Of course, the plus side to using a regular screen is that you can also display pictures, videos and other media much better than an ereader, and the response time is instant. However, the huge downside is – it’s not an ereader! You’d still be staring into a white screen the whole time you’re reading.

As an ereader, I don’t think the iPad is a threat to the Kindle or Sony lines at all, though the iPad as a device for other uses – most notably a netbook or tablet PC and portable gaming device. In these areas the iPad seems excellent.

This also come with the launch of a bookstore too, and while this would indicate that at some point Apple will make something that has true ereader capabilities, the books on the Apple store are going to be priced higher than at the Kindle or other stores, in general. The selection on the iBookstore is also not at the level of the established bookstores, but overtime I imagine the selections will be similar.

To summarize – Buy an iPad if you would use a netbook or tablet PC, or love playing games on your iPhone, don’t buy it as a straight ereader.

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Kelly’s Review

 
The Pocket is just that, the smallest hi quality, affordable ereader on the market. Everyone knows Sony makes great products, and this is no exception. The Pocket has a 5″ screen size, perfect for someone who wants to take it everywhere with ease and without any hassle.
 
The screen on this one though small is still very easy to read comfortable from, you can also adjust the font to your liking, the only downside is that since the screen is smaller you’ll turn the pages a bit more, so it can get pretty hectic during a great page-turner!
 
Overall, this is a great product, Sony has made an inexpensive product that is compact but doesn’t sacrifice any quality or key features from the design. If you want the smallest, best bargain ereader, this is it.
 

Sony Reader Pocket Technical Details

• Customizable reading experience: The Reader Pocket Edition™ offers you the ability to customize your viewing capabilities. You can resize text by choosing from three adjustable font sizes and/or set your screen to orientate in either portrait or landscape based on your preferred reading experience.
• Quick page turns & high contrast ratio: Quick page turns let you read at a natural pace, while a high contrast ratio helps ensure your favorite books are easily readable, even in direct sunlight.
• Compatible with PC and Mac: eBook Library 3.0 software makes it easy to download eBooks, manage your collection, and transfer titles to your Reader Pocket Edition™. eBook Library 3.0 software works with both PC and Mac7.
• Carry up to 350 of your favorite books at a time
• Access a wide number of online bookstores
• Thin, light, highly portable design
• Model: PRS-300BC

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Red, Black or Silver

Kelly’s Review

 
The coolest part of the Reader Touch is, as you can tell by the title, the touch screen. It makes browsing through menus and doing onscreen actions a lot easier. It also looks sleeker than the Kindle without the keypad, though the Kindle’s design is pretty awesome too.
 
Another big plus for the Touch is the battery life, they last two weeks, which is slightly longer than the Kindle with wireless turned off, and WAY longer than the Kindle with wireless on. The Touch also has some nice features that the Kindle doesn’t, like note taking with the included stylus, expanded memory for almost anything, books, pictures, or music.
 
Another feature of the Sony is the flexibility of getting books, Amazon prefers using it’s own store and while it’s huge and has a ton to choose from, it’s not easy to get access to free Google books or any outside ebook store, so anyone that isn’t happy with Amazon’s store should go with a Sony.
 
Overall, the Sonys are great, they look as nice or nicer than the Kindles, they are cheaper and are more flexible and are really a great alternative to the Kindle. If you’re someone who doesn’t mind sacrificing a bit of ease of use and doesn’t think the Amazon store is sufficient then you should get a Sony, I think the Touch is the better option unless you really would like a smaller one, as it has a few extra features like freehand notes and picture/audio viewer.
 

