attention devoted to digital readers lately, it's hardly a unique item. Nope, these nifty high-tech devices, which let you read books electronically just like those guys on Star Trek, are made by many different companies and come in a variety of styles.
We can't cover them all in this article, but we can give you a whirlwind tour of the most common handful of models. Fasten your seat belt -- here we go!
First things first
Now, the products we'll talk about here are all dedicated digital readers. While it's been possible to read books on your PDA, phone, or laptop for years, that's always been as an incidental add-on to their primary functions -- a happy accident, if you like, though one that invites eyestrain.
One the other hand, devices like Kindle, Sony's PRS series, and Franklin's eBookman are made specifically for reading. They're all light and easy to handle; the heaviest weighs less than a pound. The most expensive (and arguably best) models use electronic paper technology to mimic an eye-soothing paper read.
LCD Strikes Back
Not all digital readers use e-paper, though: a good example is the eBookman 900 series, which has been around since the turn of the century. It uses a basic black-and-white LCD screen, so it's a bit harder to read than an e-paper display, and its memory is kind of limited -- but hey, you can get one for less than $100.
Photoco's MiBook costs about the same, but doesn't compare well to Bookman at the moment. It's brand new, so the book selection is limited; and at $20 each, why not just get the hardback? It also consumes a lot of power, and the screen quality is poor. However, it can play video; try that with an e-paper reader.
Ectaco's jetBook digital reader uses an advanced LCD display, and costs about $310. They claim, however, that they've eliminated the eyestrain issue common to LCD screens; and unlike e-paper readers, the screen changes immediately when you "turn" the page. It can hold up to 1,000 books (!) in memory.
Your e-paper options
Readers based on e-paper technology tend to be more expensive than their LCD-based counterparts, but they use very little electricity in comparison. E-paper has its limitations, but the page remains rock-steady until you want it to change. You never have to worry about refresh rates or screen flicker.
At about $300, the Sony Digital Reader is the cheapest of this lot. It can hold up to 160 books in basic memory. Titles are available from Sony for $1-30; they have a library of less than 100,000 titles, as opposed to Amazon's 190,000+ for the Kindle. But still, it's a good alternative to the Kindle, and a bit less expensive.
At the far end of the scale is the iRex iLiad, which retails at $700 or so. Like a Caddy, it's a nice, reliable, bigger ride, but it's a little clunkier than the sleeker models and doesn't go any faster. The battery lasts about half as long, too. But the screen is much sharper, and the techies love it because it's fun to hack.
The bottom line
Which reader is right for you depends on your preferences and pocketbook. If battery life and readability are paramount, go with an e-paper model like the Kindle or Sony; if price is crucial, try the eBookman. Whatever suits you, get it now: digital readers of all kinds are flying off the shelves this year.