Portable e-book reading solutions?

[F. King Daniel]

This is probably the wrong forum for this, but I know many of you read e-books, so…

I’m seriously thinking about switching to e-books for some of my Trek reading (my 8 huge crates of novels scream the deaths of a thousand trees at me, and take up lots of room). The thing is, reading sat at the computer is no fun at all (except this thread which is awesome ;-)
What I need is a nice portable (and hopefully not too expensive) e-book reading solution. Something I can read in bed. Something with a bigger screen than a phone!
Research thus far has amounted to walking around Currys Digital frowning.

A laptop? A notebook? A PDA? Which would you all recommend? Anything I need to specifically avoid or look for? I’m guessing it needs to be able to run Windows and Microsoft Reader. If it can play Peggle as well, that’s a big bonus.

What do you guys use?

Those little handheld computer pad things from Enterprise look ideal….but I bet the battery life is crappy!

Thanks.

 

[sparky99]

I've used a Windows based non-phone PDA (Dell Axim) for many years. I use it primarily to read PDB formatted ebooks (with eReader software), but I have other softwares on it that can easily read TXT, PRC and PDF's as well. Of course, since it's Windows, it can read LIT's too. Since this is a platform that is falling out of favor (mostly due to increased phone capabilities), there are many deals out there.

My current PDA has a hi res screen, but my previous had a lower res (320x240) screen that was adequate to read from.

There are a few tricks to increase your battery life, such as dialling down processor speed for ebook reading and reversing the color of the text and background to minimize the required light...however, your mileage may vary.

As far as gaming goes...there are hundereds of games out there, plus you can use a PDA for listening to music and watching movies as well.

 

[Garrovick]

I use my Acer One netbook. the 8.9 inch screen is just about the right size for me. And the screen can be totated 90 degrees and it's like holding a large trade book like the ST:Encyclopedia.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Thanks everyone.
Now I've got some brand names...phase two can begin! (not the Elvis Cawley fan film!)

 

[Hardin]

how about an iPod touch (or the iPhone, but the battery lasts longer on the iPod)? Especially if you're also planning to buy a new media player.

It works well as a book reader. eReader (fictionwise and ebooks.com free reader, you can synch your local library with the websites, buy and download books via wifi) is available from the app store and with Stanza (another free reader with a companion desktop app to make or convert non protected books) you're basically covered for everything else.

The screen has a 320x480 resolution, and many brightness levels.

 

[Thrawn]

Have you considered a Kindle? You're stuck buying eBooks directly from Amazon, so if you already have some in a different format they won't work, but the Kindle is a *glorious* piece of hardware. amazon.com/kindle/

 

[Garrovick]

Have you considered a Kindle? You're stuck buying eBooks directly from Amazon, so if you already have some in a different format they won't work, but the Kindle is a *glorious* piece of hardware. amazon.com/kindle/

I looked at the Kindle.

And spent the money on an Acer One.

 

[cem1701]

Are you sure about having to buy only from amazon?

According to their website:

Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

I have tons of TXT books I read on my smartphone, but I wa going to get a Kindle for them.

It looks like they would work going by this.

 

[Ward Fowler]

I bought a Sony reader back in February and it's literally the best purchase I've made in years. I'm an avid reader and I use it everyday.

 

[Thrawn]

Are you sure about having to buy only from amazon?

According to their website:

Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

I have tons of TXT books I read on my smartphone, but I wa going to get a Kindle for them.

It looks like they would work going by this.

Fair point; it's much more convenient to only buy from amazon, but even with other ebook formats in my experience it's been pretty trivial to find the necessary conversion programs, even for free.

 

[cem1701]

But if a Kindle supports TXT files, why would I need to convert them to anything. Wouldn't a Kindle just read them right off the bat? Am I missing something?

 

[Overgeeked]

how about an iPod touch (or the iPhone, but the battery lasts longer on the iPod)? Especially if you're also planning to buy a new media player.

It works well as a book reader. eReader (fictionwise and ebooks.com free reader, you can synch your local library with the websites, buy and download books via wifi) is available from the app store and with Stanza (another free reader with a companion desktop app to make or convert non protected books) you're basically covered for everything else.

The screen has a 320x480 resolution, and many brightness levels.

I use this (iPod Touch). There's also an app called FileAid (only a few bucks) that allows you to push files (any format) onto your Touch/phone and reads them. I've only used it for txt and pdf files so far, but it works great. Only issue is you'll need to keep the files under 4-5 megs or it locks up. For most novel ebooks that's never going to be a factor. For me this is the best solution because I can read the pdfs on any computer and my Touch where ever I go. And everything is available as a pdf.

The new kindle is better than the old kindle, but $359 on an ereader versus $229 on a pda (iPod Touch) is no contest for me. Apple also gives student discounts, not so much through Amazon.

 

[Thrawn]

But if a Kindle supports TXT files, why would I need to convert them to anything. Wouldn't a Kindle just read them right off the bat? Am I missing something?

No, of course it'd work. I was referring to other eBook formats, making the point that regardless of format, it's not difficult to set up. TXT of course is trivial, just drag and drop.

 

[Thrawn]

how about an iPod touch (or the iPhone, but the battery lasts longer on the iPod)? Especially if you're also planning to buy a new media player.

It works well as a book reader. eReader (fictionwise and ebooks.com free reader, you can synch your local library with the websites, buy and download books via wifi) is available from the app store and with Stanza (another free reader with a companion desktop app to make or convert non protected books) you're basically covered for everything else.

The screen has a 320x480 resolution, and many brightness levels.

I use this (iPod Touch). There's also an app called FileAid (only a few bucks) that allows you to push files (any format) onto your Touch/phone and reads them. I've only used it for txt and pdf files so far, but it works great. Only issue is you'll need to keep the files under 4-5 megs or it locks up. For most novel ebooks that's never going to be a factor. For me this is the best solution because I can read the pdfs on any computer and my Touch where ever I go. And everything is available as a pdf.

The new kindle is better than the old kindle, but $359 on an ereader versus $229 on a pda (iPod Touch) is no contest for me. Apple also gives student discounts, not so much through Amazon.

But the screen glows, and I find that uncomfortable to read. Not to mention killing battery life.

 

[JWolf]

I highly recommend the Sony Reader PRS-505. I have one and I just finished reading Star Trek: Vanguard: Open Secrets using it and it gives a very nice reading experience. And it costs less then a Kindle 2. Also comes with a cover as well.

As for reading on an iPhone/iPod Touch, I'd have to say no. My wife has a Touch and with the screen on like that, the battery goes flat in not too long a time and you'd have to be tethered to a porwer cord to be able to read anything long. Plus the text is tiny unlike the 505. And if you dislike reading on a backlit screen, you'd dislike the Touch.