Which eReader is the Best
There are thousands of people out there who have had a tough time trying to figure out which ebook reader to buy, to no avail. At the end of the day, everybody seems to do the same mistake of trying to find out which of the available e-readers is the best, without taking into consideration what they actually want this device for.
The Contenders
As of today, all the major companies dealing in wireless reading devices have some or the other thing to offer. While Amazon has its third version of the Kindle series - Kindle 3, along with Kindle DX in the race, Barnes and Noble has entered the arena with Nook and Nook Color. Similarly, Sony has quite a few promising e-readers in form of Sony Reader Touch and Reader Pocket Edition to its credit. Among all these dedicated ebook readers, there also lies an unexpected contender in form of Apple iPad. Even though it is a tablet PC, its amazing ability to double up as an e-reader and the brand name Apple make it difficult to turn a blind eye towards this gadget.
The Winner
With all the top eReader models in fray, the battle for the best has become more intense than ever. Though all these e-book readers are quite promising, there are some factors which have to take into consideration when choosing which of these models to buy. More importantly, it's a matter of preference, which tends to change from person to person. Among all of these eReaders, Kindle 3 - Amazon's third generation Kindle wireless reader, seems to have an edge over others in several factors - if not all. At 7.5 inches in length, 4.8 inches in width, 0.33 inches in thickness and diagonally 6 inch screen, Kindle is as good as a normal book. The fact that it only weighs around 8.7 ounces makes the task of handling it very easy with absolutely no strain on your hands. Its 4GB storage allows you store as many as 3600 ebooks on it.
The e-ink display with a resolution 600 800 and 16 shades of gray doesn't just give it a feeling of reading a real book, but also comes easy on your eyes even when you read for long duration. The absence of back-lighting makes a little difference considering that most of us would prefer reading in a bright room - unless you are too lazy to get up and switch off the lights when you are done. More importantly, the e-ink display also helps you do away with the reflection problem which you are likely to face if you try to read outdoors in broad daylight. At US$139 for Wi-Fi only version and US$189 for the Wi-Fi + 3G version, Amazon Kindle 3 is quite cost-efficient e-reader to buy. It seems like Amazon has finally done away with the high price tags which have always kept its e-readers out of reach for a layman.
The price factor plays an important role in the iPad-Kindle 3 comparison wherein it gives Kindle a definite edge over iPad. The price along with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity options helps Kindle get an edge over Sony Reader as most of the Reader versions with Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity are too costly, and those which come cheap are marred by absence of connectivity. It seems like the only e-reader which can give Kindle a tough fight is Barnes and Noble Nook. There exist so many similarities between the two, that it becomes difficult to decide which is better of the two. Even the price difference between these two is negligible at US$10 - with the Nook priced at US$149 (Wi-Fi only model) and US$199 (Wi-Fi + 3G model).
Best eReader for PDF
Even though Amazon Kindle 3 did manage to make the cut in our crusade to find out which ebook reader is best, with Nook following closely as the second best ebook reader available, none of them qualify to be the best eReader for PDFs. There is no doubt about the fact that the two e-readers are amazing in themselves, but their 6 inch screen turns out to be a disadvantage when it comes to PDF documents - wherein the simple rule 'bigger the better' comes into the picture. That being said, if you want an e-reader on which you can read your PDF files without any problems, you can go ahead and opt for a Kindle DX or Apple iPad - both of which boast of a 9 inch screens, for an at par PDF excellence.
As we said earlier, it's your preferences which plays a crucial role in deciding which wireless reading device is best bet for you at the end of the day.
