Honorable Mention

Ereader Devices

It seems anyone with an interest in selling ebooks is entering the ereader market. Borders books has its own ereader, the Kobo, Sony and even computer manufacturers are getting in the game with their own ereaders. As an owner of an ereader, it has been a great experience. Of course, with the advances in technology on some of the ereaders I have been wanting to own another one but can't quite come to terms with having a second ereader. However, my admiration for these devices have not waned. It has been a great reading companion and audio book player while waiting in traffic or even during a workout. I would encourage anyone that loves to read and want to travel lightly when it comes to a number of books invest in an ereader, you won't be sorry.

Plastic Logic Que Reader

The Que Reader, is a beautiful slender, lightweight device geared toward business professionals. It is the size and thickness of a pad of paper, 8.5×11-inch and features a shatterproof plastic touchscreen display that makes it lighter than glass e-readers. It has a sleek frame free of buttons and instead will operate entirely by touch interface.

This is an exciting ereader because it reads all types of documents including the ever popular Microsoft Office documents (including Word, PowerPoint and Excel), PDF and store access to Barnes & Noble, the world's largest eBookstore. The user will have the ability to edit Office documents on the device, have access to e-mail, calendar and other data from Microsoft Outlook. QUE users will be able to connect to content and download wirelessly via Wi-Fi and AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest 3G mobile broadband network. Plastic Logic will sell a 4GB model with Wi-Fi and an 11.6-inch display for $649. The alternative version has double the memory and 3G in addition to Wi-Fi and will sell for $799. Release date is set for April.

IREX Dr 800 SG Digital Reader

Enjoy a variety of electronic books, magazines and newspapers with the IREX digital reader that features an 8.1" interactive touch screen display with a natural, paper-like display and adjustable text sizes.The Irex supports a wide range of formats including the industry standard ePub format alongside multiple DRM solutions compared to being restricted to a single, “closed” proprietary format that locks content to a specific device. It offers a multi-mode 3G wireless connection for around the clock eBookstore access to Barnes & Noble. 

Other notible product features include 768 x 1024 resolution and adjustable text sizes provides an easy-to-read display. The touchscreen display has dedicated buttons and a stylus to help with easy navigation on the device. The Irex comes with a 2GB microSD card included and pre-installed. It also supports a variety of media formats, including ePub, PDF, PDB, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP and TIFF.  The Irex DR 800SG has a price tag of  $399.99. 

Skiff eReader

The Skiff eReader is similar in size and weight to the Que, with the largest display of any ereader at 11.5-inch-diagonal screen, boasting a 1,600 x 1,200 resoultion, and a thickness of only about a quarter-inch. It's believed to be the first e-reader whose e-paper display is based on a thin, flexible sheet of stainless steel foil covered in thin plastic, which means the internal screen is flexible and is shatter and crack-proof. Contnet can be loaded onto the Skiff Reader via 3G (provided by Sprint), WiFi, or USB 2.0 (standard mini port). It has 4 GB of built-in memory, with a standard SD card slot.

Users navigate through the device via the resistive touch screen, as well as a side mounted jog wheel. The device has a built-in speaker and 3.5mm audio jack for sound, and apps for video as well as other content that will be made available via the Skiff app store. It’s not clear though what apps will run on this Linux powered device in particular as of yet. However details from Hearst as to what content will be made specifically available through store and platform is still up in the air. However, newspapers, eBook, blogs, and magazines, will be included.

One final observation worth mentioning is that this device also has the capability of delivering targeted, updatable ads inside various pieces of content, based on your location. Though this might signal some preparation for intrusion, it might also hint at freely provided content in exchange for ad exposure. The Skiff Reader will go on sale later this year in Sprint retail locations across the U.S. and on the wireless carrier's Web site. Pricing and additional distribution channels will be announced later.