Sony Reader TouchKey Features

• Freehand highlighting & annotation: Take freehand notes and highlight sections of text you want to revisit later, just as you would in a real book, using the included stylus. If you prefer, a virtual keyboard is also available for entering quick notes or searching your eBooks. If you want, you can even export your notes to your computer using the eBook Library software.
• Built-in Dictionary: A handy search function lets you look up words in The New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition.
• Read at a natural pace: Quick page turns let you read at a natural pace, while a high contrast ratio helps ensure your favorite books are easily readable, even in direct sunlight.
• Adjustable font sizes: The Reader Touch Edition™ offers you the ability to resize text. Choose from five adjustable font sizes to improve readability.
• Thin, light, highly portable design
• Model: PRS-600BC

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Kelly’s Review

 
The Kindle DX is like the flagship ereader. It’s based on the original Kindle ereader design, but it’s been expanded, a bigger screen size, more memory and an amazing display that reads like a real book. It also has an auto rotate feature for viewing in portrait or landscape. It’s screen size is huge at 9.7″, the whole thing is a bit bigger than a sheet of paper, but less than a third of an inch thick.
 
The Kindle is like the iPod, on paper it’s specs seem similar to it’s competition, but using the device, everything just feels so polished, so smooth, so intuitive. It’s got fast load times, buying and then viewing books couldn’t be faster or easier. It also has a text-to-speech feature that will turn any book, magazine or article into an audio recording.
 
Both Kindles now offer 3G internet, meaning you get internet anywhere you can get internet on your cell phone, not just places where you can get a wifi signal for say a laptop, and this isn’t a monthly subscription, this is free wireless internet that you can use to read Wikipedia and browse blogs and read them online. They also now offer native pdf support, so getting any content you own, whether it be a public domain book, some school assignment, whatever, you can easily convert most of these documents to pdf (if aren’t already) and load them onto your Kindle the same way you’d load songs onto an iPod.Another feature that I have listed in the features below, but should mention is the text to speech feature, I don’t really use it, so that’s why I overlooked it here, but it’s a key feature. Simply put you grab some headphones and any book you have becomes a book on tape as the Kindle will read it back to you.
 
Finally, both Kindles includes image and music support, so you can load picture to view (which are greyscale or play music while you read your book, so it can double as an ipod, though the store is much smaller, I usually keep a few of my favorite albums on it just in case I feel like some music.
 
Where the DX beats the 2 is, of course, screen area, which is 2.5 times bigger, while it’s not a big deal for a standard novel, as you simply have less text on the page, which leads to more page turns, which isn’t so terrible. However, I’ve found using pdf textbooks (which are fairly common) with diagrams or any newspaper or blog with images, basically as soon as you get away from pure text, the DX screen size becomes a huge advantage, as you can still read a page like it would look in a textbook, or line, because the screen itself is bigger than most textbooks.
 
The keyboard on the DX is also a bit easier to work with, the layout is just better, I found myself making less mistakes and typing with greater ease.
 
Other than that the two are the same in terms of functionality and performance.
 
If you’re looking for the best ereader around and have the money, you must get the Kindle DX.
 

Amazon Kindle DX Stats

• Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
• Carry Your Library: Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents
• Beautiful Large Display: 9.7″ diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images
• Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages
• Built-In PDF Reader: Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go
• Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle DX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, no annual contracts, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
• Books In Under 60 Seconds: You get free wireless delivery of books in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
• Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging
• Read-to-Me: With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book’s rights holder made the feature unavailable
• Big Selection, Low Prices: Over 360,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs; New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are only $9.99, unless marked otherwise
• More Than Books: U.S. and international newspapers including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, magazines including The New Yorker and Time, plus popular blogs, all auto-delivered wirelessly

Kelly’s Review

 
The Kindle 2 is the e-reader I personally own, I love it, but after one of my book club friends got the DX I thought I’d prefer that bigger screen size, I could still easily store the DX in a purse or laptap bag, anything. However, the Kindle 2 is great, it’s very, very similar but smaller. The only real differences are the memory and screen size. This Kindle holds about half as many books as the DX. Amazon says it’s over 1500 books, that’s still more than I think I’d ever own, so it’s not like memory is going to be a problem. The Kindle 2 has a 6″ screen size, compared to the DX which is 9.7″ and to the pocket at 5″. I find the pocket to be a bit too small, 6″ is probably the best screen size / portability of the ereader that I have seen.
 
