Shopping advice needed: ebook readers

[gerisullivan]

Ebooks haven't been on my shopping radar until 10 minutes ago. I'm going to be buying one for upcoming client work in the next week or so. AKICIF: please advise.

To begin, I'll using the reader primarily to proof the appearance of magazines converted to the .epub format, and then to better design documents that will work well in ebook format. Most of these won't be actual books -- they'll be magazine and newsletter-style articles with images.

We're going to avoid DRM-locked formats, at least to whatever degree any of them limit us from offering the magazine in a format that can be read on other readers.

I'm also aiming for affordable rather than top of the line. Most importantly, I need a reader that will come closest to duplicating the screen size and sorts of interfaces the majority of techie and scientific ebook users are likely to have.

As for what else I need to consider, please, you tell me. I am but an egg.

Thanks!

Comments

[fmsv.livejournal.com]

For cheap and readily available, I'd suggest the Nook. The $139 nook reads epub format natively, and the only difference between it and its more expensive sibling is that the more expensive one has 3G in addition to the wifi of the cheaper one. (The NookColor mentioned above is a newer version, not yet out; the Nook is available from pretty much any Barnes&Noble, as well as online.)

I don't really know which ebook readers most tech-savvy or scientific readers use, but I think the Nook is the most accessible of the dedicated readers that do epub. I'll also echo the suggestions above about reader apps on the iPhone and Android. I suspect that users on those platforms do make up a large portion of the people who use epub documents, but they are going to be different experiences from those who use dedicated epub readers (smaller screen real estate is the main thing, plus different methods of switching pages (button presses on dedicated readers vs. screen swipes or screen taps on iPhone/Android)).

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I also want to take a look at the iPod Touch. It has the advantages of the iPhone without any monthly expenses to use it. Well, apart from the documents I buy. :-)

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

Next time I see you, play with mine. As an e-reader, it's rather frustratingly small. On the other hand, it does so many things marginally well that I don't expect perfection from any one thing.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Good to know. Thanks.