Lanes Merge

A library for the sun lounger So which e-reader should you take on your summer hols?

0 Comments | Daily Mail (London, England), The, July 26, 2010

Byline: BEN STEVENS

WHEN the e-reader was launched, it sounded like something from a sci-fi novel. But this week, online book-selling giant Amazon revealed that sales of digital books had outstripped hardbacks for the first time, proving that the e-reader — a handheld mini-computer — is here to stay. But how do you know which is the one for you? We asked BeN STeveNS of Which? magazine to take us through the options …

BEBOOK READER [pounds sterling]220

NOT as good for reading in bright or dim lights as others. But loading books is easy: download software onto your computer, then use a USB connection to the reader.

It has a matt monochrome screen, but the sharpness of the text is not as good as with some devices. Some of the keys are too small.

You can listen to MP3 audio files and although the sound was acceptable it could be improved by using high-quality headphones. Pros: Loading books is easy, supports wide range of languages.

Cons: Screen contrast and text sharpness are lacking.

ElONEX 511EB [pounds sterling]129 THIS e-reader’s big selling point is its reasonable price. However, the screen is not as sharp as the more expensive models and the keypad buttons are closely spaced.

It comes with 100 classic books and titles can be sorted by name, size or date. There’s an electronic card to store books on.

You can listen to music while reading.

Pros: easy to load books. Cons: Small keys, sharpness of text is not great.

ApplE ipAD [pounds sterling]535

The iPad isn’t primarily an e-reader, so it is larger than most and weighs nearly three times as much as some. You can view the glossy LCD colour screen in portrait or landscape by tipping the iPad. It has a backlight — good for displaying graphic novels. You can view PDFs and annotate and highlight text in various colours. To use the iPad as an e-reader you need an app, such as AmazonKindle for iPad or iBooks. These are free and let you download books from the internet.

Pros: Colour display.

Cons: Not as portable as other devices.

SONY TOUCH pRS-600, [pounds sterling]219

HAS a good touchscreen and all the usual buttons, making it easy to use
sci fi books