Most eBook readers using E Ink adhere to the basic requirements; long battery life and portability. In addition to this, you should look for a screen that's clear to read in all lighting conditions and does not cause eye strain. Access to a large amount of content is vital as it increases the chances that the book you want, be it latest release or classic literature, is available for purchase or free download.
CHOICE tested the latest eBook readers and found that usability sets the best apart from the rest. Our What to Buy models from are easy and intuitive to use, and are well designed, providing an overall enjoyable reading experience.
At CHOICE we don’t see the rise of the eBook as a case of one sort of technology taking over another, but rather bookstores failing to adapt quickly enough to the way their customers are reading. See our article on the paper book pricing wars for more.
Often, eBooks are less expensive than paperbacks. As such, eBook readers now provide a viable alternative to the traditional paper book. Pricing for eBooks is currently competitive - see below for the range we found for a popular book (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). Prices were sourced directly from websites in March 2011.
- Paperback - Dymocks online delivered $30.45
- Paperback - BookDepository.co.uk delivered $10.65
- Paperback - Angus & Robertson delivered $22.95
- eBook - Amazon.com $5.20 USD
- eBook - Books on board $7.00 USD
- eBook - Angus & Robertson $6.95
At these prices it's not hard to see why people are willing to swap from paper versions to eBooks. We don't think paper books will disappear, but it's good to see there is competition for the current, sometimes excessive, pricing.
- Amazon Kindle WiFi D00901
- AppleiPad 2 32GB WiFi
- SonyReader WiFi Touch PRST1RC
- AmazonKindle 6"
- Barnes & NobleNook Colour
- Barnes & NobleNook
- AmazonKindle 3G and WiFi
- AmazonKindle WiFi
- AmazonKindle DX
- BeBookClub S
- BeBookNeo
- KoboWireless eReader
- DreamBookColour ebook player W95
- BookeenCybook Orizon
- Pico LifeBK7002
- BeBookClub
- EcoReader
- BeBookMini
- LenovoIdeapad K1 tablet
- StashW950
- SonyTablet S
- BookeenCybook Opus
- LaserEB7C 4G
- Sony PRS650rc touch edition (A)
- Apple iPad 32Gb WiFi and 3G (A)
- Sony PRS350sw pocket edition (A)
- iRiver Story (A)
- Kobo Ereader (A)
- Barnes and Noble nook WiFi (A)
- Hanvon WiseReader N526 (A)
- Kogan KGNEBK6VAA (A)
- Elonex 621EB (A)
- Barnes and Noble nook color (A)
- MiGear BSTE101 (A)
- Hanvon Ebook reader N516 (A)
- Laser EB101 (A)
- iRiver Cover Story (A)
(A) Discontinued.
Our hands-on testing of eBook readers focuses on design and ease of use, and includes an ease of use assessment by our expert testers, Ryan Shaw, as well as a readability assessment by a user panel of 19 enthusiastic male and female readers aged 9 to 50+.
We asked our triallists to assess the feel of each model when reading a digital book, compared with reading a paper-based novel.
Ease of navigation, including turning a page and skipping to particular parts of the eBook, were commented on and scored.
Each user spent a day and a night with each eBook reader so it could be used under three different types of lighting: normal indoor lighting, normal outdoor lighting and normal bedroom night-time lighting.
Why are tablets in this test?
There has been a lot of interest in this test and also concern by some CHOICE members as to why tablet based devices have been included in the overall ereader test.
Firstly, if having tablets in the test is a concern - a selection option in the Filter area above the compare table allows you to select ereaders or tablets. If you select ereaders, tablets will no longer be visible in the table.
There is also no denying that despite claims that tablets shouldn’t be tested with eink ereaders, tablets in general and the iPad in particular are having an impact on future ereader design. The Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble colour Nook being two examples.
We have kept devices that use tablet design aspects such as the Nook Colour tablet in the ereader section as it is sold by the company Barnes and Noble specifically for the consumption of Barnes and Noble content, namely books. We will also include the Kindle Fire and Kobo Vox when available for testing as they would fit the same criteria.
People have a wide variety of different reading requirements and should choose based on how they read.
If your reading diet is novels and only novels, it’s a no brainer - you need an eink based ereader and one with a good online purchasing environment. If you read a wide variety of material both online and magazine format, you might want to consider either an iPad or Android tablet which is expensive or maybe something like the more affordable Nook Colour or Kindle Fire when available.
