Jill''s Sony PRS-505
I have been using the Sony Ereader model 505 for almost 2 years now. I like the ability to carry many many books with me at the same time as I generally read several at a time. There are now lots of selections including new releases. I can size the print page and I like that I can turn the page just as I would with a paper book. Things I would like to see improved: As of 2008, cannot download if outside the US. Screen is not back lit. No dictionary. Unlike with a paper book, I cannot share a good read with a friend.
The PROs;
Reads MANY document formats. Has an expansion
slot to hold SD card for more books (over 1,000).
The
CONs;
Must use a computer program to get book to reader.
Purchase/download book to computer, then to reader. No WiFi. Battery
life, it does turn a lot of pages, BUT, it does not last a long time,
even if the unit is not being used.
Supported book formats
DRM-free Text: BBeB Book (LRF), PDF, TXT, RTF, ePUB.
Greg's Barnes & Noble Nook
JUST got the Nook (12/8/09) and posted an un-boxing video on YouYube.
To see it, click HERE.
The PROs;
Can purchase/download directly to reader. Can share (limited) E-Books with others. Has an expanson slot to hold Micro SD card for more books (over 1,500). Has WiFi.
The CONs;
Does not read as many document formats. May need a program to convert documents to be readable on the device (see below).
Supported book formats
EPUB and eReader Formats
PDFs load easily
PDFs, MP3s and graphics load to your nook from your computer or micro SD card.
Use JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP files to create personal screensavers.
ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-VU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 8.5 Hour Battery Life
Both Jill and I also have an original 7 inch, Eee PC and I have to add here that they can be used as an E-Book reader. These computers have Windows XP on them. They also have some extra programming that Asus put on them from the start. One of the programs is a control of the screen. It allows us to rotate the screen 90 degrees. So, by using this feature, we can turn the computer on it's side and read it just like a book.
Having said that, Jill does NOT like reading books on it. It's to much like a computer monitor (which it is) and hurts her eyes after a short time.
I am not happy with it as even though it's power usage is VERY SMALL by computer standars, it still uses a lot more than a simple paperback book.
The PROs; is that it also runs other programs, like a backup navigation system. It does E-Mail and surf the WEB. It will play movies with an external CD/DVD drive. Is capable of reading ALL E-Book formats.
types of E-Books with the correct software.
Books are a big part of cruising for a lot of us out here. At almost every port or harbor that cruisers stop in, there is a lending library. Some of these libraries have over 1000 books in them!
The problem is, in a small boat, we can't always carry all the books we would like to. And at times, we just did not feel like reading one of the books we have aboard.
The e-readers SOLVED this problem for us! We now carry well over 2,000 different books aboard our small boat! We never lack for something to read now!
And best of all, we did not have to pay large amounts of $$ to get almost all of this reading material.
Here is a small list of web sites that have many FREE books available for downloading. Granted, not all of the books will appeal to every one, but thats the way with book and boats!
We hope you enjoy........
| Project Gutenberg, One of the biggest FREE BOOKS sites. They have not only free E-books, but also many audio books, some computer read, some human read. |
Baen Free Library, This site has a lot of free e-books also. |
| ManyBooks, This site has a LOT of free books also. It looks like they come from Project Gutenberg. But sure worth a look. |
Google/Sony Google and Sony brings you access to over a million public domain books for free. You can search, browse, and read over a million public domain books preserved by the world's great libraries. They also have a large selection of books to purchase. |
World Public Library The Library Association Collection shelves more than 750,000+ PDF eBooks in 100+ languages and 125 of the finest eBook and eDocument collections published on the Internet today. |
Fictionwise This site has many FREE E-books, along with a large selection of books to purchase. |
Barns and Noble Most ANY book you might want. |
Books At Amazon  Most ANY book you might want. |