BY NICO VREELAND
UPDATE: I updated this to clarify the features the PRS-300 doesn’t have, added an entry about the Astak 5-inch ereader, and clarified that not all new ebooks are DRMed. Also added info that Sonys still don’t work well with Macs and link. Original intro follows.
This summer has seen a swarm of new dedicated ereaders. If you’re a little overwhelmed by all the new options, here’s a quick guide. I’ll supplement this in a few days with a look at upcoming and rumored devices.
Sony Reader PRS-300, $199
Quick verdict: Best device for the casual novel reader, no question about it. No ship date has been released.
[UPDATE: If you use a Mac, take a hard look at the limitations of the Reader on Macs before you buy one.]
It’s a dumb name (PRS stands for “portable reading system,” which could also describe, you know, a book), but for my money Sony makes the best casual ereaders on the market. I’ve had my 505 since February, and I’ve mostly loved it.
The 300 is basically an updated 505. It’s slightly smaller (with a 5-inch screen instead of 6 inches) and $100 cheaper, and that second part makes it the best deal in ereaders.
There are a few drawbacks, noticeably the lack of peripherals. The 300 doesn’t have an SD card slot, so you’re stuck with 440 MB (conservatively 200-300 books). It also doesn’t have audio out (although personally, after playing around with mp3s in ereaders, I’ve never actually used that feature, it kills battery life and I’ve already got an mp3 player).
The 300 still won’t get wireless, so if you really want that (for newspapers or magazines), you’ll have a tough decision. However, if you read mostly books, the Sony is for you. By the end of the year, Barnes & Noble and Sony should both be selling ePub ebooks for $9.99, ending the Kindle book price discrepancy. In the meantime (and afterward), ePub support means you can borrow library ebooks.
Sony’s software is abysmal, but they make it pretty easy to use Adobe Digital Editions, instead, and soon the Reader will be compatible with Macs. The bottom line is that Sony makes a great reading device, one that’s cheaper and more open than the Kindle. If you’re willing to give up mp3s and extra storage, this reader should provide a great reading experience at a great price.
Links: here’s the PRS-300 page at Sony (no word yet on when the 300 will ship); here’s a video comparing the screens of the 300, 600, and 505; check the PRS-300 entry in our ereader comparison for links to more resources as they become available.
Sony PRS-600, $299
Quick verdict: The cheapest touchscreen option out there, but interested parties might be better off waiting for Plastic Logic.
[UPDATE: If you use a Mac, take a hard look at the limitations of the Reader on Macs before you buy one.]
On the other hand, I’m not so excited about the 600. I had a bad experience with Sony’s last attempt at a touchscreen-equipped ereader; essentially the touchscreen broke from me touching it (and Sony tech support is none too helpful).
Even before it broke, the 700 was a drag. The screen was both low-contrast and highly reflective, and the touchscreen wasn’t awesome enough to make up for those big drawbacks.
Presumably, Sony’s been working on touchscreen implementation since then. Still, I’m not convinced that all the kinks have been ironed out. For one thing, this video shows that the touchscreen still suffers from blurriness and bright reflections.
If you’re really interested in interacting with your ebooks, at least wait a month or so, until actual customers have a chance to test it out. If possible, wait until the Plastic Logic comes out early next year.
Links: a video comparing the screens of the 300, 600, and 505; the PRS-600 page at Sony (no ship date has been announced yet); a video review at Mobiletechreview―they say the screen isn’t as bad as the 700’s and isn’t as good as the 505’s; and check the PRS-600 entry in our ereader comparison for links to reviews and other resources as they becomes available.
Bookeen Cybook Opus, $280
Quick verdict: The Opus is behind the curve. No new features and an oversized price tag make it an unattractive option.
The Opus is Bookeen’s latest ereader. It’s got all the usual suspects, feature-wise: DRMed ePub/PDF support. E-Ink. An interface.
This is another ereader that would be tempting at a much lower price point, but for $280, what are you buying? Bookeen hasn’t done much of anything new since the Cybook Gen3 (which you can still buy, somehow, for $350. There’s no touchscreen, no wireless, and they’re still boasting about battery life.
In fact, the major difference between the Gen3 and the Opus is that the Opus has a 5-inch screen. Which means that it doesn’t even have that over the PRS-300.
