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I want to give my wife an electronic book reader for Christmas and don't have a clue what's best. Talk to me.

I can't compare much to the other E-readers on the market, but I do love my kindle. The display is pretty close to reading a normal book (and being able to set the text size is nice) and it's small and light enough that its almost always with me. The content is quite good especially if most of your reading is current (or old classics). It's been especially useful as a grad student so I don't have to carry around as many books on a daily basis. The normal model is a little small for sheet music (about march folio sized) but there is also a larger model. You can also set the font size which I've found to be very useful. Also, all kindle content can be viewed and controlled on your computer, ipod, ipad, blackberry etc.

I am a huge fan of the Kindle. The third generation just came out and is supposed to be very awesome. I got mine last christmas and have used, and loved it everyday I've had it. I used a nook once. I thought the touch screen was a cool feature, but overall I found it a little hard to navigate. For my money, I would buy the kindle.

Anyone have experience with a e-reader called 'Literari'?

From what I've heard, the Kindle has the best display for reading books in various environments. Here is a blog post that compares the displays of a Kindle and iPad under a microscope.

TubaTinker wrote:Anyone have experience with a e-reader called 'Literari'?

I've read pretty negative reviews of it.

Your best bet would be to go with the Kindle, Nook, or the latest Sony Pocket Edition.

Kindle provides the best all around service too. Amazon's buying power and it's proprietary connection to Kindle machines makes for fewer issues and faster service. Go Kindle for sure...

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I added your comments to a little of my own web research and bought my lady the latest Kindle 3... 3G wi-fi and the matching leather case with integral light. Expensive (about $240 for the package) but I think she'll adapt nicely to an electronic reader.

This might be a bit late...

The Dec issue of ConsumerReports reviewed the E-book readers. It recommends 4 models...

• Amazon Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi ($190)
  Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi ($140) [best buy]
  Barnes & Noble Nook ($200)
  Barnes & Noble Nook Wi-Fi ($150) [best buy]

The prices they quote are suggested retail, so you can probably get some of these on sale.

My son just bought a B+N Nook. Not for the reader feature but evidently there's a 'hack' out there that allows you to use it as a Wi-Fi web-browser. He only paid $80 I think and can surf the web through his wireless router in his home.

Rick F wrote:This might be a bit late...

The Dec issue of ConsumerReports reviewed the E-book readers. It recommends 4 models...

• Amazon Kindle 4G + Wi-Fi ($190)
  Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi ($140) [best buy]
  Barnes & Noble Nook ($200)
  Barnes & Noble Nook Wi-Fi ($150) [best buy]

The prices they quote are suggested retail, so you can probably get some of these on sale.

My son just bought a B+N Nook. Not for the reader feature but evidently there's a 'hack' out there that allows you to use it as a Wi-Fi web-browser. He only paid $80 I think and can surf the web through his wireless router in his home.

Must be a miss-print... According to the Amazon.com website... The $189 Kindle is the 'Kindle 3' with 3g and wifi. The $140 is the older model 'Kindle 2'. I don't recall seeing a Kindle 4G.

I just downloaded the Kindle app on my new droid phone along with a couple of the free "classics" books, Phantom of the Opera, and A Christmas Carol. So far I'm pretty impressed with it even on the little phone screen. Plus it was free

TubaTinker wrote: Must be a miss-print... According to the Amazon.com website... The $189 Kindle is the 'Kindle 3' with 3g and wifi. The $140 is the older model 'Kindle 2'. I don't recall seeing a Kindle 4G.

Oops... I made a typo when entering the post so corrected it. It should have read 3G.

Under "Best Values", the article reads... "The Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi @ $140 and the Barnes & Noble Nook Wi-Fi @ $150 are virtually identical to the 3G models, except that you can load new content wirelessly only via Wi-Fi. These versions are better buys than their pricier 3G siblings, unless you expect to frequently need new content when you're out of range of a Wi-Fi network."

It looks to me that Amazon.com and the Kindle have won the battle with Nook and Sony. Now, the war is between iPad and Kindle.

The new "Kindle Fire" looks pretty sweet.

schlepporello wrote:

Rochester2013 wrote:The new "Kindle Fire" looks pretty sweet.

But are you locked in to only buying books from Amazon?

I am almost 100% positive that you are. There might be a way around that with the Kindle Fire because it has a web browser (unlike traditional Kindles), but I feel it would be more trouble than it is worth.

Whichever one that you get, don't forget that you can get tons of free books from
http://www.gutenberg.org/" target="_blank
Both the Nook and the Kindle allow you to use PDF files.

Yes, with a Kindle, you are locked into buying books from Amazon (without using some kind of conversion software, but that gets a little hairy). However, I find it hard to believe that the books your wife wants to read she can only find with B&N, and not Amazon. Amazon's library is massive, and getting larger every day. Not to mention that the next generation of Kindles coming out next month look great, and pretty much blow away anything B&N has to offer.

Needless to say, I'm a big fan of the Kindle. I've had mine since April, and I've used it to read 25+ books already. It's a great device!

Honestly, I'd get an iPad. It has an app for Kindle and I THINK nook as well. It can do everything those two devices can, plus SO much more. Of course, you are going to pay for it....

tclements wrote:Honestly, I'd get an iPad. It has an app for Kindle and I THINK nook as well. It can do everything those two devices can, plus SO much more. Of course, you are going to pay for it....

My fiance has an iPad that I use a lot (probably more than she does--it was a gift from her boss for some extra hours put in on a project). It's a terrific device, and it does a lot of cool things. And yes, it does have both Kindle and Nook apps available. Still, when I want to read a book, I will reach for my Kindle. The battery life is unbeatable (as much as a month between charges, with wireless off, a week with wireless on), and the e-ink screen is very easy on the eyes and pleasant to read. I can sit outside in the sunlight and still see the screen, which is not the case with an iPad.

Also, the iPad screen is glass, and from experience, it takes *very* little impact to crack it. And once it's cracked, it's non-replaceable without replacing the whole unit. That's how Apple gets you... products that look great, but can never be repaired. Luckily, they replaced ours for free under warranty, but I had to go to a few stores before they offered that.

On the other hand, the Kindle is not glass, and you could probably drop it down the steps and it'll be fine (not that I'd recommend trying!).