I think there are several reasons why my recreational reading has dropped off. First, I read a ton of material on the web all day long. Second, I'm busy working and taking care of things at home. When I finally get some down time I either veg in front of the television or sleep. The best chance for me to read a novel is in bed just before sleep.
I wonder if I would read more if I had an e-reader. Would making reading more convenient lead to more reading? I’d hate to go out and buy an e-book reader and then find out that I don’t read any more than I did with paperbacks but I am a tech hound and am dying to buy one.
There are several e-readers currently available, what differentiates them tends to be the size of the screen and the web access they provide. Here is a list of the e-readers I’m currently looking at:
| name | cost | screen size | screen resolution | color screen | wireless access | browser | size | weight in oz. |
| Amazon Kindle | $259 | 6" | 600 X 800 | 16 shades of grey | 3G | yes | 8" x 5.3" x 0.36" | 10.2 |
| Amazon Kindle DX | $489 | 9.7" | 1200 X 824 | 16 shades of grey | 3G | yes | 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38" | 18.9 |
| Barnes & Noble Nook | $259 | 6" | 16 shades of grey with color touchscreen | 3G and Wi-Fi | ?? | 7.7"4.9"X.5" | 11.2 | |
| Sony Daily Edition | $399.99 | 7" | 600 X 1024 | 16 shades of grey | 3G | ?? | 5"X8.2"X.6" | 12.75 |
| Sony Touch Edition | $299.99 | 6" | 800 X 600 | 8 shades of grey | ?? | ?? | 6.9"X4.8"X.4" | 10.1 |
| Sony Pocket Edition | $199.99 | 5" | 800 X 600 | 8 shades of grey | ?? | ?? | 6.25"x4.25" x.4" | 7.76 |
| ECTACO jetBook | $179 | 5" | 6.02" x 4.33" x 0.51" | 7.5 |
My dream e-reader would be a tablet computer with instant on, wi-fi and/or 3G internet access, a full color screen and a full qwerty keyboard like the Kindle has. All of this for $259 would be ideal. Perhaps the next Kindle will have a color screen.
If I can’t get my dream system then I want a basic e-reader. Basic means it opens and reads many types of files, works great. It would have no wireless access at all and no keyboard. Just a basic reader and I want to pay about $100 for it.
If I had my choice of any of these e-readers, cost not being an issue I’d go with the Sony Daily Edition. I like the size and format of the screen and the device looks great. That being said I’ve hinted heavily that I’d like a Kindle, we’ll see if I get one for x-mas, I doubt it and kind of don’t want it as I’d like to wait and see what is coming next. If I do get one I’ll write up my experience with it and whether I am reading more or not.