Links: the Opus homepage; an Opus unboxing (in French).
Onyx Boox, $???
Quick verdict: Interesting potential, but so far a non-factor in the ereader wars.
The Onyx Boox comes from Chinese company Onyx International. It features a slick little touchscreen (check out this video) and “scribble anywhere,” meaning you can write directly on your ebooks with the stylus.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to support DRM formats, and, even worse, doesn’t even seem to be for sale in the U.S. (and it was announced in March).
Until further notice, this isn’t an option for American readers.
Links: the questionably translated Onyx website. No mention of a way to purchase the Boox.
Cool-er eReader, $249
Quick verdict: At $50 more than the PRS-300, the Cool-er is only worth it if you really want a green ereader or really want a 6″ screen.
The Cool-er’s big selling point is that it’s colorful (on the outside; its screen is still monochrome). Other than that, it’s underlying specs are very similar to the PRS-300’s, and it’s interface seems to be a lot worse.
Like the Sony Readers, Cool-er supports Adobe Digital Editions, and DRMed ePub and PDF through Adobe. It has the regular E-Ink screen, the regular battery, etc., etc. But its build quality and user interface don’t compare. There are also complaints about the font and the mp3 execution.
If this device was $50 cheaper than the Sony Reader, we might have a race; as it is, no contest.
When Cool-er was first announced, they claimed to be the iPod of ereaders. Evidently they didn’t understand that it was the iPod’s user interface, and not its form factor, that made it a game-changer.
Links: the Cool-er homepage; a harsh review at Gizmodo; a kinder but still unconvincing video review by TechCrunch.
Ectaco jetBook, $199
Quick verdict: Often the cheapest ereader available, the jetBook has been upstaged by the PRS-300. Unless you don’t want any DRMed books, definitely go for the Sony.
The jetBook is an interesting device, because it uses a non-backlit LCD screen instead of the usual E-Ink. That’s good because it’s faster, but bad because the contrast is not as good.
Even worse, it doesn’t appear that the jetBook supports DRM at all, which means no library ebooks and severely limits the new ebooks you’ll be able to buy.
It was a good idea six months ago, when the second cheapest ereader was nearly $300, but now that the PRS-300 is the same price, there’s no reason to buy the jetBook.
Links: here’s a detailed user review; a video of the jetBook in action; the rather unhelpful jetBook homepage (do not buy it there, instead buy at Bed, Bath & Beyond, where it ships for $100 less and with the latest firmware).
Astak 5-inch EZ Reader, $199
Quick verdict: If you want mp3s on your ereader, or an SD card slot, this is the cheapest ereader with those features and DRM support. If you don’t need that stuff, a PRS-300 is probably your best bet.
When Astak first announced its EZ Reader in May (when it was called the Mentor), it looked like a line of all-new designs. Now that it’s (almost) here, it appears to be the same build as the 6-inch model (i.e. a Hanlin V3, see below) with a smaller screen and a choice of colors (on the case, the screen is still black and white).
There are a couple of interesting features that Astak is touting in its press release, most noticeably text-to-speech, SD card support up to 16 GB, and support for a wider range of non-DRM formats.
But the Astak website is reluctant to reveal exactly what formats will be supported, and the EZ Reader doesn’t support SDHC cards yet (I don’t even know where you find a 16 GB SD-plain card). [UPDATE: An Astak rep tells me that the DRM-free formats supported include .prc, .lit, and .pdb, as well as the usual suspects. Additionally, SDHC support is standard with both the 5-inch and 6-inch versions, and they’re working on support for DRM .pdb (the Fictionwise eReader format). That means that if you’ve got a collection of old pdb or lit books, this could be a great option for you.]
In our side-by-side comparison of the Sony PRS-505 and the BeBook (also a Hanlin V3 build), the Sony had a better build quality and a better user interface.
If you really want text-to-speech or mp3s (the PRS-300 has no audio output) or 16 GB of books (the PRS-300 has no SD card slot at all, so you’re stuck with 440 MB), the Astak has the cheapest device with those features. If you don’t need those features, the PRS-300 will probably have the better reading experience.
Links: the Astak EZ Reader homepage. The 5-inch Astak is only available for preorder.
