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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