Guide to eBook Readers

Value Rating: Includes price and our assessment of what you get for your money. There are some very pricey eReaders out there which aren't good value, and cheap ones which don't deliver.

Features Rating: Includes the eReader's capabilities, display quality, wireless connection, formats, ease of file transfer, etc..

Usability Rating: How fun and easy it is to use, how often it crashes or how badly buttons are designed. This is the most subjective of the measures, generated from our testing experience as well as user comments from across the net and blogosphere.

Screen Size / Greyscales: The personal eBook reader size is fairly standard at 6 inches diagonal, or 600x800 pixels as many judge this an ideal paperback-type size for casual, one-handed reading. Bigger isn't necessarily better. The number of greyscales is important if you'll be displaying pictures; early readers did 4, recent ones do 8, and the best models do 16.

Connectivity: Most eReaders use a USB 2.0 cable to connect and charge to a computer, but a few have WiFi/Bluetooth and only the Kindle 2 has a cellular 3G data connection allowing wireless ebook downloads and basic web surfing.

Memory: This is built-in memory that comes with the eReader out of the box. Most readers allow you to add more memory via various slots.

Battery life: Most eBook readers list this in page turns/refreshes, as maintaining an e-ink display "on" draws no power, but when you add functions like wireless, touchscreen, etc., battery life diminishes rapidly, so consider estimates rough.

Weight: eReaders currently weigh surprisingly little, usually less than a paperback.

Audio: Nearly all eBook readers have a headphone slot, and some even have speakers.good if you like background music.

Input Device: These vary from physical keyboard, to touchscreen to D-pads.

Screen Refresh: How long it takes to refresh the entire e-ink screen.

File formats supported: The number of format types the eReader supports. This is perhaps not a very useful metric, as if you only use PDFs and MOBI files for instance, it doesn't matter how many more are supported. See eBook reader Basics for if you require more detailed info.

Release date : When the current model was released--useful as it gives an indication. Newer is usually better, but some older models like the Sony PRS-505 remain a good value favorite with high specs.

Notes: Some prominent notes on distinguishing features--see detailed review pages for more.

Price: These are prices in dollars for the US market. As we try to list all major eBook readers worldwide, and not all are released in all markets, we have tables for UK eReaders, European eReaders, and Asian eReaders priced in local currencies and with local buying options.