Rebranded Hanlins
It’s a popular way to jump into the ereader marketplace: you start with a Hanlin V3, which is an established (and cheap) ereader. Then you design your own firmware for it, and sell it under your own name. The original BeBook is a rebranded Hanlin, as is the 6-inch Astak EZReader. They look like the picture at left (plus or minus a logo).
Rebranded Hanlins are generally overpriced because there’s an extra middleman (whoever’s making a new firmware and pasting on their logo). So unless you find one for cheap, don’t bother. The going rate is about $300, like this one at Wal-Mart.
Keep an eye out for it, and realize what you’re getting before you buy.
Pingback: Summary of ereaders - with recommendations | TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home
Chris Meadows said:
Just FYI, you should give the Kindle some consideration, if only to tell people why it’s not such a good deal.
Your FAQ is slightly incorrect when it says that “Kindle users can only buy books from the Kindle Store, and non-Kindlers can’t buy Kindle books.” In fact, any Mobipocket book without DRM can be placed on the Kindle (and other formats can be converted for it), which means you can purchase books from Baen Webscriptions (which even has Kindle sync instructions and an “email this book to my Kindle” link for each book) or Fictionwise multiformat books for it.
The DRM/library books issue (which you mention in the jetBook review) is a bit of a sticking point, but then you can’t put DRM’d Mobipocket or ePub on the iPod Touch/iPhone yet, either, and that doesn’t stop thousands upon thousands of people from reading e-books on them.
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi Chris,
I didn’t include the Kindles because this post was about newer ereaders. They’re included on our static ereader comparison page.
That’s a good point about the FAQ. I’ll update it and clarify that.
As far as the jetBook, it could be great for people who don’t want DRMed books. But if I were buying a dedicated ereading device, I’d at least want the option of reading DRMed books.
Thanks for stopping by.
LikeLike
Bill McHale said:
Just two quick comments about the Jetbook….
1. I have a jetbook and I think there is plenty of contrast. More over, the screen is very sharp. So at the very least, I would say the contrast issue is a wash.
2. Fictionwise, and some other sites in fact do sell thousands of current books without DRM. I agree that lack of DRM is somewhat limiting, but it hardly shuts you out of contemporary literature.
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi Bill,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Contrast is a subjective thing, and some people don’t need a lot to have a comfortable reading experience, but even in videos it looks lower contrast than E-Ink.
That’s a good distinction about DRM. I’ll change that to read “DRM books” instead of “new books.”
Nico
LikeLike
Karen Wester Newton said:
I agree with commenter Chris Meadows that you should at least mention Kindle. True, it’s not that new, but the price drop to $299 is pretty recent. Plus, it does allow other non-Kindle books, so long as they don’t have DRM. Half the documents on my Kindle are non-Kindle books. Fictionwise also added a “Send to my Kindle” link which works fine with non-DRM Mobi. The real limitation, as of now, is that you have to live in a US urban area for the wireless to work. Assuming you do, the wireless is totally worth the price difference, in my book (pardon the pun).
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi Karen,
Thanks for commenting. The Kindles are in our static comparison page. I’ll clarify our description of the Kindle’s abilities, too.
As for limitations, I still think the Kindle’s inability to work with library ebooks is its biggest flaw. I’d love to have wireless on all ereaders, but since I read mostly novels on my ereader, it’s not too much of a hassle to plug it in once a month.
Nico
LikeLike
Doodlydood said:
Hello,
The PRS-600 is available in some locales (Canada) – I received mine last week. It is being returned to Sony tomorrow. The glare is far too distracting. Even with the snappier and more elegant interface and touch-screen annotations, I am going back to my PRS-505 for the higher contrast screen. Some videos are here
PRS-600
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi,
That was my experience with the PRS-700. It’s a shame. Thanks for the link to the videos.
Nico
LikeLike
Jon said:
The real problem is that all of these suck. The Kindle, too. There is not a single one of them I’d spend my money on, and I’ve been wanting an ebook reader since I first heard about e-ink.
I won’t buy anything Sony – they have a long history of hating consumers, and the rootkit fiasco was the last straw. Plus, I don’t trust them not to screw me over proprietary formats or DRM or something like that. And all the others you list have at least one deal-breaking characteristic.
Someday we’ll have an ebook reader that doesn’t suck, but I’m not holding my breath.
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi Jon,
Thanks for stopping by. I must say, I mostly agree with you. It’s really frustrating that these devices are as feature-bare as they are, especially considering a lot of them are second- or third-generation devices.
