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Ebook readers

In time, ebook readers could mean the end of the traditional printed book. These electronic devices can hold the text of hundreds or thousands of books, putting them at your fingertips wherever you are. Forget about having to lug heavy books when you travel. An ebook reader is all you need.

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What to look for

Ebook readers comparison chart for 2023

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Kindle Paperwhite
Kindle Touch 3G
Nook Color
Kobo Touch eReader
Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight
Sony Reader Wi-Fi
Kindle
Bebook Neo
iriver Story HD
Kindle Keyboard
Excellent
Five stars means excellent
Very good
Four stars means very good
Good
Three stars means good
Average
Two stars means average /
Poor
One star means poor
Kindle Paperwhite has been awarded best buy Product image of kindle paperwhite Product image of kindle touch 3g Product image of nook color Product image of kobo touch ereader Product image of nook simple touch with glowlight Product image of sony reader wi-fi Product image of kindle Product image of bebook neo Product image of iriver story hd Product image of kindle keyboard
 
 
Ratings
Overall
kindle paperwhite has a rating of five  overall kindle touch 3g has a rating of five  overall nook color has a rating of four  overall kobo touch ereader has a rating of four  overall nook simple touch with glowlight has a rating of five  overall sony reader wi-fi has a rating of five  overall kindle has a rating of three  overall bebook neo has a rating of four  overall iriver story hd has a rating of three  overall kindle keyboard has a rating of four  overall
Design
kindle paperwhite has a rating of five  design kindle touch 3g has a rating of five  design nook color has a rating of four  design kobo touch ereader has a rating of four  design nook simple touch with glowlight has a rating of four  design sony reader wi-fi has a rating of four  design kindle has a rating of four  design bebook neo has a rating of three  design iriver story hd has a rating of four  design kindle keyboard has a rating of three  design
Ease of use
kindle paperwhite has a rating of five  ease of use kindle touch 3g has a rating of four  ease of use nook color has a rating of five  ease of use kobo touch ereader has a rating of four  ease of use nook simple touch with glowlight has a rating of five  ease of use sony reader wi-fi has a rating of five  ease of use kindle has a rating of four  ease of use bebook neo has a rating of three  ease of use iriver story hd has a rating of three  ease of use kindle keyboard has a rating of four  ease of use
Content
kindle paperwhite has a rating of five  content kindle touch 3g has a rating of five  content nook color has a rating of four  content kobo touch ereader has a rating of three  content nook simple touch with glowlight has a rating of four  content sony reader wi-fi has a rating of three  content kindle has a rating of three  content bebook neo has a rating of four  content iriver story hd has a rating of three  content kindle keyboard has a rating of four  content
Connectivity
kindle paperwhite has a rating of five  connectivity kindle touch 3g has a rating of five  connectivity nook color has a rating of four  connectivity kobo touch ereader has a rating of four  connectivity nook simple touch with glowlight has a rating of five  connectivity sony reader wi-fi has a rating of four  connectivity kindle has a rating of two  connectivity bebook neo has a rating of four  connectivity iriver story hd has a rating of two  connectivity kindle keyboard has a rating of three  connectivity