Readers (click to see review)	Amazon Kindle 2	Kindle DX	Sony PRS-300	Sony Daily Readr	Cybook Opus	iRex Iliad 2
Our Ratings Value: Features: Usability:
Screen size / greyscales	6'' 16 greyscales	9.7'' 16 greyscales	5'' 8 greyscales	7'' 16 greyscales	5'' 4 greyscales	8.1'' 16 greyscales
Connectivity	US-wide cellular free data signal, also USB 2.0 cable	US-wide cellular free data signal, also USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable	US-wide cellular free data signal, also USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable	WiFi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 cable
Memory	2 GB	4 GB	440MB	2 GB	1GB	256 MB
Battery	~ 2 weeks	~ 2 weeks	7,500 pages (~2 weeks)	12,000 pages (~2.5 weeks)	8,000 pages (~2 weeks)	15 hours
Weight	10.2 oz	18.9 oz	7.76 oz	12.7 oz	5.3 oz	15.3 oz
Audio	Headphone jack and speakers	Headphone jack and speakers	None	Headphone jack	None	Headphone jack and speakers
Input device	Keyboard and Directional Pad	Keyboard	Directional pad	Touchscreen	Directional pad	Touchscreen
Screen refresh	.9 seconds	.9 seconds	Unknown	Unknown	.9 seconds	1.3 seconds
File formats supported	15	15	7	13	9	9
Released	Feb 09	Jun 09	Aug 09	Dec 09	Jul 09	Mar 08
Notes	Unique for global wireless/ internet capability & browser, most popular eBook reader	2.5 times bigger screen area than Kindle 2, now with the same global internet capabilities	The cheapest, no frills/low feature eReader on the market	Sony's first wireless model, but no internet, touchscreen shows glare--backordered to mid-Jan	Lightest eReader on the market, some bugs, but a good no frills option	Large screen (not necessarily better for casual reading) aimed at business; pricey, but very high quality
Price	$259 (reduced from $359)	$469 for US version $489 for international	$199	$399	$220	$699
Link to purchase
	Amazon Kindle 2	Kindle DX	Sony PRS-300	Sony Daily Readr	Cybook Opus	iRex iLiad 2
Readers (click to see review)	Sony PRS-600	Sony PRS 505	B & N Nook	Foxit eSlick	Astak EZPro	COOL-ER
Our Ratings Value: Features: Usability:
Screen size / greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales	6'' 16 greyscales	6'' 4 greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales	6'' 4 greyscales
Connectivity	USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable	US-wide cellular free data signal, Wifi, also USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable
Memory	380MB	256 MB	2 GB	2GB	512 MB	1 GB
Battery	7,500 pages (~2 weeks)	7,500 pages (~2 weeks)	~10 days	8,000 pages (~2 weeks)	8,000 pages (~2 weeks)	7,000 pages (~2 weeks)
Weight	10.1 oz	9 oz	11.2 oz	6.4 oz	6 oz	6.13 oz
Audio	Headphone jack	Headphone jack	Headphone jack and speakers	Headphone jack	Headphone jack	Headphone jack
Input device	Touchscreen	Directional pad	Touchscreen on lower LCD	Directional pad	Directional pad	Directional pad
Screen refresh	Unknown	.8 seconds	Unknown	.9 seconds	Unknown	.8 seconds
File formats supported	13	12	9	8 (plus others via conversion to PDF)	17	9
Released	Aug 09	Oct 07	Nov 09	Jul 09	Oct 09	Jun 08
Notes	Upgrade to PRS 700 with touchscreen, but touch display shows glare	Old but still popular; has dominated Europe market due to value and Kindle unavailability	Groundbreaking design w/color LCD subscreen, but given flaws we'd wait until a 2nd generation	Basic Bookeen variant with flaws, but PDF support is best on market	The EZ Reader Pocket Pro (EB05EZPRO) is cheap and has a fair number of features, but is still fairly bland.	Same basic hardware as Cybook Gen 3, looks cool, but few features; backordered
Price	$299	$299	$259	$259	$229	$259+$20 shipping
Link to purchase
	Sony PRS-600	Sony PRS-505	B & N Nook	Foxit eSlick	Astak EZ Pro	COOL-ER
Readers (click to see review)	Pocketbook 360	iRiver Story	Astak Mentor	Bebook	Onyx Boox60	NUUT 2
Our Ratings Value: Features: Usability:
Screen size / greyscales	5'' 16 greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales	6'' 4 greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales
Connectivity	USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable	USB 1.1 (old and slow connection)	USB 2.0 cable, WiFi	USB 2.0 cable
Memory	512 MB	2 GB	512 MB	512 MB	512 MB	1 GB
Battery	8,000 pages (~2 weeks)	7,000 pages (~2 weeks)	8,000 pages (~2 weeks)	7,000 pages (~2 weeks)	8,000 pages (~ 4 days w/stylus)	7,500 pages (~2 weeks)
Weight	5.3 oz	10 oz	6.2 oz	7.76 oz	10.5 oz.	10 oz
Audio	None	Headphone jack, mike, and speakers	None	Headphone jack	Headphone jack	Headphone jack
Input device	Directional pad	Keyboard	Directional pad	Directional pad	Touchscreen w/stylus, directional pad	Directional pad
Screen refresh	.9 seconds	Unknown	Unknown	.8 seconds	Unknown	Unknown
File formats supported	17	13	9	24, but some are crash prone	13	9
Released	Aug 09	Nov 09	Oct 09	Oct 07	Oct 09	Nov 2009
Notes	Surprisingly good small Russian eReader, budget option if you don't need connectivity	EU and Korea only, Kindle clone, but cheaper feel and no internet	The Mentor (EB600) is cheap, but light on features, with little but a Sudoku game to distinguish it.	Basic eReader, but Sony PRS-505 does more and is cheaper. Variant of the Hanlin V5	Solid eReader from newcomer to the industry, but the expense is not justified.	South Korean reader, company's first inhouse design, heavy and not yet polished
Price	$240	€299 / £229	$239	$280	$349	~€260 / $375
Link to purchase
	Pocketbook 360	iRiver Story	Astak Mentor	Bebook	Onyx Boox60	NUUT 2
Readers (click to see review)	Astak EZReadr	Cybook Gen 3	iRex Dgtl Reader	Pocketbook 301	Viewsonic 612
Our Ratings Value: Features: Usability:
Screen size / greyscales	6'' 4 greyscales	6'' 4 greyscales	10.2'' 16 greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales	6'' 8 greyscales
Connectivity	USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable, WiFi, Bluetooth	USB 2.0 cable	USB 2.0 cable
Memory	? MB	512 MB	1 GB	512 MB	512 MB
Battery	8,000 pages (~2 weeks)	8,000 pages (~2 weeks)	15 hours	8,000 pages (~2 weeks)	9,000 pages (~2 weeks)
Weight	7.2 oz	6.13 oz	20.1 oz	6.13 oz	Unknown
Audio	Headphone jack	Headphone jack	Headphone jack and speakers	Headphone jack	Headphone jack
Input device	Directional pad	Directional pad	Touchscreen	Directional pad	Directional pad
Screen refresh	Unknown	.8 seconds	.85 seconds	.6 seconds	Unknown
File formats supported	17	10	17	17	6
Released	Oct 09	Oct 07	Nov 08	07	Oct 09
Notes	The EZ Reader is overpriced for the number of features and lack of internet connectivity.	Very light in weight and features, but expensive for what you get	World's largest eReader and most expensive, aimed at business users	Ukrainian reader, similar to Cybook, optional but showing its age, now for export	Run of the mill reader with some complaints of bugs
Price	$279	$350	$895	$275	$259
Link to purchase
	Astak EZReadr	CyBook Gen3	iRex Dgtl Reader	Pocketbook 301	Viewsonic 612
Readers (click to see review)	Hanvon N518	Hanvon N520	Pixelar Ereader
Our Ratings Value: Features: Usability:	REVIEW COMING SOON	REVIEW COMING SOON	REVIEW COMING SOON
Screen size / greyscales
Connectivity
Memory
Battery
Weight
Audio
Input device
Screen refresh
File formats supported
Released
Notes
Price
Link to purchase
These are the main eBook readers available in the US. If you want to see a table of all eReaders, including hard-to-get models and country specific ones, see our Worldwide Table, or if you are from a different region, try our UK Table, European Table , or Asian Table. Online eBook reader prices and terms change frequently; check company website for the latest.   eReaderGuide.info is not responsible for any losses resulting from the information provided (see Disclaimer). If you do spot a factual discrepancy, please email us and we'll update the site.