ABOUT E-BOOK READERS
E-books are convenient, portable, environmentally friendly and are your key to a complete, portable world of knowledge.
Each e-book holds about a library worth of information, giving you access to a gigantic amount of knowledge that you can bookmark, search and access in ways never before possible with traditional media.
E-books make it easy for you to take notes, save clippings of quotations and mark passages for reference.
In comparing e-book devices there are a few things to consider, as we all know, not all devices are created equal. Below you'll find some comparison points between our top 10 favorite devices to help with deciding what factors are important to you when investing in an e-book.
CHOOSING A READER
Features
- There are a lot of features from touchscreens to E-Ink, to WiFi or 3G connectivity, to the Read to Me feature on the Kindle 2, that will help your e-book reader become a true reading companion. We tried to list the top features in our side-by-side grid and give you the best way to compare features in each of the readers featured.
Price
- E-books are relatively new on the market, so prices are likely to be high. Especially for the models that feature TouchScreen technology or a lot of custom software. Prices can also fluctuate and we will try to keep the site updated.
Content
- Content availability is a major factor influencing your purchase. To help with your selection we listed the available content types for each devices featured and how many different types of book files theycan support.
Tech Support
- In purchasing your device please consider all the available technical support options. In purchasing an e-reader consider the ability to reach a customer service rep over the phone. We listed the tech support options for the vendors we feature. Before you purchase an e-book reader, decide what kind of support you would like and consider what you can expect.
1-5 READER RESOURCES
Reader Tech Support Contacts
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Amazon / Kindle: 1-800-201-7575
Barnes & Noble / Nook: 1-800-843-2665
Apple / iPad: 1-800-275-2273
Sony / PRS 900: 239-768-7678
Plastic Logic / Que: 1-888-732-3783
| Price | $259 – $489 |
$259 |
$499 – $899 |
$349 |
$649 – $799 |
| Interface | 5-way hard key controller, analog keyboard | Touchscreen and hard key page turn | Touchscreen, analog on/off, sleep/wake, mute, volume and home buttons | Touchscreen and 5 button analog contol | Touchscreen |
| Size | Kindle 8" x 5.3" x 0.36" Kindle DX 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38" |
7.7" x 4.9" x 0.5" | 9.56" x 7.47" x 0.5" | 8.125" x 5" x 19/32" | 11" x 8.5" x .3" |
| Display | Kindle 6" diagonal E Ink® 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale Kindle DX 9.7" diagonal E Ink® 1200 x 824 pixel resolution at 150 ppi, 16-level gray scale. |
6" diagonal E Ink® 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale 3.5" TFT Color LCD for navigation |
9.7" diagonal LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display 1024 x 768 pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch |
7.1" diagonal E Ink® 600 x 1024 pixel resolution, 16 level gray scale |
10.5" diagonal Plastic Logic 944 x 1264 pixel resolution at 150 ppi, 8 gray levels |
| Weight | Kindle 10.2 oz Kindle DX 18.9 oz |
12.1 oz | WiFi 1.5 lbs WiFi & 3G 1.6 lbs |
12.75 oz | 17.2 oz |
| Storage | Kindle 2 GB Kindle DX 4 GB |
2 GB | 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB |
2 GB Memory Stick, SD card up to 32 GB |
4 GB 8 GB |
| Battery Life | Up to two weeks of use and/or 7500 pages Recharges via USB or US power adaptor (included) |
Up to ten days of use Recharges via USB or US power adaptor (included) |
Up to 10 hours Recharges vie USB (included) or Apple Dock power adaptor |
12,000 continuous page turns Recharges via USB or US power adaptor (included) |
– Recharges via USB or US power adaptor (included) |
| Connectivity | AT&T 3G (Amazon Whispernet) |
AT&T 3G WiFi (free at B&N locations) |
WiFi Bluetooth AT&T 3G WiFi Bluetooth (3G data plans not included) |
AT&T 3G | WiFi Bluetooth AT&T 3G Wifi Bluetooth |
| Input | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 microSD slot |
Apple Dock Connector | USB 2.0 Memory Stick slot SD card slot |
USB 2.0 |
| Audio | 3.5mm stereo headphone jack Rear-mounted stereo speakers |
3.5mm stereo headphone jack Built-in mono speaker |
3.5mm stereo headphone jack Built-in speaker Microphone |
3.5mm stereo headphone jack | – |
| System Reqs. | None | None | Mac computer + USB 2.0 port Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later iTunes 9.0 or later iTunes Store account Internet access PC with USB 2.0 port Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download) iTunes Store account Internet access |
Mac computer with OS X version 10.6, 10.5.6 or later, 10.4.11 or later. Intel, Power PC G3, G4, or G5 processor 128 MB RAM or more 20 MB HD space or more, but depending on the content amount, more space may be required. Monitor: High Color or more, 1024 x 768 pixels or more (True Color, 1280 x 1024 pixels or more recommended) Other devices: USB port (High-Speed USB Compatible) Internet connection (broadband recommended, some fees may apply) is also required on your computer. PC with Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Basic/ Home Premium/ Professional/ Ultimate. Microsoft® Windows Vista® (32-bit or 64-bit) Home Basic/ Home Premium/ Business/ Ultimate with Service Pack 1 or later. Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit only) Home Edition/ Professional/ Media Center Edition 2004 & 2005 with Service Pack 2 or later. 800 MHz Celeron class processor or better 128 MB RAM or more (minimum 512 MB for Windows Vista) 20 MB of HD space or more, but depending on the content amount, more space may be required. Monitor: High Color or more, 1024 x 768 pixels or more (True Color, 1280 x 1024 pixels or more recommended) Other devices: USB port (High-Speed USB Compatible) Internet connection (broadband recommended, some fees may apply) is also required on your computer. |
PC or Mac with USB 2.0 support Windows 7; Windows Vista, Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2 or greater) Mac OS X v10.5.4 or greater (Intel-based Macs only) 100MB minimum of free hard drive space (installation only) Internet Access (broadband suggested) |
| Content Supported | Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion | EPUB, PDB, PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3 natively | Audio Formats: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV, H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats. Video formats: MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov Viewable Email Attachments: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel) |
ePub, PDF, TXT, RTF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, MP3 (Non encrypted), AAC (Non encrypted) natively; Microsoft® Word through conversion | PDF, GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, ePub, and TXT natively; Using the QUE software on your computer, QUE supports printable formats such as Microsoft Office 2003/2007 (requires Microsoft Office on your computer), email and calendar (Windows PC only; requires Microsoft Office Outlook), HTML (e.g., maps), and RTF |
| Includes | U.S. power adapter (supports 100V-240V) USB 2.0 cable Rechargeable battery Quick Start Guide |
Micro-USB 2.0 cable Quick Start Guide AC adapter Rechargeable battery |
Dock Connector to USB Cable 10W USB Power Adapter Documentation |
Zippered Case Quick Start Guide USB Cable Stylus Rechargeable Battery Pack Soft Cover SIM Card (Pre-Installed at factory) AC Adapter for Reader |
Power & Data Cable Polishing Cloth Wall Charger Quick Start Guide |
| Warranty | 1-year limited warranty and service included Optional 2-year Extended Warranty sold separately |
1-year limited warranty and service included Optional 2-year Extended Warranty sold separately |
1-year limited warranty and service included | 1-year limited warranty and service included | – |
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Kindle / Kindle DX | Nook | iPad | PRS 900 | Que |
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