Battery & storage
kindle paperwhite has a rating of four  battery & storage kindle touch 3g has a rating of four  battery & storage nook color has a rating of five  battery & storage kobo touch ereader has a rating of five  battery & storage nook simple touch with glowlight has a rating of four  battery & storage sony reader wi-fi has a rating of five  battery & storage kindle has a rating of five  battery & storage bebook neo has a rating of five  battery & storage iriver story hd has a rating of five  battery & storage kindle keyboard has a rating of five  battery & storage
Features
kindle paperwhite has a rating of five  features kindle touch 3g has a rating of five  features nook color has a rating of four  features kobo touch ereader has a rating of four  features nook simple touch with glowlight has a rating of four  features sony reader wi-fi has a rating of four  features kindle has a rating of four  features bebook neo has a rating of four  features iriver story hd has a rating of three  features kindle keyboard has a rating of four  features
Specification
Size (diagonal inches)
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Touchscreen
kindle paperwhite  touchscreen kindle touch 3g  touchscreen nook color  touchscreen kobo touch ereader  touchscreen nook simple touch with glowlight  touchscreen sony reader wi-fi  touchscreen kindle  touchscreen bebook neo  touchscreen iriver story hd  touchscreen kindle keyboard  touchscreen
Screen type
E Ink E-Ink E-Ink E-Ink E-Ink E-Ink E-Ink E-Ink E-Ink E-Ink
Resolution (megapixels)
1024 x 768 600 x 800 800 x 600 600 x 800 600 x 800 600 x 800 600 x 800 600 x 800 768 x 1024 600 x 800
Overall size (inches)
6.7 x 4.6 x 0.36 6.8 x 4.7 x 0.40 7.29 x 4.60 x 0.37 4.5 x 0.4 x 6.5 6.5 x 5.0 x 0.47 4.4 x 0.4 x 6.9 6.8 x 4.7 x 0.40 7 x 4.7 x 0.4 7.49 x 5.02 x 0.37 6.53 x 4.72 x 0.35
Weight (ounces)
7.5 7.8 6.35 7.1 6.95 5.9 7.8 10.5 7.3 6.87
Internal memory
2 GB 4 GB 1 gb 1 GB 2 GB 1.3 GB 4 GB 512 MB 2 GB 2 GB
Removable memory
16 GB 32 GB 32 GB 32 GB 32 GB 16 GB 32 GB 32 GB
Connectivity
Wi-fi
kindle paperwhite  wi-fi kindle touch 3g  wi-fi nook color  wi-fi kobo touch ereader  wi-fi nook simple touch with glowlight  wi-fi sony reader wi-fi  wi-fi kindle  wi-fi bebook neo  wi-fi iriver story hd  wi-fi kindle keyboard  wi-fi
3G
kindle paperwhite  3g kindle touch 3g  3g nook color  3g kobo touch ereader  3g nook simple touch with glowlight  3g sony reader wi-fi  3g kindle  3g bebook neo  3g iriver story hd  3g kindle keyboard  3g
Features
Text to speech
kindle paperwhite  text to speech kindle touch 3g  text to speech nook color  text to speech kobo touch ereader  text to speech nook simple touch with glowlight  text to speech sony reader wi-fi  text to speech kindle  text to speech bebook neo  text to speech iriver story hd  text to speech kindle keyboard  text to speech
Supported audio
MP3
kindle paperwhite  mp3 kindle touch 3g  mp3 nook color  mp3 kobo touch ereader  mp3 nook simple touch with glowlight  mp3 sony reader wi-fi  mp3 kindle  mp3 bebook neo  mp3 iriver story hd  mp3 kindle keyboard  mp3
AUDIBLE
kindle paperwhite  audible kindle touch 3g  audible nook color  audible kobo touch ereader  audible nook simple touch with glowlight  audible sony reader wi-fi  audible kindle  audible bebook neo  audible iriver story hd  audible kindle keyboard  audible
AAC
kindle paperwhite  aac kindle touch 3g  aac nook color  aac kobo touch ereader  aac nook simple touch with glowlight  aac sony reader wi-fi  aac kindle  aac bebook neo  aac iriver story hd  aac kindle keyboard  aac
OGG
kindle paperwhite  ogg kindle touch 3g  ogg nook color  ogg kobo touch ereader  ogg nook simple touch with glowlight  ogg sony reader wi-fi  ogg kindle  ogg bebook neo  ogg iriver story hd  ogg kindle keyboard  ogg
