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eReader Ranking Tables:
Worldwide eReaders (36)
US eReaders (23)
UK eReaders (13)
European eReaders (19)
Asian eReaders (16)
Large eReaders (12)
In Development (14)
 

Obsolete eBook Reader List

 

.This chart compares the e-ink based eReaders released worldwide which are now obsolete. We'll gradually add old readers to the list as they age, but we'll keep recently out-of-production models on the main charts for awhile, as you can often get cheap deals on decent tech just after the production lines stop.

eBooks - a library in your pocket!
 Table Definitions

.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, so we have tables for US eReaders, UK eReaders, European eReaders, and Asian eReaders priced in local currencies and with local buying options.

Comparison of Obsolete eBook Readers Worldwide
Readers
(click to see review)
Amazon Kindle 1 ebook Reader Review
Amazon Kindle 1
Sony PRS 500 ebook Reader Review
Sony PRS 500
Sony PRS 700 Reader Review
Sony PRS 700
Hanlin V2  eBook Reader Review
Hanlin V2
Sony Librie Reader Review
Sony Librie
 

Our Ratings
Value:
Features:
Usability:

 
Value Rating
Features Rating
Usability Rating


Value Rating
Features Rating
Usability Rating


Value Rating
Features Rating
Usability Rating


Value Rating
Features Rating
Usability Rating


Value Rating
Features Rating
Usability Rating

 

Screen size / greyscales


6''
4 greyscales
6''
4 greyscales
6''
8 greyscales
6''
4 greyscales
6''
4 greyscales
 
Connectivity US-wide cellular free data signal, also USB 2.0 cable USB 1.1 cable USB 2.0 cable USB 1.1 cable USB 2.0 cable  

Memory
 
2 GB 128 MB 512 MB 512 MB 10 MB  

Battery


~ 2 weeks 7,500 pages
(~2 weeks)
7,500 pages
(~2 weeks)
7,500 pages
(~2+ weeks)
4 x AAAs  

 Weight
 
10.5 oz 9 oz 10 oz 10 oz. 10.5 oz  


Audio


Headphone jack and speakers Headphone jack Headphone jack and speakers Headphone jack Headphone jack and mono speaker  

Input device


Keyboard and Directional Pad Directional pad Touchscreen Touchscreen (small LCD under main) Keyboard and Directional Pad  

Screen refresh


.9 seconds 1.0 seconds Unknown .9 seconds Unknown  

File formats supported
15 12 17 22 Unknown  

Released
 
Oct 07 Oct 07 Nov 08 May 06 Apr 05  
Notes Unique for US wireless/ internet capability & browser, then most popular eBook reader Only released in US, follow on to Librie Upgrade to PRS 505 with touchscreen, but display shows more glare, only released in US and Canada Old Jinke corporate/ Chinese market model, pioneered LCD sub touchscreen The first e-ink reader, released only in Japan, had draconian DRM but paved the way for the industry  

Price
 
was $299 (reduced from $359) was ~$329 was ~$390 was ~$350 was ~$420  

Link to purchase
 

Purchase Amazon Kindle 2

Purchase Sony PRS-505 Reader Purchase Sony PRS-700 Reader

Purchase Hanlin V2 eBook reader

Purchase Sony PRS-505 Reader  
  Amazon Kindle 1 Sony PRS 500 Sony PRS-700 Hanlin V2 Sony Librie  
             

These are obsolete ebook readers, so prices for used models may fluctuate dramatically and bear little relation to their original retail price. If you want to see a table of all eReaders currently on the market, including hard-to-get models and country specific ones, see our Worldwide Table, or if you are from a different region, try our US Table, 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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