News & Insights

How E-Book Readers Measure Up

As an avid reader, my shelves are full of books, most of them read, some unread. Many regular staples in the print industry—magazines, newspapers—have gone online with positive results. The newest thing to hit plain old paperback books is the e-book reader. I remember reading about these devices a few years back, and they continue to intrigue me. While holding a book is a favorite pastime for many, some have come to embrace the sleek and inviting e-book reader that may hold their entire library of favorite books. There are two popular e-book readers out there: the Amazon Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader®. Both utilize an E-Ink® electronic paper display (supposed to eliminate eyestrain) with adjustable font sizes, and support document conversion and upload of PDFs, Word documents, audio files and more. The Amazon Kindle 2’s key features include:

  • ‘Read to Me’ text-to-speech feature, lets the reader read to you
  • Free 3G Wireless to download books
  • Uses a trackball-type button to navigate through screens The Sony Reader’s® key features include:
  • Long battery life, allows for the turning of up to 7,500 pages on a single charge
  • Requires computer connectivity to download
  • Touchscreen display

It is clear that e-book readers can be beneficial for people on the go, tech enthusiasts or people who just love to read, like myself. However, I don’t think I will be rushing out to get one of these just yet, partially due to their high price tag (approximately $400). It is certainly a product to watch out for in the near future.