| If you're an old-fashioned lover of books in their | | | | respectively. |
| purest form (paper), you may have shied away from | | | | Barnes and Noble Nook |
| e-book readers and the digital book revolution. Still, | | | | A relatively new contender in the e-book reader |
| it's hard to beat the convenience of having a | | | | marketplace, the Barnes and Noble Nook is |
| thousand titles at your fingertips, especially if you're | | | | associated with their store, but it also features ePub |
| heading off on vacation and purse- or suitcase-space | | | | support (this means you can buy e-books from other |
| is limited. Maybe it's time to go with the flow and | | | | stores, too). Like the Kindle, it allows you to |
| give the technology a chance! | | | | download books wirelessly, and it has a unique |
| If you're ready to try an e-book reader, then you | | | | feature that lets you share your downloads with |
| have several options. Let's take a look at the | | | | other readers for up to two weeks. The Nook |
| Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook, and the | | | | stores 1,500 e-books. |
| Sony Reader. | | | | So far, reviews have been mixed, but it's likely |
| Amazon Kindle | | | | improvements will come with future models of this |
| The Kindle has been around for a while, and there | | | | e-book reader. The cost for their current reader is |
| are a couple of different versions at different price | | | | $259. |
| points for you to choose from. The Kindle allows you | | | | Sony Reader |
| to download books from the Amazon store, as well | | | | With more than five years in the e-book reader |
| as magazines and newspapers, all wirelessly, meaning | | | | business, Sony has some experience, and it shows |
| you don't have to plug in and sync your e-book | | | | with their intelligent and well-designed devices. Their |
| reader with your computer. | | | | current offerings are the Pocket Reader ($180), the |
| Most of the available e-books are affordable as well | | | | Touch Reader ($300), and the Sony Reader Daily |
| (especially if you're in the habit of purchasing those | | | | Edition ($380). |
| pricey hardbacks as soon as they come out) with | | | | Their readers support multiple file formats, including |
| bestsellers running about $9.99 and many older books | | | | ePub and PDF, and they also allow access to all the |
| available for less. You can even find freebies you can | | | | free public domain titles in the Google Books library |
| download in the Amazon library. | | | | (lots of classics and older books available here). |
| The downside is that you can only purchase e-books | | | | If you hold out longer, the future will likely bring you |
| from the Amazon library, and the Kindle doesn't yet | | | | even more options. For example, Apple is rumored to |
| support the new industry standard for e-books | | | | be working on an e-book reader. And, of course, |
| (ePub). | | | | there are other options out there from smaller |
| Currently, the basic 6" screen Kindle costs $259, and | | | | manufacturers, so look around before you make |
| the souped up Kindle DX (10" screen) runs $489. The | | | | your final decision! |
| readers can hold 1,500 and 3,500 e-books | | | | |