The good news is that the prices are coming down almost to the point where it’s worth it for casual readers to get involved with ebooks.
I’m also really skittish about Sony. They make terrible software, and their customer service is atrocious– it’s one of those companies where you have to keep calling or coming in until you find somebody who’ll fix what’s broken.
That said, though, the PRS-505 is a great piece of hardware (the PRS-700 is a piece of junk, though). Worth checking out at the store, at least.
Nico
LikeLike
Andrew said:
Good stuff. Will you be adding thoughts on Sony’s new model announced today? With wireless and library access it seems to have jumped to the head of the pack. If and when Apple adds the rumored tablet, it will be fun to see how that stacks up too.
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for reading. I’m going to do another post next week about upcoming and rumored reading devices, and I’ll stick the Sony wireless reader in there.
Personally, I’m more excited about the partnership with the NYPL than the wireless reader. They haven’t been able to make a decent touchscreen yet, so I’m assuming this one won’t be decent either.
Nico
LikeLike
Greg Weiss said:
There’s actually a really good review on the jetBook i just found on YouTube, Here’s a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urgm7dAA7-Q
I actually own a jetBook and have not been let down with it once. It’s light, portable, and if you really want you can strip any DRM (there are instructions everywhere how to do this) and read books till you turn purple. On the other hand, that’s fairly frowned upon, so i stick to my classics which i love.
As for the contrast, i had a Sony PRS before this and i’ll tell you that the contrast is actually sharper when comparing the TFT of the jetBook to the e-Ink on Sony. Everyone has an eye for things but this is what i’ve noticed. Reading in the dark is actually much clearer as well on the jetBook and there’s limited glare.
This is kind of my opinion but i would definitely be glad to hear some more commentary. Thanks!
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the link. It sounds like, from jetBook users, that the resolution is sharper, but the contrast (i.e. the difference in color between the white background and the black letters) looks muddier than the Sony’s, at least in the videos and pictures. By all accounts, though, it’s good to read on.
I think the non-backlit LCD screen is a really interesting way to go for ereaders. It looks a lot faster than E-Ink, which is obviously great. The lack of DRM support is a killer for me, though.
LikeLike
Dimitry said:
Contrast or background color is not an issue for me as a jetBook owner. If you ask me – is it sharp enough for you, the answer is – absolutely! I’m 100% sure that this issue will be discussed many more times, but not because jetBook type of screen is inconvenient, but solely because it’s different.
Talking about DRM. I don’t use my jetBook to read books. Imagine that! I use it to download articles from political blogs and read them while I’m on train. But I have to admit, that it has to be a problem for book lovers. Something to think about for Ectaco!
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi Dimitry-
Yeah, if you don’t need DRM, I could see sacrificing contrast for resolution and speed. No doubt about it.
LikeLike
Pingback: Twitter Trackbacks for Catch Up On New eReaders | Chamber Four [chamberfour.com] on Topsy.com
Kenng said:
I Still use an old REB/GEB 1200/2150 as my reader of choice. It has a large BACKLIT color screen which allows me to lie in bed and read in the dark (it is important not to disturb your SO)
I am down to my last one (of 4) and there are no more replacements – Why can’t anyone offer an ereader that is portable, large enough fonts to allow an older eyed person to read it, [(size 12 font)without having just a word and a half on the screen if you do enlarge the font]similar to the 1200/2150?
The 1150 offered by ebookwise (I own 3) is a)tiny, b)green tinted back light ( tough on my eyes )and c)limited to non-drm books. I gave one to my son, one to my wife(SO) and the third is waiting for one of the others to break.
It was successfully done once by RCA, why not do it again??
Kenng
LikeLike
Nico Vreeland said:
Hi Kenng,
Thanks for stopping by. I’d say, if you want a large backlit screen, your best bet might be an “ultramobile PC,” which is essentially a tablet screen that can access the internet and run simple programs. Sometimes these are kind of expensive, like the Viliv x70, which costs about $600.
But the Toshiba JournE looks good enough to do ebooks pretty well, and it supposedly only costs $350. No release date.
I’d keep my out for those kind of devices if i were you.
Nico
LikeLike
Pingback: Upcoming and Rumored eReaders | Chamber Four