Review: The Top Three EBook EReaders on the Market Today

Ereaders offer one of the most exciting and practical technologies to come out in recent years. Read on to learn about 3 of the most popular eReaders available on the market.

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Sony Pocket Edition

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Sony offers a relatively large line of eReaders, but its most recent and popular addition to the field is Pocket Edition.

Instead of attempting to compete with other eReaders when it comes to high-tech expanded functionality, the Sony Pocket focuses on performing its eReader capabilities very well, and by being the smallest functional eReader on the market. This device measures 6.25 x 4.25 x.40625 inches. On paper it might not sound like the Sony Pocket is that much smaller than other eReaders like the Kindle and the Nook Color, but in person the Pocket Edition looks and feels significantly more compact and lighter than those other popular models.

While the Sony Pocket Edition can't compete with the Nook Color when it comes to processing power or functionality, it does feature a few higher end capabilities that you might not expect- like a full touchscreen interface. Unfortunately, certain standard features that consumers come to expect from eReaders, such as wireless connectivity, aren't packed into the Pocket Edition.

Kindle

Amazon's Kindle still stands as the most popular and well known eReader available on the market, despite the fact that it isn't remotely the most powerful or feature-laden device out there. The Kindle is a great example of how the most popular device in a market isn't always the best device in a market.

Now the Kindle is a great dedicated eReader, supporting a variety of different file formats. Most ebooks read on the Kindle are purchased through Amazon's online bookstore, which is the internet's most popular and widely used bookstore. Most people are intimately familiar with Amazon's online bookstore, which makes stocking your Kindle a simple and intuitive matter. Books purchased through Amazon's website will automatically download onto your Kindle as soon as you connect your device to a wireless signal, though you can also use that wireless signal to access Amazon's bookstore directly from your device.

Like many other eReader the Kindle uses what's called an eInk display. Many people find that eInk displays are easier to read and provide less eyestrain over long reading periods. While this eInk display makes the Kindle arguably superior to devices with LCD displays when it comes to reading books, it also greatly limits the Kindle's functionality. Amazon is currently working on a way to provide web browsing and other tablet-like functions to the Kindle, but these applications are currently barely functional at best.

Nook Color

On the other hand the Nook Color, with its high-level internal processing power and full color LCD screen, handles web browsing and other tablet-like applications with ease. In fact, many people find that the Nook Color functions great as a low-cost alternative to dedicated tablet PCs like the iPad. The Nook Color comes bundled with a few common applications, such as Pandora radio and full web browsing, but it also can be tweaked slightly to run nearly every app available for its Android operating system.

While the Kindle has rudimentary audio functionality, the Nook Color features full multimedia support and is able to play both music and videos with ease. In addition to the aforementioned Pandora radio application the Nook Color comes bundled with media galleries and multimedia games. While the Nook Color doesn't yet feature the same third-party support that the iPhone or iPad provides when it comes to producing apps, Barnes and Nobles is presently working to open up their device to these outside developers.

While some people prefer to read from eInk displays, the Nook Colors full LCD display allows you to read full-color books, comics, magazines and other publications that are either unavailable on eInk devices, or which are only available in severely limited forms.

Like the Sony Pocket the Nook Color also eschews the traditional small keyboard navigation still found on the Kindle and features a full touchscreen interface and streamlined navigational systems.

While the Nook Color can't boast that it connects to the most popular and widely used online bookstore available (Amazon), it does connect to the second most popular and widely used online bookstore available- Barnes and Nobles online. While there might be a volume or two that you can find on Amazon that isn't available on Barnes and Nobles' online bookstore, chances are you won't have any complaints about this arrangement.

Review: The Top Three EBook EReaders on the Market Today

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The Best E-Readers for Students

There are many choices in terms of e-readers out there and there are many other devices that can double as e-readers, so you can rest assured that you'll have plenty of options to choose from. Narrowing down the choices really comes down to how much you're prepared to spend and the types of features you're looking to get into.

Now, the Amazon Kindle models are particularly popular and they may well be the best e-readers on the market. The Amazon Kindle 2 has a boatload of books with nearly two million available titles, so that's a good start. Plus it comes with a QWERTY keyboard and a Sprint-powered Whispernet connection to make it one of the fastest units anywhere. You can usually find an Amazon Kindle 2 at just under 0.

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The Amazon Kindle DX is another popular e-reader that packs in a whole whack of battery life and 50% better contrast than the previous incarnation. It also packs a QWERTY keyboard and will run you just under 0. Students can get a good amount of textbooks on it, but it's better to double-check before you go signing up for one.

The Barnes & Noble Nook will run you around the same amount as the Amazon Kindle 2 with its Wi-Fi-only version. There's a lot of content available with this baby, too, and the Barnes & Noble connection opens up the library considerably. There is no specified textbook section yet, though, but a good amount of them are available through the normal search methods.

These are just three options you have when looking for an e-reader. Other companies, like Sony, have e-readers for students as well and these are worth a look. The best way to check out any tech product is to get on down to your store of choice for a hands-on demonstration, of course. Don't be afraid to ask questions, either, and make sure you get what you want out of your new e-reader.

The Best E-Readers for Students

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