AAX
kindle paperwhite  aax kindle touch 3g  aax nook color  aax kobo touch ereader  aax nook simple touch with glowlight  aax sony reader wi-fi  aax kindle  aax bebook neo  aax iriver story hd  aax kindle keyboard  aax
AA
kindle paperwhite  aa kindle touch 3g  aa nook color  aa kobo touch ereader  aa nook simple touch with glowlight  aa sony reader wi-fi  aa kindle  aa bebook neo  aa iriver story hd  aa kindle keyboard  aa
Supported documents
PDF
kindle paperwhite  pdf kindle touch 3g  pdf nook color  pdf kobo touch ereader  pdf nook simple touch with glowlight  pdf sony reader wi-fi  pdf kindle  pdf bebook neo  pdf iriver story hd  pdf kindle keyboard  pdf
TXT
kindle paperwhite  txt kindle touch 3g  txt nook color  txt kobo touch ereader  txt nook simple touch with glowlight  txt sony reader wi-fi  txt kindle  txt bebook neo  txt iriver story hd  txt kindle keyboard  txt
MOBI
kindle paperwhite  mobi kindle touch 3g  mobi nook color  mobi kobo touch ereader  mobi nook simple touch with glowlight  mobi sony reader wi-fi  mobi kindle  mobi bebook neo  mobi iriver story hd  mobi kindle keyboard  mobi
DOC
kindle paperwhite  doc kindle touch 3g  doc nook color  doc kobo touch ereader  doc nook simple touch with glowlight  doc sony reader wi-fi  doc kindle  doc bebook neo  doc iriver story hd  doc kindle keyboard  doc
HTML
kindle paperwhite  html kindle touch 3g  html nook color  html kobo touch ereader  html nook simple touch with glowlight  html sony reader wi-fi  html kindle  html bebook neo  html iriver story hd  html kindle keyboard  html
KINDLE
kindle paperwhite  kindle kindle touch 3g  kindle nook color  kindle kobo touch ereader  kindle nook simple touch with glowlight  kindle sony reader wi-fi  kindle kindle  kindle bebook neo  kindle iriver story hd  kindle kindle keyboard  kindle
PRC
kindle paperwhite  prc kindle touch 3g  prc nook color  prc kobo touch ereader  prc nook simple touch with glowlight  prc sony reader wi-fi  prc kindle  prc bebook neo  prc iriver story hd  prc kindle keyboard  prc
Battery
Battery life
Can last up to 2 mos Can last up to 2 mos Can last up to 3 mos Can last up to 1 mo Can last up to 2 mos Can last up to 1 mo Can last up to 2 mos Can last up to 2 mos Can last up to 2 mos Can last up to 1 mo
Recharge time
4 hours 4.5 hours 4 hours 4 hours 3.5 hours 2.5 hours 4 hours 3 hours 4.5 hours 3 or 5 hours
Help & support
Telephone support
kindle paperwhite  telephone support kindle touch 3g  telephone support nook color  telephone support kobo touch ereader  telephone support nook simple touch with glowlight  telephone support sony reader wi-fi  telephone support kindle  telephone support bebook neo  telephone support iriver story hd  telephone support kindle keyboard  telephone support
Email support
kindle paperwhite  email support kindle touch 3g  email support nook color  email support kobo touch ereader  email support nook simple touch with glowlight  email support sony reader wi-fi  email support kindle  email support bebook neo  email support iriver story hd  email support kindle keyboard  email support
Live chat
kindle paperwhite  live chat kindle touch 3g  live chat nook color  live chat kobo touch ereader  live chat nook simple touch with glowlight  live chat sony reader wi-fi  live chat kindle  live chat bebook neo  live chat iriver story hd  live chat kindle keyboard  live chat
User manual
kindle paperwhite  user manual kindle touch 3g  user manual nook color  user manual kobo touch ereader  user manual nook simple touch with glowlight  user manual sony reader wi-fi  user manual kindle  user manual bebook neo  user manual iriver story hd  user manual kindle keyboard  user manual

