PRS-500

Pros: Solid construction, excellent display even outside, impressive battery life, supports multiple eBook formats.

Cons: Expensive (unless you work a deal), Sony's desktop software and DRM, slow screen refreshes.

The Bottom Line: If you love reading and want a powerful/portable solution to carry a huge library around with you, this is for you. Too expensive at $350...but at $180 I'm sold.

Review: I've been looking at the Sony Reader since it's release, and though the device's build quality was excellent (no plastic here, solid metal case construction, as if someone actually designed this thing to last forever, imagine that!) and the e-ink display ...

Pros: Compact, excellent reading area, excellent battery life, wonderful integration with the web.

Cons: It is easy to lose your place in a book by accidentally pressing a key.

The Bottom Line: If you love to read and want the convenience of a portable library that is light, compact and easy to use, then the Sony Reader is for you.

Review: UPDATE: After owning and using the Sony PRS-500 eBook Reader for 3 months, I like it more than when I wrote the original review below. It is still my constant companion. Whenever I have to visit the doctor or dentist, it provides reading from my own ...

Pros: Portability, ease of use of Connect store, ease of transferring web content, legibility of screen

Cons: Limited Connect content

Review: I've been using it for two weeks now. I love it! It's like reading on paper. I really like being able to "Cut and paste" articles from the web for later reading. The Connect store "just works". I am very happy with the Connect store. It is still a bit ...

Pros: Screen, power consumption.

Cons: None so far.

Review: I got mine last week, and spent the last two days using it ( in the house due to a blizzard), I love it. Even after two days use, the power bar has not moved off full, and the screen is great. Randy B. ...

Pros: Screen, battery life, size, durable metal, superior quality

Cons: Expensive,PDF Files a bit slow, limited file types, DRM, no color

The Bottom Line: I recommend this reader to anyone that loves reading books, I believe this will be to books what Ipod is for music.

Review: I love reading books of all types. In fact, I tend to read 2-3 books at any given time. I'll read sales related books, spiritual books, and a good fiction book going between a few books at a time by mood. Years ago when I got my first Palm Pilot, ...

Pros: Amazing screen, very easy on the eyes, lighter than most paperback books, endless battery life

Cons: Some refresh lag and ghosting. Pdf formats have resolution and scaling problems.

The Bottom Line: If you are interested in ebooks, this is the "next generation" device that could finally make it a usable technology.

Review: I recently purchased the Reader after being initially put off by the mixed reviews and cost. A recent promotion allowed a $50 credit for the Connect ebooks, so I took the plunge. This is a great device as long as you understand that it is designed ...

Pros: Battery life, quality of display

Cons: Poor software design, layout design

The Bottom Line: I would recommend this unit for the serious ebooker; otherwise, wait for the bugs to be worked out and the price to come down

Review: This is a good unit, that I feel is worth its price. While the screen does NOT look like print-on-page as they bill it, it is much closer to print than it is to a regular lcd screen. Range of view is excellent - similar to regular paper. The screen ...

Pros: Great battery life, nice size, best display in the world in bright ambient light.

Cons: Don't buy if PDF is your document of choice. Display is a little dark indoors.

Review: If you read only ebooks, go for it. The electronic paper is the only technology that actually looks best in the bright, sunny outdoors. Reading poolside or on the beach might be better than a real paperback. Inside it's a little dark, but fine with a ...

Pros: Great contrast, lots of books to download, good display size, lightweight, thin enough.

Cons: Could use more of bottom of display for text, tricky firmware upgrading.

Review: Three service center returns later it looks like the battery life is (with current firmware version): 4 weeks. I've discussed this with two different service engineers at Sony RRC and it looks like the CPU continues to run some idle process even when ...

Pros: Electronic paper, selectable font sizes, MP3 player, large memory cards - simply the best reader.

Cons: Needs larger fonts and MP3 playlists. The e-bookstore doesn't work on many Windows XP systems.

The Bottom Line: Buy it if you can cope with difficult technical problems.

Review: Over the years I have tried to find an e-book reader that lived up to the Dynabook vision of one device which could provide ubiquitous access to all of my books where ever I happened to be - the ultimate paperback. I have tried to like e-book reading on ...