In case there are any lingering doubts out there that people aren't throwing their full weight behind the eReader phenomenon, the number of people who own them doubled during the 2011-2012 holiday season.

It seems that the devices are now firmly entrenched in popular culture and are seen as a standard reading tool, rather than a gimmick or novelty. This can be attributed to word of mouth, as well as rock-bottom prices for entry-level models.

Further indicating that people are getting on board with ebooks is the fact that tablet PC sales grew in similar fashion. Ebooks are here to stay, and their popularity is skyrocketing.

The percentage of Americans that own at least one electronic reading device rose from 18% to 29% according to a recent survey.

In case you were wondering if you should hold out longer, the wait is over. Get one.

The Sony PRS-700 is possibly the most stylish reader on the market. The touch-screen removes all of those buttons that clutter every other reader on the market. As of now it is one of the two E-book readers that offers touch-screen capabilities. This is set to change, though, as Samsung prepares for the launch of their reader “Papyrus”.

The integration of the touch-screen and the ability to use hand gestures sure do add to the likability of this reader.  The touch screen allows you to navigate throughout the menus and change your page with the tip of your finger. If changing through menus or turning pages with your hands bothers you, Sony has included a stylus. However, with the addition of the touch-screen you will find that the screen now has a bit more of a glare.

One of the many great additions you will find with Sony's latest reader is that they have added a LED reading light. It isn't as bright as common backlights and because of this it takes up much less of your batteries life. This feature is perfect for being able to read comfortably in your room at night without the need of a lamp.

	Sony PRS-700BC Reader Digital Book

Although Sony may be ages ahead of Amazon as far as design is concerned, Amazon still has a few things Sony does not. For starters, Amazon's Kindle can connect to the Amazon E-bookstore from anywhere in the US. Sony's product doesn't even support Wireless and because of this you will need to download the books onto your PC and then sync them to your reader via USB.  Amazon's store has more than double, yeah double, the amount of books as Sony's. Even then you still pay more for the books than you would at Amazon.

If Sony wants to catch Amazon in the race they will need to get wireless connectivity on their devices. This is a huge, maybe the biggest, drawback to any device. The whole point of the device is that it is great for people on the go who don't want to carry books with them. Sure it stops them from having to carry the books, but they can't get them on the fly.

Overall the Sony PRS-700 E-book reader is great. Sure it has it's flaws, but so does every other reader. In the long run, if you can wait, this reader may not be the best choice. The technology involved still needs refining, that doesn't mean it is bad but it certainly can be improved. For now, though, it is head and shoulders above most of the readers on the market.

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The market for ebook readers is expanding all the time. Not quite at MP3/IPod levels of popularity yet the idea of portable libraries is catching on fast however. The Ectaco JetBook is at the moment one of the lesser known ebook readers on the market and that may be very unfair, as it is a very functional device that does the job it was designed for very well.

One of the biggest differences between the Jet Book and its major competitors is the display screen. The Jet Book does not the use the electronic ink technology utilized by the Amazon and Sony readers and it does not use a back lit screen like some of the older e book readers on the market. The Jetbook does have an LCD screen, but it functions more like that of a Palm V, just with far better resolution and clarity. The screen does have a slight greenish tinge to the display, which is noticeable if placed side by side with a Kindle but does not interfere with the overall reading experience.
The Jetbook does not have a touch screen function and it is navigated via the numerical buttons that run along the right side of the reader and directional and page turn buttons located under the screen.

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Reading on the Jetbook is a decent experience. As there is no backlight, just as with the eink readers you do have to be in decent light to read, but you do with a regular paper book as well.

Content wise the original  Jetbook does not support DRM files, so many of the bestsellers and popular novels available to Amazon Kindle reader’s are not compatible on this device if you bought a model made before April 2009. Since then new models do now feature support for MOBI. ePUb and other commercial formats.
The JetBook does have the ability to play MP3 files but given that only a 2MB SD card can be used that renders such things an almost useless extra.
The Jetbook is very small and light, but not quite as thin as the Amazon Kindle 2. It is smaller though. The screens are the same size but a lack of the extra real estate around the screen makes the Jetbook a little more portable. In addition to the black and white versions the Jetbook is also available in red, which may appeal to some but actually gives the Jetbook a little bit of an old fashioned Etch A Sketch look in my book.

Priced at around $300, the JetBook is a little cheaper than the Sony ebook  readers but is in same price range with the Amazon Kindle 2. It does provide good competition to the big boys but I like many do prefer the look of the Eink technology to this LCD hybrid technology.

The eBookwise 1150 is one the older Ebook readers on the market and one the most inexpensive available. As it is an older version of the technology it does lack a lot of the features of readers like the Amazon Kindle or the Sony line both in appearance and functionality. But for those who are on a limited budget, or only intend to use an e book reader occasionally it is still a nice alternative to a shelf of books.