Both Kindles now offer 3G wireless internet, and this isn’t a monthly subscription, this is free wireless internet that you can use to read Wikipedia and browse blogs to read right on the reader. They also now offer native pdf support, so getting any content you own, whether it be a public domain book, some school assignment, whatever, you can easily convert most of these documents to pdf (if aren’t already) and load them onto your Kindle the same way you’d load songs onto an iPod. Another feature that I have listed in the features below, but should mention is the text to speech feature, I don’t really use it, so that’s why I overlooked it here, but it’s a key feature. Simply put you grab some headphones and any book you have becomes a book on tape as the Kindle will read it back to you.
 
Finally, both Kindles includes image and music support, so you can load picture to view (which are greyscale or play music while you read your book, so it can double as an ipod, though the store is much smaller, I usually keep a few of my favorite albums on it just in case I feel like some music.
 
You do pay a bit more for a Kindle than the competitors, but like I said in my DX review, you get what you pay for and more, the Kindle is so intuitive and easy to use, there’s a familiarity you get with almost immediately after you begin using it. It’s just a nicer design and so great to use
 
So, if you want an ereader, but don’t want the larger size or larger prize tag of the Kindle DX then absolutely get the Kindle 2, you’ll never need an ereader again in your life, you don’t have to think about it ever again, so you can focus on what happens to Robert Langdon in “The Lost Symbol”
 

Amazon Kindle 2 Technical Details

• Display: 6″ diagonal E Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale.
• Size (in inches): 8″ x 5.3″ x 0.36″ (203.2mm x 134.6mm x 9.1mm).
• Weight: 10.2 ounces (289.2 grams).
• System Requirements: None, because it’s wireless and doesn’t require a computer. Check wireless coverage.
• Storage: 2GB internal (approximately 1.4GB available for user content).
• Battery Life: Read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to two weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low-coverage areas or in EDGE/GPRS-only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.
• Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 4 hours via the included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.
• Connectivity: HSDPA modem (3G) with a fallback to EDGE/GPRS; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide wireless coverage via AT&T’s 3G high-speed data network in the U.S. and partner networks outside of the U.S. See Wireless Terms and Conditions.
• USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) for connection to the Kindle U.S. power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.
• Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers.
• Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
• Included Accessories: U.S. power adapter (supports 100V-240V), USB 2.0 cable, rechargeable battery. Book cover sold separately.
• Documentation: Quick Start Guide (included in box) [PDF]; Kindle User’s Guide (pre-installed on device) [PDF]. Additional information in multiple languages available online.
• Warranty and Service: 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the Kindle License Agreement and Terms of Use.

What are Public Domain Books?

 
Public domain books are any works that have either been published with the author’s permission to use and distribute freely, or any books that were published before patent/copyright laws were in place.
 
So, what kind of books are public domain? A lot of classic fiction written hundreds of years ago, like Homer’s classics, The Odyssey and the Iliad or anything by Charles Dickens. I love how much classic stuff is available. For modern books, you can find tons of authors or aspiring authors who have uploaded their work for free to share and perhaps build a reputation or following.
 
Why isn’t public domain? Most books – anything currently popular, and pretty much everything in your bookstore that was written in the past 100 years is not public domain, and therefore you have to buy the content through an ebook store.
 

How To Get Public Domain Books

 
Go to Google Books and Click on ADvanced Search, you then want to Search for Public Domain only. You can also try Project Gutenberg, I’ve gotten quite a few people who have messaged me about it. Both are great sources.
 
You can then modify the rest of the search to search for a specific author, genre, title or any combination to find public domain books that you may be interested in.
 
If you find a book, simply download it, usually as a pdf, and then load that onto your e-reader as you would another book. It’s that easy, it takes 2 minutes for you to get a great book!