Ebook readers explained

Ebook readers are small devices, typically around the same size as a large softcover book, but thinner. Most have a large screen on which the text of a book can be displayed. They can connect to the internet via a Wi-Fi network or 3G connection, enabling you to purchase and download books.

You may also be able to plug the ebook reader in to your computer in order to upload your own documents. Some can display PDF and HTML files, as well as plain text documents. These might include out-of-copyright books, which you can download online for free.

A key feature of an ebook reader is the screen. Many readers have a special ‘e-ink’ screen which closely mimics the properties of paper. Unlike normal computer screens, e-ink screens don’t give off light. This means they don’t strain your eyes so much and use less power (so your ebook reader’s battery lasts longer).

However, e-ink screens are impossible to read in the dark, and only display grayscale, not color. This may be a problem if you intend to use other features of your ebook reader, like viewing web pages and other documents.

Ebook reader comfort

Most people hold ebook readers like a normal book when they read them. The size, shape and weight of an ebook reader is therefore very important. You should be able to hold it easily without getting uncomfortable.

The battery life of ebook readers can vary hugely, but it’s generally best to opt for a longer battery life over lots of extra features. If you’re going to use your ebook reader for much more than reading books, you’ll be better off with a tablet computer or laptop anyway.

Similarly, ebook readers have limited storage. Books don’t take up much room compared with music or videos so even the smallest capacity ebook readers are adequate to begin with. But if you’re worried about running out of space, get an ebook reader with removable memory, so you can add extra capacity if you need it.


What to look for in ebook readers

There are plenty of differences in e-readers and looking into it, it is hard to specify exactly what you should be looking for. Here is a general guide about what features should be on the e-reader you want, before you purchase it.

Screen

There are two different types of screens for e-readers at the moment: LCD and E Ink. LCD screens are the type you will find on tablets and some aged PC’s, as most PC’s have plasma, LED and other more powerful screens.

An LCD screen has a backlit feature so you can read more easily and reading isn’t disrupted when you are in the dark or in the sun.

An E Ink isn’t very common these days, but it almost replicates the design of an actual book. The problem is, with E Ink, there is no backlight, so you may find yourself incapable of reading in low light or high light situations.

The two things to consider are: where you read and how long you want to read without charging. E Ink generally have much better battery life and can last for weeks on end in some cases, with an LCD, you’ll most likely have to charge daily, if you read every day.

Wi-Fi

Any e-reader with Wi-Fi will be more expensive, unless the e-reader designer has had to compensate by destroying some core features. Wi-Fi allows you to connect to your home connection and download books through a wireless online bookstore, instead of adding books manually through a USB port.

In every case, Wi-Fi is an improvement, I cannot see anyone enjoying porting their books, rather than just going on the online book shop, downloading them, and then reading them.

Book Store

Remember, if you are buying an unfamiliar brand of e-reader, you should look at the options available for purchasing books.

In many cases, an e-reader will have DRM on books and will only have reading capabilities of one book format. This means you can only read their books; you cannot port your own from your PC.

Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Google and Apple are the four big book stores – if you can port or use their stores, then it is advisable you do. Of course, if a e-reader declares they have millions of books on their store, it is highly likely they aren’t lying to you.

Touch-Screen & Functions

If you really want a touch-screen e-reader, then you will probably have to fork out a little bit more to get one. Kindle are one of the only brands to move into the touch-screen era of e-readers, and there newest one is pricey compared to earlier editions.

Touch-screen isn’t really that great on an e-reader, especially one with an E-Ink screen, the functions are slow and touch-screen just makes it even slower.

In truth, you would be better off getting an e-reader with a good amount of buttons that are placed in a nice order, so you can easily touch them to flip the page; check the store or open the dictionary (assuming the e-reader has the last two features).

Buttons and keypads can be hard to perfect and we’ve seen plenty of failures that look and feel awful. What you are looking for is a keypad that has large keys so you can easily touch without mistakes.

You want the buttons to be in fingers reach when holding your e-reader; the Kindle Keyboard does an excellent job of this, if you don’t understand.

Dictionary

This isn’t necessary to most people, but to some that read rather complex books, they may want to find out what a certain word or phrase means.

An e-reader that can both give you the dictionary term and possibly a translation (of a phrase) would be very good, some do have these, although they are meagre because they don’t use Google to find out the meaning/translation.

Storage

Around 4GB’s of memory will allow you to store thousands of books, without even faulting, if you see anything more than that, then it is really unneeded and you shouldn’t pay extra for it.

LCD books, audio books and video clips make a book or file much heftier in terms of the size; most e-readers aren’t capable of adding videos, so it is okay.

If the e-reader has expandable memory, this is a great option if you ever run out of space on your e-reader. You can either purchase or use the given SD-card to add more storage space.

Price

A good e-reader should only cost somewhere in the range of £100 ($150), if you are spending anything more than that, you shouldn’t, unless it comes with tablet computer functionalities.

Anything cheaper than $80 should be looked at before purchasing, there aren’t that many new e-readers that come so cheap.


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