e-Book Readers Cheat Sheet: Amazon Kindles, Barnes & Noble Nook, jetBook, more

Published
As digital bookworms hold their breath for the arrival of a sub-$200 Kindle, various manufacturers have encroached on Amazon's turf unleashing an array of impressive e-Book readers. We've outlined today's most popular models to see how they stack up next to each other. However, before you make your purchase, keep in mind that in addition to hardware, it's important to look at the e-Books in each manufacturer's respective e-Book store. Check to make sure the store carries your favorite books and that your e-Book reader supports multiple formats, which in turn gives you more buying flexibility. Here's a breakdown of the most popular standalone e-Book readers on the market today:
Price*
Screen Size
Weight
Formats Supported
Storage
Wireless Network
Rated Battery Life
Amazon Kindle 2 U.S.
$259
6" (600x800) 16-level gray scale
10.2 oz.
AZW, PDF, TXT, RTF, Audible, MP3, MOBI, PRC, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP
2GB
Whispernet Sprint 3G
4 days (with wireless)
Amazon Kindle DX
$489
9.7" (1200x824) 16-level gray scale
18.9 oz.
AZW, PDF, TXT, RTF, Audible, MP3, MOBI, PRC, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP
4GB
Whispernet Sprint 3G
4 days (with wireless)
Barnes & Noble Nook
$259
6" (600x800) 16-level gray scale
-------
3.5" (480x144) color LCD
11.2 oz.
ePub, eReader, PDF, MP3, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP
2GB (microSD card slot)
3G (AT&T), In-Store Wi-Fi (802.11g)
10 days

BeBook Mini
$199
5" (600x800) 8-level gray scale
5.6 oz.
ePub, PDF, Mobi, Lit, TXT, PRC, FB2, Doc, HTML, BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIF, MP3
512MB
(SD card slot)
None
7,000 page turns

ECTACO jetBook
$199
5" (640x480) 16-level gray scale
7.5 oz.
ePub, PDF, Mobi, TXT, PRC, FB2, JPG, RTF, MP3
112MB
(SD card slot)
None
20 hours

IREX Digital Reader
$399
8.1" (1024x768) 16-level gray
14.6 oz.
PDF, ePub, Newspaper Direct, Fictionwise, eReader, TXT
128MB (microSD card slot)
Verizon Wireless 3G
N/A
Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300SC
$199
5" (800x600) 8-level gray scale
7.8 oz.
PDF, ePub, JPEG, BBeB, RTF, TXT, HTML
512MB
None
2 weeks
Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600SC
$299
6" (800x600) 8-level gray scale
10.1 oz.
PDF, ePub, BBeB, RTF, TXT, HTML, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC
512MB
(Memory Stick Pro Duo/SD slot)
None
7,500 page turns
*Prices are MSRP as few deals can be found on these new eBook readers.

Louis Ramirez is dealnews' Features Editor.

DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

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