New PopSyndicate Column Up — Comparing Features Of Ereaders
December 28th, 2009 | 
Author: My most recent PopSyndicate column is up. The topic of the column is hot and steamy, but since much of the hot and steamy material that is available is available in electronic format I though I would put together a comparison of the features of several of the ebook readers that are available this holiday season. Be sure to check out the column!
Posted in Hot and Steamy Column
I just wanted to thank you for all of the information about the different readers I really want one this could help me decide what kind to get. I really liked knowing the difference between all of the readers.
My only concern was the size of the print on the reader,but now I have more to look at when comparing the different ones that are out there. Someone told me that they are working on a Kindle that will be able to read audio books. Does anyone know more about that? Also, I wanted to know if the electronic readers run on batteries or do they have to be charged.
Very informative article. Since most of my ebooks are pdf with a few word documents in the mix, it helps to know which ones can let me read without have to get a new format. One question though, are any of them internally rechargeable or to they have to fed batteries?
I wish I could get one of them.I keep Dreaming that I will win one the Sony and the Kindle look good to me.
That was a great and thorough article. I bought a Sony Reader this past summer and just love it.
I’ve been thinking about buying an e-reader. The article was very helpful in comparing the various readers.
Hi Tia,
The size of the print on an ereader is adjustable on most of the readers. The font ranges from pretty small to good sized. Each individual reader has its own methodology for changing the text size…but all of the readers have scalable font that you can make smaller or larger depending on your preferences. On the Kindle I read in the next to the largest size. On the iPod I read in the largest size. Both are quite a bit larger than traditional print that you would read in a mass market paperback.
Hi Tia,
The Kindle does play audio books. The latest version will also read ebooks to you verbally. I do not have the latest version which does this, so cannot really comment on the quality of the reading using that feature. I have heard people say that the quality is good. I have heard others say that it is a feature which still needs development. But the capability is there. The read aloud feature is only available for some books, where the publisher has allowed that feature…so it is not something that works with all ebooks. Allowing or disabling read aloud is part of the DRM that publishers set when they release ebooks through Amazon and elsewhere. I do think it is a great feature…though it is a feature that might be duplicated with another software and an MP3 player.
For example, I have a software which converts email, Word files, PDF files from type to speech. I can then play the resulting MP3 file on the MP3 player (or iPod). This works fine for ebooks in PDF as long as they do not have the read aloud functionality turned off.
For those who asked about charging the various ebook readers…
I cannot speak to the Nook and the Sony Reader as I do not own either one and haven’t researched the subject adequately to provide an answer…but my expectation is that those readers, like Kindle, iPod Touch, and Ebookwise recharge via a cord.
Kindle has a white cord which plugs into the wall on one end and the Kindle on the other. The device charges through the cord. Ebookwise operates the same way. iPod has several ways of recharging. Most often mine recharges while it is plugged into the USB port of the computer, but I also have a car charger and a speaker system for it. It can charge while installed in the speaker cradel, while plugged into the car charger, or while plugged in via USB cord.
I do not know of any reader which has to be fed batteries.
Great article, and very informative to an ereader novice like myself. Having the devices compared side by side was extremely helpful!
I can answer about charging for the Sony Reader. There are two ways, there is a connection cord (which you use to download the books from your PC). You can charge the reader through the computer but the computer must be on. This connection cord comes with the Reader.
I bought, separately, a charger that can be hooked up to an electrical outlet. Since I don’t keep my PC on all the time, I found this charger was a better fit for me.
I won a Kindle and I love it! You can also charge my Kindle with a computer—the computer does have to be on.
Thanks for answering my questions. It helped big time.
Great article. I’ve thought about getting an ereader for a while now. Seeing them compared side by side was a big help!
I budget my money carefully, and as much as I would love to have an ebook reader, I opted for the Palm TX pda. I am able to read books (in three formats-Mobi, ereader and adobe), but I can also keep an excel spreadsheet of my books, it has a calculator, MP3, stores my pictures, I can link to my phone with bluetooth and it has the benefit of being backlit, which means I can read when I ride the bus to and from work or other places where it may be dark. I got it fairly cheap on ebay, and I bought extra cords to charge it from the pc-I keep one here at work so I can charge while working.
Laurie, that was quite an informative article. It answered all my questions I had in my search for a reader. Although cost is a major factor for me, importantly I wanted to know if the books that I bought would be suported by which ereader I decide to buy. Thanks again for a well written article.
Do you have to have certain readers for e-books or will anything open them?
How wonderful it is to have all my questions on various units answered in one place. Thanks so much!
Hi Jen,
Well, certain ebook readers read certain types of ebook files. Black Velvet Seductions sells many formats of ebooks so there would most likely be a format that would work for you no matter which ebook reader you purchased. However, there are a lot of other companies that do not support as many formats. Currently the most common formats are PDF, EPUB, and mobi-prc (which is sometimes abbreviated mobi or prc).
So…one of the considerations is to look at where you buy the bulk of your ebooks and what formats are supported. Also to look at the types of material you like to read. Fictionwise sells tons of ebooks…but the big publishers tend to have DRM smacked onto their titles which makes them more difficult to match up with a specific reader as some readers bulk at DRM. If you like to read a lot of titles published by big name authors who are published by traditional publishers then Kindle might be the best choice for you…because most traditional publishers are publishing in Kindle format now.
The Nook probably has the same capability with Barnes & Noble’s store but it seems to me that Barnes and Noble is a bit slower in developing their ebook offerings. They’ve had rights to our titles for a long time and some of them are still not available on their site.
The iPod Touch is a great choice if you read books from a lot of sources because there are applications which you can get free or for a few dollars which allow you to read books of different formats.
The formats that ebooks come in–and where you buy yours — and what format you buy (or have bought in the past) are important considerations when buying an ebook reader. Not all readers read the same formats.
You’re welcome Donna. I am glad I could be helpful.
Hi Nancy,
Yes, the Palm devices are great reading devices. I think of them as being pretty similar to the iPod Touch in that you can broaden the formats you are able to read based on the applications that you load onto the device.
I began reading ebooks on the computer…printing them out on paper when I wanted to be away from the computer. I soon moved up to a Palm device which I used for a long time.
I must say that I do like having a multi-use device…like the Palm. The iPod Touch has kind of replaced the Palm for me…just because my Palm died after years and I wanted something that would play audio books. I do like the small size of the iPod. It is great to tuck into my purse and carry inside at the doctor, dentist, etc. It’s also great when waiting in line anywhere.
Great to have the additional applications that do other things as well…like store your recipes…keep your to do list…etc.
I’m a firm believer in that you get what you pay for. I have a couple of friends who bought the ebookwise (I once had the ebookman) and aren’t happy because the screen is small and doesn’t hold a lot of books.
I have the Sony. The first generation was very proprietary meaning that you had to buy the books from Sony in order to change the font to a larger size. I have one of the newer models and I bought a separate power cord and the book armor case to place it in to protect it. I find that I use the medium size print mostly with my books.
The only thing I miss from my ebookman is that it had a light built in so you could read in bed with the light off. The Sony does not.
Now about the Kindle. Is it still proprietary meaning you MUST buy from Amazon in order to load, let alone read a book?
I would consider buying a Nook but the Sony fits my needs and I like it.