The internal memory of the eBookwise – 1150 is a very small 8MB, which translates to about 15 books. It does have the capability to hold a 128MB memory card however, which can expand its basic portable library.

The eBookwise – 1150 is exceptionally easy to use, even the most technophobic of readers can operate this one without a problem. The eBookwise – 1150 does not have a QWERTY keyboard like that more costly models and much of the navigation is done via touch screen. The eBookwise – 1150 uses a stylus, much like a Nintendo DS does. The stylus has its own storage area on the side off the e reader and is pretty easy to access. Two large buttons at the side of the screen provide page forward/back navigation that is very easy if a little slow.

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The display itself is where the eBookwise – 1150 lags so far behind other Ereaders on the market. It still uses back lit technology, and not the electronic ink technology that makes reading on devices like the Amazon Kindle so enjoyable. The books displayed on the eBookwise – 1150 do not look like real paper at all. The other big downside is that once you are in bright light the text practically disappears and is impossible to read. Low resolution also makes the images a little blurry and hard to decipher after a while.

The fact that the eBookwise – 1150 uses back lit technology also affects battery life. The average charge only produces 15 hours of reading, compared to the days offered by some other models such as the Kindle.

Adding books to the eBookwise – 1150 depends almost entirely upon working with a membership at fictionwise.com, a site run by Barnes and Noble. This is not too restrictive however as the site does have a wide variety of offerings. I was able to find titles by even the most obscure authors. The pricing is also reasonable. Some titles at Amazon for download to an E book reader can be more expensive than purchasing the real paper version.

Size wise the eBookwise – 1150 is a little thicker and bulkier than other Ebooks. It measures 7.5 x 9 inches and weighs in at 33 ounces. This still makes it portable enough for daily uses, not quite pocket sized but close to purse sized.

All in all, if you are looking for an affordable EBook (at $400 the Amazon Kindle is out of many people’s budgets) the eBookwise – 1150 is a good option and its basic operation makes it suitable for everyone.

Even though it is just a few months since the long awaited release of the Amazon Kindle 2 here comes another addition to the Kindle family – the Amazon Kindle DX.

So what is the big difference between the Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX? Size for one thing. The Kindle 2 has a screen that measures 6 inches across, the size of your average paperback. On the other hand the Kindle DX has a screen that measures 9.7 inches, the size of the standard hardcover book. The Amazon Kindle DX is being marketed towards the student and academic population and the textbook sized screen is designed to reflect that.

	Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 9.7" Display, White, 3G Works Globally – 2nd Generation

The Amazon Kindle DX does not feel big though. It is just about as thick as its smaller screened sibling and still weighs only 19 ounces. The keyboard is actually a little smaller than that of the Kindle 2 so the whole thing is pretty much all screen, which does make reading easier.

The left hand buttons that are on the Kindle 2 are gone on the Kindle DX. This gives the device an even more streamlined appearance, but can get a little getting used to if you have used a Kindle before, and may be a real pain for a leftie when it comes to page turning.
The other big step forward that is made with the Kindle DX is its PDF capabilities. There are thousands of free books available on Google Books, and unlike the other Kindle models the DX can read them with ease. Download to Kindle DX takes less than 10 minutes for a large book.

As I previously mentioned Amazon says that the DX is aimed at the textbook market. The textbook haven’t arrived yet, but those who are used to having to carry around binders full of documents can make great use of the Amazon Kindle DX already. It’s clear crisp display of PDF and MS Office files can really lighten the load.
Reading a newspaper is still not as seamless as Amazon would like, but this is improving.

Battery life seems to be very similar to the Amazon Kindle 2 on the Amazon Kindle DX. The test model ran for two weeks with the wireless function turned off (having it turned on reduces that to around 4 days.)

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The biggest drawback though of the Amazon Kindle DX is its starting price. The $490 price tag is far higher than the cost of a Kindle 2, which currently runs at $359 on the Amazon Site. One might have expected that Amazon would follow the Apple pricing model, offering the upgrade at the price of the previous model with a drop in price for the older generation device. Many had expected the Amazon Kindle DX to come in at around $400 with the Kindle dropping closer to $300.
Price aside though, the Amazon Kindle DX is a very easy and elegant way to read, even if it is more costly than its competition.

The Amazon Kindle 2 has arrived (if you can actually get your hands on one) and it is certainly an improvement over the first generation model.
The design of the original Kindle was a little difficult to live with. The button placement was low and awkward, and the strange click wheel was useful for very little more than basic menu navigation.

The Kindle 2 is almost a complete redesign from a visual angle. It is now more like an oversized iPhone in appearance. The keyboard is now laid out in a more usual keyboard layout, and the rectangular pellet keys of the original are replaced with easier to use circular ones on the Kindle 2, and are far more solid, making it difficult to activate the wrong key accidentally, which was a complaint many users had about the original .

	Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 6" Display, White - 2nd Generation

As previously noted, the strange slider is a thing of the past. The Amazon Kindle 2 boasts a five way “rocker” which is far more helpful when navigating onscreen text. The back of the machine is now flat, and a volume rocker is featured on the side of the device, as well as a mini USB port. A headphone jack is built into the top for easy access.

The viewing screen itself now has a much sharper image quality, thanks in large part to the fact that the Amazon Kindle 2 can show up to sixteen individual shades of grey, as opposed the mere four the original Kindle could handle. Newspaper content looks especially good with this improved color capability, losing the smudged look that it had when viewed on Kindle mark one.

According to the engineers at Amazon the screen on the Amazon Kindle 2 now refreshes 20% faster than before. This is most apparent in cursor movement and text loading. It is not so noticeable in page turning, but the Kindle 2 certainly has a “speedier” feel. Some people were concerned over the fact that the SD slot that was a feature of the original has been omitted, in favor of adding 2G of onboard storage. This really is not too much of a problem though, although having both would have been a nice touch (maybe for the Kindle Amazon guys?) 2G is plenty for most peoples reading needs, and you do still have the option to offload while retaining all your content a la the Ipod.

From a software point of view, there are only a few small changes in the Amazon Kindle 2. The menus however are vastly improved and content is far easier to search and navigate, as well as organize.

One much criticized aspect of the Amazon Kindle 2 is its new “read to me” mode. Many authors have complained that this impinges on their copy rights, as it turns their text works into instant “audio books”. If these guys actually listened to the Amazon Kindle 2 speak though, whether in its “male” or “female” voice, they might realize that their statements are just an insult to the hardworking voice actors who give life to their work in real audio books. You can slow the “voice” up and down but it really still sounds like Klatuu is reciting the prose. This mode might be fine for brief newspaper articles, but would prove far too annoying I fear for use with complete books.

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When you take a look at the Amazon Kindle 2 as a whole, you do realize that it is the hardware tweaks that have made all the difference from the original. There is little the new version can do that the first gen model could not.
At $359 the Amazon Kindle 2 is a long way from cheap. But if you like to travel light, are an avid reader and the kind of person that loves new gadgetry of any kinds chances are you are going to end up buying this device. Though its appeal may not be as universal as say the Ipod, I know a lot of people (myself included) that think the Kindle is another breakthrough that will become hard for us to live without in the future.

The Sony PRS-505 e book reader visually has a much more elegant air about it than its rivals, especially Amazon’s Kindle which can look a little bulky.

The protective cover is a rather nice tan leather affair and the Reader itself has a sleek metallic look that seems to say “I cost a lot of money, aren’t you impressed?” It weighs in at about nine ounces making it nicely portable.

The Sony PRS-505 uses a standard USB 2.0 connector foe both charging the unit and data transfer. It accepts a number of formats including RTF, PDF, plain text and Sony’s own ebooks. It can also playback MP3 files, letting you add a little music to your reading time. It is not very functional though and as a music player the PRS-505 makes a great ebook reader.

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	Sony PRS-505/LC Blue Digital Book Reader

The reader does not have a speaker, but it does have a headphone jack and two different memory card ports. It also has 200MB of built in storage space which will pop up as a manageable external device in Windows, a nice extra.

Even if the Sony PRS-505 is no good as a music player it is a very impressive example of what is it supposed to do, make reading an ebook as pleasurable as reading a paperback.

The electronic paper technology that the PRS-505 uses was designed to closely mimic the appearance of conventional ink on ordinary paper. A conventional flat panel display uses a backlight to illuminate pixels but the electronic paper is designed to reflect light just as it would be on regular paper. The images and text can be easily viewed from even the strangest of angles and the image is held without drawing power from the device itself.

Power consumption for the Sony PRS-505 is measured by page turns, as that is the only thing that it does need power for. The battery included with the device can, according to Sony, handle up to 7,500 page turns on a single charge. Because there is no backlight you will need to read on the Sony PRS-505 in a well illuminated area, just as you would with a normal book.

Actually reading text on the PRS-505 is a fairly enjoyable experience. The background is not white, as one might expect, but rather a lighter shade of grey, almost as if you are reading a book made from recycled newspaper. There is a choice of four fonts and you can choose the font size that you are most comfortable with as well. There is a both a pagemarking feature and a continue reading function that allows you to stop reading and pick it up again easily later, without losing your place.

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The Sony PRS-505 is not without its problems though. The screen flash and delay that was so annoying in this device’s predecessor is much improved but not altogether gone.

When the PRS-505’s screen needs to refresh the display flashes black and then there is a brief crazy dance as the pixels invert. The unfortunate result is that often there is a remaining ghost of the last page for a minute or so which can be extremely frustrating.