BeBook eReader

There are two models of the BeBook eReader, the BeBook ‘One’ eReader and the BeBook ‘Mini’ eReader which is 5" tall.  Both BeBook eReaders have very similar features, and essentially differ only in size and price. The device uses the E-Ink paper-like display that’s very easy to read, there is no backlight, no flickering of the electronic paper screen even in bright sunlight. The BeBook can be used to read virtually any document. The BeBook ereader has an easily accessible library  menu that you can sort by title, file name and size. The user has the ability to change the font style while reading, can add bookmarks, play mp3 files and audiobooks and more. It stores up to 1,000 books on 512MB of internal memory, and has an infinite number on SD memory cards. The battery charge normally lasts 7,000 page turns or about two weeks.  

The BeBook ereader models offer the largest selection of supported file formats including the popular PDF, ePub, MS Word, Mobipocket and other text formats and be able to obtain over 300,000 free RSS newsfeeds, including Mobipocket Digital Rights Management support. The BeBook eReader comes with 20,000 free ebooks.   BeBook supports file formats: pdf, mobi, prc, epub, lit, txt, fb2, doc, html, rtf, djvu, wol, ppt, mbp, chm, bmp, jpg, png, gif, tif, rar, zip, and mp3 files. BeBook is also coming out with a new eReader, called the BeBook Neo. It is the first WiFi ereader with access to eBook stores worldwide. It also comes equipped with WACOM touchscreen which allows the user to make notes, scribbles or easily add, save and erase annotations. The price tag is reportedly $299. The BeBook ereaders can be excellent alternatives to similar sized models by other manufacturers. The  Bebook One sells  for $249.00, and the  BeBook Mini for $199.00.

Kobo eReader

The Kobo Wireless eReader represents a major upgrade for the Kobo line of ebook readers. You can read and sync Kobo books to a Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, or Android device. The Kobo ereader is an e Ink-based e-book readers with better performance and more powerful features, like note-taking, bookmarking, a browser, and more. It is simplicity at an affordable price. The Kobo Wireless eReader serves as a basic ereader with e-ink technology and five flexible font types.

Measuring 7.2 by 4.7 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighing 7.8 ounces, the Kobo eReader is smaller than the Nook and the Kindle 2, and slightly bigger than the Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300, though the latter has a smaller, 5-inch display. The Kobo's e-ink screen is 6 inches, and can display eight shades of gray. Some competing models, like the Kindle, can display 16 shades, though that really only comes into play when displaying photos, or if you're really particular about the way the unit renders book covers.

The Kobo's front panel is made of matte white plastic. The back features a quilted, rubbery surface that makes the unit pleasant to hold. If you want to customize the eReader's look, GelaSkins are available in various colors and styles, along with more than 50 artist-designed versions. The turquoise, five-way, rubbery control pad offered slow but deliberate cursor movements and selections in my tests. Four rubber buttons on the side of the unit trigger Home, Menu, Display, and Back functions.

Like the Kindle, the Nook, and many other e-ink based readers, the Kobo boasts solid battery life. The company estimates that you should get about two weeks of typical use on a single charge (or about 8,000 page turns). The Kobo eReader can display your e-book collection in a list, as raw text, or in a shelf view. The eReader's high contrast display and crisp text was easy to read; you can choose from five font sizes, and between serif or sans serif fonts. While reading, the page count displays the number of pages left in the chapter. Organize your eBook library the way you want as often as you want. Sort by title, author, date last read, or books you're currently reading.

The Kobo eReader supports PDF, ePUB and Adobe DRM file formats.. The cover image of the book you're reading displays on the screen even when the eReader is off—it's just like closing a printed book. The 6-inch display makes reading comfortable. Logically planned 4-way D-pad and center select navigation lets you move between screens with ease.

Your Kobo eReader comes pre-loaded with the Borders Desktop App so you can shop for eBooks, organize your library, and download content to your eReader. The eReader can access over a million books and ePub, Adobe DRM, and PDF files are supported. For now, you can download or buy books at KoboStore.com and Borders Bokstore. Since Kobo also offers free apps for the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Palm Pre, and Android devices, you can sync your books across multiple platforms—this way you can pick up where you left off using any device. The Kobo eReader's 1GB of internal memory can hold about 1000 e-books; an SD card slot at the top of the device offers extra storage if you need it. Out of the box is the reader, a USB cable, and a foldout guide for getting started. There is no AC adapter, which could be a problem if you don't have a computer for use with the USB cable.